CONCERT REPORT: Amsterdam (July 12)

[Mister Y]

One of the best concerts I have ever seen ... Brilliant. I'm 31 and I'm so glad that I have the chance to see Leonard Cohen live in concert.

I tried to leave you ... but ... - see you in Oberhausen, Leonard ... !

[geronimo]

What a fantastic concert! It was magical. It was so good to see him so happy with the reception of his songs. He looked like Aznavour or Sinatra in their golden days. Just stunning. I'm sure somebody up there must smile at him. When he played the last song on the list, it started to pour, when he came back for the extras, it stopped raining. The weather and the setting sun provided an even more magical ambience to this concert. If there is a way to get this through, I would like to thank Mr. Cohen from the bottom of my heart for what he gave us last night.

[oedipamaas]

I was lucky enough to see Cohen in Toronto in 2006 - and lucky enough to see him again last night! The concert was wonderful - it's hard to pick a standout song because they were all fantastic. I did go home with a fresh appreciation for "Democracy is coming (to the USA)" and "Boogie Street". Mr Cohen is so gracious and funny. He jogged on stage and bent down on one knee to trade serenades with Javier Mas and his oud. After each song he took off his hat and smiled. He fluffed the lyrics on "Everybody Knows" when "everybody rolls with their fingers crossed" but he pulled a fresh rhyme from thin air with "your father or your dog is lost".

When Cohen listened to the band members soloing he looked like he was hearing something he had never heard before. When he sang he held the microphone like he was lighting a cigarette and shielding the flame from the wind. And when he looked out at the crowd he smiled and said "you are all covered in sunlight".

[Boink]

It seems the poster above me was standing close to where I was!

What a beautifull night it was!
The mood was great, the weather was very nice (didn't mind that little shower). The musiscians and ofcourse Leonard himself. It was all so perfect.

I'm 23 years old and I fell in love with this music about a year ago. I heard Suzanne and started searching for the artist. What I found was the best music I ever heard. I feel so blessed that I got the chance to see him on stage.
I had a talk with a very nice gentleman next to me. He said that this music brought back memories from when he was young.
My friend replyed with "we are creating those memories right now" And she was so right!

Suzanne stood out for me. This song is where it all started with and I'm still in love with it. I felt tears in my eyes and my heart pounded very fast.

Wat a magical evening.
Have to say, alle the musicians on stage were great as well. The Webb Sisters did a very moving performance with "if it be your will". The whole audience stood in silence to hear those angel-like voices.

A great memory was created this night. So glad I was there.

[ANGELIKI]

Leonard was truly magnificent last night at Westergasfabriek,the rain stayed off with only a drizzle near to the end - but none of us minded.. The Master's voice was as good as it ever could be and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. He smiled, we smiled, we sang and we laughed. It was a memorable evening and a real ''Halellujah'' to see the Leonard Cohen live in Concert after all this time.. A Big Thank You!!

[Jim Williams]

Was it worth the wait? 'Yes' would be an understatement of mythic proportions. It was fantastic. No doubt I saw some of you forum users without knowing who you were. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! (I also managed to get to the Van Gogh museum - another ambition realised!)

[suzannejager]

Pictures can be found on http://www.suzannejager-fotografie.nl/theater.html

[Nessus Jr]

some pics I took and posted on the Tom Waits forum:

http://www.tomwaitsfan.com/forums/viewt ... 09#p173309

[Nessus Jr]

Pictures can be found on http://www.suzannejager-fotografie.nl/theater.html

wow !!! professional eh !!!

[douglass]

Well - just got back to Newcastle, UK from Amsterdam with my hubby, my sister and brother inlaw - and we stil cant believe we have seen Leonard. Amsterdam was just a fantastic place and to see Leonard there was the best experience of our lives. He was such a gentleman - which is so rare these days. In fact we were speechless at how good he was. His voice was superb as were the Sublime Webb Sisters and Sharon. He made us laugh, he made us cry and he could dance us to the end of love!!!

[Boink]

Pictures can be found on http://www.suzannejager-fotografie.nl/theater.html

Wow, those are some great pictures. I think you stood next to me for a while, especially since the pictures of Leonard with the guitar look really simular (difference being that mine is very blurry). Someone stood next to me with a very large lens, so that's probably you then.
Did you have permission in advance for the camera? I have a better camera, but was afraid they wouldn't alow it, so I took a small one.
The pictures are beautifull, well done!

[Wybe]

Sunday after the concert in Amsterdam our daughter Marijke, her boyfriend Hugo and we, made a walk in Amsterdam, and when we where sitting outside a café, Sharon Robinson came there also. We talked a little while with her, she was very kind and we told her how much we enjoyed the concert. She liked it also,” the audience carried us”, she said.

Wijbe and Willy

[Andrew (Darby)]

This experience (of seeing Leonard perform for the first time) was something I've waited 35 years for and I still can't quite believe it's happened yet It truly was amazing - I support what others have already said about the concert! I also appreciated the fact (clearly evident by the mix in the audience) that Leonard's music is straddling the age spectrum and, as someone in our group said, it's because the music of the heart touches everyone! The only small "downers" for me were jetlag (a bad gamble on my part) and being near a small fairly inebriated group in the audience (who at times detracted from the enjoyment of the experience for some of us).

However, the bonus for me (that compensated overall) was to see it with my Cohenite friends such as Henning & Elke, Willy & Wijbe, Frauke, Maarten and others - I will always cherish the memories of this night!:D

I now look forward to O2!

Cheers,
Andrew

P.S. How lucky for you Wijbe & Willy - nice one!

[rodipoet]

Here is a very nice and poetic review in dutch of a leading newspaper"De Volkkrant" http://www.volkskrant.nl/kunst/article1 ... wegsmelten
All doubts about Leonard are melting, it says and the weathergods were even crying too........hearing our hero
greetings from Holland
Rob de Klerk and Lieke van Hees

[rega3]

Hi,

Just made it back today to Ireland from the wonderful city of Amsterdam.

Saturday night was so special, it was an honour to say I was there. The sincerity of his performance was amazing, it was truly a very special night.

I will remember it forever, he refered to the audience as "friends" many times, and this really was the case.

If he keeps touring, I would travel even further for another special night like last Saturday night.