Making'em smile at the rest home

It was Tom's mother who came up with the program name for the performance: "Autumn Leaves".

And that was the headline on the notice in the elevators at Fellowship Towers on September 14: "Tom Watson in concert tonight performing "Autumn Leaves'".

No matter that Tom doesn't play "Autum Leaves". It's the theme that counts.

But this time Tom made his mother promise not to yell out from the audience and request a number.

A year ago Tom played a gig here called "Sentimental Journey". He didn't know that tune either.

Trouble was, just as Tom was going to close the show, his mom yelled: "Tommy...play 'Sentimental Journey'!".

Trapped, Tom sat down and gave the most tortured attempted rendition of that old tune that was ever heard in Toronto.

Mrs. Watson kept quiet this time.

And Tom's concert was a hit. The audience especially liked the last 15 minutes when Tom played a musical accompaniment to a slide show of photos we have taken driving across the continent.

The canes were waving with Tom's finale: The national anthem "O Canada" played while photos of the maple leaf flag waved in the Canadian breeze. No standing ovations though.

But they would of, if they could of.