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CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:34 pm
by bridger15
From: The Saskatoon Star Pheonix April 29
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Entertain ... story.html
Leonard Cohen has much to teach a culture that too often favours youth and beauty over age and wisdom.

Time has been kind to Cohen, who enraptured and enthralled a multi-generational audience at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre Tuesday night.

As the lights went down on CUC, Cohen jogged quickly into his place between his assembled cast of world-class musicians, all dressed much like the 74-year-old Cohen, who wore a crisp black suit and a fedora.

Doffing his hat, he got down on his knees as virtuoso guitarist Javier Mas began the opening song, Dance Me To the End of Love.

The musicians have performed more than 100 shows with Cohen since he began his world tour in 2008, and the precision with which they play together is apparent, providing the background to Cohen's poetry with grace and ease. The audience will never know how hard they work.

Cohen moved through decades of material, offering his dark prophecies in the form of 1992's The Future. With the lyrics "love the only engine of survival," Cohen sent out a timely message in a climate of widespread economic panic, teetering global markets and the pervasive scent of despair trotted out daily by the media.

"Your private life will suddenly explode," he sings, as if predicting the advent of social networking, doing his best to lighten the mood with a few well-timed dance steps.

Cohen has often insisted his voice sounds better with female accompaniment, and the cartwheeling Webb sisters and long-time collaborator Sharon Robinson provided a pitch-perfect, ethereal accompaniment to his textured baritone.

"Speak to the angels," he said, looking rapturously at them.

He also maintained a similar reverence for his audience, adding "thank you folks" after many of the songs.

With Bird on a Wire, one of his folk singer-era successes, we were reminded once again of the power of his lyricism, his voice doing its best to slip into the higher registers he used to employ.

At press time Cohen had just begun the second half of the evening, manning a keyboard that was playing the synthesized beats of Tower of Song. The crowd was in full anticipation of favourites like Suzanne and Hallelujah to come.

jstewart@sp.canwest.com

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:14 pm
by blackbeard
it is now over, the curtain has dropped on one of the most amazing musical experinces i have had to date. last year when Mr Cohen announced he would be touring i had high hopes he would include a stop here in my home province of saskatchewan. and to my utter delight the day he popped up on ticketmaster i did a leap for joy. Not only would i get a chance to experince the true genious of his music but i would have something to talk about for years. Accompinied with my 2 children aged 16 and 10 and my wonderful lady, we took our seats awaiting the arrival of what i would call canada's greatest export. to be treated to almost 3 hours of some of the greatest live music i have ever heard was more then i could have dreamed of. the voice i had heard so many times on my record player swooping over the crowd, the music played with such skill it was hard to belive it all went by so fast. as i stood to applaude the last number my heart sank a touch knowing this very well be my only chance to see such a display of genius, but then realizing how very fortunate i was to have been there to not only witness it but to share it with the most speical people in my life. thank you Leonard not only for stopping here and allowing us to be in your presence for 3 hours of my life i will never forget, but also for all the gifts of song you have given us.

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:40 am
by Rodali50
We attended the Leonard Cohen concert in Saskatoon last night. I've been a big fan for years, but my husband wasn't. I had great expectations and my husband not so much. My husband says its the best concert he has ever attended, and words cannot express how the evening surpassed any of my expectations. I never thought I would be lucky enough to actually attend one of his live concerts, and it will always remain one of my greatest experiences. I know every future concert will be measured against this one and come up lacking.
The grace, wit, dignity and humility that he projects, the "golden voice" he wrapped around us was amazing. The Band was second to none, the backup singers incredible. So many entertainers have an opening act and then grace us with maybe an hour to an hour and a half of music. This man went above and beyond sharing his wonderful gift of music.
I hardly slept last night as the songs kept going over and over in my head and today I'm still floating from the whole experience.
Thank you Leonard Cohen for an unforgettable evening!

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:04 am
by ladydi
Blackbeard...so absolutely wonderful that not only you and your lady were at the concert, but also your children! Leonards poetry and music transcends generations (especially as we have seen on this Tour). Hopefully they will carry moments of this in their hearts from now on! Leonard is so generous and gracious.....humble, sexy, funny, senuous, etc etc etc..... He touches our lives in ways that no one else is able to. Wrap all that in an incredibly beautiful concert with extraordinary musicians and singers, and you have the concert of a lifetime!

Thanks so much for sharing your emotions and joy with us!

All the best,
Diana

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:18 am
by ladydi
Rodali50 wrote:The grace, wit, dignity and humility that he projects, the "golden voice" he wrapped around us was amazing. The Band was second to none, the backup singers incredible. This man went above and beyond sharing his wonderful gift of music.
I hardly slept last night as the songs kept going over and over in my head and today I'm still floating from the whole experience.
Thank you Leonard Cohen for an unforgettable evening!
Hi Rodali50,

Thank you SO much for sharing your moments with us! You have witnessed and felt all that so many of us have also felt at other concerts! "Grace, wit, dignity, humility". The "golden voice". But...."wrapping around you". That is the key! It enfolds and penetrates and warms...it brings life! Oh how I know those songs going over and over and over in your head, causing many sleepless hours. I am so very happy for you that you were able to be there! I've gone sort of nuts over the concerts but only because I (thank you most heavenly spirits!) work for an airline and can travel fairly easily.

Please don't leave the Forum. Stay with us. There is gentle, intelligent sharing. For anyone wanting to know as much as possible about Leonard, his music, his poetry, his art, and his life....check out leonardcohenfiles.com and also speakingcohen.com. You will NOT ever be disappointed!

And keep the faith! There will probably be another world tour in 10 years! ;-)

All the best,
Diana

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:56 am
by MaryB
blackbeard and Rodali50,

Thank you for taking the time to share your touching concert experiences with us. It is always a joy to relive those moments through postings such as yours - so well done, welcome to the forum, and hope to hear more from both of you.

Best regards,
Mary

Re: Edmonton, Alberta...Regina, Saskatchewan

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:00 am
by bridger15
I wonder if these two girls attended any of Leonard’s concerts in Alberta or Saskatchewan?

I am listening to a clip from Israel 1972. I do not remember its provenance.
This is how he introduced Sisters of Mercy
This song is about two girls that I met a long time ago in Edmonton, Alberta … I feel like Ed Sullivan … Regina, Saskatchewan … and these were two girls who took me in and we spent the night together.
(improvising intro)
I love spending a night with two girls.
It’s better than one.
And it’s better than none.

…Oh, the Sisters of Mercy…

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:06 am
by linda_lakeside
It's Bird on THE Wire not A wire... :? :D

I had read that the girls that inspired Sisters of Mercy were in fact from Britain or some far flung place, and were here in Canada to inspire us all to wear coloured leggings or some such. In any event, I think one was named Barbara, I'm working on memory here, which gets worse and worse with the coming of each new year.

In any event, they slept on the sofa, Leonard wrote while looking upon the frozen river, and voila~in the morning 'the song was ready for them -

A lovely story, a lovely song, one of my favourites, and the pic of these girls appeared some time ago, here. So sorry, didn't read the entire thread (par for the course), but what a genius of a song.

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:02 am
by MarieM
Was anyone able to get the set list for this concert? Thanks.

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 10:35 pm
by Maarten
Yes please, we're still waiting for the setlist. So if someone wrote it down, please share it!

Thanks,
Maarten (and Marie)

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 11:41 pm
by lizzytysh
I'm slowly working my way through all these professional and devotee reviews... so awesome that your husband not only became a fan, but placed Leonard's concert above all the rest. No surprize to your or me, but certainly a surprize to him, Rodali50. And, Blackbeard, fate has smiled so kindly upon you. Who could ask for more than you've gotten, except to see him perform more times. Thanks for clarifying on the Sisters of Mercy, Linda. Does it make you feel any better that, right or wrong :razz: , Barbara is one of the names I remember, too :lol: ?

Such a pleasure to read all these comments, even if long after the fact. Thank you to all of you for sharing his impact on you and others.


~ Lizzy

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:09 pm
by tomsakic
Maarten wrote:Here's the link to my document which contains all setlists:
http://users.telenet.be/maarten.massa/d ... 8-2009.pdf

There are still 2 setlists unconfirmed, so if anyone can help me out here, please do so:
- Setlist for Swan Valley, Australia (Febr 7, 2009)
- Setlist for Saskatoon, Canada (April 28, 2009)

Take care,
Maarten
Anybody?

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:50 pm
by Mabeanie1
I wonder: can the band / management can help for those dates where the setlist has not yet been confirmed by forum members? I assume they are still recording every show for their own purposes, even if they do not maintain a specific record of each night's setlist.

Wendy

Re: CONCERT REPORT: Saskatoon, April 28

Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:44 am
by erinn
wow. i am new here. i have never spent a lot of time on my computer but for work and the basics. little did i realize the depths of the online musical ocean.

i was at this concert. i went by myself. it was a ridiculously phenomenal experience. you could count on one finger the number of musicians who drop on bended knee and remove their hat in respect for a guitar solo, who repeat the names of all who share their stage enough that you actually remember them, who make you laugh, who put a lump in your throat and thank you for taking the time and spending the money to be there with them all in one concert.

"the last time i played here was 14 or 15 years ago. i was 60 years old then. just a young kid with a dream."

a week later i found "the favorite game" (1963) for $3.00 at a used book store.

unreal he is, unreal.

-e