CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

The last leg of the Old Ideas tour in November and December 2013
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sturgess66
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CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

The venue is Adelaide Entertainment Center (AEC), an indoor arena used for sporting and entertainment events.
It opened in July 1991.
The dome-like structure, “The Orb,” is illuminated with different colourings and patterns using LED lighting.
Maximum capacity is 12,000.
Website - http://www.theaec.net/HomeEvents.aspx

Adelaide is a coastal city and the capital city of South Australia.

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roustabout-art - Leonard Cohen

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hannahfallowfield - Cannot even believe I am going to see this great man tonight. Even more happy I'm going with my dad who introduced me to him while I was in nappies to help put me to sleep. Leonard, we're coming for you! #leonardcohen #hallelujah
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

TWITTER -
@foodbling - Off to Radelaide for the day. Leonard Cohen gig tonight should be good
@GlenelgGunner - Wish I was seeing the Amazing #LeonardCohen again tonight #Legend
@PDarbyshire - Mr Leonard Cohen tonight in Adelaide. I’m already in awe.
Old St Jonny Potts ‏@fastercamels - A lot of people think rap started in New York with Grandmaster Flash et al. but Canadian Leonard Cohen was rhyming as far back as 1974
@glasnOZt - Such choices in entertainment in Adelaide tonight. Leonard Cohen on one side of town and Bon Jovi on t'other
@fayg29 - Leonard Cohen's final Australian concert tonite in Adelaide. Saw him twice in past 5 days but wish I was there to see him and band again.
@BarossaFarmProd - Front row at Leonard Cohen - all problems resolved - can't wait.
@lminteresting - Musical legend Leonard Cohen will perform at the #Adelaide Entertainment Centre tonight pic.twitter.com/KAUdAvKeTI https://twitter.com/lminteresting/statu ... 20/photo/1
@deathinvogue - I know he's old enough to be my grandfather, but Leonard Cohen has a really sexy voice. #confused
@fullbodypajamas - Leonard Cohen's programme comes with stickers! Best programme ever! pic.twitter.com/UyBPAs8G9I
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@Tingkerbelle17 - Half time at Leonard Cohen with mummy. He has such a pretty voice *u* ♥ http://instagram.com/p/hz81whLyDc/ http://distilleryimage7.ak.instagram.co ... f17f_8.jpg
@ProfDocHealth - Sublime! pic.twitter.com/DsoRXalcf7 Image
@MAZ_DY - Some pretty fecking talented musicians on the stage #leonardcohen #aec
@PDarbyshire - How sublimely brilliant is Mr Leonard Cohen and THAT band of his??? Heaven!
@foodbling - Saw Leonard Cohen tonight. Amazing, amazing! Such a captivating voice pic.twitter.com/fN9tGFHE1U
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@PDarbyshire - 3 hours of in undiluted class from Leonard Cohen. ‘Old’??? Don’t talk daft
@ProfDocHealth - Mr Leonard Cohen - 79 years old, ageing successfully & better than ever. pic.twitter.com/MHmC7chyi1 Image
@shynesbishop - Wow! An amazing show! (@ Adelaide Entertainment Centre for Leonard Cohen and The Webb Sisters w/ 2 others)
@fullbodypajamas - The only footage/photo I managed to get of Leonard Cohen tonight before my phone ran out of space! Was an amazing show. #thefuture http://instagram.com/p/hyHwfBDMbv/#
@EuroGirl34 - Leonard Cohen and band, simply amazing. Sensational concert!
@PDarbyshire - 3 hour performance master class from Leonard Cohen. OK Stones and Springsteen, the Adelaide bar is set :-)
‏@fullbodypajamas - Once again Leonard Cohen did about a million encores and it was a fantastic show. Love you Leonard ❤️
STATIGRAM –

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itsshoop – Leonard Cohen. He goes alright for 79 years old. #legend #singersongwriter

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georgierose-18 - Yep, I'm officially excited! #leonardcohen #adelaide #adelaideentertainmentcentre

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spider0862 - #leonardcohen #cohen #concert #sacred

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marcusadelaide - LeonardCohen kneeling at the power of his own lyrics. #music #realmusic #gig #concert #livemusic #Adelaide

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Veronicancan - He's my man #leonardcohen #music

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smileyaussie - #leonardcohen#cincert#adelaide#worldtour

Statigram short video clips –
Darkness - http://statigr.am/p/608486488499232154_227721990 (spider0862)
Hallelujah - http://statigr.am/p/608533071328649191_227721990 (spider0862)
Suzanne - http://statigr.am/p/608523877228748893_180826031 (marcusadelaide)
First We Take Manhattan - http://statigr.am/p/608548775498097062_180826031 (marcusadelaide)
The Future - http://instagram.com/p/hyHwfBDMbv/# (fullbodypyjamas)
Hallelujah - http://statigr.am/p/609492009415213941_326952175 (besie velaj)
Last edited by sturgess66 on Fri Dec 13, 2013 5:30 am, edited 5 times in total.
dce
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Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by dce »

Just back from a great show at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Same set list as the other Aus tour show I caught (Sydney Opera House).

In a nice touch, Leonard invited the tour crew up on stage for the last song (Save The Last Dance For Me). A hugely enthusiastic response from the Adelaide crowd was a nice way to round out the Aus tour.

There were several forum folks at the show so I expect there will be lots of great stories -- and hopefully videos -- posted here soon.

Now the tour rolls onwards to its grand finale in NZ.


Dean (from Adelaide)
(For most of November 2010, I followed Leonard and the band as they toured around Australia and New Zealand. You can read about my wanderings on the blog I created to collect them all in one place: http://lcdownunder2010.wordpress.com/)
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AlanM
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by AlanM »

I have posted the set list in the relevant section of this forum. As Dean wrote, exactly the same as Sydney Opera House.
Timing Set 1 start 8:12pm, finish 9:20pm;
Set 2 start 9.42pm, finish 10:35pm;
Encores finished 11:29pm.

One thing I noticed was missing tonight was the drum solo during Darkness, while Leonard chants. It didn't happen.
Also Rafael was introduced early in the intro to Lover, Lover, Lover. During his solo in I Tried To Leave You, he missed the drumstick after he tossed it in the air.

Our group had 6 members together in the front row, and we took the album covers of my vinyl discs, and waved them at the band and Leonard a number of times.
Others of our group said we featured on the video screens, but those involved were too busy waving to notice the screens. The general consensus is that both LC and Sharon did see them.
Oddly and surprisingly, Leonard made no mention at any stage of the audience supporting his music over the years.
Ah well, 15 seconds of fame. Hopefully someone has videoed the screens while we were displayed and will post it.
Front row, centre
Front row, centre
I have some videos (including "cajones" in Going Home) but I don't know when I will be able to post them. I have to rise early to get Bev to the airport in the morning.

More to follow.

Alan
Last edited by AlanM on Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

AlanM wrote:Adelaide Entertainment Centre 2013-12-11

Set 1
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
Who By Fire
Darkness
Amen
Come Healing
Lover, Lover, Lover
Anthem

Set 2
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Chelsea Hotel #2
The Partisan
Alexandra Leaving (Sharon Robinson)
I'm Your Man
Poem - A Thousand Kisses Deep
Hallelujah
Take This Waltz

Encores
So Long Marianne
Going Home
First We Take Manhattan

Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will (The Webb Sisters)
Closing Time

I Tried To Leave You
Save The Last Dance For Me
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AlanM
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by AlanM »

Karin, Andrew & Alan = Closing Time NoNoNo
Karin, Andrew & Alan = Closing Time NoNoNo
Adelaide front row
Adelaide front row
After the show
After the show
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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AlanM
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by AlanM »

Alex at work
Alex at work
Neil controlling the Hammond B3
Neil controlling the Hammond B3
"I'll wear an old man's mask for you"
"I'll wear an old man's mask for you"
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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AlanM
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by AlanM »

I have started to upload "Going Home" with the "cojones" reference.
It is 2:30am and I am going to bed.
Previous upload froze.
Now available at http://youtu.be/EWbpaasHMyA

Alan
Last edited by AlanM on Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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phillip
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by phillip »

AlanM wrote:
Closing Time 30.jpg
Album covers 20.jpg
Concert attendees 35.jpg
AlanM wrote:
Alex 18.jpg
Neil Adelaide A 38.jpg
Old Man's Mask 28.jpg
I love the photos
I have been a Leonard Cohen fan for 28 years feel free to email me if you wish to keep in touch!
sereneava
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by sereneava »

Thank you posters for putting those of us eagerly waiting for our Cohen fix before your need for sleep. I also love the photos. BUT. My heart sank when I saw the photo of Leonard "I'll wear an old man's mask for you". Is he not well or was it just one of those unfortunate frozen moments?
dce
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by dce »

sereneava wrote:Thank you posters for putting those of us eagerly waiting for our Cohen fix before your need for sleep. I also love the photos. BUT. My heart sank when I saw the photo of Leonard "I'll wear an old man's mask for you". Is he not well or was it just one of those unfortunate frozen moments?
I think it's just an unfortunate mid-expression shot ... I thought generally he looked pretty spritely and energetic. Mind you, when he was talking about how long the band had been on the road he sounded really REALLY like he was looking forward to getting back home: "we're winding down our tour in Australia. We're kinda broken and we've been on the road for a long time. It's a sad story friends. We're longing pathetically for our own beds and baths. But we're damn sorry to leave this country."


Dean (from Adelaide)
(For most of November 2010, I followed Leonard and the band as they toured around Australia and New Zealand. You can read about my wanderings on the blog I created to collect them all in one place: http://lcdownunder2010.wordpress.com/)
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AlanM
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by AlanM »

http://youtu.be/ZecgBo9YWlo
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

Going Home seems to be in a log jam at the moment. If it doesn't finish, I'll delete it and reload.

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

Lovely video Alan. Thanks!

From Twitter - many, many good pictures from this show - at the link -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdarbyshir ... 592432753/
Philip Darbyshire ‏@PDarbyshire
My shots of Leonard Cohen, Adelaide, 11 Dec 2013 http://flic.kr/s/aHsjNSbVBx What a night!!!
dce
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by dce »

Last night's concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre marked the end of Leonard's 2013 Australian tour ... and the end of the road for several folks who have been busily hopping onto and off of trains, buses and sundry other forms of transport to trek around this enormous country to follow the band's progress. For my own part it's been a short "journey" (only two concerts) but for several other forum members it has been a much larger commitment. Thankfully all of the Aussie forum travellers -- at least all that I know -- were able to make it to the show here in Adelaide, making that concert both a celebratory send-off for the UHTC and a celebration of many people's travels. In both cases it seems that the long and dusty trails have proven wearying -- Leonard commented as much on behalf of the band, and the weary sleep-deprived faces worn by some of the forum-folk by the end of last night spoke of similar.

So ... how was the Adelaide concert? In most respects I found the experience of the Adelaide concert to be very much on a par with my only other 2013 concert (the Sydney Opera House). Because I already wrote a lengthy (maybe TOO lengthy?) review of that earlier show, I won't repeat those same observations. All-in-all though, it was yet another excellent performance: Leonard and the band were all in fine form. The Adelaide audience was quiet receptive -- a little more reticent than the Opera House audience at the start, but much more vocal by the time that the encores came around.

The performance itself seemed quite similar to the show from last week -- the set list was identical and, although there were the usual variations in solos and the like, the musical element didn't really differ much at all. Given that this band has been on the road touring for so long, it's clear that they are in many ways a "well-oiled machine" which has, over time, evolved a remarkably polished and professional performance. That is most definitely a good thing ... and us Australians should feel grateful to have received such a reliable and well-honed set of songs. But, human nature being the greedy thing that it is, I can't help but wish that perhaps that we had caught the band at a point on the tour where there was a little more variation in the set-list and some more experimentation with the songs and arrangements. We fans can't truly ever be satisfied, can we?

The one big difference between the Opera House show and the one at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre was the size and sound of the venue. The Opera House -- by the standards of modern "enormo-drome" venues is a small, intimate environment with excellent acoustics and beautifully tiered stall seating. The Entertainment Centre is ... well it's just another one of those concrete boxes which doubles as a concert and sporting venue. I have always found that sound quality in those kinds of venues varies wildly depending on where you are sitting, with reflected sounds sometimes making for a muddier-than-desirable listening experience. Last night's show bore out that observation ... and only went to reinforce my appreciation for venues like the Opera House which have been architected for concert sound. That isn't to say that the Entertainment Centre was bad; the UHTC engineers did a pretty good job at still delivering a clear and listenable sound, but it was no Opera House.

Before the concert, AlanM had arranged for group of forum folks to meet up for a drink at the venue. Most of us had also gathered together for a (traditionally Aussie) barbeque at Alan's house on Tuesday night ... so most people already knew one another. There were a couple of extra folks who had flown in from Melbourne just for the concert and a delightful couple from France who had been driving around Australia taking in concerts as they went (what a holiday!). Six or seven folks all had adjacent front-row seat and as a way of giving a signature "wave" Alan had brought along a collection of covers from his Vinyl LPs which the front-row crew could wave around at Leonard and the band. This actually worked out as a very visible "stunt" ... since not only did those on stage get a good view of Alan and crew frantically waving LP covers but so too did the entire audience, thanks to the video cameramen picking them out when filming the audience reaction at the end of each and every set. Although not part of Alan's stunt, there was also another person in the front row frantically waving a placard at Leonard -- Helena, Leonard's "number 1 fan". I had completely forgotten, but I had seen Helena (another Adelaide local) on both the 2009 and 2010 tours, never far from her signature laminated sign -- a red heart, which he proudly waved above her head at the end of about half of Leonard's songs. It was great to see her at work again!

In terms of other notable happenings, I didn't see too much ... just a handful of things:
  • It wasn't a very good night for the monitor mixer ... both Leonard and the Webbs seemed to be disturbed at different points that they weren't getting enough in their monitors. Leonard had a delightfully "Leonard" way of signalling to the engineer offstage -- the first time it happened (Dance Me To The End Of Love) he gave a very subtle upward pushing motion with both hands, almost like raising his hands to the heavens in supplication. It seemed to take quite some time to get things fixed, however, and Leonard ended up giving similar little gestures all the way through to Tower of Song.
  • Just before the solo intro to Who By Fire, a man from a few rows behind me yelled out to Leonard "Hey Leonard! What's the sound of one hand clapping?" A bit random, perhaps, but if anybody is going to know . . . Since Leonard didn't hear the question, I guess we're still left wondering.
  • During Leonard's spoken thanks to the audience after the first song he acknowledged the experienced sound crew that he had assembled saying that they wanted to make sure we heard "every depressing nuance" of his songs. He told the people way up in the high seats that if they couldn't hear clearly to call out his name (and he asked them to give it a trial run).
  • At the very end of Tower of Song (which featured the now-customary remarks about the audience's compassion to the elderly) Leonard left the girls doing quite a number of extra "doo dum dums" in the fashion of earlier tours. He impeached them to continue in his tongue-in-cheek way: "just a few more doo doo dum dums ... because when you stop I'll be plunged back into a confrontation with the audience ... with that all that abundant opportunity for humiliation." Suffice it to say that no humiliation followed.
  • For the very final song of the concert (Save The Last Dance For Me), Leonard invited the entire crew up on stage, which I believe has happened at the end of other tours but I don't think I've seen before. It was a lovely gesture and certainly one very much appreciated by the crowd, which remained standing and clapping along with the song throughout its entireity. He concluded "Well friends, it's sad to leave you" since clearly the many thousands in the radiant audience could have stayed there all night.
Good luck to Leonard and the UHTC as they head off to New Zealand and the final four shows of the world tour!


Dean (from Adelaide)
(For most of November 2010, I followed Leonard and the band as they toured around Australia and New Zealand. You can read about my wanderings on the blog I created to collect them all in one place: http://lcdownunder2010.wordpress.com/)
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Adelaide, Australia – December 11, 2013

Post by sturgess66 »

Video uploaded by MsDesert13 -

Tower of Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfST8Y7oxCc
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