CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

October 17 - November 13, 2009. Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
User avatar
sturgess66
Posts: 4110
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:50 pm
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by sturgess66 »

Tweets for Leonard in Durham - :D
emilyabenton Durham bound: seeing Leonard Cohen in concert tonight! still hard for me to fathom. about 3 hours ago from txt
AbstractTruth In Durham awaiting Leonard Cohen! about 2 hours ago from Tweetie
ggoddard K and I seeing Leonard Cohen tonight at @DPAC #fb about 2 hours ago from TinyTwitter
mruny Looking forward to the Leonard Cohen show this evening. about 2 hours ago from SocialScope
lindagottschalk At DPAC to see the one and only Leonard Cohen. Great anticipation in the air. about 2 hours ago from Twitterrific
lalitree Perhaps unsurprisingly, a high incidence of men in fedoras at the Leonard Cohen show. about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck
sarahiatt Voted, then went to Toast for dinner. (turnip/parmesean-broth soup ftw!) It was *packed.* I guess because Leonard Cohen is at DPAC? about 1 hour ago from Twitterrific
wendrew30 Leonard Cohen has been everything I expected and more! A life-changing concert experience made even better sharing with my best friend. 9 minutes ago from Tweetie
nikiayende Sounds familiar. RT @rerkaizen "I've got the same old broken heart, but now it feels like it belongs to someone else." -- Leonard Cohen 6 minutes ago from web
hhollick Awesome cannot begin to describe Leonard Cohen experience at DPAC tonight. He his humble, magnificent, moving, profound. Words fail me. 6 minutes ago from Twitterrific
uliaparris Leonard Cohen is AMAZING!!!!!! I'm watching him live with @mq5. What a great night. #music 5 minutes ago from Tweetie
YESRyan Leonard Cohen is so amazing live that I dont even know where to begin. 4 minutes ago from mobile web
emilyabenton on fedora count at the leonard cohen concert. 1 minute ago from txt
chefterri1 Leonard Cohen @ DPAC. My first time here, great venue. The guy is good. 5 minutes ago from mobile web
ArtByChrysti Why oh why didn't I go to see Leonard Cohen tonight? #kickingmyselfrepeatedly 5 minutes ago from Seesmic
:o
omphilpott Rough day at the office, but now, seeing the sublime Leonard Cohen, and I'm drinking whiskey.barbs of my critics like water on a dive. 4 minutes ago from Twitterrific
evan27514 Intermission at Leonard Cohen show has instrumental version of metallicas 'orion.' Weird. less than a minute ago from txt
From Avi/Brightnow - @sturgess66 I know you are posting these... LC amazing at Durham! "The Flood" + "Anthem" mind blowing!!!16 minutes ago from TwitterBerry

Made it!!!!about 1 hour ago from TwitterBerry

Racing to the concert, wife stayed with baby :( my good friend @balooba going with me. Might be late, hope LC & Band will just let it go by about 2 hours ago from TwitterBerry

http://twitter.com/brightnow
:D :D
ManningPub Leonard Cohen has grace and style. 4 minutes ago from mobile web
# 17 minutes ago from txt
# Photo_normal jcfitz01 Back from the Leonard Cohen show at DPAC. Great show! Cannot believe the man is 75!!!! 18 minutes ago from web
emilyabenton 2.5 hours & 3 encores! i want a piece of your breakfast sandwich, Leonard Cohen! 17 minutes ago from txt
danielfoil I think I love Leonard Cohen. If you ever get a chance to see him live, do it. You won't regret it. #fb 14 minutes ago from txt
hhollick Poets give to the world in a way that no concert ticket can repay. Thank you Leonard Cohen for making my world a remarkably better place. 3 minutes ago from Twitterrific
janedw
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:43 am

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by janedw »

there was a song that i didn't know.
i admit i haven't been following the
recent reports, thought i'd lay off the
gossip between Atlanta & Durham ...

.mp3 can be downloaded from
https://www.yousendit.com/download/TzY3 ... WURIRGc9PQ

it expires in 7 days or 100 downloads,
whichever comes first ...
Last edited by janedw on Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
nomadic
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 3:54 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by nomadic »

Image

Image
mousey03
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 3:35 am

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by mousey03 »

janedw wrote:there was a song that i didn't know.
i admit i haven't been following the
recent reports, thought i'd lay off the
gossip between Atlanta & Durham ...

.mp3 can be downloaded from
https://www.yousendit.com/download/TzY3 ... WURIRGc9PQ

it expires in 7 days or 100 downloads,
whichever comes first ...

What a great recording. Thanks so much.
nomadic
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 3:54 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by nomadic »

'that other blues song'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnBFuFGmx5s

[Linda] ...yes, it was after Gypsy's Wife.
User avatar
sturgess66
Posts: 4110
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:50 pm
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by sturgess66 »

janedw wrote:there was a song that i didn't know.
i admit i haven't been following the
recent reports, thought i'd lay off the
gossip between Atlanta & Durham ...

.mp3 can be downloaded from
https://www.yousendit.com/download/TzY3 ... WURIRGc9PQ

it expires in 7 days or 100 downloads,
whichever comes first ...
Thanks for the MP3!! "Feels So Good" - and oh - it sounds so good! :D :D
User avatar
sturgess66
Posts: 4110
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:50 pm
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by sturgess66 »

nomadic wrote:'that other blues song'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnBFuFGmx5s

[Linda] ...yes, it was after Gypsy's Wife.
Oh my dsotm07/nomadic!!! You captured it again!

What a gorgeous song. A perfect little gem of a song.
It is in a range that seems just so right- and it sounds so good!
Leonard the troubadour.
And I just love the arrangement(s).
Neil Larsen owns the Hammond B3!
Sometimes little growly moments from Leonard.
Sometimes little tender moments from Leonard.
Oh yes - let this man live!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you nomadic. :lol: :D :lol:

p.s. Beautiful pics too!
jglBB
Posts: 90
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:13 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by jglBB »

It seems that getting down on paper the final lyrics of this song will be the job of a lifetime. They change every night ! Does someone had the chance to figure the new verses?
User avatar
bridger15
Posts: 2068
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:49 pm
Location: Los Angeles - ex Toronto
Contact:

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by bridger15 »

http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainme ... 74411.html
Published Wed, Nov 04, 2009 08:28 AM
Cohen comes alive

David Menconi - Staff writer

DURHAM -- As instruments of doom go, Leonard Cohen's voice is sort of like anesthesia. You'll be coasting along, basking in his mellow croon and letting it wash over you. Then a trance takes over about the time he drops one of his wicked kill-shot lines on you -- "You told me again you preferred handsome men/But for me you'd make an exception," say -- and the next think you know, you're waking up wondering just what happened. And if you think that sounds at all unpleasant, then you weren't at Cohen's Tuesday night show at Durham Performing Arts Center.

Cohen's voice is an admittedly acquired taste, of course, and it's not one that has gotten much airplay in America over the years. And yet his songs have been in the air so much that you probably know more of them than you realize. Tuesday's show featured 27 songs, including most of the Cohen canon high points that the crowd had come to hear. The standing ovations began before he'd even sung a note. Then again, he rocks a dark suit and fedora so well, he deserved the cheers just for walking onstage.

Cohen is 75 years old and he collapsed during a show in Spain back in September. But you'd never have known that from Tuesday's performance. He was spry from start to finish, sometimes singing from a knee for dramatic emphasis. By the end of the night, he was literally dancing his way off the stage.

"I don't know when we'll pass this way again," he announced early on. "But it is our intent to give you everything we got."

For this tour, Cohen has assembled a crack nine-piece band littered with virtuosos. They supplied sleek, exceedingly well-played jazz-flavored rock that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Steely Dan record. During each player's star turn, Cohen would stand off to the side, hat in hand, attentively watching and listening.

Guitarist Javier Mas was particularly impressive on banduria, laud, archilaud and 12-string guitar, providing exotic counterpoint to Cohen's lyricism. But the entire ensemble was terrific, and there was even a spot of choreography. When Cohen sang the line "Like girls dancin'" on "The Future," backup singers Charley and Hattie Webb did a quick cartwheel in unison.

But of course, there was no upstaging The Voice. When he reached down to the lower reaches of his range to intone "the wisdom of oooooold" during "In My Secret Life," he sounded like a true force of nature -- a foghorn warning the unwary away from the rocks of romantic desolation.

By now, Cohen is well-established as poet laureate of doomed romantics everywhere. His typical song persona is a man singing from the depths of emotional wreckage, picking through the rubble and assigning blame where it belongs -- as much to the singer as his subject. Just about every Cohen song has a cutting line that feels like an icepick to his and your heart.

Tuesday's set list was pretty close to the track list on Cohen's current "Live in London" double-album, starting with "Dance Me to the End of Love," which set a tone of old-world classiness that he maintained throughout the evening. High points included the ultra-cold "Chelsea Hotel No. 2," a steady rolling "Suzanne," "Hallelujah" with lyrics tweaked for the occasion ("I told the truth, I did not come here to Durham to fool you") and "Famous Blue Raincoat." He did two sets and multiple encores, and seemingly could have played all night.

"Good night, my darlin'," he sang on the show-closing "I Tried To Leave You" -- "I hope you're satisfied." The crowd gave a massive whoop in response.

david.menconi@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4759
2009-San Diego|Los Ang|Nashville|St Louis|Kansas City|LVegas|San Jose
2010-Gothenburg|Berlin|Ghentx2|Oaklandx2|Portland|LVegasx2
2012-Austinx2|Denver|Los Ang|Seattle|Portland

Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbook http://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com
moubird
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:04 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by moubird »

THE NEW SONG
lyrics (changing at each performance)
as Leonard sang them in Durham NC, November 3, 2009:

Well it feels so good
not to love you like I did.
Feels so good
not to love you like I did.
It's like they tore away the blindfold and they said we're gonna let this prisoner live.
It's like they tore away the blindfold and they said we're gonna let this prisoner live.

Feels so good
just to wake up in the morning by myself.
Cup of coffee in the kitchen, fire up a little danger to my health.
I got the same old broken heart but now it feels like it belongs to someone else.
I got the same old broken heart but now it feels like it belongs to someone else.

Ah but you visit me,
summon(?) me to the kingdoms(?) of the night.
And I show you how you broke me
doing every single thing that I like.
And I beg you not to leave me
and I try to go on sleeping, but the room's too bright.
And I beg you not to leave me
and I try to go on sleeping, but the moon's too bright.

Yeah it feels so good
not to love you like I did.
I don't know why
ah,but it just did.
It's like they tore away my blindfold and they said we're gonna let this man live.
It's like they tore away my blindfold and they said we're gonna let this man live.

This song premiered in Chicago on October 29, 2009 and, with a new stanza added, was performed for the 2nd time in Asheville, NC on November 1st. On November 3rd in Durham, NC, the Asheville stanza and the "..not to be each other's VIP" stanzas were both replaced with the newest one: "Ah but you visit me...". I could not confidently make out a few of the words. "Summon me" and "kingdoms of the night" are just my best guess. Applause had broken out and partially drowned out the verse. Anyone have a better guess?

The audience responded with appreciate laughter, as they did in Asheville, at the phrases: "It's like they tore away my blindfold and they said we're going to let this prisoner live", "Feels so good just to wake up in the morning by myself", and "Fire up a little danger to my health". Leonard played a long bluesy guitar intro to the song, as well as musical interludes where the spaces are between each stanza above.

Leonard seems to be having fun playing around with possible lyrics and will likely continue changing this one until it is fully "born " and has a name. What an honor to have heard the first live performance of this newest stanza. We loved the song!
moubird
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:04 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by moubird »

New Song Lyrics
(a moving target)

This stanza was sung in Chicago (and Asheville), but not in Durham:

Feels so good baby
to see you smiling back at me.
It's so good baby
not to be each other's VIP.
It's like they tore away my blindfold and they said we're gonna let this man go free.
It's like they tore away my blindfold and they said we're gonna let this man go free.

This the stanza premiered in Asheville, but was not sung at Durham:

I miss you, baby.
Just nothin' like it was.
It's just a little stroll now
on the other side of love.
I see you waving in the distance, ah, ah, but you're close enough.
I see you waving in the distance, but the distance is close enough.

Also, we noted that "baby" (in "feels so good baby") was cut in Durham.
Other minor changes:
"My blindfold" became "the blindfold"
"It's like the same old broken heart" became "I got the same old broken heart"
Last 2 lines end in "let this man live" (instead of "let this prisoner live").

Fun to watch a song evolve.
PortMerch
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:14 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by PortMerch »

I will not inarticulately attempt to tell you all how great last night was. This forum is (deservedly) an L.C. lovefest, and I echo all the glowing reviews. Amazing.

We were 2nd row center....and were able to get a copy of the setlist from stage. It is scanned and posted in the setlist forum if interested.

btw.... glow sticks? really? ugh.
astranger
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:59 pm
Location: Greensboro, NC, USA

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by astranger »

janedw wrote:there was a song that i didn't know.
i admit i haven't been following the
recent reports, thought i'd lay off the
gossip between Atlanta & Durham ...

.mp3 can be downloaded from
https://www.yousendit.com/download/TzY3 ... WURIRGc9PQ

it expires in 7 days or 100 downloads,
whichever comes first ...
thank you!! I was there in the upper balcony dead center, with a pretty good view considering the location. It was my first concert and I can barely process the fact I was there. This was a night that I cannot articulate, as many of you here understand why. The whole time i was just smiling and taking it all in; trying to get my head, and my heart, around the songs that unfolded from that secret place of the heart. He was gracious as always, funny, humble; everything we expected, a real, deep seated generosity. I feel so honored to have seen him, his songs have saved me, inspired me, kept me, and held me through moments when I thought I could not go on. He's like a good friend, a mentor, a teacher, a father, and a drinking buddy. His stamina is un-human, watching back the videos I took, which I'll post later, I couldn't believe we were watching a 75 year old man. He showed no creaking signs of age or any signs of slowing down. The other members of the band were a treat as well; Dino loves what he does and it was a pleasure to watch him sink into the songs. The Webb Sisters' rendition of If It Be Your Will, is incomperable when you hear it in person; sent chills up my spine. I could go on and on because everything was just stellar and perfectly balanced supporting Leonard and his songs. An incredible night that will take a long time to feel like an actual memory and not a dream.
Jake.........Durham, NC 11-3-09; Brooklyn, NY 12-20-12
janedw
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:43 am

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by janedw »

best intermission eavesdropping moment ...
a mom is pulling her young daughter toward
the exit. saying something along the lines of
"there'll be other concerts, time to go home
now" and the (c. 10 year old, definitely
pre-pubescent) daughter telling her "but this
is Leonard Cohen!"
manamana
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 6:19 pm

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Durham, NC, November 3

Post by manamana »

this is what I hear on my recording (differences in bold):

Ah but you visit me,
summon me to the room for the night.
And I show you how you broke me
doing every single little thing that I like.
And I beg you not to leave me
and I try to go on sleeping, but the room's too bright.
And I beg you not to leave me
and I try to go on sleeping, but the moon's too bright.

overall I had a blast - front row grand tier doesn't get much better. I always thought that I'd never get to see him, so this was a treat. local restaurants were packed, we tossed our dos perros plans and just went to bull mccabe's. Quiet show - really quiet. Sound was great but a little more volume would have given show a bit more presence. There were some instances where it felt like the crowd clapping drowned out the band.

Distractions:

- drunken giggly women old enough to be my mom - This has always unsettled me.
- room full of (seemingly) cultured rich people - how do you not know how to tell when to clap?
- was that woman trying to land a plane? I know it's a sizable theater, but I don't think you need to be worried about aircraft.
Post Reply

Return to “The Fall 2009 Tour in USA”