CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Concert reports, reviews, links, set lists - and meetup information + meetup reports
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sturgess66
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CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

The venue is 1st Bank Center - formerly known as The Odeum Colorado and The Broomfield Event Center - a multi-use arena located in Broomfield, Colorado (a suburb of Denver).
Accommodate is adjustable- 3,500–6,500 people.

Doesn't look like much :lol: but at number of different sites, good things have been said about it -
With good sound and great sight lines, this venue feels more like a concert hall than a mid-sized arena.
http://www.westword.com/bestof/2010/awa ... r-1438897/

Image

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The hive is buzzing with activity as the band filters in to join LC on stage for the evenings checking of the sound.

Image

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Always Working The List
This show's details have details.


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Go For Show Colorado
Broomfield We Are Live


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“Now lets play the other ones.”

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Tonight is a Good Night
Broomfield is getting the A-game.
Last edited by sturgess66 on Mon Nov 05, 2012 8:20 am, edited 2 times in total.
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

Oh my - very nice videos uploaded by photobro - Thanks! :)

Hallelujah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QPa75XSZEY

Suzanne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QepSlfwDAxA

Save The Last Dance For Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e7pcy_esdI
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

No media reviews yet that I see - but there were some nice "pre-concert" notices -

WestWord -
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2012 ... ov_2-4.php

Denver Post -
http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment ... erpost.com
sue7
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sue7 »

Thanks for doing the research and posting all this stuff up, Linda! I'm happy to have this concert thread going, so that I can follow the tour from where I am.
:D
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

Another good video from Photobro - :D

Democracy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75irxH4-v4
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

I'm posting as a separate comment to bump up the thread - adding more from video Photobro.
It's very good video with very low view count.
And some wonderful performances by Leonard & UHTC

Tower of Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWrkojUoIxA

First We Take Manhattan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MJQQD6LepM

Amen - complete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXuI8h2WHug

In My Secret Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TWgMAB0QOk

Anthem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMLI-alSvpE
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dari
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by dari »

Leonard Cohen at the 1stBank Center, 11/3/12 (photos and review) from Reverb
http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2012/11/0 ... r-2/57084/
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

Video uploaded by ijulyk - Thanks!

It is Javier's solo in Who By Fire - not a close up video but the audio is good
He receives a lot response/applause from the audience - including at one particular point in the middle of his solo (@1:51)

Javier Mas (Mas indeed!) solo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xmIjq0Dt_s
jays911
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by jays911 »

My wife and I attended our third LC concert on Saturday. What a blessing. But an even bigger blessing was ours Sunday morning, when we met Leonard and members of the band at the Westin Westminster. What an artist. What a gentleman. Talk about making your day. Peace.
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

From WestWord - nice review
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2012 ... -03-12.php

Click on link to see - a LOT more very nice pictures taken by Eric Gruneisen - throughout the review -
Last Night
Leonard Cohen at 1STBANK Center, 11/03/12

By Tom Murphy Mon., Nov. 5 2012 at 9:00 AM

Image
Photo Eric Gruneisen - The masterful Leonard Cohen at 1STBANK Center this past weekend.

There were no low points in Leonard Cohen's perfectly paced show at the 1STBANK Center -- impressive, considering it went on for three and a half hours. The high point came when Cohen and his band went into "Hallelujah." The crowd sang along; they had done so during other parts of the performance, butnot like this. They were excited, and their response seemed to have a subtly visible impact on the people on stage -- like they knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they had connected with people this night, and that the music they were performing had been affecting people for years and had become part of their life story.

The backdrop for the performance added a certain elegance. The white drapes, which perfectly reflected whatever colors of light were projected onto them, enhanced the visual impact of the band. While the performance was commanding enough on its own, the tasteful use of lighting made it feel like we were at some kind of after-hours jazz club seeing a legendary artist giving an intimate performance.

Adding to that sensation was the fact that Cohen's voice was prominent in the mix. It genuinely felt like he was speaking and singing directly to you. The quiet confidence the guy exuded was impressive, and his deft use of playfully sardonic dry humor made us all laugh at exactly the right moments.

Although the audience was clearly respectful, some people couldn't help but express their enthusiasm loudly at different points in the set. Nothing annoying, though. During a quiet passage in "Come Healing," you could hear a man say, with a heartfelt and childlike wonder, like he was especially struck by the moment, "This is a really good song." Indeed it was, especially this night. The first set ended with "Anthem," and Cohen introduced everyone in the band, including the woman whom he rightfully referred to as his collaborator, "the incomparable Sharon Robinson."

After the intermission, Cohen and crew came back on stage. Cohen had a keyboard in front of him, and he sarcastically announced he was going to play this machine that he wasn't sure any of us had seen anything like before. When he played a very simple piano part, the crowd cheered. At this, Cohen smiled and said, "Thank you, music lovers." A guy who can poke fun at himself and rib the audience a little in the process and still look cool and gracious about it? Not to mention making you laugh with him because he's having a chuckle with us and himself and not at the expense of either? Genius.

For "Anyhow," Cohen displayed his gift for delivering the most bawdy and earthy lines, well shy of crass, in a way that was poetic, gracious and even dignified. It was like a close friend just laying out observations that shouldn't be tender and endearing, but the tone and spirit in which those words are spoken make them so. Following this with "Democracy," Cohen had us wondering what could possibly come after that. Little did we know the show was only a little bit past the halfway mark.

The only thing that could really follow "Democracy" were two songs that showcased the other main singers of the night, starting with the Webb sisters doing a disarmingly gorgeous duet in "Coming Back to You." Then Robinson put in a strong, soulful, moving performance of "Alexandra Leaving."

Not just for this song, but elsewhere, it was impressive to see a singer with a background like she has to use so many vocal tricks at once in a way that didn't overdo anything. Her vibrato? Masterful in its versatility and tastefulness. Sure, for most of the show, Robinson kind of took a side, not back, seat to Cohen, but she's also one of the few singers around whose own perfect phrasing is on par with her collaborator's.

The second set ended with a kind of upbeat version of "Take This Waltz," but the crowd was so enthusiastic, standing ovation and all, that everyone came back for three encores total. The most endearing moment came during the third encore, which Cohen had the stones, and great humor, to start off with "I Tried To Leave You." He drew out the words like we were having a conversation. Clearly it's been practiced, but it felt very impromptu.

The show closed with "Save the Last Dance For Me," and it must be said that very few artists will play thirty songs in a night lasting three and a half hours. Bruce Springsteen? George Clinton? The Dead in their heyday? Bands playing the cover-band circuit? Leonard Cohen turned 78 on September 21, and he showed more spirit, energy, charisma and sheer endurance than almost anyone else we have ever seen, and so did the rest of the band. Here's to many more years ahead, Mr. Cohen.

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Personal Bias: Like a lot of people, I first consciously heard Leonard Cohen in the movie Pump Up the Volume, even though you'd hear his name as one of the world's great songwriters. Been a big fan since and seeing him for the second time was a rare privilege.

Random Detail: Ran into Michael Trundle (aka DJ boyhollow) and Kitty Vincent (formerly of Le Divorce) after the show.

By the Way: There was a T-shirt design that looked like a drawing Leonard Cohen did, along with some comments on the side of the image. There were other more traditional, but also cool, T-shirt designs, like a quasi-abstracted image of Cohen wearing his hat against a blue field.

SETLIST

Leonard Cohen
1STBANK Center - 11/3/12
Broomfield, CO

SET I

Dance Me to the End of Love
The Future
Bird on the Wire
Everybody Knows
Who By Fire
Darkness
A Thousand Kisses Deep
Amen
Come Healing
In My Secret Life
Waiting for the Miracle
Anthem

SET II

Tower of Song
Suzanne
Night Comes On
Heart With No Companion
Anyhow
Democracy
Coming Back To You (performed by The Webb Sisters)
Alexandra Leaving (performed by Sharon Robinson)
I'm Your Man
Hallelujah
Take This Waltz

ENCORE

First Encore
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan

Second Encore
Famous Blue Raincoat
Going Home
Closing Time

Third Encore
I Tried to Leave You
Save the Last Dance For Me (Drifters cover)
MaryB
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by MaryB »

jays911-

I am soooo happy you and you wife got to meet all of them. A once in a lifetime experience. What a thrill that must have been for you!!!

Best regards,
Mary
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by bridger15 »

Nov 5.12
Got home yesterday from BROOMFIELD which I dubbed "not_Denver" back in the May pre-sale days.
I'm getting over the altitude affects and preparing for the Leonard Cohen concert tonight in my hometown at the LA Nokia Live.

BROOMFIELD is about 37 miles, 40 minutes and $105 (with tip) taxi ride from the Denver airport.
It is in the middle of nowhere, wide open empty space, bleak and very cold.
The only attraction is a big shopping mall 10 minutes away which looks like Anywhere, North America.

Alas, I had never visited Denver before and I still haven't.

I chose a hotel that advertised it was closest to the venue. It seemed half the hotel was filled with wedding guests. And the other half was filled with Leonard Cohen concert goers who shared interesting stories. Having wonderful conversations with LC ardent admirers about the different concerts they've attended made up for the fact I never set foot in real_Denver (also a name I dubbed back in May). And when we saw each other at the arena, we felt like old friends. And a bonus, the hotel provided a free shuttle van. Some people walked o the arena and some of us took the shuttle.

The arena is a dreary, dumpy place but the staff was top notch. I give them top marks for helping me out. The hotel shuttle stops at 11 pm which is far too early for a Leonard Cohen concert. :D They made arrangements for a taxi to enter the grounds and pull up to the front door entrance. That area is usually roped off for a show.

The concert start was delayed - we heard two announcements, one for 10 minutes and then another for 5 minutes.
When the band finally sauntered onto the stage looking so relaxed with huge smiles, waving to the audience, I just knew this concert was going to be different form the two in Austin. The pressure was off them, Austin is billed as the musical capital of the world. I can only imagine the stress they were under opening a new tour there. Even I was exhausted from all the excitemrent and activities in Austin.

And then LC ran out looking relaxed and happy and the concert was paradise on a Saturday night.

Every song was wonderful and no song in particular stood out over another. The concert was as balanced as I have seen. The crowd was lively and fun and I think the troupe responded to that.

LC continued his playful adaptations he started in Austin which I really enjoy. In Tower of Song after his one handed solo, he used to ofen say, You are very kind. In both Austin concerts he responded with music references. And in Broomfield, another music reference "you have good taste in music". The crowd loved it.

In Hallelujah, at the "insert city" to fool you line, he inserted Austin in concert 1, but "here" in concert 2. In Broomfield he sang "here tonight".

And his most playful bits with the three backing singers at the end of TOS are priceless. A different one every concert so far.

I love watching for these different bits. He is keeping it fresh. He is amazing.

---Arlene

Re: my videos
Near the beginning of Part 2 of the concert, I had a camera failure message. (When I sorted it out back at my hotel, it turned out to be a camera OWNER failure. My apologies.)

So here are 6 vids from part one of the show and another three iphone vids (my first with new iphone)) later on in the concert.

AMEN
http://youtu.be/hZcST8AWd9Q

DARKNESS
http://youtu.be/_m3CqRGAj3E

I'M YOUR MAN
http://youtu.be/RzZRbjm1N9c

NIGHT COMES ON - partial due to camera failure
http://youtu.be/hr2CrCsQNvY

EVERYBODY KNOWS
http://youtu.be/eyL7yH0M7q8

FUTURE
http://youtu.be/e6c8FTMUCWc

ANTHEM with intros
http://youtu.be/VEBTnMX4Xg4

SUZANNE
http://youtu.be/26glR79hsyQ

SAVE THE LAST DANCE
http://youtu.be/bjxnkBHPh5s

It seems an iPhone has superior audio, especially in the bass range :D to a Panasonic Lumix camera. Go figure.

---Arlene
Last edited by bridger15 on Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbook http://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by abby »

Denver was a totally different experience. Leonard was so playful Saturday night, so lighthearted.

I feel in my own life an overarching dialectic between the forces of cheerfulness and terminal seriousness. I was sad for so long, you know? It's hard sometimes to feel I'm living authentically if I'm not brokenhearted and lonely. It was, as a result, with some hesitancy that I enjoyed Leonard's show in Denver. I like the gravity a Leonard Cohen show can have- if you're in the right company, say, or none at all, or if you're in Canada : )

But it was fun. The night was fun. I went alone and sat very close to the front. I met someone from the forum who briefly sat next to me, then moved more to the center, which afforded me the space to dance in my chair, and the beautiful woman on the other side of the empty seat to do the same. I wanted to stand and sway but it would've been unkind to my fellow concertgoers. I wanted to hold the other woman's hand and swing her around with me to the music. She had on the craziest neon sneakers and a masculine suit coat and her gray hair tied back loose. She would've been a good dancer on her feet, I'm sure. Real abandon- not like me. I find it terribly painful to do anything that might make me look awkward in public, even though in theory I love awkwardness, and in theory life is for living.

The most playful moment was Anyhow. It was so sexual.

I always cry at some point in these things. This time it was Going Home. How could you not, you coldhearted assholes? Don't you hear him talking about dying? What do you think about that? I mean it- answer me. Some years ago I wanted to write a letter to Leonard that began something like, "Since you're going to die soon..." and I asked for his address and was told it was the worst time for me write to him- he was about to begin all this touring in 2008.

The difference between this time and the others is in the last songs- this time he ended with Save the Last Dance... whereas before he had ended with Wither Thou Goest. I had written about seeing Leonard before that it was like going to church, like being with rivers and trees might be like going to church. This wasn't like going to church. This was like the reception after.
Last edited by abby on Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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sturgess66
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by sturgess66 »

Here's a review from MSN - Live Music -
http://social.entertainment.msn.com/mus ... ac4a9f2f55
Leonard Cohen Delivers a Chilling Marathon of a Set in Colorado

The iconic Canadian crooner played a show full of goose-bump moments


By MSN Music Staff Mon 3:16 PM
Mark Brown
Special to MSN Music

Image

There may be no concert experience so chilling as listening to Leonard Cohen sing “Everybody Knows,” his epic cynical tale of corruption and deceit just days before an election.

"Everybody knows the fight was fixed/ The poor stay poor, the rich get rich/ That's how it goes/ Everybody knows."

At 78, Cohen is doing marathon, Springsteen-length concerts (the tour covers the U.S. and Canada through December) featuring dozens of songs, old classics and new cuts off of his “Old Ideas” album that perfectly fit together. Saturday night in Broomfield, Colo. he kept a crowd mesmerized, weaving his way through decades of complex, dense and personal songs – some uplifting, many pointing an unflinching spotlight at mankind’s less-noble tendencies. That doesn’t sound like anyone’s idea of a good time, but it was absolutely breathtaking. And with no visible teleprompter. Take that, Bruce!

With the energy of someone half his age and charisma without equal, Cohen commanded the stage, repeatedly dropping to his knees and singing entire songs with eyes intently closed, living every moment of the lyrics. Music fans attend hundreds, perhaps thousands of concerts. There are great ones, and then there are the ones where it seems the whole outside world has disappeared and nothing exists but what’s happening between artist and audience. This was one of those, full of goose-bump moments.

With his suit and hat, Cohen was a throwback to a more gracious, dapper era (even if the experiences that were the basis of many of his greatest songs were far from innocent). He profusely credited everyone from his bandmates to his sound and lighting people for pulling together a spectacular show. Even in a sports arena, the crowd was as quiet and polite as if it were a classical performance in an opera house; they were rewarded with pin-drop clear sound and a Cohen performance that even he said was his “A-game” and “a good night” on his Tumblr account (yes, Leonard Cohen posts profusely to his Tumblr account).

Spectacular pacing helped. For an 8 p.m. concert, Cohen hit the stage at 8:10 with no opening act, delivered two sets with an intermission, and three sets of encores. Cohen and his supremely talented nine-piece band gave up classics early on, including the aforementioned “Everybody Knows” and “Bird on a Wire.” Some songs, like “A Thousand Kisses Deep” weren’t sung, but recited as poetry. And songs from “Old Ideas” turned out to be highlights. “Darkness” is a look at codependency and depression, yet Cohen’s deep, dramatic singing somehow makes this stuff entertaining, rather than feeling like an hours-long therapy session.

Other classics were salted throughout the second set – “Suzanne,” “Hallelujah” and “I’m Your Man” among them, then even more saved for those encores – “First We Take Manhattan” (eerie anytime, but more than ever in the week of Hurricane Sandy) and “Famous Blue Raincoat.”

After years of not touring the U.S., Cohen has done it repeatedly in the past half-decade, releasing new music and live performances. Who knows what inspired this renaissance. But with new songs as good as his classics, he’s in a Dylan-like, late-era resurgence. Let’s hope it doesn’t end anytime soon.

* Photos: PeterKollanyi/AP
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Re: CONCERT REPORT: Denver, Colorado - Nov 3, 2012

Post by MaryB »

Abby,

I do not cry easily anymore, but when I heard LC perform 'Going Home' live in Paris, I was a gusher. Thank you soooo very much for your phenomenal and deeply heartfelt review!

Warmest regards,
Mary
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
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