CONCERT REPORTS: Montreal (June 23, 24, and 25)

Canada and Europe (May 11 - August 3, 2008). Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
Steve Wilcox
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Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 3:31 am

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Steve Wilcox »

If so, bookers might consider a bigger room. St. Joseph's Oratory?
St. Joseph's Oratory capacity - 2200
Place Des Arts WP capacity - 2990

????????
JamieKerr
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:51 pm
Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by JamieKerr »

jarkko wrote:I have posted the Montreal Gazette review by Bill Bernstein and a great dia show by Allan LaCroix on a new Montreal page at
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/tour2008-13.html
Both Bill Bernstein and Allan LaCroix kindly gave their permission to use their work on the website.
Actually, the author of the article is Bill Brownstein, not Bernstein.

***Thanks, I corrected the typo! / Jarkko***
JamieKerr
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Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:51 pm
Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by JamieKerr »

Steve Wilcox wrote:
If so, bookers might consider a bigger room. St. Joseph's Oratory?
St. Joseph's Oratory capacity - 2200
Place Des Arts WP capacity - 2990

????????
I think the point the author was trying to make, given all the references in the rest of the article, is that St. Joseph's Oratory would be more suitable as seeing Leonard was like a "religious exerience".
SALee
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Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:52 pm

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by SALee »

There's a good reason why I should have checked this site before I went for the 25th concert. I flew 30 hours on an expensive, horrific flight from Kuala Lumpur to Montreal because I was finally going to hear this incredible man sing live, after months of planning and saving. I was sick and flu-ey but knew it was going to be the concert of a lifetime. Coming from Asia, my husband and I knew nothing of the venue or what the typical programme might be or how long it might last. I can honestly say there is only one musician in the world that I'm a fan of - and that's why I was in Montreal that night. We sat through the first set which lasted about an hour, completely bowled over. And then we got up and left, thinking the concert had ended, and because everyone had filed out. I know I sound like a complete and utter idiot, but as a tourist to Montreal, I had absolutely no idea what to expect, and I didn't hear any announcements about intermissions etc. Reading these reviews now, I am literally HURTING - when it finally dawned on me he had played for 3 hours and I missed the last two.
Completely, and utterly depressed.
VELOVERMONT
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:24 pm
Location: montreal

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by VELOVERMONT »

SALee wrote:And then we got up and left, thinking the concert had ended, and because everyone had filed out.
What exactly do you mean by ;" everyone had filed out" ?

Your story is unbelievable !
montreal 2008; montreal 2012x2
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Neophyte
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Location: Wisconsin

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Neophyte »

That is just too sad, SALee!!! :cry: I was there, too, and my husband looked at me at the intermission wondering if that was it. From the Forum, I knew there was plenty to come. Yes, many filed out to take a break, have refreshments, etc., and there was no announcement that it was an intermission. So very, very sorry!
Hallelujah!!!
Steve Wilcox
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Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 3:31 am

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Steve Wilcox »

I don't find this completely unbelievable. I came very close to doing the same thing at another (non-Cohen) performance a few months back when the band took an intermission with no announcement that it was just an intermission. In fact, like Leonard did, they introduced the entire band and thanked the audience for coming - it all seemed pretty final.

Leonard actually said, each night, "we'll back back in 15 minutes" but always in French. What a shame that made the difference between seeing one hour or seeing three.

On the 24th, a woman down from us got up and left during Anthem - I thought that very strange. Then security came in and after some discussion removed the man sitting next to her (his wife also followed him out). They were both extremely well dressed, not taking pictures, not yelling out annoyances. I'll long wonder what that was about.

Next to me on the 25th another interesting thing happened - a couple came in (during Bird On A Wire mind you) to find two people in their seats - discussion ensued (also during Bird On A Wire!!!) - turned out the second couple to arrive had tickets for the night before, the 24th! Now that was unbelievable, how could you pay $360 for 2 tickets and show up the wrong night, and a night too late at that - at least a night too soon would have been repairable. Unless a scalper screwed them right before show time, purposely selling them spoiled tickets.
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Neophyte
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Location: Wisconsin

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Neophyte »

Steve Wilcox wrote:
Leonard actually said, each night, "we'll back back in 15 minutes" but always in French. What a shame that made the difference between seeing one hour or seeing three.
Guess you can tell I don't understand French! :oops: Glad to hear he said it. We had a very nice young man next to us translate some parts for us and were pleased that Leonard spoke English quite bit, too.
Hallelujah!!!
SALee
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:52 pm

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by SALee »

neophyte and steve,
thank you for commiserating...i actually feel marginally better reading your posts...
i think it's partly a cultural thing...at the venues in asia there are usually announcements about intermissions...so as a newbie to place des arts i didn't know better...and yes, i too, don't speak/ understand french.
thanks for chiming in.
Tchocolatl
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Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 10:07 pm

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Tchocolatl »

Maybe VV should open a "here write your wounds about Montréal's concert". It is just too bad that some people experiences unpleasant things 8) In general and in this particular event. This is great that you can comfort each others. I hope that you feel better from the warthm you are finding here. It is time to laugh and cry and laugh about it all again.

Unfortunately, I can't share any complaint. I found everything so perfect that I am still on my cloud 9 about that. Being in such a state of bliss, I don't feel like braking the mood by writing two hundred and seven millions of billions of trillions of wows (wow, and wow). Later maybe. :D
***
"He can love the shape of human beings, the fine and twisted shapes of the heart. It is good to have among us such men, such balancing monsters of love."

Leonard Cohen
Beautiful Losers
captrenault
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Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:39 pm

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by captrenault »

Steve Wilcox wrote:Next to me on the 25th another interesting thing happened - a couple came in (during Bird On A Wire mind you) to find two people in their seats - discussion ensued (also during Bird On A Wire!!!) - turned out the second couple to arrive had tickets for the night before, the 24th! Now that was unbelievable, how could you pay $360 for 2 tickets and show up the wrong night, and a night too late at that - at least a night too soon would have been repairable. Unless a scalper screwed them right before show time, purposely selling them spoiled tickets.
I saw that, and wondered what it was all about, as both sides seemed fairly adamant, and then the one couple just leaving abruptly. Quite a loud discussion too, with cell phones being turned on to light up the tickets to read them. A few calls for "down in front!"

Now I know. Thanks!
Toronto, June 17/93; Toronto, May 13/06; Toronto, June 1/07; Hamilton, June 3/08; Montreal June 23/08; Montreal June 24/08; Hamilton, May 19/09, London, Dec. 11/12, Hamilton, Apr. 9/13; Irving Layton's 85th birthday party.
JamieKerr
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:51 pm
Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by JamieKerr »

Steve Wilcox wrote: Next to me on the 25th another interesting thing happened - a couple came in (during Bird On A Wire mind you) to find two people in their seats - discussion ensued (also during Bird On A Wire!!!) - turned out the second couple to arrive had tickets for the night before, the 24th! Now that was unbelievable, how could you pay $360 for 2 tickets and show up the wrong night, and a night too late at that - at least a night too soon would have been repairable. Unless a scalper screwed them right before show time, purposely selling them spoiled tickets.
Did this happen to be in row 'J'? The reason I'm asking is because I was there on the 24th and I just could not believe that the two seats next to me, and very good seats at that, were empty!!! I thought it was really a waste. Now I'm guessing that the people meant for those seats were the people you observed the following night...

Jamie
Steve Wilcox
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Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Steve Wilcox »

JamieKerr,

Yes it was row 'J'. We were in J17 & 19 that night so I would guess the seats in question were about J5-ish.
Tchocolatl
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Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 10:07 pm

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by Tchocolatl »

By the way, something strange happened to me too, now that I think about it. The night I was there, two extraterrestrials mistaken Place-des-Arts for their flying saucer and they were trying to put some kind of tags on people because they did think it was the abducted lot of humans of the season. Security guys came and oh! surprise the aliens were able to understand and speak French as well as English, because of a special machine, you know, galactic translator, something like that. The emotion provided by the show made me forget about this little event, or maybe it is the men in black, but now memory came back to me. Few.
***
"He can love the shape of human beings, the fine and twisted shapes of the heart. It is good to have among us such men, such balancing monsters of love."

Leonard Cohen
Beautiful Losers
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lizzytysh
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Location: Florida, U.S.A.

Re: MONTREAL (JUNE 23-25)

Post by lizzytysh »

Oh, SALee ~

The Brits have an expression about being "gutted" and reading what happened with you, that's the best word I can find to describe how I feel for you. I can't even BEGIN to imagine how much you're literally HURTING, in reading these accounts. You're right that many people got up and left out into the common areas to mill around, use the restrooms, buy something to drink, talk with each other, buy t-shirts and other items being sold, have a cigarette or whatever. For all practical purposes, it would have seemed 'over' ~ I had forgotten that there was an intermission and was VASTLY relieved to remember that! I was NOT ready for it all to end. To think that you paid so much and traveled so far... it's horrible. I'm so sorry and really hope that Leonard performs somewhere much nearer to where you live, so you'll be able to do it all, again, and this time see the entire concert. Oh, gosh, I really cannot imagine how awful you both must feel. You're right that being in another country and not having any preparation, it really wasn't obvious what was going on.

Likewise, for the couple who came on the wrong night! Yuk! I know I kept checking and re-checking my tickets to make sure I had one for EACH night and was taking the correct one to the venue every night... still, I had missed what was clearly printed on the ticket, that it was originally to have been filmed for French TV on the first night. I had no clue until that was pointed out to me.

The disruptions that I've read about here are disheartening, too.


~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
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