leonardcohenforum.com

From Claud:

Wanted to let you know that Perla is back in NYC for a Cohen set at DROM. If anyone is holding tix from the cancelled performance, they will be honored for this show.
Here’s the link:
http://www.dromnyc.com/events/3614/cade ... KreKmTF-0w
Best,
Claud

If you still have tickets, GO !!!
If you don't have tickets, GO !!!

lizzytysh wrote:If you still have tickets, GO !!!
If you don't have tickets, GO !!!

Well said! Wish I could be there, but am living on the wrong continent.
Olwen/Ireland

Perla gave an awesome performance, dedicated to Esther Cohen. Brilliantly accompanied by Bob Metzger. Great show.

NO. DOUBT.
Would love to see her perform with Bob.

It was a rare treat to see Perla Batalla in live performance. She was absolutely wonderful. She puts so much passion & love into her very beautiful & expressive voice, & her lovely personality enables her to connect so warmly & gracefully with the audience. I'm usually not interested in seeing other artists perform Leonard's songs, but I've always been so enamored with the way Perla sang with Leonard, & I really liked her performances on the "I'm Your Man" DVD; therefore, this time I was interested; & Perla's performance confirmed the basis of my interest 1000%. She also told a few very lovely & interesting stories about her experiences with Leonard & Esther. I also met her briefly after the show, & she was so very sweet & warm & welcoming, & I am now very sure that her heart is as big & beautiful as her talent & her enchanting voice. Bob Metzger also gave a beautiful performance with his accompaniment on the guitar, & his stage presence was also very warm & engaging; & he was also very kind & friendly in the brief encounter I had with him offstage.

This performance was a very noble & worthy tribute to Esther Cohen, & a very sensitive, moving, loving & captivating rendition of the songs of Leonard Cohen. A big thank you to Perla & Bob for a wonderful evening of beautiful music, inspiration & love.

It was also a great treat to see a bunch of forum friends there - Dick & Linda, Mary & George, Ken & Suzanne - a big thank you to all of you for being there & sharing your love & inspiration too! I hope to see you all again sometime soon.

Perla's set was short (perhaps I just wanted it to go on and on), but really gem-like. Bob Metzger was amazing, as expected, and looking really well. The two of them had a wonderful chemistry, and there were certain parts of the show that felt really spontaneous, drawing on their years of history.
She chose mostly really well-known songs, kind of unexpected. I'd thought she would pick less well-known songs. But what she did with them was amazing. She sang a lovely bilingual version of Dance Me To The End Of Love specially for Esther, with audience participation in the "La la la" chorus. Gorgeous. I guess it's really her song and she does it beautifully. A rather upbeat version of If It Be Your Will, with some great guitar-playing.
Perla took a moment before she began Suzanne, which I think is a really challenging song for anyone other than Leonard to sing convincingly. One could see her focusing her energy, and then she sang a version that was just beautiful. I felt in some way she had dug down to the roots of the work: she was giving us Leonard's work at its beginning: like something from an archeological dig or something. Difficult to explain. But profound.
She explained how Leonard had asked her to sing a song for Roshi's birthday, and she had refused at first, because she had always sung the backup part and couldn't imagine anyone other than Leonard singing the lead. She explained how she had worked and worked at it, and finally felt able to perform it. She then launched into a beautlful rendition of Bird on the Wire, particularly special with Bob Metzger loving it as he does and giving it a gorgeous solo.
The high point for me was when she said "I really want to do this song", and showed her set list to Metzger, asking him if it was okay to play it. He said, "we can do whatever you want to sing". They then huddled together and he gave her a few measures of the rhythm, tapping his feet, and then they launched into a gorgeous rendition of Thousand Kisses Deep.
They ended with Hallelujah, with audience participation. Again, somehow, cutting through to the core of the music.
All in all, a lovely, deeply appreciated hour of Leonard's music, thanks to two wonderful musicians in service to the music. Esther would have loved it. And if she had known it was in her honor she would have beamed and shone with appreciation, in the way that only she could do.
Thank you to both Perla and Bob for giving us all the opportunity to honor Esther in this way.

Thanks Rachel and Sue for adding great descriptions.

One other small detail. It was so cold in NYC that Perla noted that she felt the need to wear her boots.

Fortunately, they did not detract from her beauty and warmth.

Thank you, Mrs. Dove and Sue! That sounds quite awesome.

thank you so much for your concert reviews Dick, Rachel, Sue. It must have been so sweet to be there.
Leslie

Thank you so much from me, too, Rachel and Sue.
Your explicit detail is wonderful... and evoked so much of my own experience seeing Perla.
It would have been so great to have seen Bob with her.
Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Esther would have loved it. And if she had known it was in her honor she would have beamed and shone with appreciation, in the way that only she could do.

I love this.