Paramount Review and need advice

[Everybody_Knows]

I got home a little while ago after seeing Wednesday's Leonard Cohen show at the Paramount theatre in Oakland. It was incredible - everything I had hoped it to be. This is my first time seeing him, but I've loved his work for the last 20 years or so (before that I wasn't that aware, but I did grow up in the 60s). He performed every song I wanted to hear (I'll let others post the setlist), plus many more I hadn't thought of, plus some I never heard before. Every member of the band was obviously a top flight musician, and performed the material flawlessly. And Mr. Cohen was so gracious, funny, humble, dramatic and poetic! He told stories, he made fun of his age, he gave prolonged, witty introductions to the band, and bowed before them. He thanked the crew, the audience, the light people. His singing was as good as it's ever been. It was thrilling to hear all those songs live in versions as good as or better than the original recordings.

Now for the advice part. As I was floating out of the theatre, I decided to buy a program. While waiting in line, I noticed a shirt I liked so I bought that too. Somehow though, after paying for both items, I walked out with just the shirt ; I left the program and credit card receipt behind. I'm guessing the guy who sold it to me noticed I'd left the program and receipt, so maybe I can get them to send it to me. Does anyone know how I can get in touch with the merch people?

One last thing. I consider Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan to be 2 of the greatest songwriters and performers of the last 50 years. I can just imagine how great a Bob Dylan show that was crafted as well as the show I just saw would be. Seeing Leonard Cohen just reenforces my disappointment in Bob Dylan's shows for the last many years. I believe their material and performing skills are comparable. But whereas Leonard Cohen seems to want to give his audience the best show he can give, Bob Dylan's shows have become perfunctory at best. The lyrics are indecipherable, the melodies are ruined, and he seems to have zero regard for the audience. I don't know if there's a chance, but I'd love for Bob Dylan to put together a show as well executed as this one was.

[Karana]

To Everybody_Knows...you said it. We have been have been devoted Dylan fans for 4 decades, as we have for Leonard. I had seen him twice, once in the 70's, once in the 90's and then in 2006? We bought tickets for our whole family, so they could see this living legend before it was too late, and we have 7 kids! But it was that important to us. It was a terrible concert. In fact, so indecipherable, that we often couldn't tell what song he was singing, and we know his music in our sleep. we actually had to read the review the next day to find out what the setlist was! We tend to blame a lot of it on the sound system, because we couldn't understand the MC either and it was probably 70% of the problem.We also thought maybe because he's getting old and could no longer play the guitar, due to arthritis. But it was seriously interminable. We were mostly there to give this man some love & gratitude for all he has given us personally and all he has graced the world with, but WOW...what a disappointment. Leonard however!!!! Immense gratitude, respect, humility, love...technical perfection, you name it! We were there Tuesday night in Oakland and are still reeling from the magic of that experience. I feel that Leonard is an emissary of the heart and I believe he feels that it's part of his gift to the world to be that...hence the reason he named this tour "The Unified Heart Tour." To quote the great man himself..."magic is afoot, God is alive."

[Steven915]

I too love Bob Dylan and have never seen him live. Based on the albums and performances that I've seen of him in the last 20 or so years, I have no desire to see him live. Seems as though he's a completely different person after the Blood on the Tracks album of the mid 70s.

When people ask me if I'm a Dylan fan, I tell them yes.....EARLY Dylan (i.e. everything up to BOTT). I would have loved to have seen him in the 60s or early 70s. The closest I came was in the early 70s when they had a mail ticket lottery for a show in Oakland (Dylan concerts then were rather rare events, believe it or not). Unfortunately, my envelope was not drawn.

Thank god, Leonard is as good as ever!