CONCERT REPORT: Barcelona, September 21 (Leonard's birthday)

[BEATRIZ SALLES]

[quote="BloodBrother"]

My english isn't good enough to describe what I saw but I'm so sure that I will NEVER forget it.

That's exactly how I feel this morning....

I agree what Toni said in his Alberto Manzano introduction,
"I've always enjoyed Leonard's music by myself, but sharing these feelings with all of you has been even better"

Thank you friends for sharing, you're deep in my heart (behind Leonard of course...).

Really moved from Dino's in twiter:

"...he was touched"

Tankyo Leonard, thankyou cohenites!

[Womanfromaroom]

Hello everyone,

what can I say?! Barcelona must have been my best Leonard concert, it was absolutely great, you could feel the immensely positive energy coming from the audience, and Leonard seemed to connect to us in a very intense way compared to some of the other concerts I have been to! And, mind you, this was a huge venue, and it still felt intimate... Leonard was beaming and skipping as much as ever and looked immensely happy. One of the really moving moments was when during Suzanne, the forum members who had been given thin green candles during the meetup earlier, lit them, and you could see where everyone was sitting, just great... As was the fact that Leonard actually thanked the forum members! Some got mentioned by name, apart from Jarkko it was Henning and some other names I did not quite catch... My personal highlight was "Waiting for the Miracle", just because I hadn't heard it for a while. Leonard got "Happy Birthday" sung to him as well, of course, I think it must have been after "Ain't No Cure", but not sure now. And IrishAl has promised some videos - from the second half, because he was obviously prevented from filming at first.
My seat was not very good, way back - will post some photographs when I am back home -, but i might it right to the front and to the centre for the encores. Well, obviously, I knew when I had to "run for it"!
And meeting so many friends and meeting new ones was absolutely fantastic, too - indeed, we were not back at the hotel before a quarter to five in the morning - and I hope to see as many of you in Krakow next year as possible! And, somewhat_nifty, you are very welcome to keep the umbrella cover...

[Paula]

What can I say it is so nice to see your accounts of the concert totally gutted I was not there. The thin green candles sound like a complete success. I expect to see photos and videos of this concert

[suburban.hornbag]

It's so exciting reading/watching/listening to all the news of last nights concert, I also wished I could have been there but it's a great thrill catching up on the forum!

The candles must have been perfect what a lovely idea.

Looking forward to more updates..............please

[Chema]

Translate by google translator

Another review:

. Shuddering
Miquel Jurado 22/09/2009

Fragile, thin, his eyes closed, hidden under his hat, hiding his face behind the microphone and his body swinging at the center of the stage or seized, occasionally the neck of his guitar. Leonard Cohen would have seemed distant from her throat if they had not gone out all those monuments, most of the contemporary song. Sung, whispered, moreover, with that strength and ability to penetrate to the depths that few possess. In other words: a wonder full of emotion and a gorgeous waterfall.


Leonard Cohen did not bring anything new to Barcelona but the two dozen songs, seven more with the encores, rang in the new Sant Jordi, fresh as newly written mainly thanks to some innovative arrangements who dived into the internals of each item to display them raw and at the same time, terribly musical.

Three showgirls and an instrumental sextet and clothed the guttural voice of Canadian singer-songwriter shocking. And among them featured a familiar face: the guitarist and lutenist based in Barcelona Javier maño More Your archilaud and mandolin (yes: a mandolin accompanying Cohen) took a leading role in many moments that the audience rewarded him with repeated ovations and warm. Behind them a high curtain just turning color and two large video screens that kept even the smallest gestures of the singer even closer to the audience. A luxury tinged sound to the smallest detail as if instead of a huge sports hall were in a small concert hall.

A small room in which he lived an audience of more varied in which intellectuals were not lacking its fifth and a large group of politicians with President Montilla to the head.

Leonard Cohen began the evening with Dance Me to the End of Love and was walking without the slightest nostalgia for his whole repertoire, from his first album until the most recent topics, any new ones. Bird on the wire or Everbody knows marked the first part. The second occurred Tower of songs, Suzanne (some burners lit, ran the first tears), The partisan (another standing ovation), Hallelujah (with further references to Barcelona in the letter), I'm your man or Take this waltz (the Sant Jordi collapsed). A seamless finish line, just touching, able to put goosebumps cold and distant to most of the attendees.

The crowd, quiet until then, left their villages and went on stage to live more closely (and with their mobile immortalize the historic moment) a set of encores as long as forceful. With So Long Marianne, First We Take Manhattan Famous Blue Raincoat the Sant Jordi lived one of those moments that will be difficult to forget.

In all nearly three hours of thrilling music showing the vitality of a man that night, no one would say, was serving 75 years. Not a bit of tiredness despite the walking tour in which he embarked began over a year ago in May 2008 and still has 16 concerts before returning to the stillness of his retreat. A retreat back soon hopefully break because, for the mental health of the population, a concert of this magnitude, intensity and beauty must be repeated frequently.

[ladydi]

Dear Ann and everyone,

Thank you so much for your initial posts of the concert! 445am....omg! I thought I was bad enough in NYC staying up till 330am after the Beacon concert! What fun it must all have been! Starting work right now but I'll be keeping glued to this thread on the Forum all day....along with YouTube!

Diana

[DrHGuy]

Video of Suzanne now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo3lvo1VqJc

[sturgess66]

Good video from "hermessl" on YouTube -

Hallelujah
(Excellent close-up of the wonderful Neil Larsen during his solo - from the 'big screen")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaCGZsHPvmw

[Tinkie]

Dear all,

What can I possibly say about the concert in Barcelona .... it was a very special moment and I have mixed feelings today : great happiness for assisting to that wonderful concert and deepest grief because this concert was the last concert of this tour that I will see.
Thanks to all the forum members for these nice moments all together in Barcelona.
Special thanks to the Barcelonian cohenites for the organisation and amongst them a very very very special thanks to Beatriz Salles for the rose she gave me and that I threw on the scene for Sharon.

Et enfin, le dernier mais pas certainement pas le moindre : merci Kad d'avoir partager mon "addiction" durant cette tournée 2008-2009. C'était très agréable de vivre ces moments avec toi à travers l'Europe et merci pour tous ces fous rires.

All the best.

[BEATRIZ SALLES]

Dear all,

What can I possibly say about the concert in Barcelona .... it was a very special moment and I have mixed feelings today : great happiness for assisting to that wonderful concert and deepest grief because this concert was the last concert of this tour that I will see.
Thanks to all the forum members for these nice moments all together in Barcelona.
Special thanks to the Barcelonian cohenites for the organisation and amongst them a very very very special thanks to Beatriz Salles for the rose she gave me and that I threw on the scene for Sharon.

Et enfin, le dernier mais pas certainement pas le moindre : merci Kad d'avoir partager mon "addiction" durant cette tournée 2008-2009. C'était très agréable de vivre ces moments avec toi à travers l'Europe et merci pour tous ces fous rires.

All the best.

Your're welcome Tinkie, let's hope we'l meet again to share roses!
Merci à vous deux d'avoir partagé le concert avec moi!

[sturgess66]

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/st ... ay_1116738

COHEN PLAYS THREE-HOUR SHOW ON 75TH BIRTHDAY

Leonard Cohen performs live in concert at the Beacon Theater New York City, USA ....

LEONARD COHEN made a triumphant return to the stage with a three-hour concert on his 75th birthday on Monday (21Sep09).
The veteran singer sparked fears for his health after collapsing onstage in Valencia, Spain last week (18Sep09).

His concert was cut short after he fainted mid-song and was taken to the city's Nueve de Octubre hospital, where he was treated for stomach flu.
But he was back on his feet to perform the last show of his European tour in front of 14,000 fans in Barcelona, Spain on Monday - the same day he turned 75.

The Hallelujah hitmaker was given a standing ovation as he stepped on stage at the Palau Sant Jordi concert hall, where he played for more than three hours.

And the star was moved after hundreds of fans held up lit candles handed out earlier in the evening to celebrate his special day.

His band member Dino Soldo wrote on Twitter.com, "To all the friends in Leonard Cohen's Barcelona gig, your birthday candles brought a tear to my eye. He was touched."

Concertgoers also tossed bouquets, books and teddy bears onto the stage, and the Canadian star thanked them by raising his hat and concluding the show with the parting words, "May your life be sweet as apples dipped in honey."

He is scheduled to play a concert in Israel on Thursday (24Sep09) before travelling to North America to continue his tour in the U.S. next month (Oct09).

22 September 2009 08:12

[HarryMann]

Yes, was a very strong performance from Leonard and ´the band´last night lasting 3.5 hours ending at 1-00 a.m.

You have heard all the others and many more will tell you about Leonard and the concert in a plus + plus +ve way - so from me (you know) is a little more objective report for those who couldn´t be in Barcelona last night (a beautiful, languid, friendly city, made for walking, eating and reducing stress for other European city dwellers we think - a week here is worth a month elsewhere )

In the fantastic venue, Palau Sant Jordi, a beautiful (Olympic sports) hall... the whole setting up on Montagne Montjuic takes the breath away, I hope Leonard and the crew had time to take it all in, what beauty. The walk up from Pl. de Espagne along the wide boulevard towards the magnificent Palace of Nationale de Mountjuic, equally pleasant as a warm-up, using the many escalators for the climb to reduce sweat and any pre-concert exertion!

At the very top of the climb, approaching via the 1992 Olympic Stadium and as Palau Sant Jordi came into view, the sun setting colourfully behind serried mountain ranks, within minutes the tops of long rows of tall pylons lit up yellow but with the magnificent engineering sculpture of the Telecomms tower dominating the whole scene, as we looked across low-lands to the airport and coast many miles away.

Hopefully many beautiful images [here] when we arrive home tomorrow night (yes, altogether 6 great days in Barcelona, and maybe 30 miles walked or more!)

Relaxed and languid, the crowd sensed a great occasion waiting, helped by low-key but efficient and well-mannered organisation and entry through security, we were inside in just minutes, to see the fabulous hall... space, space, space and good safe seats, many, many food and drink stalls, lavados and LC equipage - nothing was going to be annoying or a problem... unlike the dreaded and badly designed O2 in London!!
Although like all venues food & drink was expensive, at least the Spanish have the good brains to not sell 'smelly yukky take-away´food that can be dropped everywhere

= = The concert = =

9-30pm many still not taking seats, so 5 minutes later, down went the lights and on they came, to an immediate standing ovation, with everyone trying to sing Happy Birthday Leonard, but the crowd kept applauding at every attempt

It soon dawned that the Barcelona audience was so enthusiastic to see and hear and having waited so long for this arrival, every solo was prematurely applauded, almost every first verse, every change in tempo so that muscially - this was not the best time and place to appreciate the muscial excellence of the European Tour !

A fantastic atmosphere, exceptional audience appreciation, a true celebration, especially with Javier being in home town - tears came to his eyes I saw at least once - a very humble man and undoubted virtuoso...

but to be honest, the Palau Sant Jordi hall had an echo that limited the sound engineers maybe, especially noticeable when Raphael Bernardo was using strong cimbals and higher sounding rhythm drums... one time I thought just the crowd at the back were clapping in unison- But No - it was the hall echo! It reduced clarity of vocals, Leonards especially, maybe the sound-engineer had to 'adjust' to compensate.

Finally, some great solos during 'I tried to leave you' - some prematurely interrupted (we do like to hear the subtlety of the improvisations), however Raphael Bernardo overcame this cleverly once again using his 'false stop and clap-along-with-me technique

Something strange during 'If it be your will' - always such a beautiful performance - a loud and maybe? rude interruption by someone behind us (zone 105) - we have evidence on video, maybe a translation later please?

We also thought Leonard was particularly composed and took good time above the wild applause to give his many thanks and blessings to everyone he could think of - I like apples and I like honey too, so this was a perfect send off for a notably quiet and pleasant walk back down the hillside arriving back at our hotel in balmy warmth at 2-00am (did anyone else spot the funny policeman trying to control both traffic and pedestrians with his whistle - we heard it 5 minutes before the crossing and 10 minutes after -)

How different it would have been the night before, when there was a HUGE thunder-storm and inches of rain in 2 hours - but having been to Wetbridge, we were well equipped to survive anything Barcelona could thow at us

Thankyou Leonard and the band, probably the last time we will get to see you live. Happy Birthday

[BEATRIZ SALLES]

Something strange during 'If it be your will' - always such a beautiful performance - a loud and maybe? rude interruption by someone behind us (zone 105) - we have evidence on video, maybe a translation later please?

I noticed this too. Te video on you tube is taken from the other side, I'm not able to understand a word, maybe tomorrow on yours.

[Pearlvoice]

Thanks to Yoda18 on Twitter http://twitter.com/Yoda18 for this message:

Leonard Cohen finishes his 75th birthday three hours concert with these words: May your life be sweet as apples dipped in honey.

I love the blessing tremendously, and yet it makes me smile a bit, thinking of the interviews, in which our beloved author of "Hallelujah" and "Who by Fire" continuously states hat he's "not religious at all"

Ann, I loved your concert report. Makes me feel as if I had been there. Well... almost, at least. I watched the youtube video of his "If it be your will" recitation and was very irritated by the loud shouting disturbances. It seemed very respectless to me. Does anyone have a clue what was going on there or what was being yelled? To be honest I find it a pity anyway that he doesn't sing the song himself, as it is one of my favourites. If then someone spoilt even the spoken words I'd be rather *%&§"# ... It's always such a beautiful moment when he does that.

[Patrycja]

Good video from "hermessl" on YouTube -

Hallelujah
(Excellent close-up of the wonderful Neil Larsen during his solo - from the 'big screen")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaCGZsHPvmw

What a numinous performance! Leonard's voice is strong and his delivery passionate. The band's so smooth and tight, too. I ache from wishing I were there.

So glad to see him back in fine form. Thanks for posting this!