CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 and 2

USA and Canada (April 1 - June 4, 2009). Special concert for fans in NYC (February 19). Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
surfergirl
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by surfergirl »

evilcharles, yes, I did the same in '85 for an exboyfriend who loved, loved, loved Tom Waits. He was also overwhelmed (in a good way). And he did run out and boy the collection the next day.
I was cautioned to surrender, this I could not do . . . .
accidentchild
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by accidentchild »

The show April 2 was great. The only thing I'm wondering about is why did he introduce the band 2 different times using the same words to describe their qualities? Did anyone else think this was a little funny?
cpl593h
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by cpl593h »

accidentchild wrote:The show April 2 was great. The only thing I'm wondering about is why did he introduce the band 2 different times using the same words to describe their qualities? Did anyone else think this was a little funny?
two is nothing! he did it many times at the start of the Euro tour, less so as the tour went on

basically, i think Lenny is so in awe of his band, and so respectful of their talent, he wants to acknowledge this with the audience and to give the audience a chance to show their own appreciation.

it's part of Lenny's humility, i think.
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table top joe
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by table top joe »

Megan2c2b wrote:Our wish is their command. I got this set list for Austin, April 1, from Joey, road manager. Thanks much. Only one new song, "Lullaby."

First Set

Dance Me to the End of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure for Love
Bird on the Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye
Anthem

Second Set

Tower of Song
Suzanne
The Gypsy’s Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I’m Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz

Encores

So Long Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Democracy
Lullaby
Closing Time
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest


:shock: Sweet Jesus thats some setlist! quite a few i didnt get in Dublin last year....hope to get them this year :D


evilcharles wrote: I had a friend who hadn't ever heard LC before but based on a bunch of his Tom Waits friends freaking out about getting to see Cohen he went. catalogue the next day.


Is your friends name Seth by any chance?...im on a Tom board and Leonard gets much love there believe me,people have been told to see him no matter what! think half the forum has seen him now :D
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table top joe
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by table top joe »

cpl593h wrote:
accidentchild wrote:The show April 2 was great. The only thing I'm wondering about is why did he introduce the band 2 different times using the same words to describe their qualities? Did anyone else think this was a little funny?
two is nothing! he did it many times at the start of the Euro tour, less so as the tour went on

basically, i think Lenny is so in awe of his band, and so respectful of their talent, he wants to acknowledge this with the audience and to give the audience a chance to show their own appreciation.

it's part of Lenny's humility, i think.


:lol: He introduced the band about 5 or 6 times when i saw him,maybe more(seriously)sometimes all in a row,sometimes individually....he's done that for a long time though,hes very gracious towards his band on the "Field Commander Cohen" live album too,he can over do it but he's a gent and its great to see an artist of hi stature give credit where its due,so many others could learn from Leonard on how you treat your band and your audience
Fontana
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by Fontana »

Seat upgrade surprises Leonard Cohen fans

By Joe Gross | Friday, April 3, 2009, 12:14 PM

More than 100 Leonard Cohen fans who arrived early at Thursday night’s show at the Long Center got a nice surprise: an upgrade to the most expensive seats in the house.

As the auditorium filled up, dozens and dozens of folks were moved from the upper balcony (ticket price: $89.50) to the orchestra section, parts of which were going for more than $500.

Show promoter AEG set aside a certain number of seats in the orchestra section, Long Center managing director Paul Beutel said. Promoters often hold back good seats until the last minute as comps for VIP. AEG chose to hold back more than 100.

“But AEG chose to release these seats too late to sell,” Beutel said. “The word was pretty much out that the show was sold out and nobody bought them. So we had a bunch of empty seats in the front that we got to move some people to. It was pretty random, but it made a lot of people very happy.”

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/ ... ted_r.html
surfergirl
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by surfergirl »

Did the concerts start on time?
I was cautioned to surrender, this I could not do . . . .
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Kenadian
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by Kenadian »

evilcharles wrote:I had a friend who hadn't ever heard LC before but based on a bunch of his Tom Waits friends freaking out about getting to see Cohen he went. I gave him one of my 2nd row tickets and that was his first introduction to LC... 2nd row at the Long Center for opening night. He was blown away. After the show he said he'd be purchasing Leonard's entire catalogue the next day.
I just thought that would have been a killer introduction to one of the great artists of our time.
Hey evilcharles! That's awesome...it is truly a magical experience for sure, and to have that be his (do I know him?) first makes it that much better. I only wish I could have made the Austin shows with you. I do have several shows coming up soon so I'll just have to wait(s) until May 9th in Detroit.

Sadly, I only caught one Waits show in Columbus last year due to Mr Cohen. However, I will make up for the lack of Waits on his next tour :-)

Cheers,
Ken(adian)
2008: Kitchener|Hamilton x2|Toronto x3|Montreal x2|2009: New York|Detroit|New York x2|Hamilton|Kingston|Ottawa x2 |Colmar|Vienne|Nimes|Philadelphia|New York MSG)|Cleveland|Nashville|2010: Sligo x2|Lisbon |Caen|Grenoble|Strasbourg|Marseille|Tours|Lille|Victoria|Vancouver|Oakland x2|Vegas x2|and more.
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MarieM
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by MarieM »

Leonard Brings the Love to Austin

Saturday, April 4th, 2009
So this woman throws her bra onto the stage at the Leonard Cohen concert Thursday night after the 4th or so encore. No doubt it was the lyrics of L.C. that prompted this offering (a dare? a reminiscence of concerts of glory days past?) Or just Austin, mostly Austin? ...
http://blog.golocalaustin.com/?p=370
Okay, time to confess. Who among you is missing some underwear?
Marie
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lizzytysh
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by lizzytysh »

:lol: , Marie :lol: . Has anyone gone on to describe Leonard's reaction or comments, if any?


~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
lark
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by lark »

take this LONG post from my tongue [or fingertips] (err, no, i'm not forcing this on anyone - promise)
home at long last, down but only a little from the soaring heights. i ended up up up, high in the sky. i purchased tickets immediately upon availability but instead of attending the opening show i so eagerly lunged to see, it became the second show. having never been to the stupendously beautiful long center, choosing "balcony" from afar didn't really tell me there was more than one. i found no seating chart online, unaware that i would be ascending to lofty levels where my eyelids rested half-mast, looking down on El Cohen, like a bird on a neutrally upholstered highwire. a different romeo might struggle scaling that steeple, but his voice commanded and the music lifted to fill every molecule of the hall with art. for an already intoxicatingly gorgeous day of perfect cool and sun, it was a dizzying view of grandeur. and after the glow i was all the way home before finding that early arrival added an unknown advantage to final seating. yet all additional info or option or maybes could not taint the utterly unique and perfectly sublime privilege of being there, in any chair. fate even turned that distance into blessing as there was a wall to hold me with each need to rise yet higher. only wings might otherwise save me from falling forward. i was thankful the architecture had my back and braced my applause. there were no 'bad' seats.

by Chelsea Morning #2 i was so moved and elated, hearing words which have given me too much of my sensibilities, long passed adolescent angst; from there to here, touched in new immediate moments with his timeless gifts, i was both reminded and re-affected with his genius for translating emotional complexities; the absolute power of beauty, always with that voice of profundity and depth. after the roaring response trickled to a reverently hushed antispace, where all seemed to be holding a breath, mutually exposed in our awe of the intimacy touched - wowed, even slightly stunned by the jaw dropping musicianship; such mastery of sound in suspended moments of wonder throughout the evening... right there, for several huge seconds, i had never heard such silence where more than two people gather. the exquisite space shared a stillness nothing nor anywhere in my life might ever find so soundless again. no stadium, no club, no theater, no room anywhere could or has or will ever possibly be that collective OM again, could it? in my own silence i felt rise the call of what he’s given and honored most. yeh, it can read so corny to type it this way, but with Leonard, please say it's completely okay To Be all about the love, love, love, LOVE, - right? maybe i can tell him what having “the music” has meant to me. in that moment a special quiet held the space around and between heartbeats. "I love you, Leonard!". did i whisper or did it shout out into the breathless aire? i love this man. what he's brought into my life. his language, his hymns and humor; sharing his visions and gifts, delivered into my personal world. he’s given me much. i can still hardly believe i got to see and hear him with the most magnificent traveling minstrels and women in perfect acoustical and visual presentation.
the next words he sang, "I loved you in the morning..."
how many have already said it? ... i’ve seen dozens of incredible concerts and waited long for miracles. honored to now place this higher than the top of any list or balcony.
every single song was amazing but here's what lingers to this Palm Sunday, these three days after, resurrecting his full catalog through long hours this lazy weekend: my highlights from the wall to wall, back to front, floor to rafter High-Lights.

Dance Me To The End Of Love (transporting)
Bird On A Wire (cried)
In My Secret Life (a huge personal favour)
Who By Fire (sheer magic)
Chelsea Hotel #2 (swept up) [and called to the above declaration]
The Partisan (wooed)
Ms Robinson’s nearly supernatural performance of Boogie Street (words fail)
Famous Blue Raincoat (my pick for most haunting)
Closing time (filling up the church of cohen, dancing with a dosie doe)
solo after solo from Dino Soldo, the magician Javier Mas and how seriously Rosco Beck impacts the whole embrace.
Leonard’s beautiful guitar.
his light skip and grooving.
INCREDIBLY inspiring.
an answered prayer. [or four]

i hope more people keep discovering Cohen
oh and yes,
dreams do come true.
Last edited by lark on Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:15 pm, edited 3 times in total.
surfergirl
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by surfergirl »

Oh lord, I missed seeing The Partisan when looking at the first setlist. I can't believe it! Thank you! Thank you!
I was cautioned to surrender, this I could not do . . . .
Marcello
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Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Austin, April 1 & 2

Post by Marcello »

what a great show this was really, i drove 10 hours from Mexico for the the april 2 show and it was in awe...Leonard gives you such a great vibe, he seem to be enjoying every word he sings, very moving, i absolutely loved it.
melophobe
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Photography @ Long Center in Austin

Post by melophobe »

We took some photos of Leonard Cohen at the Long Center in Austin and wrote up a pretty long review. Thought you guys might be interested. Let us know what you think.

http://www.melophobe.com/concert-review ... austin-tx/
Pomona
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Re: Photography @ Long Center in Austin

Post by Pomona »

Thank you so much!
What a treasure-trove of photos, and a delightful write-up as well.
I so appreciate it.
May 4 1985 Berklee Boston / Feb 19 2009 Beacon NYC / May 29 2009 Wang Boston / June 4 2009 Red Rocks / Dec 15 2012 Wang Boston
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