CONCERT REPORT: Glastonbury (June 29)

[seanmiller]

Not quite sure why so many reviewers seem to have been astounded by LC changing "here" to "Glastonbury" that they feel they have to mention it - there were so many other genius moments in the night... now if he'd actually tweaked "Suzanne" something like this (entirely tongue-in-cheek, btw!! please don't flame me for wrecking a glorious song, lol!) that'd be something...

"Suzanne takes you down to her wagon near the beer tent
You can hear the Glade a rockin
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tofu patties
That came from the lower Green Fields
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on the mushrooms
And she lets the rain give answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you're sure that blind you will be
For she's gonna get you stoned out of your mind"



Sorry Mr Cohen... couldn't resist

Sean

[mandyb]

Hi there,
I couldn't get to Glastonbury but I did see Leonard Cohen at Manchester Opera House on 20th June, his last date there.
Everyone was taking photos and videos that night, no-one stepped in to stop us and Leonard even stood still while a lady
passed him a bunch of pink roses so a fan could take his picture.
I really think it is down to the rules of the management again regarding Glastonbury and if it was Leonard's decision then I am still happy, cos if he releases a DVD I will happily buy that...I love Leonard and this will not put me off him, would I be a true
fan if it did?...I think not...

[tomsakic]

Have any of the other headliners this year "chosen not to be filmed" at Glastonbury?

I think it is a mistake, assuming it is his decision and not his management's, it makes him look petulant.
I prefer to think there must be some (misguided) legal reason behind it.


Honeyrose

Most of the Glasto's for the last fifteen years have been covered by our family and this is a first, certainly as far as the headliners go. But I have never heard of it before.

Beckysharpe,

it's widely known (at least here on the Forum) that Leonard Cohen doesn't like to be filmed during the shows. You can count all his films and TV broadcasts from 1970 to 1993 with fingers of one hand. That's why there's no DVD - there's no enough quality footage from old tours to be released! Also, zhis tour isn't broadcasted anywhere and generally, it's not alllowed to film or take photographs.

Also, Dylan was mentioned - it's widely known that there's no recording on Dylan shows either (last weekend he was here in Croatia - TV didn't show a single shot, they used old clips for news coverage, and he got frontlines and first seconds of all news...)

Of course, I am also sad as I think that Glastonbury, as popular as it is, would give im great media coverage and make good appeal with even wider audience.

Tom

[seanmiller]

Did they cover Roger Waters when he played in 2002 (in approx. the same slot as Leonard Cohen was this year, I think)??

Never seen any footage of it on Youtube so guessing he might be another of the Festival headliners that have chosen not to have their gig broadcast.

There are precedents... as I think I said earlier, folks like LC, RW and Dylan don't NEED to be broadcast on the TV, whereas for most of the headliners it's one of the reasons they play for what is, in terms of other Festivals, a rather "badly paid gig" (£200,000 for the headliner at Glastonbury, according to Mike Eavis, compared to "millions" at the "commercial festivals" (his words) **)

Sean

ps. regarding LC choosing to set the Verve go after him, the Sunday "headliner" even being on at night is a relatively new thing... up until about 1992 or thereabouts (maybe even later) the Sunday headliner was around 5pm and then Sunday night was the support, based on the fact that a lot of Festivalgoers wanted to get back for work on Monday. I also recall that at the Feile Festival in Tipperary back in the same sort of era Van Morrison stitched up the Pogues good and proper when he announced he wanted to go on second from last to avoid traffic etc... another hour and a half for Shane to drink and the thing was a shambles... Shane only did two songs (!)

** Source: NME http://www.nme.com/news/glastonbury/37723

[John Etherington]

Hi seanmiller,

Your poem is quite appropriate actually. One of the words used for dope was "tea" - as in "marijuana tea" (check out the lyrics on "Sgt. Pepper"). So this may be why "Suzanne" had such an instant appeal to hippies in 1967!

All good things, John E

[John Etherington]

Leonard's non-appearance from Glastonbury on BBC TV seems to be gaining him more publicity than if he had appeared. When I rang a friend (who doesn't read the board) this morning, the first thing he said was "what's all this about Leonard Cohen refusing to appear on TV"?!. At least this is better publicity than taking a swipe at a fan, like Amy Winehouse!

All good things, John E

[helenpins]

Here's something thats better than nothing


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvcX5RMBwbk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PabYW2WkZw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2D_w0ORVz0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voNzs6oXTow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mytTpRL5CKY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QqJYgzPFR4

Hallelujah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLMoBfT9vQg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoQ_xbmV4VI

Hx

[Diane]

He looks so happy in those photos on the previous page! Thanks for bringing them here, Sirius.

Sean Miller, Robin and Abeggarleaning - you were there, thanks for your impressions.

Leonard's non-appearance from Glastonbury on BBC TV seems to be gaining him more publicity than if he had appeared.

Yes, maybe it is enhancing his mystique .

[John Etherington]

Agreed, Diane - though if anyone's filmed a half-decent bootleg of Leonard at Glastonbury, they could have the biggest smash since the Paris Hilton video!

All good things, John E

[loulou]

i can sort of understand him, i myself hate being photographed (and filmed would be the same) and will weasle out of any photo given half the chance

while at the same time, i would have loved to see coverage at glasto

btw John E, did you and Julie ever manage to get tickets for the right time for one of the Manchester shows ?

[thethirdman]

i was at the show in Manchester on the 18th and a few rows from the front at Glastonbury, and as good as the Manchester show was glasto was simply amazing!so obviously i was as disappointed as every one else to get back to my sky+ and see that he wasn't recorded, i still just put it down to two things either: he is bringing a dvd out and doesn't want to hurt the sales, cynical maybe but hey capitalism won communism lost or he wasn't sure how he would be received. i for one was shocked that he was on the pyramid stage given that wonderful as we all think he is, he is a bit like Marmite.
fortunately for all who were lucky enough to be there the performance was great and so long Marianne and hallelujah when everyone was singing along (even a girl on her mothers back who can only have been 3-5 years old) was definitely the highlight of a truly wonderful 5 days for me!

ps i went to see dylan at the m.e.n arena and he didn't even have screens and his own gig, which by the way is the worst concert i have ever been too, his voice is awful now, he was monumentally arrogant {didn't say a word to us other than saying the names of his band) and at £40-50 each for a ticket i was disgusted!

[Jojio]

i was at the show in Manchester on the 18th and a few rows from the front at Glastonbury, and as good as the Manchester show was glasto was simply amazing!so obviously i was as disappointed as every one else to get back to my sky+ and see that he wasn't recorded, i still just put it down to two things either: he is bringing a dvd out and doesn't want to hurt the sales, cynical maybe but hey capitalism won communism lost or he wasn't sure how he would be received. i for one was shocked that he was on the pyramid stage given that wonderful as we all think he is, he is a bit like Marmite.
fortunately for all who were lucky enough to be there the performance was great and so long Marianne and hallelujah when everyone was singing along (even a girl on her mothers back who can only have been 3-5 years old) was definitely the highlight of a truly wonderful 5 days for me!

ps i went to see dylan at the m.e.n arena and he didn't even have screens and his own gig, which by the way is the worst concert i have ever been too, his voice is awful now, he was monumentally arrogant {didn't say a word to us other than saying the names of his band) and at £40-50 each for a ticket i was disgusted!

Dylan's voice has deteriorated in recent years but he has always said that he would want to perform like an old blues artist when he got older and the fact that he includes a lot of blues structured songs in his sets suggests he's doing just that. However, how can somebody who "didn't say a word" be monumentally arrogant? He's there to perform his songs, not to meet your expectations of what an "entertainer" should be doing. If you want that, go and see Neil Diamond.

[gingermop]

If it's any consolation, a mere 0.9 million people were watching the BBC2 coverage of Glastonbury at the time of Leonard's set. Less than 200,000 were watching the intermittent extra bits on BBC3/4. Everyone else (over 12 million people) were pretty much watching the European Cup Final, or The Royal/Taggart over on ITV (4.3 million), or Big Brother (another 4 mil).

So, even if it had been broadcast, the audience was a much depleted one!

G

[Pariah]

I was at Glastonbury. My wife and I had enjoyed sets by Eric Bibb, Buddy Guy, Joan Armatrading, Crowded House, etc etc. On a sunny final Sunday she dragged me to the Pyramid stage to see Leonard Cohen.
"But he's old" I said, "even older than me. And he sings gloomy songs"
Anyway, we went. We stood well back up the hill. All three video screens were visible to us. The sun was beginning to sink, on stage came Leonard Cohen.
I have to say, as someone who doesn't know a great deal of his work, that he just blew me away. He completed a remarkable set, and had the audience in the palm of his hand. My wife (bless her) had tears in her eyes at the end.
It's difficult to describe the atmosphere there. Maybe the setting sun lent a magic mood, I don't know, but there was certainly something in the air.
My main memory is of a very dignified performance, very personal, and tinged with humour, a very good backing band, a rapturous audience (of all ages) and a pretty sunset as well.
The highlight of the festival for me.
I guess we're fans now.

[margaret]

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