Italy

[Bill's Bar]

Having given up on Barcelona, I am so hoping for Venice to become a reality. Apparently from the people here, he would have a fantastic audience! We would even shoo the pigeons away for him .

Hopeful regards,
Mary

Mary, Don't you mean "shoot" the pigeons.

[ladydi]

There are still convenient gaps in the concert schedule for August and September which bodes well for Venice. REALLY hoping it comes true! Have already scoped out the hotels and flights . Would be a quick 3 day trip but worth every second and as Mary said the audience would be a "fantastic" group!

Bill's Bar - perhaps we could enlist Fred to sit at the entrance to the Piazza with enough peanuts to keep those pigeons busy during the concert

All the best,
Diana

[ventodalnulla]

http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Spettacolo ... 3258217159

[dharma]

http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Spettacolo ... 3258217159

This is the Google translation of the above:

Venezia, 28 apr. - (Adnkronos) - Two great musical performers in Venice. Lagoon in the voices of Paul Conte and Leonard Cohen. During the summer, in fact, in the Venice Jazz Festival, will perform 'Paolo Conte. The singer of Asti arrivera 'in Venice July 31 accompanied dall'Orchestra Venice Symphony conducted by Bruno Fontaine. Last September, the artist presented to the press the new album produced by Psyche Renzo Fantini to Platinum for the first time distributed worldwide by Universal. The album contains 15 new songs: they are out of order a disc, one of the most 'important ever in the history of Paolo Conte. Between Love and Psyche Psyche teacher chooses perche 'piu' earthly but mainly because 'has more' stories to tell. The songs contained on the disc seem born to be covered, as happens in front of a beautiful picture. A few days later another musical event will take place 'in Venice. August 3 will be the 'protagonist in Piazza San Marco, the singer-songwriter, poet and writer Canadian Leonard Cohen for his unique Italian date. The artist re 'i brani piu' famosi ultra forty years of his career, during which he has sold over 21 million records worldwide. The debut album of Leonard Cohen, The Songs Of Leonard Cohen, published by Columbia Records on 27 December 1967 obtained by the RIAA certified gold in November 1989.Cohen has since recorded 10 more studio albums, three live albums , and two collections "greatest hits". Best Of Leonard Cohen is certified gold disc in May of 2000. One of the best songs' acclaimed of Leonard Cohen,''''Hallelujah, recently climbed the charts thanks to the UK version starring Alexandra Burke, winner of television talent show''X Factor''. The excitement created around the song has reached such a drag version of Jeff Buckley at no 2 and the original version of Cohen to the No 34 of the ranking of individuals, providing the artist his first song in the Top 40 UK singles. With three versions simultaneously placed in the Top 40,''Hallelujah''won record of the individual with the most digital 'sudden sales performance in the history of European music.

Looks promising...

[MaryB]

We would even shoo the pigeons away for him .

Hopeful regards,
Mary

Mary, Don't you mean "shoot" the pigeons.

Okay Bill's Bar - maybe we could 'shoot' the pigeons with our bananas .

Best regards,
Mary

[tomsakic]

There's ten-days break in August (from 1st to 11th, it seems), so Venice is obviously now the only date after July 31 and before August 11, and LC needs a break then (as Jarkko pointed out many times) and that's why that exact date&venue could be problematic now.

Another break is from September 1st to 12 - also ten days, just after Bratislava, Prague, Austria, and Budapest. There are some rumours still about the negotiations going on for the other city in the area (dates mentioned are first days of September), so maybe it's not the break but only gap left.

[Bill's Bar]

Dharma's post looks pretty convincing to me.

[ladydi]

Dharma's post looks good to me too and I'll stay positive! As Tom says, Leonard does need breaks because I'm sure the tour becomes grueling for everyone....another new city every 2 days. I don't know how any of them can keep everything seeming so fresh and new...amazing! But, please, please do Venice.

However, if Venice and Istanbul don't materialize, they are in incredibly beautiful areas of the world to take a break! Although I think Hydra may be calling.......

With fingers crossed,
Diana

[liverpoolken]

I visit Venice every winter and was planning to bring my annual trip forward to August...not the best month to be in Venice...but with LC in Piazza San Marco I thought it would be worth tackling the herds of tourists for just this once.

I'm not too sure how everyone else is feeling but a few days ago I gotta feeling in my bones that Venice was at best only a outside possibility so I went ahead and booked for Barcelona.
As for press articles....throughout the whole of Italy Venice is infamous for being a hotbed of gossip and rumour...I know this because Donna Leon says so:-) If you don't believe me, nor Ms Leon then pick up a copy of Venice's daily newspaper Il Gazzettino and read for yourself the litany of sensational rumours and scuzzy half-truths that is the paper's forte. It almosts puts our UK tabloid press to shame, but not quite.

Of course if Venice does happen, which I hope it does for the sake of our Italian friends then not only will I have egg on my face but will be faced with the decision of whether or not to go so soon after the Barcelona gig.

Anyways one way or another I will see ya all in Caffe Blue in San Polo, either in August or December or maybe both and the prosecco will be on me.

Ta Ken

[Sophia]

However, if Venice and Istanbul don't materialize, they are in incredibly beautiful areas of the world to take a break! Although I think Hydra may be calling.......

With fingers crossed,
Diana

That's the only reason to forgive you Leonard for Athens cancellation...

Sophia

[Bill's Bar]

Nice one Ken.
Ta v. much.
But maybe I best not start counting the prosecci ? just yet, but hopefully with all that egg on your face we'll be able to whip up an omelette or 2.

[tomsakic]

Ken, the same idea here!

I just found out that there's regular Germanwings cheap flight Zagreb-Barcelona : ))))))))))))))))))) Now, thinking it over......

[margaret]

Tom,
I got carried away reading all the posts here about Barcelona, that I decided at a late stage, yesterday, to go since there was a very cheap Easyjet flight from Liverpool and a spare ticket from J. My flight is now all booked
I had thought earlier about Venice but the flights were not so cheap for that date and accommodation costs higher in Venice in August.

[trish]

Fear not Trish.
The reference to the dreaded McCartney is if my eyes don't deceive is 'in trattativa' = 'in negotiation' so his name on the list of events hopefully has nothing to do with Leonard's possible gig.....just sounds like Sir Paul is still haggling over his fee before he leaves his castle.
Understandable I guess when thanks to a certain one-legged lady he ain't as rich as he use to be, po' boy.

Ta Ken

LOL Ken - hilarIous!! You really gave me a laugh there, and I couldn't resist asking you for your opinion on Sir Paul as a fellow scouser

Mmm all this talk about Venice and Vienna is lovely. From "And I'll dance with you in Vienna" to "I'll wear a mask for you" in Venice... Lovely. Brings back lovely memories of Kilmainham in Dublin.

Hoping to get to Madrid but would do Venice/Vienna and/or! Come on Leonard, confirm! Out with the confirmations - you've satisfied your Dublin fans with 4 dates so come clean with the rest of the tour!

[Cheshire Cat]

I had thought earlier about Venice but the flights were not so cheap for that date and accommodation costs higher in Venice in August.

Ryanair has pretty cheap flights from Liverpool to Venice (Treviso) as I recall. Real cheap actually.