CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Everything about the first leg of Leonard Cohen's World Tour 2013
eman31
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by eman31 »

It was a fantastic show! Probably the best seats I have ever had for a concert, once again, thanks to this forum. I thought the band had a lot more energy than they did two nights earlier in Chicago and as was mentioned, the crowd was much more respectful than at the Chicago Theater with the exception of the two ladies behind me that talked during most of the show until I finally shushed them in the second set. Granted, they were talking about the songs but I didn't need the play by play of what was going on right in front of me :shock: We had the pleasure of meeting sweetannie33 who told me at intermission she would come kneel next to me at the end of the show and couldn't have timed her Famous Blue Raincoat request any better. We tried to get a set list after the show but struck out. This was my seventh show since Leonard began touring again and while the sets have all be similar, I'd go again tonight if I had the chance.
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Neophyte
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by Neophyte »

Please reread all above raves to know how my husband and I felt (and still feel) about that concert. And so nice to find ourselves sitting near the Ways. Many thanks to those who provided videos so we can keep reliving those magic moments!
Hallelujah!!!
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

This was a pre-concert article - that features Rafael Gayol -
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertain ... 19931.html
Leonard Cohen's Drummer Tells Tap What He's Listening To
By Piet Levy of the Journal Sentinel
March 15, 2013

[There's a terrific picture of Rafael here at the link - but it's huge - http://media.jsonline.com/images/120065 ... 20Webb.JPG
Leonard Cohen's touring drummer Rafael Gayol poses during a sound check at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam; you'll notice Mr. Cohen in the background in a fedora. Photo by Hattie Webb (who sings and plays harp and mandolin in Cohen's band).

I'll confess, for this week's What They're Listening To feature, I was really hoping to get some picks from Leonard Cohen, the seminal singer-songwriter making his return to Milwaukee tonight for the first time in 38 years. (See the Tap Milwaukee preview story.)

I did get to interview Cohen's drummer, Rafael Gayol, who used to play with the BoDeans and was a fascinating individual in his own right. (Not a surprise Cohen would surround himself with interesting musicians.)

So here's what the "master timekeeper," as Cohen's website calls Gayol, is listening to.

Who: Rafael Gayol, drummer for Leonard Cohen

What he’s listening to: “The Social Network” score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Why he likes it: I like ambient music. I really enjoy that for driving. I like the moods. Some of it is a little comical, some of it is very emotional, some of it is a little scary. One song on there you don’t want to listen to with the lights out.

Also likes: I live in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and drive a beat-up Jeep with a broken antenna that only picks up one country station. This song “Merry Go 'Round” Kacey Musgraves wrote and sings, it hit me like a lightning bolt. It was a really good song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJjeWDvh6J0

Cohen performs at 8 p.m. Friday at the Milwaukee Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. $55 to $250 at the box office, (800) 745-3000 and ticketmaster.com.
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Tags: Leonard Cohen : What He's Listening To : Rafael Gayol : Kacey Musgraves : Merry Go 'Round : Trent Reznor : Atticus Ross : The Social Network
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

I just had to make sure this was in the Milwaukee Concert Report thread.
After all ... this is an impressive looking Proclamation and it isn't every day that ... :D

The news article about this was "pre-concert" and B4real started a thread about it - and can be read - here -
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33599&hilit=milwaukee

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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/169 ... ard-cohen/
Leonard Cohen: 14 March 2013 - Milwaukee
By Erin Lyndal Martin 28 March 2013

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Prior to March 13, 2013, it has been 38 years since Leonard Cohen had performed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Perhaps that is, in part, why the legendary 78 year-old musician played for over three hours and delivered a set spanning 28 songs and nine albums.

Kicking off shortly after the 8:00 PM start time with no opening act, Cohen’s large band (around ten musicians) took the stage moments before Cohen entered and started the show with “Dance Me to the End of Love”. He gave the crowd a warm welcome after that, noting how long it had been since he was last there and saying he didn’t want to be a nuisance. From the first song on, Cohen delivered much of his performance crouching or down on his knees, rarely taking up an instrument himself.

And why would he need to, when surrounded by so many talented musicians? Cohen introduced his bandmates several times, and the audience learned that his band was comprised of musicians from all over the world. A special treat was that Cohen’s cowriter and producer, Sharon Robinson, was one of his three backing vocalists. Many chances for the musicians to perform solos were offered, and television monitors in the Milwaukee Theatre showed close-ups of each performing musician. While this was usually a treat of excellent musicianship, the three solos in “Who By Fire” were a bit much, and some of the solos were stylistically misplaced. One highlight of the first set was a stark spoken word recitation of “A Thousand Kisses Deep” from his 2001 release Ten New Songs.

Though Cohen was touring in support of his most recent release, Old Ideas, the setlist (available here) mostly featured his most well-known songs and was a veritable “greatest hits” recital. The main set was divided into two with an intermission, and the first set closed with a long rendition of “Anthem”, after which Cohen re-introduced the band and even thanked his entire crew by name. If there was any flaw to be found in the first set, it was that the delivery was perhaps too polished and lacked spontaneity and rough edges that might make for a more intimate concert experience. Still, especially considering the ultra-professional sound and staff at the venue, it was nice to see a concert run so smoothly.

After a brief intermission, Cohen took the stage again. He stood before a small keyboard, which he drily introduced as a sophisticated machine, and proceeded to play one of the keyboard’s programmed beats before plinking out a brief solo that began “Tower of Song”. This segment was endearing, and after Cohen received applause for his solo, he remarked that the audience was humoring him and then played the keyboard briefly with his elbow, drawing laughter even from his bandmates. A stripped-down, simply gorgeous version of “Suzanne” followed, featuring an evocative violin solo. A few songs later, Cohen was silent as Sharon Robinson sang lead vocals to “Alexandra Leaving” to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Cohen followed this with a lively version of “I’m Your Man” and then eased into “Hallelujah”. While this was arguably the night’s most anticipated song, and it too received a standing ovation, the performance could have been better. The arrangement was quite busy, which overshadowed Cohen’s vocals, which were his most expressive of the night. Further, the lightning director made the questionable decision to bring the lights up and illuminate the audience during the song’s chorus, creating a strange ambience and often distracting listeners from the song itself. After “Hallelujah”, Cohen and his band closed the main set with a long performance of “Take This Waltz” before Cohen literally danced offstage. Considering that it was 11:00 PM by now, the audience was unsure if an encore would follow, and Cohen surprised the crowd by delivering six more songs.

The first song of the first encore was the famous “So Long, Marianne”, which also featured a somewhat cluttered arrangement that masked the beauty of his song. Each performance that followed was extravagant enough that it seemed like it could be the closing number, and when “First We Take Manhattan” closed the first encore, it once again seemed like the band could be done for the night.

But, once again, Cohen re-emerged, this time to perform an emotional rendering of “Famous Blue Raincoat”. Instead of closing the song with its traditional sign-off, “Sincerely, L. Cohen,” Cohen curiously sang, “Sincerely, a friend.” The second song of the second encore was one of the few slightly questionable choices, as Cohen had his two other backing vocalists, the Webb Sisters, perform “If It Be Your Will” while accompanying themselves on harp and guitar. Though their harmonies were lovely, having other people perform such a seminal Cohen song was disappointing, especially since there was only one more song left for the night. A properly rowdy version of “Closing Time” finished the show, and the audience was to their feet for the final time, just happy to be in Cohen’s presence again after all these years.

Erin Lyndal Martin is a poet, fiction writer, music journalist, and music promotional writer. She runs http://www.euterpesnotebook.com and can be reached on Twitter @erinlyndal.
Moonshyne
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by Moonshyne »

Leonard you were spot on in Milwaukee. Every song was perfectly sung. I loved all the extra instrumentals... Sorry about all the pictures in the front row... I could have lynched my friend for taking them, but now I am glad that she did. A memorable night indeed. If you want to see the pics, they are on my facebook page.. poetjamielynn

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Love ya,

Jamie Lynn
Morris :)
HelenOE
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Milwaukee, WI, March 15, 2013

Post by HelenOE »

From Thirty 2013 concerts to remember -- and a few to forget -- from Madison and beyond
'Everything we have'
Leonard Cohen, Milwaukee Theatre, March 15, 2013

(there is a photo with the review, which did not post here... click the link above to see it)

I never cared for the somber Canadian back in the day. He was too folky, too serious -- a freaking downer. Never bought his albums. But I do remember Tim Hardin's tremulous version of Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" in 1971 -- a song that captures the agonizing clash of obligation and autonomy in relationships. Twenty-three years later, when producer Rick Rubin relaunched Johnny Cash's career by stripping his music to its sinews, I was blown away Cash's reading of "Bird." When Cohen released Ten New Songs in 2001, I was finally ready for him.

Here was the perfect package. Cohen's froggy voice had modulated into a baritone whisper. His songs were sly, closely observed but still enigmatic, and touched with longing and mortality. With a chorus of sweet women singing harmony and stark but copacetic arrangements, Cohen had become something of a musical Frank Lloyd Wright, enjoying an extraordinary burst of late-life creativity.

This was the Cohen I saw in his natty black suit and hip fedora.

Music fans knows his recent storyline (details are in Sylvie Simmons' fine Cohen biography, I'm Your Man): Several years of disciplined work and meditation in a Buddhist monastery were followed by the revelation that Cohen's business manager had stolen his money. So at the age of 74 in 2008, Cohen took to the road to rescue his finances, playing and touring on his terms only. He's since re-established his patrimony, but along the way he discovered liked the focus and shared mission of a touring band. Leonard Cohen meets Willie Nelson.

Cohen's Milwaukee show was his first in Brewtown in 38 years. I've never seen a concert so expertly put together. This included high-resolution video of the band projected on side screens, billowing stage curtains, his oversized art hung on the walls, Broadway-quality lighting periodically blowing his noirish shadow up to monster heights. And the band -- the string players sat in comfortable overstuffed chairs around him -- were top-shelf players from across the globe. The Gypsy-styled violinist came from Moldova, the guitarists from Barcelona and Austin. When Cohen trotted out to start what became nearly a three-hour show, you knew magic was happening.

"Friends, I promise we'll give you everything we have," he announced.

There was such purposefulness and palpable joy to Cohen's performance. And such wry self-deprecation in his patter. "Lighten up, Cohen!" he chastened himself at one point. (Would Mick Jagger make a wry observation about "the humiliations of the bedroom"?) When his bandmates soloed, Cohen sometimes dropped to his knees or put his fedora over his heart. And of course, he sang "Hallelujah," his memorable reckoning of eternal yearnings and carnal desire, which eventually became an improbable standard. The song, barely noticed when released in 1984, took 10 years to break out with Jeff Buckley’s breathless version. Now more than 300 covers are reported, including k.d. lang's drop-dead version.

For sure, it's been a long strange trip for Cohen. He's endured and grown long after his younger 1967 classmates -- the Beatles, Hendrix, the Doors, Otis Redding, Buffalo Springfield, Cream, and more -- gave up the ghost.
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