Cohen in Halifax?

Recollections from Leonard Cohen's pre-2008 tours, YouTube clips
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seaspirit
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Cohen in Halifax?

Post by seaspirit »

I SAW LEONARD COHEN IN HALIFAX AT THE CAPITAL THEATRE. HE PLAYED SOLO GUITAR AND I BELIEVE THERE WERE THREE OR FOUR WOMEN SINGERS. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHICH YEAR THIS TOOK PLACE 69 70 . I DONT REMEMBER ANY SONGS FROM LOVE AND HATE BEING PLAYED
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st theresa
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Re: COHEN IN HALIFAX

Post by st theresa »

Hi Seaspirit

I think it was 1969 because my brother was there in the navy reserve and returned to Winnipeg with a small informal cassette tape called Songs from a Room. I don't know if he saw Cohen but he did introduce me to him --not only that but he sang his songs (exactly like Leonard ) and forever made me a fan.
Anniethecat
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Re: COHEN IN HALIFAX

Post by Anniethecat »

I can remember working at the "door" of an antiques show at the Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax - I believe it was the first year I was at Dal University, which would be 1970. Leonard Cohen arrived to look around and I'll never forget that moment of trying to stay calm while feeling such excitement! Maybe this was the time of the concert you remember... :roll:
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tomsakic
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Re: COHEN IN HALIFAX

Post by tomsakic »

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linda_lakeside
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Re: Cohen in Halifax?

Post by linda_lakeside »

I should have known Tom would have the info catalogued. :roll: It says he played Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre, although I was 'sure' he played The Orpheum Theatre. There's a live recording of Suzanne on Cohen Live that says it was recorded at The Orpheum July 29/93. Hmm. I thought all his concerts were at the Orpheum. Oh, well. I wonder how a person finds a copy of those highlighted concerts? I wonder, I wonder. That's all I can do is but wonder... hmm...I don't know how I missed that...Mind you, I had just left Vancouver in 93. But I was there in 88. I wonder, I wonder... :roll:
~ The smell of perfume in the air, bits of beauty everywhere ~ Leonard Cohen.
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linda_lakeside
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Re: Cohen in Halifax?

Post by linda_lakeside »

Tom, which tours exactly were on Cohen Live. You said somewhere that he was promoting "I'm Your Man" - which would be 88, and in 92 it would make sense that it's The Future tour. Cohen Live (which has live tracks from 93) has the Hummingbird/Handcuffs from The Future, and 'the dancers' from the back of I'm Your Man, but not one track from The Future. Is it just 'coincidental' that only songs from I'm Your Man and further back made it to the live album? You'd think 'something' from The Future would be on it. And he was at a different venue than that of the The Future and I'm Your Man tours.
~ The smell of perfume in the air, bits of beauty everywhere ~ Leonard Cohen.
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tomsakic
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Re: Cohen in Halifax?

Post by tomsakic »

Cohen Live contains tracks from 1988 I'm Your Man Tour and 1993 The Future Tour. True, there's ain't any song from The Future :lol:

(Leonard has said - I am recalling vaguely ... - that the songs were too fresh to put them on the album - it was 1994 release. Now it's too late, I guess :) Also, he was putting accent on Various Positions songs... You do know that he disliked VP versions; only on The Essential he let the VP songs in 1985 studio version to be included, not permitting that on More Best Of... /there he used Cohen Live versions/).

PS. As for the 1993 tour, JF's site does say The Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, Linda, as Cohen Live CD - http://www.leonardcohenlive.com/concert ... -07-29.htm I think that 1988 show was as the site says, this list is double checked, plus it seems there's a recording of Vancouver 1988 show.
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linda_lakeside
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Re: Cohen in Halifax?

Post by linda_lakeside »

Thanks Tom, I read this as soon as you posted it. Now, I dropped back in to say thanks again, and had :roll: you been drinking??? I don't usually see you laughing and making jokes. Har har. 8) :D

I was just hoping that at some Future date, he might swing by Vancouver, or close. I wonder - given the fact that he's been reciting a lot - like BOL and at the induction, if he's going to be singing much. The last time I heard him sing, I think, was Whither Thou Goest with Anjani in May 2007 (on tape, of course). And that biz at the Chapters/Indigo promotion. I really hate saying this, but we could hear on Dear Heather how difficult it must have been for him. Well, I better leave before the angry mobs come with their lynching equipment. Thanks for the info. :D
~ The smell of perfume in the air, bits of beauty everywhere ~ Leonard Cohen.
aallison
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Re: Cohen in Halifax?

Post by aallison »

Cohen played a very lively and beautiful concert in Halifax on October 16, 1970. I know because it was the beginning of an extraordinary day. I also know it was the 16th, because Trudeau imposed the War Measures Act that morning. That caught my attention, because I lived in Montreal, and was just visiting friends in Halifax. Performing with Cohen were Bob Johnston and Charlie Daniels, among many others--including "The Sisters of Mercy"--as Cohen introduced them. The most amazing and impossible truth about this concert was that it was made possible in no small part by two guys who just happened to be in town that week, and wanted to get some free tickets. Myself, because a few weeks earlier, I had painted a room in his Montreal apartment (the one with the skylight), as a favour to Susan (or Suzanne, as she liked to refer to herself). The next week, I had dinner with Cohen and Susan at their apartment, and told him exactly what had happened. Years later, I wrote the story for my friends, and even sent a copy to Cohen (I never heard back from him). Then this past Christmas, one of my daughters presented me with the most amazing present--she had gone ahead and published it. Check it out at Amazon--just type in my name: Alec Allison.
Every word is true, I swear.
aallison
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Re: Cohen in Halifax?

Post by aallison »

I recently found and contacted the 'other' guy, who, as described in my book "Letter To Cohen" (Amazon): it prompted me to renew my efforts to republish it with a new picture.
What is more important, though, is that when Cohen played in Victoria in the Spring of 2013, I sent 2 copies backstage with the help of a security guard (sure is different from 1970!): in one, I wrote a dedication, along with a personal letter to him, thanking him for having taken me under his wing in Montreal: I was young (10 years younger than him), alone and feeling rather lost, yet he seemed to understand my loneliness and let me know that I was welcome. I also asked him if he wouldn't mind signing the other copy, and return it to me by post.
One month later, that book came back: in the frontspiece he had written:
Letter to Alec,
Dear Alec
Thanks a lot
L. Cohen, 2013
I will include that in the new edition, together with proper accreditation for those two fellows who did the running around, chasing down store managers--at home, often--to provide us with whatever mikes, speakers and amplifiers we could round up.
If anyone out there can help provide details of the event (from posters, Dalhousie records or newspapers) I would be very grateful.
Thanks
Alec
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