bratislava 28.8 first ever cohen concert

[iheardsomething]

i m a huge van morrison fan, seen him in concert over 40 times and have close on 200 cds ,i maybe have 1 or 2 leonard cohen cds... i live in czech republic and had friends coming over last weekend and so looking how to entertain them i got tickets for the concert in bratislava-not mad on prague as a city and we d all been there a few times before. about 3 weeks ago a friend let me put his copy of the live in london cd on my ipod and i was impressed and looking forward to the gig...and quite rightly so, what anight ! what an artist ! what a band! ive seen vm on stage with a band comprising of georgie fame/candy dulfer/brian kennedy/katie kissoon/pee wee ellis /tina lyle/haji akbaar.....and you know vm prides himself on a tight band he is a hard hard taskmaster he wont accept 2nd best from his band .....but i was totally impressed with cohens band...real musicians ,really tight and obviously loving what they were doing .

Cohen was a revelation, i read reviews and knew he would be good, and the live in london cd gave me a flavour but the guy was such a gentleman, with such charisma and the 3 of us knew we were witnessing one of the greatest talents of all time..he gave it everything in the 3 hours minus 20 minute interval ,and at the end of the show you just had to acknowledge that it was a privilege to have been in the same building as him-every word beautifully clear,lyrics that amused and also brought a lump to the throat.....pure genius .-ive come out of some of vm s gigs -amsterdam 7 years ago, londonderry 4 years ago, madrid 6-7 years ago thinking along with a handful of springsteen gigs from the 20 odd ive seen that nights dont come better than what id just seen....but really i had to put Mr Cohen in there as well..some of you seasoned cohen concert goers might even think it was an average show or an ok show ive no idea with it being my first but to me it will always be one of the best shows ive ever had the great fortune to have seen .magical.

song after song after song was just an endless stream of what music and entertainment should be ...uplifting,thought provoking ,soul searching powerful art,that you could identify with whatever your age or sex or status.

All these wannabee singers all these look at me ive had 2 hit records should sit down and watch this guy perform and then theyd know they were on the first rung of a very very long ladder with yer man on one of the top rungs with his binnoculars looking down.

we had a feeling he would come on stage spot on time,none of this keep them waiting nonsense and he did, whch meant very annoyingly the hall was only two thirds full...and as for the interval wouldnt anyone with an iq in double figures realise that he wont be offstage for 40 mins? crazy how at least 100 people just in our part of the hall came in 3 songs into the 2nd part....why not just be in your seat for 8pm ?.. but nothing could detract from a fantastic evening , not to mention that sexy webb sister..the smaller one ... i envy all of you who have seen the great man on nights like that ..and when he mentioned for the second time i think that he might never pass this way again i thought well whether you do or you dont i know i ll never forget it..truly wonderful.

[sturgess66]

I'm glad you got to see him iheardsomething - and I enjoyed what you had to say.

From what you wrote, I think this sums up well what people have been feeling about this tour -

"at the end of the show you just had to acknowledge that it was a privilege to have been in the same building as him ... sheer genius."

Wish I had been there!

[iveta]

I was there too. I heard CDs and read him before but I was still surprised,.
Sooo powerful, can't get it out of my head....few of my impressions:

Cohen once said that though he considers himself kind of clever writer, he is not a really significant one, not in the same league as Poe or Baudellaire. That evening I felt that’s exactly where he is. He could put us so hight and deep, just like the best of the classics. Just like them he shows that human personality is such an unlimited countryside, displaying it‘s range from deep rivers up to the highest mountains. Demostrating the with and range of our internal worlds, he eventually makes us more deeper and more respectful...

We laughed and almost cried, we prayed passionately (If it be your will) , we succumbed to the sounds of beauty, we clapped our hands out, but we knew could never be grateful enough.

Some critics believe that the best poets are usually maniodepressive . I suppose that Poe and Baudellaire were in same way as Leonard: good at love and hate but freezing in between. Losing the patience for the beauty. Spending life on a trampoline must be dizzing, exhausting, full of painfull falls. I should feel compassion. In a way, I do. But I almost feel guilty for truly relishing almost painfully wide range of emotion and thought. I know we need it.

Baudelaire and Poe are dead, but as Lou Reed once said, we are honoured to live in the same time as Leonard Cohen. And we could enter the burning and freezing world of the truly accursed poet.
O Crown of Light, O Darkened One, I never thought we’d meet.