CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

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sturgess66
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CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

The venue is ScotiaBank Saddledome - an indoor arena in downtown Calgary - built in 1983 and used for ice skating in 1988 Winter Olympics. It was renovated in 1994-95 - and the seating capacity is 19,289

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This is a pre-concert article in Calgary Herald -
http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2012/11/ ... en-covers/
10 Great Leonard Cohen Cover Songs

November 16, 2012. 6:45 am
Posted by: Jason Markusoff

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For the second time in four years, Leonard Cohen brings his bolo tie and baritone to Calgary, this time at the Saddledome. It won’t be as intimate as his 2009 show at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, but 2009 reviews from friends in Edmonton said he made Rexall Place feel like Cohen’s neighbourhood coffeehouse.

Hyperbole tends to flow from people not used to spouting hyperbole after they sit through the 78-year-old’s charming, three-hour trips through his catalog.

Almost as good, and sometimes better, are the many sublime covers from the many, many artists who take on the poet’s unparalleled lyrics. With some great difficulty and some lousy brandy, I divined a list of 10 must-hear Cohen covers.

[Read at link above for rest of article/videos, etc.]
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http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/post/358 ... lm-calgary
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

From Joey/Camp Cohen/Notes From The Road -

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The Scotiabank Saddledome
Band’s onstage, crew is crewing, calm in Calgary.


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Counting Down To Show
The Prof. Mitch Watkins and MD Roscoe Beck trade chords and fish stories in the green room while waiting out the clock.
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

From Twitter -
Jorah :) ‏@CookieLaynster
Leonard Cohen! http://instagr.am/p/SIg3V8TR4O/
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Kristal ‏@Pan_deMalheur Leonard Cohen. That is all. pic.twitter.com/U6kk578Y
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

A rather confusing offering by Mike Bell of the Calgary Herald - he liked this, then he didn't like this - and then there was that - and it was all the venue's fault. Um - maybe Bell himself was having a "off" night ... lol
http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainm ... story.html
Bell: Cohen Concert Not Quite What It Might Have Been

By Mike Bell, Calgary Herald
November 17, 2012 9:03 AM

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Leonard Cohen performs at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary Friday.
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon , Calgary Herald

Leonard Cohen performed Friday night at the Saddledome. Attendance: 10,000.

“We’re sorry, there’s no more Stella Artois left in the building.”
Class?

Seriously, in a structure where Bud and Keith’s are served by the three-litre thirst-buster, to overhear that phrase uttered by a Saddledome employee before iconic Canadian poet extraordinaire Leonard Cohen even took the stage on Friday night was somewhat and in some way heartening.
It seemed to be an indicator that the evening ahead would be one that was, snobbishly, a little bit more about genuine style, taste and, yeah, class.
A three-plus-hour, two-set, with encores show by a man whose words, whose understanding of the art of seduction through intellect and human interaction, have wooed — on his and our behalf — more than a Rat Pack’s worth of conquests in his half-century as an artist certainly furthered those expectations and made his ambling onstage a fashionable 15 minutes late something that was more expected than forgivable.
It also made the evening, itself, that much, well, less satisfying.

No, the Bard of Harlequin, himself, wasn’t a disappointment. The 78-year-old treasure was, probably, everything you could hope for were you to plunk down your dough — in fine, deep voice, elegant appearance and slow but purposeful crooner presence, singing into the mic as if it were able to wilt and swoon, and bending on his knees to plead and lie for forgiveness, understanding and one more conjugal night. Yes, his between-song talk was as far from improv as one could get, but it was at least likable and exactly as classy as you’d expect in a Mad Men kind of way.
And the songs, well, unless you were of the hardest to appease, he missed little, ticking off the classics, old and new, one by one, from opener Dance Me To the End of Love, The Future, Bird on A Wire and In My Secret Life to second-half notables such as Tower of Song, Waiting For the Miracle and, of course, Hallelujah.

Even his band was exactly as it should have been, backing the master with instrumentation that was as respectful to the man as it was the material. The female backups — Sharon Robinson and Webb Sisters, Charley and Hattie — were simply smouldering. And the musicians, they were, to a member, wonderfully, stunningly unassuming in the romantic execution, shining when given the light.

The main problem is that all of what Cohen brought to the barn — all of that history, talent and technique — was dulled by the structure itself, by its behemoth, by the fact that subtlety, the one thing relied upon to truly sell that style and class, was almost instantly lost in its rafters, killed by an arena setting that sat 10,000 quietly rapt and reverential but seemingly less so from delivery than expectations and familiarity.

The sound mix was fine — far from muddy — although, perhaps a little on the quiet side, allowing even audience mumbles to intrude on those treasured songs and allow a quick, almost unconscious exit.

Which, ultimately underscores the disconnect or disconnection that the un-theatre allowed for far too often throughout the evening. It was remarkably easy to find yourself outside of the songs and performances looking inside longingly or merely not caring at all.

Space and distance will do that. And as solid as he may still be, Cohen simply couldn’t sustain a bridge to that gap, nor should he really be expected to.
Yes, there were moments when everything came together, everything coaxed you to fully submit, such as, ironically, the quiet first set spoken-word performance of A Thousand Kisses Deep, which was so nakedly about the voice and the poetry you couldn’t pull away.

And musically, the early second-set offering of Suzanne and a swinging, ho-downy take on the track Democracy were highlights, strutting out of the predominantly sombre, one-note song list — dull is far too strong a word, but not entirely off the table — to leave a lively and lasting impression.
But those were the exceptions, with other, more powerful Cohen songs not always delivering on the promise they may have shown.

The extended Spanish guitar intro to Who By Fire, for example, was tasteful but not entirely tasty and certainly didn’t carry with it a great deal of heat. And when the baton was finally passed to the master, when he uttered the first words of the song, yes, there was that thrill of recognition, that Casanova-Pavlovian response to material that still has its timeless aphrodisiac abilities, but they were as fleeting as anything of even half its artistic staying power.
It really is odd, because for all that the evening had going for it, it somehow wasn’t what it should have been, perhaps given a better chance, a better setting, a better, more intimate home.

There was style, there was taste and there was class, and yet there was a whole lot more that was lost inside of the building.

mbell@calgaryherald.com
Twitter.com/mrbell_23
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
maglover
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by maglover »

Calgary, Saddledome ... November 16, 2012 - NOTE: This set list is open to correction as I am working from memory

First Set
Dance Me to the End of Love
The Future
Bird on the Wire
Everybody Knows
Who by Fire
Darkness
Ain't No Cure for Love
Amen
Come Healing
In My Secret Life
A Thousand Kisses Deep (Recitation)
Anthem

Second Set
Tower of Song
Suzanne
Night Comes On
The Gypsy's Wife
Waiting for the Miracle
Anyhow
Heart with No Companion
Democracy
If It Be Your Will (performed by the Webb Sisters)
Alexandra Leaving (performed by Sharon Robinson)
I'm Your Man
Hallelujah
Take This Waltz

Encore 1:
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Encore 2:
Famous Blue Raincoat
Going Home
Closing Time
Save the Last Dance
Last edited by maglover on Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Steve Wilcox
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by Steve Wilcox »

:)
Last edited by Steve Wilcox on Fri Jul 12, 2013 9:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

Steve Wilcox wrote:Wow, that is the most poorly written article I have ever read. The run-on sentences are so long the idea is completely lost. There are at times 5 or 6 commas and dashes in a single sentence. ....
I know - and I'm sure I saw typos too - but - no way I'm going back in there to verify ...
IMM
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by IMM »

there’s no more Stella Artois left in the building.
A first hand observation and early in the evening. :)
It's possible that he should practice writing in that state more often.
It gets easier.
Learning is, after all, a state experience.
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by zwirnie »

maglover wrote:Calgary, Saddledome ... November 16, 2012 - NOTE: This set list is open to correction as I am working from memory
On setlist.fm a setlist appeared last night that pretty much reflects your setlist, except that it lists 'The Gypsy's Wife' after 'Night Comes On' .... One concert attendee lists "Joan of Arc" as well, but that was later edited by a different attendee to Night & Gypsy. Any thoughts to their musings?

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/leonard-c ... afaef.html
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maglover
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by maglover »

zwirnie wrote:
maglover wrote:Calgary, Saddledome ... November 16, 2012 - NOTE: This set list is open to correction as I am working from memory
On setlist.fm a setlist appeared last night that pretty much reflects your setlist, except that it lists 'The Gypsy's Wife' after 'Night Comes On' .... One concert attendee lists "Joan of Arc" as well, but that was later edited by a different attendee to Night & Gypsy. Any thoughts to their musings?

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/leonard-c ... afaef.html
I agree I misssed "The Gypsy's Wife" in the above (and now edited) setlist and I can confirm "Joan of Arc" was not on Calgary's setlist.

In terms of the review the venue was not ideal but LC & his band & crew made the venue irrelevant.
Last edited by maglover on Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
zwirnie
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by zwirnie »

maglover wrote:I agree I misssed "The Gypsy's Wife" in the above (and now edited) setlist and I can confirm "Joan of Arc" was not on Calgary's setlist.
Thanks for the update, much appreciated!
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MaryB
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by MaryB »

Oh, I don't like that Mike Bell. Where was his seat anyway - in the men's bathroom?
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by mary emma »

Yes I think he was in the men's room, probably looking for his stella artois, he should have stayed there...
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

Here's some good video, uploaded by Rob Christopher - Thanks!

Closing Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XzxZKGQkw

First We Take Manhattan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XbKaaLtw3g

Save The Last Dance For Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCuvnb34suE

Editing to add another -

So Long Marianne (there is a major "rose event" at the beginning) :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhBmCgb1qx4
Last edited by sturgess66 on Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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mnkyface
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Calgary, Alberta, November 16, 2012

Post by mnkyface »

sturgess66 wrote:Here's some good video, uploaded by Rob Christopher - Thanks!

Closing Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XzxZKGQkw

First We Take Manhattan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XbKaaLtw3g

Save The Last Dance For Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCuvnb34suE
Those are great videos. Leonard is so energized. I noticed a couple of things: in Save the Last Dance, around 0:45, he signals with his hand (to Rafael?). So interesting. In the FWTM video, Leonard does a little dance with (almost runs into? :lol: ) Roscoe before leaving the stage. Also, he waves extensively to the audience at far stage right once he exits.

And he's so flippin adorable during Closing Time, I don't even know where to begin.
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