Re: CONCERT REPORT: Sydney, Australia - December 2, 2013
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:31 pm
Concert Report, Part 3
Notable Happenings
There are always a few unique things that mark each concert out as different from any other. For the Sydney Opera House show, by far the most notable of these was the rather amusing anecdote which Leonard gave as a monologue in the middle of “Tower of Song” after having been applauded for his keyboard solo. I’ve posted it previously, but for completeness here it is again:
"Y'know I was talking with some of the guys . . . some of the guys in the band are kind of over the hill. And they were talking about the various stages that a man goes through in relation to his allure to the opposite sex. It was not a scientific evaluation . . . just something that arose over a cup of coffee.
"It went something like this: you start of irresistible, then you become resistible. Then you become transparent -- not exactly invisible but as if you are seen through old plastic. Then you actually DO become invisible. And then -- and this is the most amazing transformation -- you become repulsive. But that's not the end of the story. After repulsive then you become 'cute' . . . and that's where I am.
The Crowd: First he took Manhattan and Berlin, Now he finally takes Sydney
There are no two ways about it – Leonard and the band had the Sydney Opera House crowd in the palm of their collective hands. Standing ovations were plentiful, including some small ones for Sharon Robinson’s solo performance in “Alexandra Leaving” and the Webb Sisters’ solo performance of “If It Be Your Will.” While never stretching into being raucous (as I have witnessed in other places), the Sydney crowd was nonetheless extremely warm and receptive. There was even a bit of singing along with “So Long, Marianne” and “Save The Last Dance For Me” (the latter of which surprised me). I was especially pleased to see this reception, as my previous experiences of crowds at Cohen concerts in Sydney have been less positive (see my reviews from previous tours). But this time around pretty much the entire audience was glued to the performance, calling for more and more even beyond the point where the curfew had come into effect (and been mentioned by Leonard). Indeed, at the end of the second encore (“Closing Time”) the Opera House staff started opening up the auditorium door obviously expecting the show to be over – I even saw one or two people hurriedly leave. But mere seconds afterwards the band was back on stage for a rousing third encore. Great to see!
Where Next?
The Australian tour kicks on for a few more shows, the last of which is in Adelaide on the 11th. That will be the only other concert I will be lucky enough to be at (along with AlanM and the much-travelled B4Real). Doubtless that will also be a fantastic night … but it will need to be pretty amazing to top the Opera House show, which for many different reasons will be something I remember fondly for a long time.
Dean (from Adelaide)
Notable Happenings
There are always a few unique things that mark each concert out as different from any other. For the Sydney Opera House show, by far the most notable of these was the rather amusing anecdote which Leonard gave as a monologue in the middle of “Tower of Song” after having been applauded for his keyboard solo. I’ve posted it previously, but for completeness here it is again:
"Y'know I was talking with some of the guys . . . some of the guys in the band are kind of over the hill. And they were talking about the various stages that a man goes through in relation to his allure to the opposite sex. It was not a scientific evaluation . . . just something that arose over a cup of coffee.
"It went something like this: you start of irresistible, then you become resistible. Then you become transparent -- not exactly invisible but as if you are seen through old plastic. Then you actually DO become invisible. And then -- and this is the most amazing transformation -- you become repulsive. But that's not the end of the story. After repulsive then you become 'cute' . . . and that's where I am.
The Crowd: First he took Manhattan and Berlin, Now he finally takes Sydney
There are no two ways about it – Leonard and the band had the Sydney Opera House crowd in the palm of their collective hands. Standing ovations were plentiful, including some small ones for Sharon Robinson’s solo performance in “Alexandra Leaving” and the Webb Sisters’ solo performance of “If It Be Your Will.” While never stretching into being raucous (as I have witnessed in other places), the Sydney crowd was nonetheless extremely warm and receptive. There was even a bit of singing along with “So Long, Marianne” and “Save The Last Dance For Me” (the latter of which surprised me). I was especially pleased to see this reception, as my previous experiences of crowds at Cohen concerts in Sydney have been less positive (see my reviews from previous tours). But this time around pretty much the entire audience was glued to the performance, calling for more and more even beyond the point where the curfew had come into effect (and been mentioned by Leonard). Indeed, at the end of the second encore (“Closing Time”) the Opera House staff started opening up the auditorium door obviously expecting the show to be over – I even saw one or two people hurriedly leave. But mere seconds afterwards the band was back on stage for a rousing third encore. Great to see!
Where Next?
The Australian tour kicks on for a few more shows, the last of which is in Adelaide on the 11th. That will be the only other concert I will be lucky enough to be at (along with AlanM and the much-travelled B4Real). Doubtless that will also be a fantastic night … but it will need to be pretty amazing to top the Opera House show, which for many different reasons will be something I remember fondly for a long time.
Dean (from Adelaide)