Re: CONCERT REPORTS: Amsterdam, Aug 21 & 22
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:42 pm
From Leif Bodnarchuk's Leonard Cohen Tour Diary - Aug 21.Towards the end of the shortened encore, Leonard felt the squeeze of the old Father — with only six (count ‘em!) minutes to go until curfew, he sincerely thanked the audience, shared his blessings, and explained to them the situation; ‘Wait, it’s only five now.’ With a further thank you, he caught himself, saying, ‘What am I doing, I’m wasting time!’ and he introduced First We Take Manhattan almost as quickly as it started.
Alas, Time, the Eternal Sniper, had it sights trained on the night and the dying moments were probably the most fun-filled of any Leonard Cohen gig I had seen — and I missed it! I was just off stage, filling guitar trunks, getting ahead, buying shares in the precious commodity of time. And what have I said about trying to get ahead? It usually comes at some cost, and I missed the comical moments unfolding on stage. I am told Leonard picked up his clock (which he always has in front of him, on the carpet, leaning against one of his monitors) and carried it around with him, ‘cradling it,’ (Dan, thanks for the quote) showing the audience that he was no longer in command — time fingered its grip on tonight’s knife-switch, while the flowers of appreciation, both bunched and lone, flew over the edge of the stage — and all anyone could do was enjoy the time left to them.
As the clock struck 11.30, the band ended the song tastefully, professionally, and that was the end of that.
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