Mabeanie1 wrote:Lorca1999 wrote:Hello all
Question for those who have been to Wembley Arena before. We have tickets in row 14 from the front, and our two children (avid fans aged 9 and 11) are coming with us. Are they likely to be able to get a good view, or will it just be the backs of the people in front? Are the stewards hot about keeping people in their seats, or can they wander up front in the aisles, as people did at Ghent?
x
I don't have any particular knowledge of Wembley Arena - haven't been there for 20 years or so - but I have been to quite a few LC shows over the years. In my experience, people stand to welcome Leonard as he comes on stage and maybe for the odd standing ovation during the show but apart from that the audience generally stay in their seats for the first and the second sets (as they did in Ghent). After that it is a free-for-all - people will make a dash for the front for the encores and the stewards rarely try to stop it. Leonard clearly loves having people standing at the front, singing along to So Long Marianne etc and I have a feeling the stewards may be given specific instructions to allow the audience to stand at the front for the encores.
As to whether your children will see anything from row 14, they may not be able to see much of the stage (it depends on how big they are and how big the person immediately in front of them is) but they should be able to see the large screens either side of the stage and they will certainly be able to hear the music.
Enjoy!
Wendy
Thanks Wendy, very kind of you to reply. Your description sounds familiar to my experience of previous LC concerts. I was just wondering if Wembley Arena were more strict than other places - I have found that UK venues tend to frown on enjoyment sometimes
. I also wondered how raised the stage was, so that the children might still be able to see because they were looking up not just ahead iyswim. Not long to find out though
Best wishes
Hi
I hope you all get a good view on the night and the kids don't get too sleepy - because it is likely to be a late ending .
What intrigues me about your email is the notion that your nine year old is an ' avid fan'.
It's just that i always saw leonard's work as quintesentially ' music for grown ups' , with an emotional resonance that it's hard to experience/appreciate if you haven't lived a bit and gone through some of what adult life can throw at you
Maybe i'm being a bit overly complicated. it would be interesting to hear the songs through a child's ears . I never did since my parents didn't play it ! My own kids never really got into leonard when they were young ,! Oasis was more their stuff ( and i ilke that too !)
Perhaps a thread on ' children who really like leonard cohen ' would be interseting ?!
hope they enjoy the concert
David[/quote
Hi David
Yes, the children are ready for a late night! They should be fine, albeit tired with a 11-12am finish time. Neither is asleep much before 10pm on a normal schoolnight anyway, despite my best efforts. They know it is a very special occasion for them, and I imagine the atmosphere will keep them going
I agree with you re different appreciations of LC. I love everything about his music, and the reverence of his live performances. They move me more than any other music has ever done. Meanwhile, the children love singing along to I'm Your Man, So Long Marianne, First We Take Manhattan etc etc. They quite often ask about specific lyrics, and I am often lost to explain them in a meaningful way, but there is something about the poetry of his words that they kind of fall into like I do.
I will ask them afterwards what they thought and report back! As I said, I am not expecting them to appreciate the night as much as me, but I hope it will be one they will really treasure for what they do take from it.
As an aside, my Dad was into LC when I was growing up, and I just didn't get him at all. I used to take the mickey about his depressing, rubbish voice and act stupid when the records were put on the radiogram. My Dad must have been very patient because I never recall him being annoyed. I only converted in my late 20's, so this will only be my fourth time seeing him (although I was most fortunate to meet him a couple of years ago, and he was charming, calming, with quite a twinkle in his eye!).
Thank you for your good wishes.
