CONCERT REPORT: Columbus, Ohio, October 27

[MaryB]

Since I see that there has only been one photo posted from the concert itself (thank you Dimitri for that fantastic photo of LC holding onto Ned! Can you please email it to me?)

LC holding onto Mary's offering of Ned during 'First We Take Manhattan"

more...

[MaryB]

More of LC and Ned

[MaryB]

All these photos so far and upcoming are an example of why I don't take pictures during the concerts (camera is carried just in case .....)

[MaryB]

One more bad example followed by a couple of decent shots (don't know how that happened )

[MaryB]

Hate to admit it, but all these pics were the best of the bunch . They were not taken until the end of the concert and then as surreptitiously as possible, as I was in the direct view and close proximity of security. Only two more.

Edit - as bad as most of them are, I figured I had to give it a shot as I was not aware of any/many photos that were being taken. Of the people taking pictures, what were the odds of them being forum members, and that they then would be posted here. Even during 'Dance Me..", when the media is allowed to take pictures, no one was doing so - aaahh Columbus

View of the Palace Theater mezzanine & balconey

Rafael accepting a fan gift after the concert

Ooops, almost forgot. To show my appreciation for the fact that they came to Columbus! to perform, I made up a 'Welcome to Columbus' bouquet

I sat down in the front with this bouquet in one of my LC bags, prepared to lay it on the stage at the beginning of the show. A security guard approached me and asked if it was a gift for Leonard Cohen. After giving him an affirmative answer, I was informed that all gifts have to be delivered backstage and were not allowed to be placed on stage. No amount of persuasion and rationalization worked. I was devastated. Upon seeing Chris Bynum on stage, I gave the bouquet over to him. Chris came back, said that he had delivered it to LC, and that LC said for Chris to tell me 'Thank you'. During the concert, a lady did walk up and place a box of chocolates and long-stemmed rose on stage which was graciously accepted by LC. And then there is Ned.....

To all - Beware of the gift police!

[MaryB]

Arlene - Thank you so much for your kind words!!

Linda - Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting all the tweets and media revues!!!!! I picked up a copy of the Dispatch dated the 28th and the review was not in it! Do you know if this article was posted on their website only?

Warmest regards,
Mary

[Rain]

MARY! THANKS for taking these! I love the one of the theater, too. I'm surprised I don't see myself up in the mezzanine. (Also, am still working on my essay about my concert experience, hope to post it this weekend or next week. Putting on the finishing touches...)
Love the photos......

Rain

[mydoglorca]

Mary B

Hey, I've missed all this. Who is Ned? Does Fred have a baby brother now?

[MaryB]

Mary B

Hey, I've missed all this. Who is Ned? Does Fred have a baby brother now?

Yes, he does, here he is
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=14413&start=480#p203746

I gently tossed him onstage during FWTM. He is small, so initially I thought LC didn't even see him. But then lo and behold, LC picked him up and held him tight. Now Ned can join Fred .

[Rain]

Here is my essay about my concert experience back in October (finally!) If it drips with nauseating sentimentality, I apologize, but I come by it honestly. If you have trouble reading it (font, size, whatever) let me know. I don't claim to be a poet or writer, so keep that in mind when you read it!


http://rainsritings.blogspot.com/2009/12/finest-wine-ever-heard.html

[LisaLCFan]

Here is my essay about my concert experience back in October (finally!) If it drips with nauseating sentimentality, I apologize, but I come by it honestly. If you have trouble reading it (font, size, whatever) let me know. I don't claim to be a poet or writer, so keep that in mind when you read it!


http://rainsritings.blogspot.com/2009/12/finest-wine-ever-heard.html

What a lovely piece! It reflects what I, and probably many others, feel about Leonard Cohen and the experience of seeing him in concert (I like the wine analogy!).

As a side note, you may be happy to hear that not all youth working in record stores are hopeless: within days of seeing Leonard in Edmonton last spring, I was in a music store wearing my concert t-shirt (with a cool picture of Leonard on the front), and the kid at the till's face lit up and he said, "Were you at the concert?"

[Rain]

Thanks for the nice feedback! Yes, there are some young people out there who actually know who Leonard Cohen is. Very reassuring; there's hope for the future yet! It's just so rare to run across them!

[MaryB]

Hi Rain,
Just read your essay on your concert experience. You have said that it took you a while to get it written and posted. I just want to say, it was well worth the anticipation and wait! So beautifully written, saturated with incredible imagery and the most wonderful tribute to LC! A joy to read and savor - thank you!

Warmest regards,
Mary

[Rain]

Thanks! Wow, I'm glad you enjoyed it. If I wore a hat (like our beloved Mr. Cohen) I'd humbly take it off to you. I hate that it took so long to finish, but I wanted to make sure I "polished" it before I posted it. I plan to have more of my writing posted on that blog eventually; more on Leonard Cohen, as well as other stuff. I also plan to post my painting of him when I'm done with it, but I can guarantee that will be a while.......

Again, thanks so much for the compliments......

[MaryB]

Just found this from one of our weekly entertainment papers in Columbus, 'The Other Paper'. Sorry, don't know how to copy the whole article correctly. The image is a photo of LC with a slide show which I couldn't manage to get it to work.


MAJOR MINOR: Did the year's best concert attain perfection?

Click image to enlarge
He’s a Zen monk in real life: Leonard Cohen at the Palace
By John Petric
Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 5:00 PM EST

Well, what can you say except that it was one of the greatest concerts I have ever experienced, let alone the best of the year: Leonard Cohen at the Palace Theatre this past October.

First, the sound quality. Amazing. Every syllable, every lyrical nuance, everything was nearly as perfect as could be. Or maybe, just maybe, the show really was perfect. This Cohen fellow, he’s in real life some sort of registered, karma-toting, certified Zen monk, so perhaps we saw actual perfection—something that, say, the Eagles could never hope to achieve.

As a cosmic Jew, Cohen has more soul and charisma than any 10 Tin Pan Alley-types and more than quadruple what that other cosmic Jew, Bob Dylan, showed us at the LC Pavilion just last month. (Come to think of it, was it a cosmic Jewish coincidence that my other favorite rock ‘n’ rolling Hebrew man, Eugene Hutz, was in town with his Gogol Bordello the very same night as Cohen?)

And what about Dylan’s show? Did it also rank as one of the year’s best? Yes. Why? Because the old croaker gave it everything he had—or so it seemed—and it seemed pretty darn good, given that the esoterically rearranged classics defied and rewarded the imagination so satisfyingly. So ol’ Bobby and the Zimmermans clock in at a distant, very distant, second place after Cohen.

But the real question is—if ya gotta compare these sorts of things, and let’s face it, we all do—which show was heavier: this year’s Cohen concert or last year’s Tom Waits show at the Ohio? Hmmm, indeed.


To me, it’s an unavoidable comparison because Tom’s show last year was one of my favorite shows this year. Just couldn’t get it out of my mind. One minor difference: Man, but Tom sure did sweat! And Leonard was totally cool in comparison but perhaps even more dramatic.