CONCERT REPORT: Tours, France, September 23, 2010

[remote1]

I can't see a thread for Tours! Where are you Sturgess66?

It looks like Sharon Robinson is back!

"Lyssa Bloom makes a final check on Sharon Robinson before the band does the walk to stage.

* Parc des Expositions - Grand Hall - Tours, France

Posted on September 23, 2010"

http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/

[sturgess66]

Haha Remote1 - glad to see your thread.

I saw there wasn't one and by the time I hit "submit" yours was here - so I deleted.

WELCOME BACK SHARON ROBINSON!!

[remote1]

Ah! Well, I'm glad you're here! You're very much the professional and I was in awe at the thought of stepping in for you! I'm relieved!

[Mabeanie1]

It's wonderful to see Sharon back on stage. Good as the band is, I thought they really missed her contribution - to me the vocal harmonies seemed really "thin" without her rich velvety voice.

I'm looking forward to my next show with a full complement on Saturday in Lille.

Edit: It looks from Joey's latest posting http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/page/1 as if Sharon is sitting out the second half in Tours. Maybe she returned too soon. Hope she doesn't push it too much. It can take a long time to fully recover from a virus.

Wendy

[sturgess66]

Bands walking to stage.
* Parc des Expositions - Grand Hall - Tours, France

After Anthem LC introduces the band.
* Parc des Expositions - Grand Hall - Tours, France

What happened to that sun!

The show must go on.
Second set Tower of Song and it’s still raining outside.
* Parc des Expositions - Grand Hall - Tours, France

[neo]

Back for more encores.
*Parc des Expositions - Grand Hall - Tours, France

Only the first set with Sharon Robinson?

[sturgess66]

Lucky Tours concertgoers treated to "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye."

After a last minute Hey, That’s No Way, the show’s a wrap.

* Parc des Expositions - Grand Hall - Tours, France

Link for all Joey's pictures -
http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/post/117 ... -the-shows

(Thanks Joey!!!)

[LC&LC]

Can I really say that I was disappointed by the concert in Tours (as I was by the one in Strasbourg)?
Not by L Cohen, nor by his band, but by the audience and its lack of reaction... I was one of maybe 20 to stand up after le Partisan, in Tours, maybe 90% of the audience was French, and that song means so much to us... LC's rendition of it is just amazing... By the time of the encores, I was standing very close to the stage and was very very annoyed by this drunken british man (they're not all at football games I could see that) he was singing very very loud in my ears and completely out of tune...
Tomorrow will be my last concert, and I have high expectations for the crowd's behaviour. I've just had 4x3hrs of happiness and am now expecting 3 more...
I really envy those of you who will manage to follow the tour and can only wish you all as much emotions as I've felt over the last week or so, crying at a concert was a first for me, in Caen on gypsy's wife... silly and pathetic I know, maybe LC should write a song about us poor sensitive fans...

[bigpaul16]

I was at Tours last night. A long awaited event after the postponing the original date from March.
I had thought that Vienne last year was as good as it gets, however, I think that last night was better in a number of respects.

1. Leonard was on great form, especially after the interval.
2. 3 new songs which were sensational....partly because of 1. above.
3. Dino Soldo was on a different planet from any musician I have ever seen, similarly Javier Mas.
4. The Webb Sisters got the chance to step up when Sharon didn't reappear after the interval. Whilst I accept that its not a full show without Sharon, it was interesting to see the girls take the extra responsibility, especially Charley.
5. I thought the audience was very appreciative, especially after "The Partisan". Leonard could do no wrong after that. I have to say that it was a bit special, in view of points 1&3 above.
6. The video screens (not present before) did actually add something, though the subtitles weren't great. My son plays piano, and he was SO IMPRESSED with Neil's organ solos on the video screen. This delighted my as that is part of the reason I took him.
He's 13 and it just goes to show that true class can cross the generation gap. Anything that will inspire him to play more music is to be welcomed.

All in all another emotional night in the company of my favourite singer and his world class band. The only downsides? Sharon didn't make it past half time (Boogie Street at Vienne made the back of my neck shiver) and I don't have any more LC concerts booked. Could he possibly come back to France AGAIN next year........surely not.

[Chubi]

Can I really say that I was disappointed by the concert in Tours (as I was by the one in Strasbourg)?
Not by L Cohen, nor by his band, but by the audience and its lack of reaction...

I was in Strasbourg (and two years ago in Lyon) and agree with you on the lack of reaction of the French audience. I wasn't the only one to notice in Strasbourg... Lille being close to Belgium, it should be more lively.

I was one of maybe 20 to stand up after le Partisan, in Tours, maybe 90% of the audience was French, and that song means so much to us...

But among the general French population, it's the other Partisan song, whose music was also composed by Anna Marly in 1943, that's really a classic while not everyone knows LC's song. (If that's not proof enough...)

[Maarten]

Could someone please post a setlist in the appropriate thread please?

Thanks,
Maarten

[remote1]

Can I really say that I was disappointed by the concert in Tours (as I was by the one in Strasbourg)?
Not by L Cohen, nor by his band, but by the audience and its lack of reaction...

I was in Strasbourg (and two years ago in Lyon) and agree with you on the lack of reaction of the French audience. I wasn't the only one to notice in Strasbourg... Lille being close to Belgium, it should be more lively.

I was one of maybe 20 to stand up after le Partisan, in Tours, maybe 90% of the audience was French, and that song means so much to us...

But among the general French population, it's the other Partisan song, whose music was also composed by Anna Marly in 1943, that's really a classic while not everyone knows LC's song. (If that's not proof enough...)

Well, I am listening to Grenoble right now and the atmosphere is tremendous, so you must have been very unlucky! Sorry!

[LC&LC]

Yes, I agree, I have been unlucky, I mean Marseille was a special evening, and Caen wasn't bad at all but if you had been at Paris Bercy last year, you would have seen how we, French people, can be sometimes, standing ovation after every song, clapping and screaming...
I'm seriously starting thinking about going to Las Vegas now...

[friscogrl]

You really should.

M

[Fil]

Can I really say that I was disappointed by the concert in Tours (as I was by the one in Strasbourg)?
Not by L Cohen, nor by his band, but by the audience and its lack of reaction...

I was in Strasbourg (and two years ago in Lyon) and agree with you on the lack of reaction of the French audience. I wasn't the only one to notice in Strasbourg... Lille being close to Belgium, it should be more lively.

I was one of maybe 20 to stand up after le Partisan, in Tours, maybe 90% of the audience was French, and that song means so much to us...

But among the general French population, it's the other Partisan song, whose music was also composed by Anna Marly in 1943, that's really a classic while not everyone knows LC's song. (If that's not proof enough...)

Well, I am listening to Grenoble right now and the atmosphere is tremendous, so you must have been very unlucky! Sorry!

Well, how can you listen to Grenoble right now ? ... that makes me wonder !

About Grenoble I can witness people were rather quite and silent during the songs, even if always followed with good and broad clappings. To tell the truth this lack of reaction -specially among the firts rows - did get on my nerves from time to time, when I personnally fell like jumping on my chair or shouting out of glee. Nevertheless the atmosphere was great - normal response of normal people to an extraordinary show, i should say. I think, we, french people have sometimes too good manners (writing this, i'm not sure it's exactly right ...) or more precisly might be reluctant to interfere, to disturb : and this kind of apparently unreactive audience express nothing but his respect. But then, at the end of the second set, everybody, this time, stood up shouting, and a lot of people from the back rows ran close to the stage : no-one sat down till the end of the show, that is everybody stayed up for all the encores,for the seven last songs !

Concerning Lyon 2008, it will probably remain for me the best concert i ever been to : how could I forget this beautiful summer night, the heat, the full moon in the sky, the audience under the spell, in such a tremendous way, so that one could feel and almost touch the emotion the entire theater was closed in. Not to say a word of that crazy final encore when we all threw our red cushions on the stage ! Just read the reports here on the forum :viewtopic.php?f=28&t=11611

Or take a look at that short video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4HOdJf5zt0