CONCERT REPORT: Columbia MD, May 11

[brightnow]

I was surrounded by people 3 times my age so I didn't really have anyone to talk to the whole time.

You are allowed to speak to "old" people, you know. Most of them would probably have been happy to talk to you!

!

I second that! I'm in my mid-thirties and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful mix at the Seattle concert. In fact, I felt far more comfortable and have more in common with those a few years my senior anyway! My seatmate was the most fascinating older gentleman who lives on a sailboat and is just now heading to Alaska for several months. Since we were in our seats so early, we had lots of time to chat - what great stories he had to tell! Age has nothing to do with it -just start talking. I think, especially with LC fans, our similarities are quickly evident!

Darling, Kaimi, I agree with you both. But I'm afraid you have not tried hard enough to remember what it is like to be a teenager...

[runwhiteyrun06]

BTW, what did Cohen say towards the end of the show? It was something like "I won't be around this way again" I think.

[brightnow]

BTW, what did Cohen say towards the end of the show? It was something like "I won't be around this way again" I think.

I think it was something like:
"We don't know if we will come back this way again"

[edriggy]

does anybod remember what cohen said at the end of the show...i know its random but its been bugging me

[KaimiK]

Darling, Kaimi, I agree with you both. But I'm afraid you have not tried hard enough to remember what it is like to be a teenager...

You are so right! I think I've mentally blocked out those years! I don't think I could remember no matter how hard I tried!

[Darling]

Darling, Kaimi, I agree with you both. But I'm afraid you have not tried hard enough to remember what it is like to be a teenager...

I have been a teenager, me? Are you sure?

[brightnow]

Darling, Kaimi, I agree with you both. But I'm afraid you have not tried hard enough to remember what it is like to be a teenager...

I have been a teenager, me? Are you sure?

OK, I will remind you... (brace yourselves!)
Here's what it's like to be a teenager:
(runwhiteyrun, if you are reading this, please do not take offense. I am not talking about you, I am talking about me when I was your age)

You feel awkward and insecure. You're quite convinced that if you say or do something that other people perceive to be "wrong" something terrible will happen to you (though you're not sure exactly what); so you don't do or say anything you're not sure about. Then you start to feel like you never get to say what you really want to say or do what you really want to do and you try very hard to say and do every "wrong" thing you can come up with, secretly hoping that the "something terrible" will finally happen to you and then you will be done with it and move on with your life. Sometimes you think that if you try to be exactly like everyone else everything will be ok. Other times you despise the idea of being just like everyone else, you are convinced that in order to be yourself you must be the exact opposite of everyone else. In general, you're not really sure of anything other than the burning desire to do more, experience more, find out more of the secrets of the universe. And you wish your time away, precious days, weeks months and years.

Then the days, weeks, months and years are gone and if you're lucky you get to be grown up and find out how much of that magical desire you got to keep and how much of it you've lost along the way.

[Phantom Stranger]

A wonderful performance, only marred by the bone-chilling cold and rain that blew in as the concert began. I feel very sorry for the poor souls who watched from the lawn area. Unfortunately I did not bring a jacket and froze as the night wore on, even under the Pavilion. I thought the audio levels were a little too hot as the night began, but that seemed to be corrected as the night went on.

An unforgettable experience for the sublime performance. I hope the musicians and particularly Leonard himself because of age were properly warmed last night. I thought all singers were in excellent voice. The Webb sisters did a great job and Sharon Robinson had a couple of very special moments. The performances that stood out to me were The Partisan, Chelsea Hotel, and In My Secret Life among others. I was hoping Leonard would banter a little more between songs, but he seems solely focused now on delivering the best performance possible for each song.

My observations of the crowd include a decent mix of Cohen fans from all over the place. Many in the crowd were obviously visiting from foreign countries, particularly Europeans. Most of the audience appeared to break down into two general categories. Fans of Cohen from his first wave of success in the late 60's and early 70's who are in their sixties now, and middle-age baby-boomers who started following him with his comeback success in the late 80's. I will note that I hardly saw anyone that looked younger than 20.

[AlanM]

Found this review of the show:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postro ... night.html

Best part is this:
Cohen observed "We're so privileged to gather like this, with so much of the world plunged in chaos and suffering." Which is, roughly translated, Canadian poet-turned-monk-speak for "Throw your hands up and make some noy-oiiiise, Maryland!"

As Leonard said last nights: "... the critics are severe".

A critic is just like each of us - one person with an opinion.
Re the Washington Post review: Give me quality over quantity any day. I would rather have 10 outstanding studio albums and one not so (Death Of A ladies Man) in LC's career instead of a large number of lower quality albums.
I think that was the only review in which the band was criticised for playing too loudly. The sound quality and balance at Adelaide was excellent and I would not complain if the tour did a second swing through Australia.
I think it is great that such a long tour has attracted so few minority comments.
To paraphrase Aesop: "You can't please all the people all of the time".

[bridger15]

Re the Washington Post review:
Sounds like another instance of Beltway Mentality.

those considered to have a "beltway mentality" are seen as being out of touch with the ordinary voters elsewhere in the country

[dzzz]

This was my 5th show, overall the band seems tighter and tighter, the highlights were (i.e. even better than usual) great version of Waiting for the miracle, Mas' solo before Who by the Fire, and especially I'm Your Man. What happened was LC blanked out for a few bars in the middle of Hallelujah, I guess he could not decide which verse out of many to sing next, and that gave him extra adrenaline shoot, from that point on the whole show kicked in extra gear. Probably the biggest change for the early shows (I was in Toronto almost year ago) is his singing, then he was still bit rusty and maybe insecure, and focused more on just following the melody line, now he is phrasing, varying the voice tone and loudness, and modulating the melody much more.

[a.ephroni]

God, what a show!!! It was undoubtedly one of the spriritual experiences of my life--in an organic body/soul/humanity kind of way. I too have been a Cohen fan since my teens...
I actually thought the weather was... interesting, not a mar. Of course, I was under the pavillion, and truly I am glad I was not on the lawn. Still, I loved hearing LC say, "thank you for sitting in the cold and standing in the rain..." and I loved observing that indeed, there was no weather that would prevent this crowd from being part of this experience. It was, indeed, COLD.

And the band!!! I am not usually particularly moved by "the band"--it's narrow of me, I know, but I'm usually all about the lyrics--but, as my friend said, in this case "it was like I'd never heard any of these instruments before." I was moved to tears so many times.

Probably my favorite moment was when, after one of the simple little keyboard riffs in Tower of Song, the crowd went wild--and LC said, "you are too kind." Which was funny because it's true that that little riff was not a complex and brilliant instrumental solo or anything. But I can only say that my own reason for exploding like that, and my guess at the crowd's, was that those little riffs have become among the threads of our lives, of our own connection to life, our way of recognizing ourselves and each other--such powerful little signifiers, that point to... something. The joy in that song that is not suffocated by all the perils it acknowledges (my friends are gone, my hair is gray, and so on).

I am so grateful. I had given up hope that I would see my idol in concert, in my life...

[a.ephroni]

does anybod remember what cohen said at the end of the show...i know its random but its been bugging me

He said something like this (paraphrased):
"We don't know if we will pass this way again, and so [something that I don't remember as well, maybe "thank you"?]"... and then, "my prayer for you is that you would be surrounded by friends and loved ones, but if that is not your lot, then may the blessings find you in your solitude."

Does that satisfy the itch, or was it another piece you were trying to remember?

[cheftim]

Drove down from Boston area with my son, 28, to see the show. First time for either of us. Been trying to extend his vocabulary by making sure he sees some of the 'older' greats: BB, David Byrne, Mr. Cohen. We had a great time and he and the band were incredible. "A Thousand Kisses Deep" choked me up. To see artists in the their later stages of life, and especially when they still have it, helps you to understand the true beauty of the art. I took my parents, in their 80's, to see Tony Bennet a couple years back. His voice has only gotten better with age. This was a great experience.

One question regarding tickets. When I purchased mine, there was this whole process to go through so that scalpers couldn't be a part of the mix. At the show, I saw lots of people selling in the parking lot. I'd like to take the wife to see him in Boston and I see many online tickets available through scalping. Are these tickets legit and how is it happening?

[dzzz]

At the end he said: We don’t know when we’ll be back again this way, so, until then, take care, friends. If you’ve got to fall, try to fall on the side of luck. And may you be surrounded by friends and family. And if this is not your lot, may the blessings find you in your solitude.