LONDON (June 21, 2013) NOW ON SALE

[cohenadmirer]

London 02 would be my least preferred venue for a UK concert !
It's difficult to know whether to go for this!
If i knew for sure that there would be other UK venues i think i would wait , but so far there is no news

[scocoh]

btw-- in case anyone is planning for a possible added show... the O2 is booked solid from June 21 (LC) on until July 15th. There is a gap on the 19th and 20th, so any possible added show will be before the confirmed show.

I post this as pure speculation for people looking at flights, hotels etc who might want to hedge against a possible add.

[cohenadmirer]

So any information about whether there is a high probability of other uk concerts( even in the absence of specifics)would be most welcome

[bean]

London 02 would be my least preferred venue for a UK concert !
It's difficult to know whether to go for this!
If i knew for sure that there would be other UK venues i think i would wait , but so far there is no news

It is better than Wembley Arena but not a lot

[John Etherington]

It's not better than Wembley Arena, and I'd be amazed if best seats are offered in the presale. As far as I know, there WILL be a full U.K. tour (at least some major cities)

If £25-£75 seats are quoted by agencies, I suspect that's because Ticketmaster are sitting on the £100 seats.

I agree that the rest of the U.K. should have gone onsale first this time. We saw Leonard in London only three months ago!

I think that the promoters are overstretching...Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young tickets all going on sale two weeks before Christmas is ridiculous.

[joyezekiel]

I agree that the rest of the U.K. should have gone onsale first this time. We saw Leonard in London only three months ago!

I think that the promoters are overstretching...Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young tickets all going on sale two weeks before Christmas is ridiculous.

The voice of reason speaks again.

[John Etherington]

Thanks, Joy..."I told the truth, I didn't come to fool ya" !

[Born With The Gift Of A G]

Would be nice but I simply cannot afford this. Kraftwerk is also going on sale on Wednesday, and that will be much harder to get a ticket for. i am not sure. Is there hope for a Manchester or Liverpool show? I sure hope so.

James T,

Ignore the soulless O2 Arena and go for Kraftwerk at Tate Modern instead!

That's my plan, anyhow.

[holydove]

David & John: if you see this, can you mention what your issues are with the O2? Is it the size, & the fact that it is an ugly stadium, or are there other things you don't like about it (like the acoustics, etc.)? Like you, David, I'm having trouble deciding if I should try to get tickets for this, or if I should wait for more of the tour schedule to manifest; since you are Londoners, & familiar with the venue, I thought maybe you could help. Thanks.

[John Etherington]

O2 is alright if you're four rows back in the centre, like I was for the first Leonard concert there; but otherwise it's rather like being on the further reaches of Desolation Row for the Isle of Wight Festival! Don't look back if you climb the one hundred steps to go to the loo (especially if you suffer from vertigo) and then be prepared for a 30 minute queque to dispose of your grossly overpriced pint of beer. When I saw the Eagles there (I could just about see who was who, as I was half way back), I had some dreadful corporate party sitting behind me, talking, laughing, and drinking throughout. I told them to shut up, to no real avail. Maybe O2 is okay if you go to see Roger Water's "The Wall", but I suspect they want to fill it up for Leonard, before they announce the preferable venues. Remember that the Albert Hall followed O2, before.

[Mabeanie1]

David & John: if you see this, can you mention what your issues are with the O2? Is it the size, & the fact that it is an ugly stadium, or are there other things you don't like about it (like the acoustics, etc.)? Like you, David, I'm having trouble deciding if I should try to get tickets for this, or if I should wait for more of the tour schedule to manifest; since you are Londoners, & familiar with the venue, I thought maybe you could help. Thanks.

Rachel

I am not a Londoner but I have been to the O2 several times since it became a concert venue so I do feel qualified to opine.

Firstly, it is heaps better than Wembley Arena. It is far more spacious and they can get people in and out of it in reasonable time, which is more than Wembley could manage. The facilities are better, the staff are better and the sound is much better.

It is not a sports stadium but a purpose built venue. Originally created as the Millenium Dome, it became a purpose built concert venue in the mid noughties. Yes, it is huge but - like all other arena venues - that becomes irrelevant if you have seats reasonably near the front. I have sat centre front (Leonard Cohen November 2008), half way back on the floor (O2 opening show - Bon Jovi), half way back on the side (Leonard, July 2008) and right up top in the 400 section, side stage (Springsteen). Each time the sound and sightlines were good and the atmosphere was terrific, even though the experience is "just the other side of intimacy" as Leonard so aptly put it. It is one of those places that it is fashionable to criticise but it is no worse than any other arena and better than quite a lot of them.

The downside is its location. There are very few hotels close by so you either need a car or to take public transport back to your hotel. We have always driven there in the past though I have taken the precaution of booking the Holiday Inn Express this time round.

Only you can make the decision whether to go for the O2 or wait for the rest of the tour schedule to emerge. There are bound to be some gems along the way (e.g. Lucca if the rumours are correct) but after last year's outdoor experiences it does look as if large arenas are going to be the order of the day for 2013!

Wendy

[holydove]

John & Wendy, thank you so much for your prompt responses - much appreciated. Both of your perspectives are very helpful.

You are right, Wendy, in the end I have to go with my instincts; in the past, I've always been completely sure about which concerts I would get tickets for. Perhaps my uncertainty is telling in itself. I'll wait & see what emerges (if anything) from the caverns of the heart in the next few hours. . .Thanks again for your input.

Editing: John, thanks also for the reminder about the Albert Hall - a very interesting piece of info to consider.

[jarkko]

Looks very probable that O2 will be the only venue used in London next summer.

[DockOfTheBay]

It's not better than Wembley Arena, and I'd be amazed if best seats are offered in the presale. As far as I know, there WILL be a full U.K. tour (at least some major cities)

If £25-£75 seats are quoted by agencies, I suspect that's because Ticketmaster are sitting on the £100 seats.

I agree that the rest of the U.K. should have gone onsale first this time. We saw Leonard in London only three months ago!

I think that the promoters are overstretching...Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young tickets all going on sale two weeks before Christmas is ridiculous.

Neil Young????????? :O

[John Etherington]

Re:Neil....wait and see what transpires later this week!