petition for U.S. dates?

[moonfool]

Hello,

I am a huge fan but alas I live in Northern California. I would travel to see Leonard Cohen perform if I could afford it but that just isn't possible right now. I am wishing he would include a west coast venue as a part of this tour. I could get to Washington or Vancouver but the east coast, Ireland and the UK are just too far.

I hope a bit of begging and wishing will help.

Sincerely,
Margie Kellley

[William]

Friends,
Why should a man who was largely ignored in America bother his barney playing there.
Yours in Albion,
William

[Dumbjaw]

I'm hoping he'll come to Philadelphia.

That makes two of us, although I'm willing to travel anywhere on the East coast to see a show.

[blw]

Why should a man who was largely ignored in America bother his barney playing there.

Because he has a lot of loyal fans here who have not ignored him. Mainstream America's failure to catch onto his brilliant work has not stopped him from touring here in the past. Hopefully he has the energy and desire to play at least play a handful of shows in the US after Canada and Europe. He certainly wouldn't lose money on a US leg.

[SaraLara64]

Please please please come sing for us in the US especially NY or NJ. I must see you perform live before i die.

[Kbeck]

Please please please come sing for us in the US especially NY or NJ. I must see you perform live before i die.

SaraLara - why not do as I am and drive to Montreal for a show? you can carpool with me if you would like, I live in NYC.

Kristen

[JZ]

Yep. Sign me up, as well, for a California concert, ideally the mystical SF Bay Area.
(Anjani mentioned at her SF gig that she once lived in nearby Mountain View, so she could come back with Leonard and see her old friends...)!
JZ

[shikimo]

Friends,
Why should a man who was largely ignored in America bother his barney playing there.
Yours in Albion,
William

"largely ignored" might be a bit of an exaggeration...although I wasn't in Europe in the late 70s-early 80s when folks say his popularity in Europe was at its peak and thus cannot comment on that period, I split time between France and the US and for the past 20 years he's about equally present in both places (i.e. not much presence at all, unfortunately). That being said, I saw him in a packed house in Minneapolis during The Future tour--a show that got pretty good press before and after--and I've seen more articles about him in American papers and magazines than I have in either the UK press or in the French- and German-language press. Most of his tours have included a significant US leg, and it seems like US fans have a substantial presence in the very international and wonderful group of hard-core fans that run into each other on the internet. He lives there, writes and sings about America with rare clarity and the "5% nation of Leonard," to borrow an idea from Soul Coughing, is no less present and ready to buy LC tickets and books and albums than its European counterparts.

All disagreement aside, I would like to know more about the expression 'bother his barney,' if you feel like explaining .

[dvikib]

I live in Baltimore, Maryland and hope that Leonard will have a few concerts on the east coast. I've been a fan since about 1970 but have never had the chance to see him live...As far as Leonard being ignored in the United States, I certainly have heard a lot of his songs used in films and television shows here. I would like to think that he is popular in any country where there are people who appreciate good poetry and lyrics.

Dvikib

[mfrost]

I saw him in the San Francisco Bay Area once each in the '70s, the '80s and the '90s. Each time it was a sold-out concert. He has plenty of fans here. Like several others, I'm assuming he will add US concerts to the tour. After all it is billed as the 2008-2009 World Tour, and no dates for 2009 have been announced.

At the Berkeley, CA, concert in 1975, I saw the longest standing ovation I'm aware of, at the end of the show after a number of previous standing ovations and a number of encores (ending with the song he had started the evening with, Bird on a Wire). The ovation went on for several minutes until they finally came on the speaker system and told us that Leonard had had a very long tour (this was the end of it, I guess) and would not be coming back on stage. I think we all knew, when he did Bird on a Wire again, that the encores were over, but we still wanted to let him know how we felt about him.

[sue7]

I am hoping against hope that there will in the end be a US tour. Surely New York??? Wanted to go to Toronto, but just don't have the resources. I log on every day, and scan the dates, just in case....
Someone mentioned a 2009 leg of the tour. Is that a serious possibility?

[Paully]

Please LC come to Tampa/St Petersburg FL area. Please, please do not ignore US fans. I am a Brit expat and looking at the tour dates is making my heart ache.

[Sandy]

Please, please tell his managers that Austin, Texas waits!

[friscogrl]

I was really disappointed also when it was announced that there were no US concert dates. Initially the announcement said Canada and US concerts. I have never seen him before. I almost saw him in 1993 but wasn't as big a fan as I am now. Knowing what I know now I could KICK myself. Instead I have tickets for Toronto and will make a mini vacation out of it. But i know that is not possible for everyone so am hoping he comes to the US for his fans here.

[Sandy]

Last night I went to sleep with one of his "best of" cds playing and dreamed that I met him. Woke up happy!