CONCERT REPORT: Bucharest, September 21

September 21 - November 30, 2008. Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
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hydriot
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by hydriot »

Laura wrote:3. Something silly, but it obsessed me. During the first few songs, and some of the last, Cohen had in his hand something that looked like a... very silver komboloi (I think "prayer beads" is the translation for that) Same thing was hanging from Dino Soldo's microphone. I don't remember seeing those before, do they have any meaning, I wonder?
Laura, I'd be very interested to learn more of that. Presumably, he and the band picked them up in Athens at the end of the summer tour.

Note that a better translation of komboloi is 'worry beads' not 'prayer beads' as they are entirely secular. They are not a rosary. Greeks fiddle with them and spin them around the hand much as some people in the UK like to pop bubble-wrap. I have a set I've had for decades, chocolate coloured rather than yellow, and I can confirm just how soothing playing with them can be.
“If you do have love it's a kind of wound, and if you don't have it it's worse.” - Leonard, July 1988
Judy
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by Judy »

Megan2c2b wrote: Where is Sharon Robinson????
Jarkko, do you know the answer ??

***no, not yet / Jarkko ***
Gregor
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by Gregor »

Laura,
Those beads are stress busters ------------every one should have them because they do work
I have mine since the late 70's
G
There is a crack in every thing thats how the light gets in
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KerstinP
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by KerstinP »

Oh, Gregor, where can I buy a "stress buster", please? It's urgent :)

Hi Laura, I'm glad you and the others had a great time last night.

I'm looking forward to enjoying the concert in Berlin soon. :)

Kerstin
Inge
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by Inge »

3. Something silly, but it obsessed me. During the first few songs, and some of the last, Cohen had in his hand something that looked like a... very silver komboloi (I think "prayer beads" is the translation for that) Same thing was hanging from Dino Soldo's microphone. I don't remember seeing those before, do they have any meaning, I wonder?
Hello Laura,

During the concert in Amsterdam on 12 July Leonard took something out of his left pocket before one of the songs. I don't remember which song. He kept it in his hand during the song and it looked like a small silver chain. After the song he put it back in his pocket. I too was curious what it was.

Inge
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Laura
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by Laura »

Hydriot-sorry for the bad translation. We have a similar thing, but usually longer (to wear around the neck) and those are called prayer beads, so I got influenced. Annoyingly, none of the photos I found shows them, but I'm pretty sure I'll get some other photos... sometime.
Inge-I saw them in detail on the big screen; they were like a chain of bigger silver beads. I just read a mention of them in a romanian newspaper article about the concert in Amsterdam. So they must have been there all the time, but I was looking at other things!
Kerstin-let's buy 2 of them! I think I need one too. Last two days were almost the craziest ones of my life (and last 3 months were strange enough, anyway). Sorry to everyone I owe mails... I'll get to that too... as soon as I manage to wake up.
Laura
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mirka
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by mirka »

hydriot wrote: Laura, I'd be very interested to learn more of that. Presumably, he and the band picked them up in Athens at the end of the summer tour.
I think it was noticed already at the first concerts in Halifax, and it could be used also to keep a focus:
Claw at your heart wrote: Does anyone know if Dino Soldo (keyboard and wind instrument band member) is a Buddhist? Just curious as he wore a mala around his wrist one night and had it twisted around his microphone another.
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=11082&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75
Last edited by mirka on Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
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jarkko
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by jarkko »

http://www.nineoclock.ro/index.php?page ... 923-506068
Leonard Cohen concert – a moment of genuine Beauty
published in issue 4274 page 12 at 2008-09-23

Bucharest – What could someone say after a Leonard Cohen concert? That it was a unique moment in one’s life? That the legend and the fame that preceded him is pale comparing with the live experience of his ‘Golden’ voice and mesmerizing presence? That you ran out of words because the most beautiful and important have all been told on the stage? On Sunday night, in Bucharest, Leonard Cohen, one of the most authentic creative spirits of the world of music and poetry exceeded all expectations from this magical encounter.

Accompanied by a group of nine fabulous musicians, all of them successful solo performers, Leonard Cohen charmed his audience from the very first notes of the “Dance Me to The End Of Love” until the “Closing Time”… and to his wonderful farewell words told with the most gentle of voices: “Dear Friends, thank you for keeping alive my songs all these years”. Because Leonard Cohen speaks as he sings: with a profound baritone voice, with a sense of both solemnity and humility. The concert, sold-out as most of the shows included in this magnificent world tour (that, Chapeau M. Cohen! includes over 80 dates), started a few minutes after 7 pm, taking aback part of the Romanian public. For the non-initiated in the local show-business, the ‘custom’ contradicts the start of the show on time, because, well we are in the Balkans after all…

For a true gentleman like Leonard Cohen, starting on time is natural, and so was the entire show. For over two hours, divided in small breaks, the public experienced a moment of musical ‘stillness’ filled with profound emotions like a long breath of purity, briefly, the aesthetic of the music in its most refined form. The outstanding performance of the Canadian artist and of his fellow musicians Roscoe Beck - bass, background vocals, Neil Larsen - keyboard, accordion, brass instruments, Bob Metzger - guitar, steel guitar & vocal, Javier Mas - bandurria, laud, archilaud and 12 string guitar, Rafael Gayol - drums & percussion, Dino Soldo - keyboard, saxophone, wind instruments and vocals, and the wonderful Webb sisters, Charley and Hattie Webb – was not only a remarkable musical experience but also a lesson of respect, humbleness for the Art, for the work well done and for the public.

The “Worker in Songs”, bathed in a purple light most of the time, holding the microphone with one hand and his mala beads in the other, softly took the audience in a fabulous musical journey through his artist life (‘Tower Of Songs’), his love stories (‘Suzanne’), desperation moments (‘I Am Your Man’), disillusions and hopes (‘Democracy’) and spiritual search (‘If It Be Your Will’)... One could say that listening to Leonard Cohen songs is similar to making an in-depth check of the state of his/her being, with the memories, emotions and feelings associated, and sometimes you are surprised to discover new sensations as the music digs profoundly in the most hidden corners of the soul…

On the “I Am Your Man” tribute DVD, Rufus Wainwright, another great Canadian musician from the younger generation tells about the aura of legend built around Leonard Cohen’s house in Montreal. “His neighbourhood, his house, it was like Leonard Cohen Land”. The same magic we felt here, in Bucharest, where he brought a little bit not of his land, but of his inner universe. On Sunday, Leonard Cohen turned 74, an anniversary celebrated on stage, with music and an adoring public, a few thousands who left only after the stage went completely empty and silent.

Even if during his lifetime the musician was spoiled with numerous and exceptional accolades, the ‘Happy Birthday’ song sang by his devoted Romanian public at the end of the concert accompanied by the white birthday cake and flowers, visibly touched him. Taking off his impeccable hat, Leonard Cohen told the public good night and: “God Bless You”. Farewell for now Mr. Cohen, Many Returns of the Day and indeed God Bless YOU!

by Rodica Pricop

Video clip (thanks to Vlad for the link):

http://www.realitatea.net/video_477757_ ... 51276.html
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liverpoolken
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by liverpoolken »

This is a postcard that was handed out to the audience as we were leaving the O2 concert in July.
As you can see the string of 'beads' that Leonard has in his left hand in this instance look like metal if not silver.
He must have a collection.

Kerstin
I have a drawer full of worry beads that over the years have been given to me by Greek friends as presents . Not being the worrying type I've never had a use for them so I shall bring you a set when next we meet. I might even bring a set for the Beast:-)


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daveeliver
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by daveeliver »

The stress relieved in yourself by the use of worry beads is proportionate to the stress increased in others who are in earshot of your stress relieving.
Worry beads have a habit of mysteriously vanishing as I found out frequently!
Look after yourself and (each)others. All the best Dave ♫♫♫
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Laura
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by Laura »

Thank you, Ken, those are exactly the things I saw! Is that postcard for real? (not photoshopped by you?) I mean, Leonard "al fresco"?!! He didn't look like a pizza to me...

Cohen is big on the cover of Jurnalul National here (http://www.jurnalul.ro). A part of the article that I didn't find on the internet includes a talk with the manager of the romanian organising company. She says "We went out with Leonard Cohen and his management right after the concert. [...] They were very pleased with the concert and the way they were treated. They even said, in our talk, that they wish to come back to Romania. Something that might happen next year, when they'll go in a new tour, most probably at the beginning of september" (!!!)
The exclamation signs belong to me. Should I believe what newspapers say, hmmm?

Another part of that article includes a little talk with Mircea Mihaies, the author of the only biography of Cohen in romanian language, who apparently was privileged enough to meet Cohen (a 5-minutes meeting, that finally took 2 hours, they say). I'll try to translate what he says:
"I took a little look at the man, with the fear of meeting someone else than my 'Leonard Cohen'. But he is just as I imagined him, a man of uncommon gentless and kindness. He didn't tell me anything memorable, it was a kind of direct communication, to the point, just like his writing. He asked me about Manastirea Casin (Casin Church) and was always making a comparison with Greece. He asked me if 'gypsy-tigan' has a bad meaning in romanian language... but I gave him examples from literature, positive characters... and he relaxed. He came back to Casin, a construction that 'seduced' him during the 2 rehearsal days, when he faced it all the time. I offered him a bottle of romanian wine, 'Domeniile Coroanei' de Segarcea... His daughter Lorca was there too, who almost seemed a little girl... I was impressed by his calm, simplicity, directness and obviously the warmth he spontaneously showed, and, even though he had come after an exhausting rehearsal, he had in his eyes the light of an young man, that made him irresistible. Even more, he gave you the feeling you were making him a great honour for meeting him, when it was just vice-versa. When I left, his manager told me: 'Now you understand why during the tour we avoid interviews and meetings, he is so gracious'"

PS from me: Casin church is quite a famous (and big, by the standards here) church, located exactly next to the stadium where the concert took place... and, indeed, from the stage Cohen could see it all the time! Must say it was beautiful, while it was getting dark, to see the white-and-green church almost watching over us... Here's a link with some pictures of it.
http://www.crestinortodox.ro/Biserica_C ... 21951.html

Laura
Gregor
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by Gregor »

KerstinP wrote:Oh, Gregor, where can I buy a "stress buster", please? It's urgent :)

Hi Laura, I'm glad you and the others had a great time last night.

I'm looking forward to enjoying the concert in Berlin soon. :)

Kerstin
Kerstin
Where to get worry beads is in Greece if I were there now I would get you some however you could perhaps get them on Ebay
Don't Fret
Leonard is still using and he can tell stories that even worry beads could not help
There is a crack in every thing thats how the light gets in
commonweal
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by commonweal »

Dear Laura (and others)

Thank you so much for your various posts about what must have been a quite wonderful concert. I must say it is very good once again to be reading on this forum posts that concern Leonard Cohen (rather than, say, the unpleasantness of US politics, which seems inexplicably to have dominated here in recent weeks...).

While, selfishly, I am sad that I can no longer truthfully say that "I was at Leonard Cohen's last concert" (I was at the Big Chill) it is fabulous that the show is back on the road again, and in such great form and style.

Enjoy the resonances as they float through you.

All best,
Commonweal
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hydriot
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by hydriot »

What Leonard is seen holding in the Big Chill postcard certainly looks like Greek worry beads -- right size, and with a tassle at one end --- but in all my years I have never ever seen a silver set. Perhaps they were made specially for him as a gift?
“If you do have love it's a kind of wound, and if you don't have it it's worse.” - Leonard, July 1988
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howthelightgetsin
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Re: Bucharest, September 21

Post by howthelightgetsin »

Glad he is still doing 'In My Secret Life' :) Wonder how it sounds without Sharon on the 'hold on my brother...' part
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