Leonard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel Intro, Kansas City-Nov 9, 2009 is a Special Highlight

I had heard many versions and variations of Leonard Cohen meeting Janis Joplin in the Chelsea Hotel elevator and the Kris Kristofferson exchange. But I had never heard some of the very witty observations he related at the Kansas City concert. (in bold below)

The Kansas City audience was very boisterous and that helped to make the experience even more memorable. Luckily, I had my camera rolling and captured Leonard Cohen's delightful intro to the Chelsea Hotel on video. I was thrilled to be sitting there witnessing it. And it has remained one of the special highlights of the 16 concerts of the World Tour I attended.

I was sitting in this bar in Miami Beach
It was a Polynesian restaurant
And I was drinking a cocktail out of a ceramic vessel
that was fashioned to resemble a coconut

I was taking a vacation from the deeply authentic
It allowed what was left of my mind to drift back
to earlier days, to the 60's
which contrary to conventional wisdom
only lasted 15 minutes

It was during that period
that I lived in the hotel on 23rd Street
I came home one night after a pointless evening
And I rode up to my room on the elevator
There was a lovely young woman in the elevator
of ordinary countenance,
but with a radiant spirit that (inaudible)

And being Canadian I kept to myself

I had occasion to come down to the lobby once again
And she was still in the elevator
apparently riding the elevator
And then when I took the elevator back to my room
she was still there

I eventually say, can I help you
She said, no
And I said, are you looking for someone
She said, yes I am
I'm looking for Kris Kristofferson
I said, little lady, you're in luck
I'm Kris Kristofferson
Such was the generosity of those times
I thought you would be taller

Back to the bar in Miami Beach
I began to scribble some notes
And those notes became this song...

-----------------------

Chelsea Hotel photos: Google Images
A collection of Chelsea Hotel prologues can be found here

Leonard Cohen Concert Kansas City, AMC Midland, Nov 7, 2009, more

May 18, 2011

While consolidating my memorabilia from the Leonard Cohen concerts that I attended, I found another Kansas City post in my notebook dated Nov 10, 2009.  This post is in addition to my earlier concert post,  Kansas City AMC Midland, Nov 9, 2009 .

....................................................................................................................................................
Nov 10, 2009

While sitting on the plane to Las Vegas today, I recalled more highlights from last night's Kansas City concert. If I remember things these days, they have to be darn memorable. Two of my notes were about Neil Larsen and Dino Soldo.

Neil Larsen

Interesting that in my own note about Neil Larsen, I used the exact same word as a concert reviewer, he "shone". Sometimes, Leonard seemed to be directing, liaising with him, turning towards him or completely turning his back to the audience, with a nod to Larsen like a cue. That happened in both the blues songs that I have seen, The Darkness and Feels So Good. Neil and Leonard seem to be working closely on these songs.

Dino Soldo

During I Tried To Leave You, when each band member is featured, Dino Soldo was extraordinary. He sat perched on a low monitor speaker and produced the most dazzling, thrilling mouth harp (harmonica) solo. I was lucky to be sitting so close to the stage on that side, otherwise he may have been hard to see, he was so low to the stage. Note to videographers for the next two concerts: Watch for Dino's solos. He has varied the instruments and the delivery in the last three concerts.

Kansas City, AMC Midland, November 9, 2009

Early entry at the AMC Midland Theatre

From Nov 11, 2009  leonardcohenforum

We were graced with the wondeful, generous spirit of Roscoe Beck for the whole time. It looked to me like Roscoe must have talked to every person in the lobby, and assisted later by the guietly elegant Bob Metzger, whom I met for the first time. Also talking to the Forum fans and others in the lobby were Dino Soldo and Rafael Bernardo Gayol.

Our most enthusiastic Forum Cohenite was Kelsey (KaimiK) who was super excited and glowing the whole time. It was most enjoyable to watch her.

Leonard Cohen Kansas City Concert, AMC Midland, November 9, 2009

Screen shot:  Kansas City AMC Midland website

From Nov 10, 2009   leonardcohenforum

• Very heavy bass sound tonight
• The building rocked
• The band rocked
• Leonard Cohen rocked
• The KC audience rocked
• Many standing ovations
• Wildly enthusiastic and very appreciative audience.
  -It made Leonard smile a lot. The band too.
• No DARKNESS
• He went back to Blues #2, Feel so good (prisoner/blindfold/coffee)
• FEELS SO GOOD (replaced No way to say Goodbye on the setlist)
• His patter before Chelsea Hotel was priceless
• Recited intro to Anthem from "The Flood"
• He signed off Famous Blue Raincoat, Sincerely, A friend like he did in Nashville

From Nov 10  leonardcohenforum

CHELSEA HOTEL
Leonard Cohen's patter at the beginning is priceless - meeting Janis Joplin in the elevator, writing the song in Miami

ANTHEM
At the start, LC recites lines from "The Flood"

Blues #2 FEELS SO GOOD (one of his new blues songs)

Kansas City, Red Socks For Dino, Nov 9,2009

From Nov 21, 2009   leonardcohenforum

First, to dispel the rumor, "knit" is a four letter word, similar to "work" and "cook" and "iron. I try to avoid these whenever possible. I bought the Red Polo Crew Socks at Bloomingdales in Los Angeles.

The "back story"

During the Spring leg in North America, Dino posted a Tweet that he had washed all his socks in the last city then forgot to take them with to the next city. Well, I thought, that would be a good idea to bring him a pair of socks the next time I go to a concert and give them to him at the Fan early entry. I had seen him wear red socks in some of the videos on YouTube. And he also posted many tweets about his daily running adventures, sometimes even linking his running path to a specialized mapping software. Hence, the red cotton crew socks.

When the tour came back to the US for the Fall 2009 leg, I put my Red socks for Dino plan into action. I arrived at the Fan early entry in Nashville, the first of my five city LC concert paradise adventure, but no Dino. Two days later, I arrived at the next Fan early entry in St. Louis, and again no Dino. So, I approached one of the Black Fedora types near the Merch stand and asked him if he would please give my little package of socks to Dino.

And another two days later, I arrive at the Fan early entry in Kansas City. Lo and behold, Dino came out. I asked him if he received my red socks. He didn't know what I was talking about. I went over to the Black Fedora from St Louis and asked him what happened to my socks for Dino. He said he had to give them to Joey Carenza first because that is the protocol for gifts. Okay then, I go back to Dino and told him to check with Joey.

Three days later, when I saw Dino at the Fan early entry in Las Vegas, I asked him again if he got the socks. He teased me for not noticing that he had worn them.

Now I was confused, I couldn't figure out when he would have worn them because this was the next concert following Kansas City.

I Am Slow But I Get There. Dino, that dear man, must have gotten them from Joey immediately and wore them that night at the KC concert...but I never noticed.

I checked my own video of "Anthem" when the LC introduces everyone, but there were so many heads in front of me Dino was not visible.

So I checked with Kelsey (kaimik) for her take on this story and this is what she emailed back

Yes, it was Kansas City! Before the concert, I remember you talking to the boys about not delivering your socks. And then, some time during the second half of the concert, Dino lifted up his foot, held up his pant leg, wiggled his foot around and looked your way, grinning ear to ear! At the time, I didn't put two and two together. But, then when I saw the tweet, I realized what had happened!

To explain myself missing him wearing the socks, I posted a Tweet reply to Dino saying that his Mouth Harp (Harmonica) solo was so spellbinding and thrilling (which it was) that I was mesmerized and didn't notice anything else. That's my story and I am sticking to it