Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

July 25 - December 11, 2010. Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
anne alexander
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by anne alexander »

I don't want a pass. Well I do but it would be wasted. I don't think Leonard would appreciate me gazing in awe, dumbstruck. I'm just sorry I only discovered him in my fifties. I've got my ticket for Sligo!! Leonard I love you. Can't wait for 31 July.
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leonardmtl
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by leonardmtl »

I wonder why there is so much interest in a backstage pass given that Leonard would not be present. Robert Khoury told me one of the big problems is how to keep Leonard from being vulnerable to this drain of energy. ....and of course, he would be mobbed.

And you don't have to go backstage to meet other band memebers...... they have been great in meeting fans before the show, at most venues.

Actually, "backstage" is more like a traditional cocktail party, except people dressed differently. Lots of gawking, not much substance!!!.

Leonard from Montreal
We're all on one road....we're only passing through....

1967 Montreal / 2008 Toronto/ 2009 New York Beacon /Boston 2x /New York MSG / Chelsea Hotel Plaque Celebration /San Jose / 2010 Las Vegas 2x / 2012 Montreal 2x /Boston 2x
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lizzytysh
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by lizzytysh »

Hi jondi ~

Times really have changed for some performers. With 30 years more in life, immensely greater [as in widespread] popularity, and the intensity of these tours that Leonard's been doing, the backstage privileges are not at all what they were in 1980. Leonardmtl has noted that Leonard wouldn't be there, anyway, but the phrase still implies the same as it always has, that Leonard would be there.

Some musicians still do it, of course. My supervisor is a huge fan of Keith Urban and they do electronic drawings for backstage passes at his concerts. The rules are: (1) You must be a member of his fan club ~ which costs $30 :shock: ; (2) You must have a ticket for the concert you're trying to get a backstage pass for. The drawings are held ahead of time, so it's not reasonable to wait until you get a pass and then buy a ticket. All of that is fine for Keith, but it's just not the way that Leonard rolls anymore. As Leonardmtl noted, Leonard's people need to protect him from having his energy sapped by fans [which even those chance encounters can do, if the fan isn't considerate]. I watched Leonard's sister, Esther, take control of the situation once.

You're very fortunate to have gotten one [which you continued to use] back in 1980. In 1976, I didn't need a pass to go backstage. It was perfectly acceptable to just go along with others who followed along to where he went to his dressing room. Someone had said it was fine with Leonard, so there I went. He was very gracious, as always... I've no doubt that's how he was when you saw him, too.


~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
donalagata
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Post by donalagata »

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Prada
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by Prada »

lizzytysh wrote:Hi J ~

Welcome to the Forum with your wish that so many of us share. Leonard's schedule is so full and his attention to his work so divine that his concerts are marked by all that his particular level of focus entails. Long practice sessions, details perfected, time alone, performance, and rest. He just doesn't go the route of fan interaction, anymore. When he meets people, he gives too much in spite of himself and his own needs, so the most effective way to manage that is to not interact with fans on any basis other than serendipity.

If you should run into him somewhere, he'll be cordial, autograph, speak or converse with you a bit, and allow a photo or two. You can come here and blithely mention it or outright brag. We'll be happy for you and either share our own experiences or continue to hope for the same one day. I wish you the best toward a chance encounter with Leonard; however, the backstage passes just aren't items that fans are given. Enjoy the heck out of him while he's onstage, though 8) .


~ Lizzy
Beautiful reply Lizzy....
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sceachgeal
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by sceachgeal »

manleyj
Maybe if you were to be on top of Knocknarea at about 7.30am on Saturday 31 July a meeting could be arranged.
when she came back she was nobody's wife . . .
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lizzytysh
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by lizzytysh »

Thank you so much, Prada. I have a feeling it's more along the lines of what J would have hoped for, absent information on how to go about getting a pass :( . I appreciate your comment.

Times change with the years. When I first saw Leonard, passes weren't necessary. Then, came the time when passes were necessary, even though one might use the same one repeatedly [see jondi ;-) ]. After that, I have a feeling the time came when not only were passes still necessary, but dates were attached and security looked for them. Now, they're simply not given, at least not by fan request.

When I say that, of course, it doesn't mean that no one goes backstage and isn't visually credentialed in some manner ["backstage pass"]. However, getting there isn't via fan request, but through some integral involvement, in some form or fashion, to begin with, to where someone's presence is deemed appropriate and credentials are given or security is notified and made aware. I haven't been backstage in that context; though in New York, Leonard was allowing some fans to come back there [at intermission and afterward] with Anjani's and his show at Joe's Pub [their promotional tour for Blue Alert].

With these grueling tour schedules, and as spelled out by Robert Kory's comment, it all needs to be by serendipity now, and I'm confident that Leonard has his energy protectors looking out for him there, too; or if you by luck meet up with him one-on-one somewhere, Leonard is self-protective enough to be able to extract himself and move on, and with such grace that his exiting won't be awkward for the other person. I'm sure he hopes that when people ask if they may have just a moment with him, that they'll be considerate, circumspect, and self-disciplined enough to keep it at that. With his going to all these wonderful places, I'm sure that no one who loves Leonard as all of us do would want him to be held hostage in his hotel room through fear of running into ardorous fans. He deserves to maintain his freedom of movement.

Hi Donna ~

Great point regarding "the world we live in now" and the necessity of protection of our artists.

It looks like my descriptive wording was misleading. I didn't go IN his dressing room in Chicago. There was the main hallway within the building, and then a small anteway/anteroom [are those words?], just outside his actual dressing room [perhaps, designed this way by intent]. It was a small and narrow area and his actual room, with its open door, was about 3 steps away. It was definitely considered backstage, though not precisely "dressing room."

Didn't I ever tell you about that? Leonard was happy to have a photo taken of us. I'd brought a borrowed 35 mm camera [I wasn't used to them] and my own colour [non-35 mm] camera. When it came to a photo of the two of us, I wanted it in black&white, so I paused, realizing I couldn't do both :shock: . Someone volunteered to take it of us [so one might presume they knew what they were doing, right?]. I thanked him and handed it off, he took a couple photos just to be sure. When I returned home and got the film developed, NOTHING had come out on it. He had forgotten to remove the lens cover [perhaps, the energy of the moment affecting him, too]. I, in those moments and my unfamiliarity with the camera, didn't even think of it. Donna... I'm still not over this :cry: . It's 'only' a photo, right? Mmm, wrong :? .


~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
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musicmania
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by musicmania »

lizzytysh wrote: When it came to a photo of the two of us, I wanted it in black&white, so I paused, realizing I couldn't do both :shock: . Someone volunteered to take it of us [so one might presume they knew what they were doing, right?]. I thanked him and handed it off, he took a couple photos just to be sure. When I returned home and got the film developed, NOTHING had come out on it. He had forgotten to remove the lens cover [perhaps, the energy of the moment affecting him, too]. I, in those moments and my unfamiliarity with the camera, didn't even think of it. Donna... I'm still not over this :cry: . It's 'only' a photo, right? Mmm, wrong :? .


~ Lizzy
I'd be the exact same! I had an autographed Shania Twain ticket and got it lamenated in work. The person doing the laminating set it too high and the ticket turned black. I was devastated and it still makes me sick when I think of it years later. Some photos I have are amongst my most treasured possessions!
2009 Dublin 2010 Lissadell Katowice LV x2 2012 Ghent x2 Dublin x4 Montreal x2 Toronto x2 2013 New York x2 Brussels Dublin x2

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"I did my best, it wasn't much"
donalagata
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Post by donalagata »

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lizzytysh
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by lizzytysh »

Yeah, tell me, Donna. I was gutted. Still am if I let myself think about it for too long. I was quite a bit younger then and it would've been a wonderful photo, too... but I digress :roll: . Meeting him was quite unbelievable for me at the time. Being as relatively unknown as he was, it was like going into the depths of the earth to find the hidden treasure... and then locating it. It was astounding to me that he was even touring. It seemed such an ordinary thing for someone as extraordinary as him to do. G~d doesn't go on tour, does He? And, even then, I knew I would always feel the same as I did about him then... and I still do today. Always will.

Ha. I don't even think digitals were in existence [at least not for the public] at that time ;-) . Yes, I'm banking on 2011, too. Sad, isn't it? Haven't had a raise or a bonus in 3 years. The economy has struck hard here. Workload's increased because the unemployment rate here is about 14% compared to the approx 9% of the nation. Think I've got my figures right there.

I had an entire reply to musicmania earlier and the thing disappeared. The said it couldn't find the system >>> WHAT!?! It's like the viruses have invented a whole new lexicon of messages. I'm getting ones I've never seen since I got my computer in 2001. I'll do it again, later, musicmania.
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
BarbM
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Re: Is it possible to get a back stage pass.

Post by BarbM »

It makes sense that back stage passes are restricted because Mr. Cohen would find himself simply buried with fans otherwise and I'm sure no one benefited from those awkward meetings. It's one thing to respect the man and another to be obsessed with him. I'm sure he would not willingly choose to be in the company of people who are obsessed and I'm likewise sure that he has seen enough to recognize the false flattery coming from someone who is starstruck. I hope he's left alone to give us a wonderful memory at the Akoo Theatre Friday night and everyone can maintain their genuine admiration for a lifetime of such talent and graciousness.
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