CONCERT REPORT: Lyon (July 9)

Canada and Europe (May 11 - August 3, 2008). Concert reports, set lists, photos, media coverage, multimedia links, recollections...
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swisschris
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Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2005 4:32 pm
Location: Zurich

CONCERT REPORT: Lyon (July 9)

Post by swisschris »

Back from Lyon, where I was one of 4500 lucky ones having tickets and being able to witness Leonard's wonderful, masterful concert in the beautiful setting of the Roman theatre.
After I had arrived and found my "maison d'hote", a wonderful mansion from the 18th century (http://www.legreillon.com), I went to have a look at the festival site. But before I was able to reach the theatre de fourvière I had to climb 550 steps to reach the hill where the concert took place. (Lyon is a beautiful city, with a very nice old town, lots of little restaurants and cafés and -most of all- friendly people. I should have booked more than one night. The only obstacle is that some parts of the city are on hills and to be able to get there you have to walk up the stairs --or take the funiculaire :D
When I arrived at the Roman theatre, they were already preparing for that evening's concert. At the half-circled part in front of the stage they had put chairs, but later I discovered, that those were only for V.I.P's...They were preparing the soundcheck and I spotted Leanne Ungar. But as I wanted to go to a restaurant in the old town to eat something before the concert, I didn't have the time to witness the actual soundcheck. (Maybe someone else had and can report on it). I was back at the entrance of the theatre at 7.30p.m., there were already quite a lot of people queuing. But because I knew that the best seats had been reserved, there was actually no need to queue hours before.... :lol: So when they opened at 8pm I got a wonderful place to sit on the stoney stairs the in the middle of the theatre with a very good view to the stage. (And this for only 51.80 EUR whereas in Montreux I would have paid 220 EUR ... ;-)
The concert itself started punctually at 9.30 pm as it was already getting dark. This was wonderful, so one could fully enjoy the light show. Leonard got the first of uncountable standing ovations and actually I didn't understand his first words as the crowd was cheering and cheering. He then introduced his first song in French, as he would later do several times in the first part of the set. It was wonderful to hear him speak French. He didn't tell about having been a kid with a crazy dream though.
The sound was impeccable and during Bird on a Wire, there was a single bird flying over the amphitheatre. Just wonderful. I particularly liked the first set, The Future ( with the white man and the white girls dancing) , In my secret life, Hey that's no way to say goodbye and Anthem were the highlights for me. (IThe studio version of Anthem never was one of my preferred songs but Leonard and his band did it so beautifully yesterday evening that I teared up, it was just magic.)
In the second set, there were (as far as I can remember) no introductions to the songs in French. When he got into Tower of Song someone was yelling something to him and he said: "Speak up!" and at the end he said to the angels: Don't ever stop, we have nowhere to go, nous ne sommes pas pressés...
Before the encores, Leonard came running on to the stage. He had so much energy and he really seems to enjoy himself on stage. Before the concert, they had distributed "coussins" (I don't know the word in English, sorry) to sit on, as otherwise sitting on the stoney stairs of the theatre for 3 hours would have been a little bit difficult. So after the first pair of encores people were throwing their coussins like frisbees in direction of the stage, some of them actually landed on stage and the whole situation seemed to surprise especially Leonard, Sharon and the Webb sisters, they had a good laugh about it, one of the Webb sisters took her camera and made a picture and Leonard took his hat as he wanted to throw it into the public as well. I'm your man and If it be your will were the highlights in the second set and the encores for me. At 00.35 a.m. a wonderful concert had come to its end it passed so quickly (especially the second part when they were literally performing song after song without intervals) , too quickly, it seemed as they would have performed only for an hour.
It has been a wonderful experience, Leonard in top form with his sublime band (1000 thumbs up especially for Javier Mas!!!!), cristal-clear sound, the beautiful setting and and very nice French people sitting beside me (Malheureusement, j'ai oublié vos noms, je ne suis pas très fort en me souvenir des noms si je les entends seulement une fois...Mais c'était très sympa parler avec vous...et faire des blagues sur le concert tant "pathétique"). One lady in front of us said after the first part that Leonard seemed very pathetic to her and we had a good laugh about that replying that the second set would be even more pathetic :lol:
Now I can't wait for the concert in Lörrach...

2008:Lyon July 9th, Lörrach July 25th, Zurich October 25th;
2009: Nimes August 20th;
2010: Basel September 8th;
2012: Verona September 24th;
2013: Montreux July 4th
Patyou
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Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2004 1:31 pm
Location: Paris (FRANCE)

Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Patyou »

Hi everybody

Just back from Lyon.

Marvelous. No need to add something more to this first post. Just a little picture (very bad quality) to make you imagine the cushions flying thru ther air. That really was funny, even for Leonard and the band. The girls hung them on their microphone foot. Dino Soldo even played whith one of them during a saxophone chorus. Later the musiciens threw them back to the crowd.

Tomorrow I will post the "stagelist" I litterally tore off the hand of a roadie. (interesting for those who likes to play Leonard's songs in the tunes he used on stage).

Patyou
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Chubi
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Chubi »

There's a not very interesting review in French in Liberation about it today: http://www.liberation.fr//culture/musiq ... EPR-450206
Great concert for me again, while different from Manchester - less "stories" in between for the audience less fluent in English? -, no 1000 kisses deep (not in Bruges yesterday either), but perfect renditions of the songs, and happy looking people all around.
Last edited by Chubi on Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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martisan
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by martisan »

Aaah, just home from Lyon, and other friends have posted about how wonderful it was.
I have nothing to add really, other than my own note of appreciation.

My wife, who is not a fan, and i anything has some resistance to LC's music because of how much I play it, was thoroughly charmed.
She was touched by Leonard's sincerity, his graciousness with the band and with the audience, and even by the music! On the drive home she asked me to play tracks from the concert - first time ever she's actually asked to here it.

And when we got home to find that dates and tickets have been released for Paris, she didn't even balk at the 160 euro price tag and said lets go.
I went online right away and got seats in the 5th row. Hallelujah!

Martin
Billy the kidney
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Billy the kidney »

It was a great performance indeed. Back in Paris yesterday, I had the great surprise to hear that Leonard will be on stage at the Olympia in Paris in November... Tickets purchased!
From what I've been told from friends in Lyon, it is not usual in the Roman Theatre to throw the recyclable cushions they provide onto the stage like frisbees! Unfortunately, the pictures I took of the flying sauc... erm, cushions, were so dark you cannot see them.
If anyone is interested, I posted an entry about the show on my blog there: http://billy-the-kidney.blogspot.com/20 ... -lyon.html>. Granted, it does not add much to the nice post by Swisschris, but a couple of photos.
Patyou
Posts: 194
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Patyou »

Hi
Here is the "stage list". Interesting to see that "A Thousand Kisses Deep" has not been played and "A Wither Thou Goest" has been added.
Patyou
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Born With The Gift Of A G
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Born With The Gift Of A G »

Patyou,

May I ask which 'alternative' songs are listed in the small print at the bottom right of that setlist from Lyon?
"Little lady.....I AM Kris Kristofferson....."
London: 10 & 11 May 1993; Manchester: 17, 18, 19 & 20 June 2008; Vienna: 25 September 2008; London: 17 November 2008; Paris: 26 November 2008; Manchester: 30 November 2008; Liverpool: 14 July 2009; Paris: 28 September 2012; Manchester: 31 August 2013; Leeds: 7 September 2013.
Patyou
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Patyou »

Here it is
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Born With The Gift Of A G
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Location: Manchester, England

Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by Born With The Gift Of A G »

Patyou,

Many thanks.

So, four 'alternative' songs yet to make their 2008 tour debut by my calculations.....
"Little lady.....I AM Kris Kristofferson....."
London: 10 & 11 May 1993; Manchester: 17, 18, 19 & 20 June 2008; Vienna: 25 September 2008; London: 17 November 2008; Paris: 26 November 2008; Manchester: 30 November 2008; Liverpool: 14 July 2009; Paris: 28 September 2012; Manchester: 31 August 2013; Leeds: 7 September 2013.
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mnkyface
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by mnkyface »

For me, the Lyon show can be summed up by a comment I saw on YouTube (on a clip from Glastonbury I believe, but I think it applies to all these shows):
"I really stood before the Lord of Song."

My apologies as I jot down my favorite memories in an overly long, disjointed format:

When he walked onstage...pure joy. I remembered something he has said before about love...can't remember if it is a poem or interview or what. Something along the lines of...when you truly love you forget about yourself for awhile. Of course he said it much better. Anyway, this was one of those times.

When he first started singing Dance Me and the realization hit me that I was *actually* hearing him sing. Live. Breathing the same air as him. And that it was going to go on for a few hours.

His growly chuckles in the middle of verses - I think he chuckled during I'm Your Man. I know he did it inbetween "Jew" and "who wrote the Bible" in The Future. It kills me that I can't remember where else.

When he pulled back his hat during I'm Your Man and said "I'll wear this OLD mask for you."

Sharon Robinson's opening for Boogie Street was some of the most amazing singing I have ever heard.

His guitar reflecting light and shining into my eyes and elsewhere in the audience. Magic.

His frequent introductions of band members. I know some on the forum have said it is too much...but I like it. I came out of that concert knowing every single band member's name without even trying.

Dino Soldo is a hoot. (my typo there was "hot" and I should have kept it. :D ) He just looks like he is having so much fun. The whole band is so talented it is unbelievable.

The cushions being thrown at the stage. Leonard's fake ducking move. The band seemed to really enjoy the cushion-throwing.

Gypsy Wife. Having only discovered LC this past December, I hadn't given this song much attention and it is now a favorite. Flawless performance of it, and everything else. I think it was especially poignant for me because I was "alone" at that point, my husband and daughter having just left and they were still on my mind. (On the bright side I now had 3 cushions to sit on! wooohoo!) Why was I alone now? More on that below...

Suzanne is another that was not a favorite on albums (I know I'll get haters for this but it has always been too "hippie" or something for me. I came to love LC's music through In My Secret Life and my first favorites were songs like First We Take Manhattan, Democracy, etc. Child of the 80s I am, I'm all about LC the rock star in many ways.) Anyway, that all changed in Lyon. The way he sang Suzanne...I just fell in love with the song.

That said, First We Take Manhattan absolutely ROCKED the house. :)

Leonard's interaction with the audience. A lady was yelling something at him and he stopped and tried to figure out what she was saying. He said "speak up" and even engaged Sharon Robinson in trying to figure out what was being said. (I still don't know. Anyone?)

The perfection of Hallelujah.

His "here we go" before the ending choruses of Closing Time.

His skipping offstage (was it after Closing Time?) and running onstage after intermission and encores.

The TOTAL love in the place when he sang the last parts of I Tried to Leave You. "Here's a man still working for your smile." I hadn't cried (surprisingly) up until that point. But that got to me, oh yeah, big time.

After the show...waiting (ok, stalking. lol) near the band trailers (very plush) with a small friendly group of people. Rumor was that LC had been whisked away earlier but we saw and cheered Sharon Robinson, Dino Soldo and other band members as they walked to the trailer. Some people got pics and autographs with Sharon Robinson and Webb Sisters. I remember wishing I knew others by sight, like Robert Kory, who is a true hero to me in this whole thing, and I would have liked to tell him so.

The security guard near the trailers with the most beautiful muzzled white shepherd. For some reason I don't want to forget this dog so I must write it down. lol And the guard was a funny guy, and teased us by saying stuff like (every time a car exited the gate) "Didn't you see him, he was on the floor of the car!" (meaning LC) Funny guy.

My complaints aren't many but I will post because I am curious if anyone felt the same way:

I didn't enjoy the venue as much as I thought I would. Amazing Roman history notwithstanding (actually standing would have been a blessing. lol), to be honest I would have killed for a "real" seat as found in a concert hall. Or even a folding chair of my own. But I know that is not the point of this venue...the price was GREAT, and the Roman forum seating is supposed to be part of the magic. It just wasn't for me. Waited in line sitting on concrete ground for almost 3 hours only to find that HUGE portion of lower seats were already reserved for press and VIPs. We ended up dead center above the reserved seats so it was a great view but in retrospect I would have picked an aisle as the Fourvieres people were trying to cram everyone in to the point of absurdity. Oversell much? Periodically they would make everyone stand up and move over a millimeter to try to cram more people into said millimeter. This pissed us off royally because people who were arriving 10 minutes before show time (i.e. they did NOT sit in line for hours) were being crammed into lower aisles than those who had done the work of waiting!! Also, there was absolutely no way to get out of your seat once in it, without literally stepping on people's feet all the way down the row. Not good with a 7 year old. My husband and daughter actually had to leave at intermission, which pained me, but she was soooo uncomfortable and tired I thought she was going to get physically ill. It was so cramped there was no way for her to even lay down across our laps to rest. My husband is a great sport and I owe him... he loves LC and really wanted to see this historic concert too, but he knew it was more important to me. If by some miracle LC comes to San Francisco (or anywhere on West Coast of US) on this tour, we have a date. :)

We loved Lyon itself, and our hotel (thanks for recommending the College Hotel chubi!) was perfect. We had some fantastic meals and did some sightseeing the next day. The Basillica was awesome and the funicular ride up the hill was not as hairy as the day before. (On our way up to the concert the funicular had stopped halfway up inside the tunnel, and did some lurching backwards motions before it sat there for many minutes doing nothing. Not being a frequent funicular rider, I had no idea if this was typical so I was starting to panic a little bit. ok, a lot. Things were not helped by a very aggressive drunk man in our car who was shouting nonsense at no one in particular. Ah, the joys of public transportation. lol I do hope he didn't make it to the concert as he would have been an awful seatmate for anyone near him.) Lyon has wonderful history and a fun student/bohemian vibe to it making it a fantastic city to visit in and of itself; I am so glad that LC brought us there!
"In this world of shallow, he is the abyss."~ YouTube commenter greg450318
________________________________________________________________
Lyon, July 2008 / Oakland x2, April 2009 / San Jose, November 2009 / Oakland, December 2010 / San Jose, November 2012 / Oakland, March 2013
moutanabbi
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Re: Lyon-July 9th

Post by moutanabbi »

Mr Cohen

You are the one that let your art being seen by blinds....
You are the one that let your golden voice be heard by deafs....

thanks again and again for having let me live these great moments in my life...
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mnkyface
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Re: Lyon, July 9th

Post by mnkyface »

I notice in YouTube videos from the last few cities he added the name of whatever city he is in to the last verse of Hallelujah:
"I didn't come all this way to (Lisboa, Glastonbury, The Big Chill, etc) to fool ya." Audiences seemed to love it.

Did he do this in Lyon?? I can't remember!
"In this world of shallow, he is the abyss."~ YouTube commenter greg450318
________________________________________________________________
Lyon, July 2008 / Oakland x2, April 2009 / San Jose, November 2009 / Oakland, December 2010 / San Jose, November 2012 / Oakland, March 2013
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Lyon (July 9)

Post by sturgess66 »

A pretty good video of almost the whole show has been uploaded to YouTube by "ourslyonnais" - approx 2 hours :D
(Beginning - through to #19 - First We Take Manhattan)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waCcjatn48g
Published on Oct 16, 2014

Setlist :

01. Dance Me To The End Of Love [0.00]
02. The Future [05.50]
03. Ain't No Cure For Love [13.05]
04. Bird On The Wire [18.15]
05. Everybody Knows [24.50]
06. In My Secret Life [30.55]
07. Who By Fire [36.10]
08. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye [43.00]
09. Anthem [47.13]
10. Tower Of Song [55.57]
11. Suzanne [01.03.11]
12. The Gypsy's Wife [01.07.20]
13. Boogie Street [01.14.04]
14. Hallelujah [01.21.05]
15. Democracy [01.28.42]
16. I'm Your Man [01.35.20]
17. Take This Waltz [01.41.40]
18. So Long, Marianne [01.50.45]
19. First We Take Manhattan [01.56.15]
20. Sisters Of Mercy
21. If It Be Your Will
22. Closing Time
23. I Tried To Leave You
24. Whither Thou Goest
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