CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Everything about the first leg of Leonard Cohen's World Tour 2013
scocoh
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Re: AW: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by scocoh »

Hartmut wrote:
comfortandpain wrote: on)In the Tower of Song [...] AND WHEN HE WAS JUST ABOUT TO START THE NEXT LINE, a bunch of people started cheering, and he kind of stopped and laughed, and said "ARE YOU PEOPLE PATRONIZING ME???" and he was punching the keyboard and playing random notes and everyone was laughing....... lol
LOL indeed. - I need a video of that ...
Fun stuff-- :lol: He was play acting as if he was insulted that people thought he could only plink along on the synth. The first night, he pounded the keyboard with his fists and ran his elbow along the keys and then turned around as if to pick up a guitar and smash it over his knee. The second night he also reached up and plunked his oke* onto the keyboard, offsetting it a bit!! The ladies and Neil were cracking up, and he was cracking himself up doing it. Hopefully, there is a video somewhere.

Other fun stuff--

---Once, when he went to Sharon's side to sing with her-- sorry- forget which song--- He went up to her as she was ready to sing and he said "Hi!". She was surprised but contained herself and sang on. :D

---You know how Leonard stands watching solos of the musicians? Sunday night, after a particularly good solo, Mitch made a face at Leonard as if to say "Whoa! That was good!" :lol:


*"Oke" is short for okole, which means backside.
Last edited by scocoh on Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
scocoh
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by scocoh »

.
.
Random thoughts as I remember them:

--The 'Tried To Leave You' segment has been tightened up so as not to take too long while still spot-lighting the abilities of each band member. Various solos for this have been changed a bit-- with one big change for the Webb Sisters-- they come at it from the opposite p.o.v., singing-- "You tried to leave me" and "My little baby is crying, but I'm right here by your side". (Was this done before the last tour segment ended?) Sharon still sings "at least one thousand times". Rafael doesn't attempt the stick toss.

--Sunday, Leonard sang "Come here, Leonard" on "Wire" instead of "Come on, Leonard, you just can't ask.."

--It seems they continue to see "Marianne" as a sing-along for the US because of the UK/Euro crowds, but the crowds aren't picking up on it too much.

--The band obviously LOVE playing that version of Lover Lover Lover!! They were absolutely enjoying themselves, each and every one.

--Alexandra Leaving remains a stunning moment. Sharon is of course fantastic and Neil is perfect back there providing the wonderful atmosphere. Alexander is absolutely stupendous with his feel for what to do and where to do it. Watching the Webbs do their slow walk together and joining Sharon is great, as is Javier's understated playing. At bottom, though, the performance is a real connection between Sharon's voice and Roscoe's bass, and it's wonderful to sit and immerse yourself in it. That doesn't come across too well in video, but in person it is fantastic. Truly a highlight.

--The audience seemed very appreciative of all the Old Ideas songs.

--Likely because of the time off, there were some glitches in transition which provided several long gaps of silence between songs, often with the lights full on-- ample time for the obligatory yellers in the audience to ply their trade. Funny moment-- some dude yelled 'Closing Time!!' about 30 minutes in on Sat night, as if they might not play it. I'm thinking, "not yet, not yet". Leonard said back "We'll get to it." Then later as they started playing it, he said something like "I told you we'd get to it."

--The hat % in the audience was medium-high.

--The Happy Crab became the Drunk, Obnoxious Crab who amazingly performed all of the following at once: Dancing/ Yelling at others to "Dance you f-ers!"/ Having a conversation with his drunk buddy / Flipping off the security guard / Yelling at the old couples to not stop dancing with "Don't let anyone tell you what to do!"--- and of course drinking even more--- all while repeatedly checking his cell phone!

--Happy to see many friends (won't list so as not to miss anyone). Missed Monkey, though-- sorry E.

In the end... This was another couple of amazing performances by Leonard and the band. Leonard thoroughly enjoyed himself and each member of the band is absolutely top-notch. They have these songs down so very well and make enough internal changes to keep things interesting. As Leonard's touring career comes to a close, it is a real pleasure to watch him and the band at the top of their game. Most forum members don't miss a chance to see him, but to those who might be occasional readers-- Do not miss this chance. You won't believe how good these shows are.
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mutti
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by mutti »

Ah Socoh you brought it all back to me like it was last night...
I especially love the 'mantras' 'chanting' 'sounds' 'prayers' 'gibberish' whatever it is that Leonard is singing while facing
Rafael...he seems to dance to the rhythm almost in a trance...its so cool...
Leslie
1988 Vancouver
2009 Victoria/Seattle/Almost Red Rocks/Las Vegas/San Jose.
2010 Sligo x 2/Victoria/Vancouver/Portland/Las Vegas x 2.
2012 Austin x 2/Seattle/Vancouver/Montreal x 2.
2013 Oakland x 2/New York City x 2/Winnipeg...
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

http://www.thebaybridged.com/2013/03/07 ... mount-3213
Two Reviews of Leonard Cohen at the Paramount, 3/2/13 and 3/3/13

March 7, 2013
Written by The Bay Bridged

Leonard Cohen at the Paramount, 3/2/13

(Editor’s note: Here are dispatches from two of our writers, who both attended Leonard Cohen‘s recent shows at the Paramount on March 2nd and March 3rd.)

From MB
L:

It is hard to fathom the genius and stamina of Leonard Cohen. At the 90 minute mark, when most performers would be long gone, Leonard calmly mentions that he will be right back after a short break. At 78 years old, the man put on a show well over three hours. He played a great swath of the songbook covering quite a few of his umpteen lovers: “So Long, Marianne” and “Suzanne” from the first record (1967′s Songs of Leonard Cohen), “Bird on the Wire” from ’69′s Songs from a Room, “Who By Fire” from ’74′s New Skin for the Old Ceremony, his most covered song “Hallelujah” from ’84′s Various Positions and a whole a bunch from ’88′s I’m Your Man.

Although he mostly sang, often on his knees, he did play his perfect cheesy keyboard on one song, and guitar on a few others. The highlight, however, was his recitation of “A Thousand Kisses Deep” from 2001′s Ten New Songs. To hear the words un-corrupted by music made it clear that Leonard is a poet first and always.

For the uninitiated, check out the recently released video of a live performance from the infamous Isle of Wight show in 1970. Truly incredible stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_56ep72 ... r_embedded

For the serious fan, check out the great new biography “I’m Your Man” from SF based music writer Sylvie Simmons.

For the obsessed, seek out Greg Ashley’s recent version of Death of a Ladies Man. Available now on Oakland’s new Slop Bop Records!

For the SXSW bound, check out Sylvie Simmons and Greg Ashley together! Sylvie will be singing and playing Leonard Cohen songs on ukelele, Greg will play guitar (and hopefully sing as well).

From Roman Gokhman:

At the beginning of his show at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre on March 3, the second of two sold-out nights, legendary septuagenarian crooner Leonard Cohen offered no promises of the distant future.

“I don’t know when we’ll meet again, but tonight we’ll give you everything we’ve got,” Cohen said.

Someone who’s never seen him perform before might take that with a grain of salt. How much can a 78-year-old give at an 8 p.m. show, with no opener? The casual fan may assume that he or she would be in bed by 10 p.m.

But two full sets and three encores later, Cohen was still going. A full 30 songs into his lengthy songbook, at 11:30 p.m., he showed few signs the night was almost over. The man played longer than Springsteen, and the barrage of songs spanning decades didn’t cease.

From opener “Dance Me to the End of Love” to “Anthem,” “Tower of Song,” “I’m Your Man,” and the immortal “Hallelujah,” which was dropped toward the end of the second set but nowhere near the end of the show itself, Cohen showed remarkable skill and durability.

Throughout the performance, Cohen cracked jokes about reminding himself not to pout when he was having a day that matched his age, or about his skills on the keyboard. When he got a standing ovation for some tinkered notes on “Tower of Song,” he stopped and joked, “Are you putting me on? I guess that’s all you think I can do.” He then proceeded to play with his elbows. A couple songs, such as “A Thousand Kisses Deep,” he performed as poetry, with nothing other than his deep timbre-y voice.

His band, which included a violinist, flamenco guitarist and three back-up singers, seamlessly transitioned between several genres, including lounge, pop, Latin and jazz. The entire performance, from the drum fills to Cohen’s words, was an exercise in restraint, with the right amount of quiet to give the sound meaning.

Follow writer Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter and RomiTheWriter.Tumblr.com.
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mirka
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by mirka »


I loved the concert, I loved that The Never Ending Last Tour is still going strong and that Mr. Cohen seems to enjoy touring.
At the risk of being "anchored at the bottom of the page" I have to add however that I missed Dino Soldo.
We (me and my husband) missed Dino's enthusiasm, energy and his fresh perspective on Leonard's music.

Why couldn't we have both: violin and sax/instruments of the wind ???
/Warsaw March 22 1985 / Halifax May 16 /Charlottetown May 18 / Dublin June 15 / Vienna Sept 24 2008/
Oakland April 13, 14, 15, San Jose Nov 13 2009/
Las Vegas Dec 11 2010/ Oakland March 2 2013/
Tchocolatl
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by Tchocolatl »

Dino, he was so cute and charming and nice, one would adopt him on the spot. On stage I must say, that me also, I was missing his kind eyes and smile and this particular energy of him that you are talking about Mirka, but in regard of music, I prefer the sound of the violin in this particular context and I don't miss the sound of the sax. Which is very bizarre from me because saxophone is one of my favorite.

We love you Dino! ;-) (though) 8)
Last edited by Tchocolatl on Sat Mar 09, 2013 7:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
***
"He can love the shape of human beings, the fine and twisted shapes of the heart. It is good to have among us such men, such balancing monsters of love."

Leonard Cohen
Beautiful Losers
chrisb1
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by chrisb1 »

We attended the March 2 concert. 5th row, great seat! Concert was absolutely fantastic! Only down side, LC has so many great songs that, even in a 3+ hour concert, there are too many missing. Like "Take this longing", or "One of us cannot be wrong", just to mention a couple of old ones. I am not faulting him! It would take a whole day for him to sing all his amazing material! Still, I just listened to "Take this longing" 10 times in a row and I wish he had sung it. Perhaps he doesn't sing it anymore out of respect for Nico... Anyway, can't wait for another occasion to hear the master live.
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mirka
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by mirka »


We missed both: Dino's good vibes and his music, de gustibus non est disputandum but "Ain't no cure for love" without Dino's sax felt severely mutilated to me, same for "Democracy".
Whatever happened between Mr. Cohen and Dino, I hope that the Master
just let it go by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A63W46qV9bw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHI9BTpGkp8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLj3uvEqUNc
/Warsaw March 22 1985 / Halifax May 16 /Charlottetown May 18 / Dublin June 15 / Vienna Sept 24 2008/
Oakland April 13, 14, 15, San Jose Nov 13 2009/
Las Vegas Dec 11 2010/ Oakland March 2 2013/
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Oakland, March 2 & 3, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

Two more videos uploaded by Wayne Weber - Thanks!

Going Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVR2a4O1exs

I Tried To Leave You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ol1g77jlyw
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