Boston, early 80s

Recollections from Leonard Cohen's pre-2008 tours, YouTube clips
Post Reply
gussiecat
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:14 pm

Boston, early 80s

Post by gussiecat »

I had a wonderful experience in Boston in the early 80s, but I'm not sure of the exact year. Somewhere I have packed away a program book, but I can't get at it today and am hoping someone will enlighten me. I had tickets to see Leonard at the Orpheum theater in Boston, but strangely enough not enough tickets were sold, and the concert was moved to a club near Fenway Park. It was EXTRAORDINARY for me, because I went very early and we were able to sit right in the front row, which was only feet away from a low stage! I will never forget a moment of the performance. Were any of you there? And do you remember the date or the name of the club?

Oh yes, and, I'm sorry -- I'm new to this site -- so I know there's supposed to be a U.S. tour in April/May, but does anyone know how soon the dates will be announced and tickets sold?

Thank you!
Diane
User avatar
Davido
Posts: 1695
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:47 am
Location: UK

Re: Boston, early 80s

Post by Davido »

Hello and welcome.
This may be of some help:
Catalogue of known performances here:
http://www.leonardcohenlive.com/concerts.htm
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies"~ Groucho Marx
gussiecat
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:14 pm

Re: Boston, early 80s -- no, 1988 !

Post by gussiecat »

Well, I mis-remembered a couple of things: the concert was in 1988 and was originally scheduled at the Opera House in Boston. I JUST NOW found a review in the Boston Globe archives, and I'm pasting it here, for anyone interested. This is the first mention of this concert I've been able to find, so it might be of use in recreating LC concert history.....

COHEN SEES THE BEAUTY IN SAD THINGS
Author(s): Jim Sullivan, Boston Globe Staff Date: November 17, 1988 Page: 84 Section: ARTS AND FILM

If Roy Orbison sings for the lonely, for whom does Leonard Cohen sing?

Perhaps, those for whom "lonely" would be an emotional step up from where they are now -- or once have been. Certainly, there is more to Cohen's music -- and we'll get to it in a moment -- but there's no way around the obvious: Sadness, despair and longing figure rather prominently in Cohen's scheme of things -- always have. They figure in the choice of lyrical imagery, the use of minor keys, the slow, deliberate tempos. And, of course, they figure in Cohen's deep, rumbling voice. Go back to the dark chords of 1967's "Suzanne," Cohen's best-known tune (covered by Judy Collins); listen to the musings on the varieties of death in 1974's "Who By Fire"; or take in this year's "Tower of Song." The first line of the latter tune runs this way: "Well, my friends are gone and my hair is gray/I ache in the places I used to play."

Cohen -- who played a two-set, 2 1/2-hour show at Citi Tuesday night -- has a droll, dry sense of humor that he'll occasionally employ to defuse the hovering angst. Several times, he noted the niceties of playing at the Opera House -- the venue in which he was initially booked. (The show was moved to Citi due to lack of sufficient ticket sales.) And, after thanking the crowd of 750 for its "warm reception" near the end of the first set, he avowed, "it will not deter me from my appointed task which is to take Manhattan and other cities and bend them to my will." Cohen and his eight-piece group then eased into an ominous, pulsing song called "First We Take Manhattan."

Lightheartedness is not much part of the picture; a Cohen concert is a pretty somber affair. But, as New Order's Bernard Sumner once said, explaining his group's music, "There's a sort of beauty in sad things." And Cohen, 54, is the sort of artist -- poet-novelist-singer-musician -- who can ably and eloquently penetrate the core of that beauty. Indeed, he undoubtedly was a strong influence on post-punk groups such as Joy Division (which mutated into New Order), the Cure, Birthday Party, Echo and the Bunnymen and Sisters of Mercy -- the latter went as far as to take their name from a Cohen song.

Much of Tuesday's concert had the feeling of chamber music. It was a delicate, soft sound that fit comfortably into the club's environs. (Citi employees put about 600 chairs on the floor; beer bottles were banned from the bars, as their clinking made too much noise.) As a singer, Cohen is almost always on a relatively even keel; the musical sweep comes from violinist Bob Furgo, oud/mandolin player John Bilezikjian, guitarist Bob Metzger and Boston- born keyboardist Tom McMorran.

Cohen's vocals were important, of course, but one should pay close attention to the bridges, the intricate instrumental mesh the musicians so frequently created. Cohen would suggest as much by turning to face the featured player during the bridge, letting a slight, contented smile cross his face. The group gently slid in and out of a number of genres and styles: there were Spanish and Greek overtones, a bit of a C & W influence, even some synth- pop via synthesizer preset rhythms, off which drummer Steve Meador would play. On the face of things, the synth-pop would seem the most jarring -- or gimmicky -- manuever, but Cohen and company had a fluid manner of integrating the acoustic instrumentation and the electronics. This, though, was the special delight: Backing singers Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla. Cohen often shared the spotlight with the two, and they leant a celestial harmonic layering that played perfectly against Cohen's deep, rough rumblings. They, like Cohen, seemed deeply into the music's brooding mystery and magic. Both singers are rock veterans -- Christensen as a key part of Divine Horsemen, Batalla as a backing singer for Cheap Trick and the Motels -- and their input was of the highest order.

The result of all this was that you could hang onto particular choruses or follow the thorny path of the verses. Either way, you'd not miss out on Cohen's shimmering, subtle, persuasive power.
Post Reply

Return to “Live performances & YouTube clips”