From Margaret Elizabeth, a blog by Margaret Elizabeth, an especially thoughtful, smart, and insightful blogger.
Just outstanding
I got lost and found in Margaret Elizabeth's account. Thank you so much for bringing it here, DrHGuy, and thank you so much to her for her experience of Leonard. Nothing I can say in my appreciation of all she's written can even come close to the places she took me. Incredible substance and depth. Profoundly insightful. Brilliant and unique.
Truly outstanding.
~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." ~ Oscar Wilde
I ran into Joey Carenza. the Tour Road Manager in Nashville. If I look stunned, I was. I never expected to ever meet him and have a chat. I told him how much the Forum enjoys his pictures and we miss seeing current photos. Joey said he did not stop taking photos, but rather the hotels found a clever way to stop him from uploading them. Now that he is back in the US, he has a lot waiting to upload and is backdating them first. Joey is a lovely young man. I was quite impressed. He took my picture by the TPAC, so watch for it on his Flickr account.
---Arlene
2009-San Diego|Los Ang|Nashville|St Louis|Kansas City|LVegas|San Jose 2010-Gothenburg|Berlin|Ghentx2|Oaklandx2|Portland|LVegasx2 2012-Austinx2|Denver|Los Ang|Seattle|Portland Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbookhttp://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com
Nothing more to say or do after the blog from Margaret Elizabeth.... she has left me speechless and amazed at her recall of the evening. Rich with feeling and profoundly truthful. Beautiful ,beautiful I stand in the shadow of her most elegant gift and master skill of our language....
donalagata
Everybody Knows
At 1.25, LC picks up a long stem rose with attached small flags of Canada, US and the State of Tennessee that I had placed on the stage apron prior to the beginning of the song. LC places it on the drum riser as he often does with gifts. In the next video (I Tried to Leave You), Roscoe Beck presents the rose to Raphael after he dropped one of his sticks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OL_cMjtYlw
I Tried to Leave You
At 5.20, Raphael starts his solo and fails to catch one of his sticks. Roscoe Beck presents him with my long stem rose that LC had placed on the drum riser earlier. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF-47VA_Bzo
2009-San Diego|Los Ang|Nashville|St Louis|Kansas City|LVegas|San Jose 2010-Gothenburg|Berlin|Ghentx2|Oaklandx2|Portland|LVegasx2 2012-Austinx2|Denver|Los Ang|Seattle|Portland Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbookhttp://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com
There is nothing profound or startling in this post by Kelly M. Fenton (I think), who was assigned to "help with wardrobe and to decorate Leonard Cohen’s dressing room and green room" in Nashville, but it provides a quick look at someone in the tour group usually hidden behind the scenes, Lyssa, "Cohen's touring wardrobe & dressing room lead" and, in general, strikes me as endearing.
Imagine my excitement when I received the call to come on and help with wardrobe and to decorate Leonard Cohen’s dressing room and green room. Here we have a 75 year old legend back in Nashville after a 16 year hiatus. His presence proved to cross generations as an 80 year old woman waited patiently outside to enter the concert hall stating “Leonard is one of the sexiest men alive,” only to be echoed moments later by an 18 year old girl giddy that the poet singer finally stopped in Music City.
I had the pleasure of assisting Cohen’s touring wardrobe & dressing room lead, Lyssa who took great pride in her work and incredible care of the performers. She’s been dressing stars and their rooms for 18 years with her longest run spiffing up the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1997-2007. She definitely is sitting on the top of my “coolest people I’ve met” list due to her kindness, sense of style, and experience.
After spending nearly ten hours draping velvet, placing candles, and making sure the Dolce & Gabana suits & signature hats were stage ready, I was granted backstage access to watch the ten-piece band perform magically. With three female backup singers (two being the well known May sisters) and all-male band, Cohen’s line up made for an unforgettable sold out show. It was so well-received in fact that I heard grown men screaming from the audience, “I love you Leonard!” There is no denying that Leonard Cohen still has that unique voice and timeless songs to keep him going long after we do.
Nothing more to say or do after the blog from Margaret Elizabeth.... she has left me speechless and amazed at her recall of the evening. Rich with feeling and profoundly truthful. Beautiful ,beautiful I stand in the shadow of her most elegant gift and master skill of our language....
donalagata
And I second all that you've said, donalagata. It's as multi-layered, rich, and nuanced as Leonard's songs. So personal, yet still so universal. I was speechless, too... and still can't find the really right words. Much more than a review, and still a review all the same. Unbelievable. She took me to where I live deep inside in experiencing Leonard... but could never have dreamed how to bring all those facets to the expression of it.
~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." ~ Oscar Wilde
You're right, DrHGuy, that Kelly's account is endearing... and it is unique. Both words fit well in describing it. I love how she has contextualized Leonard's impact on the young, the old, and both genders... and given the kudos due to Lyssa. Thanks for sharing it with us.
~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." ~ Oscar Wilde
Congratulations on meeting Joey, Arlene ! I've no doubt that you WERE surprized ! Your astonishment is all right there in this sweet photo . [This is the second photo of Joey that reminds me of our Jurica, who hasn't posted here in ages, but I believe does on Tom's site. The close-up of him, along with photos of the other band members a few days back, is the other photo.] Glad to know that he continues to take photos for us. The people in Leonard's entourage have a true sense of history and the importance of capturing it for posterity. We are so fortunate in that.
~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." ~ Oscar Wilde
donalagata wrote:Nothing more to say or do after the blog from Margaret Elizabeth.... she has left me speechless and amazed at her recall of the evening. Rich with feeling and profoundly truthful. Beautiful, beautiful I stand in the shadow of her most elegant gift and master skill of our language....
donalagata
What can I add??? Awesome show and great people to hang out with. musiccitygypsy was a masterful and resourceful hostess! Usually I am in and out for a show, so it was nice to have the day before to actually meet up and spend time with everyone, rather than rushing to get to the show.
I had front webb row tix, but I think I would have paid that money just for The Darkness!!! Thanks for the pix and videos arlene and others.
Glad some of you got the Hatch prints too.
I truly love Nashville and if I didn't have Dylan tix tonight at home for tonight, I would have stayed the weekend. Have fun you folks who are still there.
Cheers,
Ken(adian)
2008: Kitchener|Hamilton x2|Toronto x3|Montreal x2|2009: New York|Detroit|New York x2|Hamilton|Kingston|Ottawa x2 |Colmar|Vienne|Nimes|Philadelphia|New York MSG)|Cleveland|Nashville|2010: Sligo x2|Lisbon |Caen|Grenoble|Strasbourg|Marseille|Tours|Lille|Victoria|Vancouver|Oakland x2|Vegas x2|and more.
Coming home from Nashville:
The image that will stay with me is of a man on his knees. He is not still in his supplication, but moving, digging through the words, reaching restlessly for diamonds. He is so close I can see the bend of his leg, the outline of his knee cap, the arch of muscle and sinew; the reality of flesh hidden yet visible, the tangle of matter and ghost.
Those hands, now clenched over the heart, now open to invite the spirit; fingers barring chords over an absent guitar neck or spreading in a V of benediction.
What stays with me is the sense of movement. The early songs are like waves. The ebb and flow of Suzanne, of Sisters of Mercy, of Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye, lures me into the river to rock in the lazy embrace of the children and the heroes and the seaweed. Then somewhere along the way, the dynamic becomes more intentional, reflecting not an aimless float with the current, but a journey. The rhythms evoke images of camel caravans, become the steady beat of a person not marching, but journeying, traveling through life. I look up and down the row and see what I hope he sees - rapt faces, radiating love as their bodies sway side to side like pilgrims on their beasts, or forward and back like Jews praying at the wall.
What stays with me is the gentle intensity, the feral grace, the modest bewildered joy. The love. The prayer. The longing.
O blessed is the longing that brings us again and again to this place where the shoreline meets the sea.
From bitter searching of the heart, we rise to play a greater part. Frank Scott (Although I would never have heard it if it weren't for Leonard Cohen).
Phoenix, April 2009; Nashville, Nov. 5, 2009; San Jose, Nov. 13, 2009.
Two more videos of the most exciting concert. Actually they are all amazing concerts.
If it be your will
Sitting first row directly in front of the Sublime Webb Sisters was almost an intense religious experience. They are magnificent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDZcmplVwhA
I am still working on the photos from the early entry meet and greet,including the revealing of a new tattoo by somebody on the forum wearing a famous blue raincoat.
---Arlene
2009-San Diego|Los Ang|Nashville|St Louis|Kansas City|LVegas|San Jose 2010-Gothenburg|Berlin|Ghentx2|Oaklandx2|Portland|LVegasx2 2012-Austinx2|Denver|Los Ang|Seattle|Portland Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbookhttp://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com
Phenomenal account, CinCin ... thank you for its beauty, its flow, and your observations which found their way into perfect analogies. Very befitting Leonard Cohen . It's no wonder I prefer to read others's accounts than to write my own.
Did you capture the entire concert, Arlene ? You seem to have done better with that piece of equipment than you thought .
~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." ~ Oscar Wilde
lizzytysh wrote:
Did you capture the entire concert, Arlene ? You seem to have done better with that piece of equipment than you thought .
~ Lizzy
Would that I could capture the whole concert. I had a problem with the memory cards running out earlier than stated on the specs. Kept having to change cards. My little Canon 1100IS Powershot must be operating in an HD mode which uses up the the time quickly. I will get the hang of it for the next leg, hopefully for a concert in Israel
2009-San Diego|Los Ang|Nashville|St Louis|Kansas City|LVegas|San Jose 2010-Gothenburg|Berlin|Ghentx2|Oaklandx2|Portland|LVegasx2 2012-Austinx2|Denver|Los Ang|Seattle|Portland Arlene's Leonard Cohen Scrapbookhttp://onboogiestreet.blogspot.com