CONCERT REPORT: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Canada and Europe (May 11 - August 3, 2008). Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
AnnieT
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Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by AnnieT »

Wow!
I knew that night would be special........but to this point??? Im affraid not.
Seemed like time stopped while listening to Mr Cohen with his angels... My heart and spirit were lifted to a special place. The sound of his voice was.............PERFECT...
Everything was perfect.
The 3 back up ladies sounded like Angels... and the band.......well..perfect again.
Emotions overcame me the second i saw him on stage....and again....and again all thru the night. His poem of Thousands kisses deep was very Surreal. You could of heard a pin drop in the theater.... I will never forget this night........
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tomsakic
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by tomsakic »

Huh, May 26 and the show is already (let's use this word) bootlegged... (as a free copy, for free fan circulation). Well, that's the modern world :)

Though, the artwork is little amateurish 8)
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liverpoolken
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by liverpoolken »

Tom Sakic wrote: Though, the artwork is little amateurish 8)
Tom
I agree that the circulating artwork is not very good, in fact it's rubbish.

Now if you were a proper Dylan fan I could induct you into dylanvine where you would have access to my version of the artwork which is ,even if I say so myself much better.

I have uploaded a non-dylanvine version onto my Yahoo Cohen artwork site which as long as you are registered with Yahoo anybody can access.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/le ... art/files/

In all modesty.... Ta Ken
Last edited by liverpoolken on Wed May 28, 2008 12:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Solitudine non é essere soli, é amare gli altri inutilmente - Mario Stefani
jebber
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Moncton May 23/08 The Future

Post by jebber »

Aberdeen
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by Aberdeen »

I composed this for a Bob Dylan msgboard I visit, but I thought I would share it here. It is a bit long, but it was a long day, with an exhilarating ending.

I do say in the post below that I walked out saying Leonard's show at the Capitol in Moncton was the best concert I ever attended. Here you go - comments welcome:

===========================================================================

np: closing time, moncton May 23

===================================

I have said on occasion in the past that I find three consecutive nights of Bob Dylan shows exhausting. Why then would I find myself spending most of my waking day in Moncton on Friday May 23 in front of the beautiful Capitol theatre trying to hustle a couple of tickets, after seeing Bob three nights in a row?

Well, who could resist the chance of seeing Leonard in a small theatre with great acoustics. By way of comparison, Leonard will play the Sony (formerly Humingbird, formerly O'Keefe) theatre in Toronto, which seats 3200. The Capital only seats 822! The small details of no tickets and a box office which has been saying "sold out" since 15 minutes after they went on sale were irrelevant.

lostinadream was at work, earning money to pay for the tickets I hoped to buy. I arrived at the theatre about 1pm, surprised to learn that some tickets had been opened up, and the theatre was doing a lottery to sell them. They had a window of four hours on Thursday and three hours on Friday during which you could enter your name.

After entering both our names, I waited patiently for the draw. I noticed some women come in the front door of the theatre. The first was a beautiful black woman with curly hair. She didn't ring a bell for me, but it was Sharon Robinson, Leonard's partner of one sort or another. I realized all three were his singers, so as the blonde approached I gave a quiet clap and "yay". The blonde looked me in the eye and smiled, which was pretty cool, especially later on.

As for the draw, there were two women waiting before me, and I think they both got tickets. I waited, and did not.

I took the time to grab a fast bite, and get some money from the cash machine. Scalpers don't take debit, right!

Back to the theatre by 4pm, I held my sign saying I wanted 1 or 2 tickets. To those who commented, I said if I get one ticket, it will go to my girlfriend. If I get two, we both get in. Two women called me the best boyfriend ever!

I spoke to a few people who strolled by - and then an RCMP cruiser pulled up. He actually knew me - I had a run in with him and his partner the other night at the Bob show in Moncton. More on that later, in the bob-east-coast thread.

I didn't recognize him - I just remembered the 'dog-river' type blonde female police officer. He knew me though. He said he wanted to see my ID. I said "I don't really want to show my ID to you - do I have to? He said no, and I said "you know the law better than me - if I decline to show my ID you can arrest me, right". He said that was correct. I really suspect he wanted my ID because of the trouble at the Bob show (yes, yes, more about that later) but he said someone complained that I was harassing them. I said it was bullshit - I am on a public sidewalk, holding a sign. Look how many signs there are - and I indicated the dozens of advertising signs we could see up and down Main St. Later, I noticed a storefront RCMP office not far off - wish I had seen that then. Finally, I didn't want to get arrested, so I gave him my Ontario license ID. I did not give him the address where I am staying, and he did not ask. The encounter was peaceful, and we had a bit of a laugh about it - but it pissed me off. lostinadream suspects that I am not the typical Moncton resident, with my leather jacket ($18 at value village!) so people are alarmed at me. Now, those who know me - I am a good guy, right!? I just wanted a ticket to a great show!

Shortly after, a woman arrived, Jane, who also had made a sign. It had a flower on it, and made mine like like a grade 2 piece of crap. A third person had arrived looking for a ticket - Jean-Paul. He saw our signs, and went into the Capitol for a scrap of cardboard, and made a sign of his own - fortunately, even more pathetic then mine.


Soon more people started to gather. A CBC cameraman was filming. His camera lingered on me a while - especially on the sign. I was careful not to look at the camera, because they usually cut off the clip if you do that - it spoils the illusion of the camera as the unseen eye. I held my sign high and steady.

lostinadream arrived, and I felt sad to have to tell her the disappointing news, then I couldn't even get one ticket.

Then, suddenly, a van pulled up and a young man got out. He looked at me and I moved towards him, holding my sign. He said "was there someone looking for a ticket - my girlfriend is sick and she can't go". Perhaps he saw my sign on TV - perhaps while driving by. That doesn't matter - he sold it to me at face value (well, it was $75 and I gave him $80, keep the change). lostinadream had a ticket!

An attractive young woman arrived, holding a bouquet of roses. Most red, but one white. I asked for the reason - she said the red roses were for the band, the white for Leonard. More importantly, she said that one of her friends may not show up and she would have a spare ticket! I decided it would be wise to chat with her. We had a cigarette - she gave me one and I lit her's. Not sure what happened with her friend's ticket, but I watched her go in.


Of course, lostinadream hung out with me outside until the last minute. She wavered on the ticket - should I get it, since I hustled for it? Should Jane get it, since she also waited all day?

I pointed out to dream that if Jane got a ticket, she wouldn't give it to her. I also told her that I was out there with the specific purpose of getting her in to the show. dream agreed to take it.

It started to look less and less likely. Around 7pm there were more people looking for tickets and people just walking in, not bothering to linger outside. Jean-Paul disappeared - Jane said he bought a ticket for $250. Good value if you have it, I guess.

There was a third person waiting, Dana. I didn't see him arrive, but he had not been there as long as Jane and me. Soon, dream entered the theatre - her dream of seeing Leonard Cohen in the beautiful Capitol theatre fulfilled, at my pleasure.

Jane, Dana and I stood outside sadly, pacing a bit, moving inside and out. We knew it was possible that someone might get sick, someone might have to work, someone might - somehow - turn in a ticket not needed.

But it seemed so fucking unlikely - we were down in the dumps for sure. I asked Jane if she wanted to go for a drink. She declined, fortunately. At 8:20, not long after the show started, a tall, slim woman in a knitted dress came out of the theatre and spoke to us. She gestured to me and said "I know you have been here a long time today. To Jane "you too". No comment on Dana.

She continued "I am not going to make any judgment, but here is what we have. We have two tickets available, but there are three of you. We are going to take your names and have a lottery. I will not do the draw - the bartender will do that".

Stunned, we wrote our names on the little slip of paper provided. Holy shit - did the suspense level rise. We paced for what seemed like an eternity - until the woman came back! Turning the screws, unintentionally, she said "I'm so sorry - we put the ballots on the counter of the bar, and they got wet. We have to do it again." My brain almost explored!

We did the draw again. This time, the woman came back and read the first of the two winning ballots.

"Dana"

Damn - he was not there as long as me and Jane - I wanted us to get the tickets.

"Martin"

Oh no - right away I said "Oh Jane I'm so sorry - so sorry"

But not sorry enough to give her my ticket. Although I thought about it, you may be sure. Especially seeing that she turned her back to me as soon as the Capitol staffer said my name, and her shoulders started to tremble, visibly crying. I thought of embracing her - but thought better of it.

Dana and I bought our tickets for face value of $75 and were escorted to our seats, in time to here Bird On A Wire.

We only missed:
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love

Great seats - center orchestra, about 2/3s back. And what sound! Perfect. Leonard front and centre, playing his little toy piano. The first time he turned it on, he said something like "ok, I am going to turn this on now - I don't know it so well" and he hit a switch, and on came a toy organ rhythm.


lostinadream wasn't far away - she saw me arrive. I knew her seat number, so I visited her during the intermission.


Links to setlist and youtube of the beautiful Hallelujah:


http://www.webheights.net/speakingcohen ... ml#moncton

or

http://tinyurl.com/5vp3qu

At the end of the first break, Leonard, the Ladies Man, went to stage left and bent on one knee. I saw the woman I smoked with hand the flowers to Leonard, along with a note!

And what a great concert! I walked out calling it my best concert ever. By far my favorite song was Closing Time, and it was fabulous! Thank you Marcel for posting the MP3. What a great song. I may spend the whole night listening to it repeatedly. I still have plenty more Johnny Walker - hopefully I'll get the wisdom too.

I guess this is because I know it so well, I remember when it came out, and I play it a lot. And it looks like I have it memorized - I sang along with quiet enthusiasm, and dancing with one leg while seated. What a great version - much better than on the album. Even for just this one song, I would say it was worth all the effort to get a ticket. Here is one verse for your pleasure:

=====================================
Yeah we're drinking and we're dancing
but there's nothing really happening
and the place is dead as Heaven on a Saturday night
And my very close companion
gets me fumbling gets me laughing
she's a hundred but she's wearing
something tight

and I lift my glass to the Awful Truth
which you can't reveal to the Ears of Youth
except to say it isn't worth a dime

And the whole damn place goes crazy twice
and it's once for the devil and once for Christ
but the Boss don't like these dizzy heights
we're busted in the blinding lights,
busted in the blinding lights
of CLOSING TIME
==============================



After the show I asked Dana, who sat next to me, what he learned today. He mumbled something, and I said, pointing at him, "anything is possible". This is an important lesson I have learned over the past decade. Once again, I've gone to a concert without a ticket, and got in. Don't miss this - go to the show nearest you and see this fabulous performance.

Here is the complete setlist:

First Set

Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Anthem

Second Set

Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
Democracy
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recital)
Take This Waltz

First Encore

Heart With No Companion
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan

Second Encore

That Don't Make It Junk
Closing Time

Final Encore

I Tried to Leave You

What was good in particular, you ask Gentle Reader? I've mentioned Closing Time - but Halleluh was great too.

The spoken word poem A Thousand Kisses Deep was so sweet, romantic and passionate.
So Long, Marianne and First We Take Manhattan were great too.

Even more than the songs, Leonard's charisma and stage presence were stagering. You don't have a ticket? You have to drive? I flew a thousand miles to get here, and hung outside a theatre for five hours to get a ticket. Did I mention that an RCMP demanded to see my ID while I was out there? Apparently someone complained that I was harassing them. Bullshit - I held up my sign, and if someone looked at I spoke to them, otherwise I ignored them.



AberdeenWatersFlow, with "Johnny Walker wisdom running high", sippin' it as I write. I wish I could write more about this show. It was great - go see him!
« Last Edit: Today at 1:59pm by AberdeenWatersFlow » Link to Post - Back to Top IP: Logged
================================================
"Solitaire was no wraith at all but a woman in love. It can happen to anyone - pity we are so seldom warned."
-The Company of Glory by Edgar Pangborn

----

"Love is not a condition or an event or even a state of mind — love is a country, which we are sometimes privileged to visit."
-Edgar Pangborn (1909-1976)

===========================
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tomsakic
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by tomsakic »

Ta Ken

welll that's the design.

Thanks for the link, finally I have access to the artworks :)
jebber
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Moncton May 23/08 Ain"t No Cure for Love

Post by jebber »

k-e-t
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by k-e-t »

Aberdeen wrote:lostinadream suspects that I am not the typical Moncton resident, with my leather jacket ($18 at value village!) so people are alarmed at me.
This made me laugh. There are lots of leather-jacket-clad folks in Moncton. :P
Aberdeen
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by Aberdeen »

k-e-t wrote:
Aberdeen wrote:lostinadream suspects that I am not the typical Moncton resident, with my leather jacket ($18 at value village!) so people are alarmed at me.
This made me laugh. There are lots of leather-jacket-clad folks in Moncton. :P
I agree, k-e-t.! I have seen many people wear leather around here. However, there must be some reason I have been hassled so much by the RCMP in Moncton, always while wearing my favorite leather jacket. My experiences include:
  • Being asked by an RCMP officer who I had just called on a public payphone
  • forcibly removed from my seat at the recent Bob Dylan concert here despite having been told by coliseum staff we could have those seats
  • Asked for my ID when standing outside the Capitol trying to get a ticket, as I described above
I have worn my leather jacket in Toronto many times, and never had a problem with Toronto cops.


Ah - maybe it is just my bad-boy look :roll:
barrycull
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by barrycull »

I rarely go to Toronto concerts these days. But dating back to the 60's the Toronto cops have always had an attitude about rock or "folkie" concerts, I suspect because of the assumption that they attract "radicals".

The last concert I attended in TO was in the early 80's when the Allman Bros. played at the CNE. My wife and I left the concert with a few items left on our seats during the intermission. We decided to take a short stroll around the CNE grounds, returning in 15 minutes to re-take our seats. I showed our tickets to the people at the front kiosk, only to be told we couldn't enter. Reason: we were not supposed to leave the stadium. How we were we, infrequent visitors to TO supposed to know this rule? "Didn't you read the fine print on the tickets?" Who the hell reads that stuff?

Anyhow, I kicked up a bit of a fuss, telling them that I had travelled 2 hours to get there, that my stuff was still on the seats (they could check for themselves) and that I'd be more responsible next time. Because I was upset and insistent, the TO cops decided to intervene and threw me bodily out into the street. Eventually, after demanding to speak with the management at the box office entrance, my wife and I were escorted back to our seats by stadium staffers. We missed a good deal of the concert and were so upset we couldn't enjoy what remained, despite the superb playing by Greg, Dickie and Co.

And did I look like a radical in those days? I doubt it. I was (and still am) a respected community member. The Toronto cops are just plain bullies, especially those hired to do concert detail. The upshot is, I just don't go to TO these days for concerts.

Barry
richardrj
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by richardrj »

I'm not clear whether discussion of Dimeadozen is permitted here or not; I see an earlier post on the subject was removed. So mods, delete away if you must. All I want to say is, if you want to hear how the tour is sounding, get yourself a Dime account and download this show. It's a revelation.
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ForYourSmile
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Re: Moncton, NB (May 23)

Post by ForYourSmile »

Charming birds have brought me news, echoes of another side of the ocean, from Moncton.

How I had liked to be with you! To hear the very broken "I love you Leonard" when the known chord sounded and waiting for the answer "I tried to leave you, I don't deny..." Perfect.

Every word was received, understood, lived, loved "Yes every single breath that we drew was Hallelujah"

Thank you beautiful people and a plea to audiences: be as you are.
FYS
jebber
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A Plea to the Moncton Youtube Audience

Post by jebber »

Please click on the "watch in high quality " button.
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