After enthusiastic audience cheers and applause for his one handed solo in Tower Of Song, Leonard Cohen responded first with his usual gracious...
You are so very kind
Then he added something I had never heard him say at any of the other World Tour concerts I had attended or in any of the World Tour videos I had watched on YouTube.
What he said next was very touching, especially so, because the almost three year long World Tour was about to conclude the following night...
You know how to spoil an old man
Cued to start at 1.20 when he begins his one handed solo
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This is the same Tower Of Song video featured in a previous post, when Leonard Cohen paid tribute to his back up singers in his outro. click here
At the end of Tower Of Song, with the background of the familiar "Doo dum dum dum deh doo dum dum...", Leonard Cohen paid a moving tribute to Sharon Robinson, Hatty & Charley Webb, his back up singers.
Don't stop
Oh, sweet sounds
reach at me now
Sharon...Hattie...Charley
Have I told you how much I appreciate your back up singing
One treat from the Oakland concerts was the good sightline for observing the Anthem band introductions of Rafael Bernardo Gayol and Neil Larsen. Even though I have had very good seats for most of the concerts I attended, I didn't always have an unobstructed view of Rafael and Neil while LC was doing their intros. This time it worked out nicely.
I had seen videos on YouTube and read concert reports about LC's hilariously clever introduction of Rafael. But, witnessing this in person was very special . I loved watching Rafael laughing and enjoying it thoroughly, seeing Rafael and LC "connect" and receiving a loud cheer from the audience. Well deserved!
On the drums, like any great drummer, a sculptor of silence, laying it down, bringing it home, putting it to bed, clipping its toenails, tucking it in, kissing it goodnight, smothering it with a pillow, arrested and sent to prison, recruited by the Aryan brotherhood, disillusioned by the uneven quality of their tattoos, converting to Judaism, disillusioned once again, spending his final days in a halfway house for broken vegetarians, the prince, the priest, the poet of precision, Rafael Bernardo Gayol
Neil Larsen enjoying LC's laudatory intro
I have always been impressed with Neil's musicianship and his enormous contribution to the band's success. He often provided a subtle background, almost a delicate duet with LC, and played a prominent role with the new songs. With his placement on a perch behind the band it was difficult for me to see him for most of the concert depending on where my seat was. Over the span of the tour, LC's introduction of Neil became more impressive. So I was delighted in Oakland to be able to watch Neil enjoying and appreciating LC's gracious and eloquent introduction.
On the keyboards, a composer,
a teacher,
a model, in his own right, a renowned bandleader, a Grammy nominated artist and composer, today's foremost exponent of the Hammond B-3 Organ, a musician's musician, the impeccable Neil Larsen
I had read concert reports from Europe about LC lyrically reciting from his early version of "Closing Time" for his outro.
(Tom Sakic) From an early version of Closing Time, recorded by Anjani in 2006, and it's titled "Never Got To Love You"
In Oakland and then Portland, I was able for the first time to see him do this live.
In Portland, the audience was really into the spirit of his recitation with clapping in time to the music.
It was magical.
* Closing Time *
outro cued to start at 5.09
Ah, they're stacking up the chairs and they're wiping down the bar and I never got to tell you just how beautiful you are they ought to hand the night a ticket for speeding, it's a crime I had so much to tell you But now it's closing time
Well, friends, I'd Like to keep you drinking
and dancing with you all night. But, they've turned off the Budweiser sign. The parking lot is dark. People making their way to their cars and Make sure you get into your own car And drive to your own home...
I captured the whole song but I had to end it abruptly in order to multi-task. Because Leonard Cohen was so well received abroad, I wanted him to know the "USA Loves You". So I had a sign made up saying that. When Democracy was ending I wanted to hoist the sign with the aid of Leslie/lioness. The concert vidoegrapher turned his camera around and took a shot of my sign which was displayed on the screens to the cheers of the audience..
In my wanderings of navigating the labyrinth known as The Caesars Palace Hotel, I was lucky to run into the wonderful Sharon Robinson and her equally wonderful and talented husband, Greg Gold. (click here to see his bio)
Now that is one powerfully talented couple.
It was a delight to finally meet Sharon one on one and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Greg (um...I think I have a crush)
I told Sharon everyone was thrilled to see her back on stage and that she received a well deserved standing ovation in Oakland for her haunting "Boogie Street". Sharon asked if I had taken a video. I checked and I did and I posted the link on her Facebook wall.
LC's setlist from Dec 6. From the sound monitor with LC's clock (often seen in Joey's pics). Thanks once more to the wonderful Mickey Sullivan for giving me one.
The second concert was SPECTACULAR. I have to pack for my next concert stop, Portland. Just have time for one short video highlight.
*INTRO only, ANTHEM *
At the second concert, I had decided to take only videos of songs I missed at the first concert. So my camera was not on, when I heard his first words of his Anthem intro, something different, along the lines of,
"Most of my detractors have died.."
Aha, so I started my camera immediately and captured a delightful minute and half:
"Leonard Cohen is a boring old drone and should go the f*k back to Canada ... ...
A lot of wine has passed under the bridges since then..."
LC was so warmly received abroad and then again back in Canada last week. So, I thought it would be in keeping with the spirit of world adulation to let him know "officially" that the USA loves him too! I had a sign made up and asked Marie and Diana to help me with it.
My flight from Burbank landed at the Oakland airport mid-afternoon. Grabbed a taxi and asked to go first to the Paramount Theatre before going to my hotel. As luck would have it, that area had many streets blocked off because of a Christmas Parade. So, it was a bit of an adventure getting close to the theatre and snapping a few quick shots of the theatre marquee all the time with the meter running.
