CONCERT REPORTS: Montreal (June 23, 24, and 25)

[Mollydog]

I've just got back home from Montreal after Monday's concert. What more can I add? Everyone has very eloquently described the magic of the evening. It was without doubt the most wonderful concert I have ever attended. I have never experienced such emotion. When Leonard first walked on the stage the concert hall literally erupted - it was an amazing and totally overwhelming experience.

Amazing, amazing, amazing!

P.S. The review from le Journal de Montreal - Triumphant Return of the Prodigal Son

http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/mus ... #haut_page

[VELOVERMONT]

This is La Presse appreciation of Leonard concert of june 23rd.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080 ... ACTUALITES

[paulinmontreal]

Jazz Fest: Leonard Cohen: set list and musicians
The Band:

Roscoe Beck: musical director, bass

Rafael Gayol: drums

Bob Metzger: guitar

Javier Mas: various stringed instruments

Neil Larsen: keyboards

Dino Soldo: sax, woodwinds, harmonica

Charley and Hattie Webb: background vocals

Sharon Robinson: background vocals

Complete Set List:

1. Dance Me to the End of Love

2. The Future

3. Ain't No Cure for Love

4. Bird on the Wire

5. Everybody Knows

6. In My Secret Life

7. Who By Fire

8. Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye

9. Take This Waltz

*** Intermission ***

10. Tower of Song

11. Avalanche

12. Suzanne

13. The Gypsy's Wife

14. Boogie Street

15. Hallelujah

16. Democracy

17. I'm Your Man

18. A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)

19. Anthem

ENCORES:

20. So Long, Marianne

21. First We Take Manhattan

22. Sisters of Mercy

23. If It Be Your Will

24. Closing Time

25. That Don't Make It Junk

26. Famous Blue Raincoat

27. I Tried to Leave You

28. Wither Thou Goest


– Bernard Perusse (The Montreal Gazette)

[VELOVERMONT]

This is a more substantial review of Leonard's performance of june 23rd.It is in French though.I will come back later with an english translation of its most interesting segments.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080 ... ACTUALITES

I am adding some photographs .

http://galeriedephotos.cyberpresse.ca/i ... =4883&c=48

[lilyrose]

I am so grateful to Leonard for last night, for such a beautiful performance, wonderful singing, and for being so sweet and funny too. (emoticon showing many, many applauses) I was so moved when he recited the poem, "A Thousand Kisses Deep". I was hoping that he will sing "The Anthem" and "Take This Waltz" and he sang them. The crowd was cheering like crazy, people were screaming, "I love you" to him. Now that I have "met" him, "I <am> healed and my heart <is> at ease."


Thank you, Leonard.

[dick]

Tuesday another great show. A bit shorter than Monday's -- missing that Don't Make it Junk and Blue Raincoat for example. But still Leonard's heartfelt wish was fulfilled, "I hope you're satisfied." No one said no.

Forum fans at Holiday Inn afterwards got an added thrill.... we were joined by an ebulient Esther Cohen and the engaging Hazel Field. A few repeat hugs from Monday's meetup and several new friendships made.

Another grand night anticipated tonight. Holiday Inn again for those interested,

[goldy]

Review of June 24th show:

The show started promptly at 7.30PM

Leonard obviously looked older but was amazingly sprightly!

His voice was superb. I don’t recall the set but it was pretty similar to the Monday with a 3.5 hour show and 3 encores!

The atmosphere was outstanding; you knew you were witnessing something special.

Every song he sang was majestic except for Everybody Knows, it just sounded like they were all off a beat and he couldn’t keep up but that was the only song that was off.

The band was great as were the backup singers, he gave them numerous mentions.

I drove up from NJ just for this and then turned around and came home (15 hours of driving) and it was worth every minute of it!

[medicinejar]

Does anyone know the setlist for the Tuesday show? I was at the Monday show and loved it. Was curious to know what he did on Tuesday.

Cheers and lets hope there is a concert in Ottawa.

[Diane]

I am adding some photographs .

http://galeriedephotos.cyberpresse.ca/i ... =4883&c=48

Great set of photos, thanks for the link!

It's amazing, this; following Leonard on Tour, on the forum, through ordinary fans' posts. It feels like a very small world right now. Most of us who signed up here a few years ago never imagined a tour would take place, let alone something as inspiring as this. I love it!

[blonde madonna]

Beautiful photos VELOVERMONT. I loved the first one, I don't know why exactly but it's one of the sweetest I have seen.

This sustained level of high excitement is amazing, it certainly brightens up my dull day.

[VELOVERMONT]

This is a more substantial review of Leonard's performance of june 23rd.It is in French though.I will come back later with an english translation of its most interesting segments.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080 ... ACTUALITES

ENGLISH TRANSLATION ( to the best of my ability)

Our Leonard

...his return on stage is simply impressive.What L.C. offers to his public in this new tour is clearly superior to his 1993 performance...His voice,thought to be relegated to the lower specter of notes,is revived.The instrumentation which he uses on stage is ideal...helping Cohen a six musician orchestra and three chorists ideally mix music styles; jewish and tzigane inflexions from Eastern Europe,mediterranean accents are intermingled with american folk,blues,soul and gospel...

Let me insist : what we witnessed monday at Place Des Arts belongs to the world of dream and illustrates the ideal exchange between a faithful public and a great artist back in his home town, whose multicultural side he incarnates perfectly...The welcome was delirious from the moment he entered the stage. Many times we saw a Cohen deeply touched by his anglo,franco,jewish public ,a cultural mélange he knew when growing up in this town..." Thanks Montreal,despite the inflated tickets prices " did he say ...

"Last time I toured 15 years ago,I was only a 60 years old child with crazy dreams.Since,I took a lot of Prozac,studied philosophy and religions,observed a variety of psycho-socio political cases...and I can say without fear of contradiction that there is no cure for love" Then he started Ain't No Cure For Love with a soul and gospel touch. His knees flexed,his shoulders rounded ,he envelops his microphone with his aura,gathers the favorable waves in the atmosphere to redistribute them to his flock...Bird on the Wire à la gospel/blues, Everybody Knows like a march with country scent...Who by Fire,a superb dive into human nature as there will be so many more during the evening...

In french or in english, the words are often recited before being sung,adding to their significance.After the intermission,the kind of self deprecating and bluesy-kitch Tower of Song...At the beginning of the encores Leonard is reassuring: " We are in no hurry".Then follow So long Marianne,First we take Manhattan etc...He ends with the refrain of a Quebec traditionnal sung in french " Il y a longtemps que je t'aime,jamais je ne t'oublierai"

What can possibly be added?

[friscogrl]

Blonde madonna, i had just looked at those photos and thought I liked the first one the best. Then i scrolled down and saw your comment. First of all it is a great photo. Second of all it is poignant. He seems to have a reverential, old world quality to his face. It's a wonderful image.

Friscogrl

[captrenault]

Personally, I thought the Monday show was better than the Tuesday show. Monday, the crowd was ready from the get-go, but the next night, with its older audience, took a bit longer to get going. Dino even had to wave the crowd to get going when the band walked on the stage.

Monday was simply magnetic. The energy flowed from the crowd to the stage and back again -- people were ready to have a seriously good time. Tuesday, the audience didn't really catch fire until the second set. Tuesday's show was a couple songs shorter, and had a whole lot less banter. Leonard had some stumbles on lyrics, where there were far fewer on the Monday -- but surely the man is entitled.

But no complaints in any event.

Monday was so outrageously good, so completely overwhelming, that it'd be hard to match in terms of atmosphere. Tuesday could only fall a bit short of that mark. I can't imagine it ever being as good as the first Montreal show.

There was a man sitting beside me who had travelled from New Zealand for the show, and I asked him if it was worth it. Not a hint of doubt in his voice that it was. I can only agree.

Now that I've seen him a few times, I have to start coming back to Earth, and acknowledge that it will likely never happen again. Not like Monday, anyway. Well, I may have to come back, but not just yet.

[Neophyte]

Well, I didn't see Monday's and I didn't see Tuesday's shows (DARN IT!! ), but I can't imagine anything being better than Wednesday's!!! Leonard was a charismatic wizard, the band and singers were amazing perfection, the sound and lighting were magical, and the audience could not stop standing, shouting and whistling (but ONLY when Leonard wasn't singing!). At other concerts I've attended, the crowd quieted down when they got the entertainer to return for an encore; here, the roar continued long after Leonard returned to center stage. We came from Wisconsin but were thrilled to be a part of Leonard's hometown crowd showing him all the love and affection and admiration he so richly deserves.
We're so grateful to Jarkko and this Forum for information and advance tickets for this concert, as there is no way we would have been aware of the tour otherwise!! And, OHHHH!!!!!, what we would have missed!!!

[Byron]

VELOVERMONT, the first photograph in the short series is probably going to be one of those iconic images which will appear for many years to come. It captures the dignity and warmth of the man, with his music in the background. I find that the image stays with me. Thank you for the link.