CONCERT REPORT: Helsingborg (July 3)

Canada and Europe (May 11 - August 3, 2008). Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
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MarieM
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by MarieM »

Also, could some post the set list for Helsingborg, pleze? Much appreciated.
Marie
Speaking Cohen
Rom Raptor
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by Rom Raptor »

Thanks for the photos noob!
heta01
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by heta01 »

Wow Sarah . I'm jealous - we were staying at the hotel next door (I can see from your photo that he must have been at the Clarion Hotel) so we could so easily have bumped into him too. But we didn't! Really enjoyed the concert although I still think 1988 in Konserthuset Stockholm was a better experience.
Helen
confetti
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by confetti »

Sara that is a wonderful picture, you look truly elated.
"I needed so much, to have nothing to touch - I've always been greedy that way"
Rom Raptor
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by Rom Raptor »

Best concert he has reviewed in 20 years according to Per Hägred, critic for Swedish newspaper Expressen:
http://www.expressen.se/noje/1.1219982/ ... nard-cohen
Wolf
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by Wolf »

Do I believe in reincarnation? No. But I died several times during this concert. I saw several incredible concerts in 85, 88, 93 -- this is the first time I died. And the first time I cried, ever, at a concert. I thought that Leonard's voice was sursprisingly rich, something that two Swedish newspapers (so far) have acknowledged.

Ring them Bells and Be for Real!!! :D
// Wolf
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jarkko
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by jarkko »

The biggest Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat sent their reporter VELI-PEKKA LEPPÄNEN tuo Helsingborg. His review was printed on Sunday. Here is a rough & hasty translation.
The master hits again, with love and irony as his weapons

Leonard Cohen in concert in the Sofiero Castle Park in Helsingborg, Sweden

HELSINGBORG. Montreal’s small big man, Leonard Cohen, 73, has for years borne also the nickname “Laughing Lenny”. The long-term depression he had suffered so long of stepped aside significantly some years ago, and, in fact, Laughing Lenny comes up to the current Cohen quite rightly.

In Helsingborg in the green Sofiero, Cohen actually ran on stage, the familiar charmer in his tailor-made pinstripe suit and hat, and cracked the lips with the public, full of radiant, good mood.

The band opened with Dance me to the End of Love from the 70’s, and the park's audience of 8000 was instantly sold. Cohen’s voice was low also in his early years, and with age his baritone has only deepened, and it remained in good form throughout the long evening.

The three-hour concert was built on well thought-out, representative cross-section of his career that extends to more than 40 years. A total of 23 songs, together with Cohen’s small speeches and memories, created a memorable combination.

The best-known songs rang out convincingly with the devastating Hallelujah, threatening First we take Manhattan; Tower of Song and Everybody knows were touching in their simplicity.

The audience also heard the slow-tempo classical ballads Bird on a Wire, Suzanne, and So long, Marianne. Cohen interpreted I'm your Man with the confident gestures of a night-club demon past his prime, mixing unassured self-irony and “Please” yelps of three female singers.
Cohen reached world-historical dimensions with Democracy, and he sang its refrain "Democracy is coming to the U.S." extremely strongly. Prophecy and irony, from one tube. And in the next instant, he again startled with the most personal tones.

Cohen is accompanied in this tour by six multi-instrumentalists, like the guitarist Bob Metzger who has followed Cohen for long time, as well as three back-ground singers Sharon Robinson and the Webb Sister. Robinson has also made classical songs with Cohen, such as Everybody knows.

It is easy to believe than Cohen had rehearsed with the musicians for three months, full-time, before the tour.

The band had shining moments especially with the arrangement of the song Who by Fire from the 70’s. The double bass player was sovereign also in its most demanding points. Number of instruments the band controlled easily exceeded twenty.
The evening’s most memorable moment was Cohen’s memory from the Greek island of Hydra in the 60’s, where Cohen and the Swede Göran Tunnström both wrote their first novels at the same table. After the story he dedicated the song Take this Waltz to his friend who recently passed away.
Only when the Leonard Cohen started the fifth encore with the lines of the song “I tried to leave You, I do not deny”, the audience accepted that the concert had come to its end. Song is gone, Cohen is back.


After a long pause on the road again


After the 1993 tour Leonard Cohen was a thoroughly tired man. He moved to the Zen monastery on Mt Baldy near Los Angeles, where the ascetic life and the discussions with his monk friend Kyozan Joshua Roshin brought back his energy and gave a new direction.

Cohen lived in the monastery for about six years, meditated, wrote and composed.

After leaving Mount Baldy he has released albums rarely, not going on tour before this spring, his first in 15 years.

After Canada the tour has cruised around Europe, and the pace will remain tight until the beginning of August. The summer tour does not extend to Finland, where Cohen has appeared three times: 1985, 1988 and 1993, in the Helsinki House of Cultures and the Ice Hall.

This summer's great success has opened up opportunities to continue the tour in the autumn.

According to a quarter who knows Cohen, there are hopes, even realistic expectations, that the maestro would give concert in Finland as well, later this year.

The tour of course of course is a strain on the physics of the soon 74-year-old singer, but if the quality experienced in Helsingborg is maintained, Finnish fans may mark Cohen’s name in their calendars.
1988, 1993: Helsinki||2008: Manchester|Oslo|London O2|Berlin|Helsinki|London RAH|| 2009: New York Beacon|Berlin|Venice|Barcelona|Las Vegas|San José||2010: Salzburg|Helsinki|Gent|Bratislava|Las Vegas|| 2012: Gent|Helsinki|Verona|| 2013: New York|Pula|Oslo|||
saanddraa
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by saanddraa »

I think that night was one of the best nights of my life.. I had tears in my eyes the intire consert.
We started with a pic nic of baguettes and wine... When HE came on stage and I didn´t know that to do, just went to the stage and enjoyed the music.
I will upload some pictures and videos of the consert later in the week.

And Sara, You are one lucky girl.

I only have one negative thing to say, I missed one of my favorite songs at the moment, Chelsea hotel...

//Sandra
saanddraa
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by saanddraa »

I almost forgot, If you want me to sent you some pictures or videos, just send me an email.. Spread the love!
/S
MarianneP
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by MarianneP »

I'm sitting here listening to Leonard Cohen singing Bird on wire , and I'm crying....I dont know how to explain the feelings I have in english , I feel blessed....
That day 3 july started with that Johanna and I went down and had our breakfeast at the hotel . I saw a man sitting a bit away with a hat on , found that a bit strange but was not thining much about it .
After the breakfeast we went down to the beach we had lovely weather about 26 C very sunny , a lovely sandy beach not far from the hotel . We could see Denmark from the beach, just 20 minutes with the ferry. Anyway at about 2 pm we decided to go back to the hotel and "fix" ourselves for the big evening. Johanna walked into the hotel first and said to me " you will be chocked . And there he was, LEONARD COHEN , stood a meter from me talking with some men . I did not know what to do , when he was standing there alone again .I said hello and asked if I could take a photo, he smiled at me said hello shaked hand and said of course it's ok to take a photo. He had this sexy dark voice and was very nice . I said that I was going to Sofiero and he said that he hope that I would I like the concert . I asked about Norway the concert , he said it was a nice evening . I also said that we should try to be in good time for the concert and he said that he was on his way it was a about 15.00 ,he also said to me that it's a good idea to be there early because it's sold out. Finally he gave me a hug and we said bye..... I forgot to ask for his autograph but I have the photo and the memory about meeting him. I feel blessed.What a day!!!
Johanna and I decided to take a taxi to the consert we would not like to sit on a bus . So we asked the people at the hotel to call a taxi . We was there in GOOD TIME , just about 20 people was there . So when they let us in we had places just in front of the stage , noone in front of me ( YES LEONARD COHEN AND THE BAND).But we had about 8000 people behind us.
It was a magic night that is all I can say , everything was perfect. The whole day .....
I'm so happy
love, Marianne
andreychuk
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by andreychuk »

hello!
my name is alexey, i'm from st.petersburg, russia. i'm traveled to this show for about hours, but 3 hours with leonard was more than i could ever expect of this concert!
for those, who interesting on my trip iself, it was a kind of this:
started on july 1st, at 11.30 pm in st.petersburg. then 6 hours on a minibus to helsinki with a nice girls, who went to the miyavi show in tavastia. then it was a 10 (!) hours waiting in helsinki airport for a stockholm flight, and another hour and a half in stockholm for a helsingborg flight. then just 30 minutes on a bus and 10 minutes of walking and that's it, i'm in helsingborg!!!))))

the show itself was a terrific. i couldn't get any highlights, as almost every song was a brilliant for me. leonard jokes was also very cool. i stood in the second row thru all of the concert, but considering such a big audience, there was no pushing or disturbing around, as everyone looks really happy! amzing show, nothing more could be said here! god bless leonard, hope to see you again!!!

here are some photos i took during the concert:
http://andreychuk.narod.ru/gigs_cohen.htm
Helsingborg 2008, Helsinki 2010, Helsinki 2012
MarianneP
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by MarianneP »

Thank you for the photos , really great . You can not been far from me .
I also must say that Christian Kjellvander and his wife was really great too . You can see them on your tube.He really has a nice voice.

love from a happy Marianne
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friscogrl
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by friscogrl »

andreychuck, great photos! thanks for posting them
2008 Toronto June 6/ 2009 New York Feb 19 Oakland April 13 14 Coachella April 17 Ottawa May 25 26 Barcelona Sept 21 Las Vegas 11/12 San Jose 11/13
2010 Malmo Aug 4 Gothenburg Aug 12 Las Vegas Dec 10 & 11
2012 Verona 9/24 San Jose 11/7. Montreal 11/28 11/29/ 2013 Oakland 3/2 NYC 4/6
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Kern
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by Kern »

It was an extraordinary concert, truly amazing. I was surprised how wonderful and rich Leonard's voice still is, perhaps richer than ever? I feel privileged to have witnessed this.

I also have to agree on Kjellvander. I've seen him once before but then he played a lot louder with a band, can't say I liked it very much then but this way it sounded really good!
MarianneP
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Re: Helsingborg, 3 July

Post by MarianneP »

I took this photo as we were living at the same hotel!!!

Marianne

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i273/ ... ngborg.jpg[/IMG]
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