CONCERT REPORT: Moscow, Russia, October 7, 2010

[Wimmer]

A great Story TGUY. I', waiting for Part IV:
Thanks for the Poster.
Marina

[TGuy]

Part IV - The Show

This is what sticks to mind (with the aid of those gracious videographers - and I apologise in advance for the frailties of my human memory leading to any misplacements, misquotes and further inaccuracies):

Dance Me to the End of Love - with the first chords of music and as Leonard walks on stage people that were seated rush to empty seats in the rows in front. We were seated in row 19, and when in Rome... well I moved with the crowd a few rows to the front, saving a seat for Dad. Waved at him a couple of times annoying someone at the back of me (sorry) - no response. Quickly moved back to sit next to Dad.

People keep filing in - looking for their seats, using their cell phones as flashlights. This will continue for the next couple of songs.
Question - you are late, you are standing in front of people already watching the show, why do you also need to talk?

Leonard's voice seems especially low and raspy tonight.

The Future - The sex is back to "Anal" (pun intended - apologies) and not merely "Careless" - subtle commentary by LC as to the very late start? Moscow is a hardened city and can take it? Indulge me.

No crowd reaction to the Mention of Stalin - surprising? Maybe no... (I've read that Russian audiences do not tend to react during a song, which seemed to be true throughout most of the show).

Leonard and Roscoe as waltzing white men - white girls cartwheel - great!

Bird on the Wire - So soon? No Cure? First late start casualty.

Leonard is spry and nimble, kneeling a lot, jumping to his feet, dancing, very animated.

Everybody Knows - This rendition seems a little less melodical (is that a word?) - more recitation like in some places.

Who By Fire - Javier Mas' captivating opening is joined by Leonard on his acoustic guitar - and if memory serves also by Dino on one of his string-like electronic instruments. The tones are more middle-eastern. Javier Rocks!

The Darkness - Leonard recites "Invictus" by William Ernest Henely:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Leonard is playing his guitar with vigour.

"But I caught your darkness baby... ha ha ha, and I've got it worse than you"

Born in Chains - Recitation of the last verse of "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold:

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

This is turning into rather a dark concert.

Chelsea Hotel #2 is then followed by Waiting For The Miracle and then Anthem

Anthem is proceeded by Leonard's comments on how lucky we are to be able to gather in this manner in these hard times. If memory serves here Leonard discloses that it has been a dream of his (I'm not sure but I think that is the word he used) to play here.

Band introductions are extremely gracious, as always - Virtuoso, Master Musician, Geometries of Perfection - my good friend, Prince of Passionate Precision, Musician's Musician, Angelic Harmonies, Pilgrim of Perfection - musical colleague and friend for 3 decades.

"We'll take a short break" - unfortunately some 30 minutes on the back of a very late start (enforced to be that long as I understand from Joey's "Notes From The Road" http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/page/4).

Tower of Song -

"Now I'm going to fire up this little machine here, and it's kind of sophisticated, you probably haven’t seen anything like this around here". LC Starts the synthesizer to applause. After singing the first couple of verses he plays the few usual notes and the crowd applauds a little "Thank you for that applause [crowd clapping and some laughs] I do feel however that you are too kind [more laughs]"

Suzanne - Leonard plays his guitar with intense and supreme confidence.

Avalanche - More of Leonard on guitar - with the new songs Leonard is playing for a more substantial part of the concert.

Sisters of Mercy is followed by The Gypsy's Wife and then the wonderful Feels so good. All the new songs have been played!

The Partisan begins with the audience clapping in unison.

Hallelujah - which to me felt, unfortunately, just a bit weak through the choruses with the absence of dear Sharon (hope you're feeling better...). It's Neil Larsan's time to Rock!

"I Didn't Come All This Way to the Kremlin Just to Fool You"

I'm Your Man - This song is certainly a crowd favourite (wearing "a leather mask" in the final verse today and examining "every precious inch"). Roscoe's "Pleeease" does not get a laugh today.

Take This Waltz closes out the second set with short band introductions and thanks to some of the crew a-la whither thou goest. Leonard addresses Javier with the Spanish rendition of "I want you. I want you, I want you" - "Te quiero, te quiero, te quiero".

Leonard skips off stage.

The audience is on its feet (not for the first time) for So Long Marianne, and keeps it up during a very enthusiastic First We Take Manhattan. Leonard dances off stage and quickly returns to tell us that they would like to play the whole night for us but there are rules and regulations and so forth (he used additional descriptions of the bureaucracy that befell us).

Leonard and the band really give it their all in Closing Time and Leonard departs with these words:

Ah friends, I hear you have a reputation for a great drinking nation,
And I would love to sing with you and drink with you all night long, but...
They're stacking up the chairs and they're wiping down the bar
And I never got to tell you, just how beautiful you are
They ought to hand the night a ticket for speeding it's a crime
I have so much to tell you,
But now its closing time... Its closing time...

Well friends, if... if you can make your way out the Kremlin, I hope that you drive safely home and I hope that you can avoid a winter cold, and may you be surrounded by friends and family, and if this is not your lot ... may the blessings find you in your solitude.

Goodnight friends, thank you for the warm reception that you've given us this evening.

Band members then picked up the flowers laid upon the stage, and waved goodbye.

I desperately tried to get a copy of the setlist, but the sound engineer at the sound board refused to give up his copy and getting to the stage was not possible through the wall of well built and non-English speaking security guards. A very nice Russian lady tried to help me, as it appeared she had some connection to the event (a journalist perhaps) but even she commented that they are not letting her through.

Dad and I walked out into the brisk Moscow night, admiring the lights in Red Square we began heading home in our thoughts.

Yes, we wanted it to last all night.

What an experience

[0l234]

a simply excellent story, beautifully written and illustrated. as if I was there again. THANK YOU TGuy ! I'm sure I will reread it many times. I'm very grateful for posting recitations and quotations. Oh yes, "we wanted it to last all night". Hope you and your Dad had a nice time in Moscow.

[TGuy]

Thank you all for you kind words - it is very much appreciated.

[0l234]

an indelicate question. Is your name Guy? I'd like to publicly thank Guy for posting such a perfect report.

[MaryB]

TGuy,

Thank you for your most detailed, wonderful posts. They were much anticipated and indeed a joy to read.

Best regards,
Mary

[0l234]

I love his saying "You're too kind"(much). but not here (or near-close). I've expressed my true opinion.

[Cheshire gal]

Hi Sturgess66,

Thank you for posting those great videos by cheburek1960. They were the best I have seen recently. Great job.
Looked like an interesting concert.

[cpl593h]

and when LC returned to the original 'anal sex' lyric he and Dino had a very noticeable eye-to-eye affirmation of his having sung that line.

a private joke?

[bridger15]

http://www.fuzz-magazine.ru/ru/articles ... 2-10-21-25

Google Translation

Leonard Cohen at the Kremlin
12.10.2010 13:14



Leonard Cohen - one of the last living musical legends, both before and did not reach in time or another to our territories. Of course, his popularity in the Soviet Union and Russia is difficult to compare even with the popularity of the other regulars of the State Kremlin Palace, which are in decent locations do not speak. It was encouraging to see so still filled the hall.

Before the concert at Kutafevoy Kremlin towers stretches a long line that slowly seep through the frame metal detectors and police officers searched the passing of CTAG. I stopped by at the very end of it, finding a long-awaited ticket. Leaving a jacket in the closet is almost filled, flies in the amphitheater. In other rooms of this amphitheater called the balcony. Kremlin Palace - actually a rather big hall, and musicians from such a distance could not watch, but saving the audience the screens from a live broadcast events from the scene.

At this point, alas, missed the concert, and with it a minimum «Dance Me To The End Of Love», «The Future» and «Everybody Knows». Turn on the entrance moved once slowly, and the maestro Leonard began to show almost exactly the claimed seven. As it turned out, this was not very pleasant reason.

In the first few minutes there was a feeling that I was looking DVD (well, or Blu-Ray). On the scene to watch was often useless, so I watched behind the screen. Accompanied by a completely flawless sound, which clearly and correctly heard absolutely all the tools and vocalize. Of course, it's the music quiet, quiet, unhurried that avoids samplers, guitar washes and other sound effects, but such a crystal-clear sound on the Moscow concert - almost nonsensical.

Want to note that the hall is quite consistent with what is happening on stage. It would be strange to present this concert in some kind of "Luzhniki". And for music, and audience (mostly quite respectable, which was confirmed ticket prices).

Concert of Cohen, apart from the maestro - do not change the concert business tools bassist, guitarist and drummer, and three luxury multi-instrumentalist on keyboards, guitars and mostly wind, respectively, and also the duo backing vocalists. All the staff of the musician was lovingly and humorously presented its leader during the concert twice already.

On multi-instrumentalist would like to discuss in more detail. Hall enthusiastically applauded after every solo instrument of accession, and Cohen was repeatedly shot in front of them in homage to its unwavering hat.
Absolutely delighted solo guitarist Javier Mas, easily giving out completely enchanting, incredible solos as unbanal guitar instruments. In addition to "ordinary" acoustic dvenadtsatistrunki and not less than "ordinary" electric "Stratocaster", was attended by a lute and Kobza

Particularly warm reception from the audience deserves and keyboardist-sakosofonist, "piper" Dino Szold - his solos were especially loud applause. Keyboardist Neil Larsen, who played the long-standing analog tools, was awarded less than the rest of the response of the public, but in no way inferior team-mates.

Sam Cohen - Gracious grandfather, a wise man, seen a lot, and as he himself put it, "ready to tell a lot." Someone was seen mock his constant pripadanie knees in a particularly sensual moments of songs, but me personally it was seen even very organically. When, for instance, sounded «Chelsea Hotel No. 2.

By the way, it was the first of which I saw in the evening, a concert highlight - ran chills, and there was mandatory for the concerts of good, excellent and better than a sense of belonging to the great and beautiful.

Which followed on mnogominutnaya «Waiting For The Miracle» only his efforts. It is a pity that soon came the intermission.
Long time since I was a concert with intermission. I do not know the condition or the Kremlin still musicians. In any case, during the intermission managed to cross into the stalls, and for the concert could easily follow, not looking at the screens.

A second branch with an almost solo performances Cohen - "Tower Of Song" and "Suzanne" maestro has played with the most modest accompaniment, stressing the all the attention on himself.

Next block is not the lesser-known songs - "The Partisan" (well, very successful song, even though the luscious accordion), "Gypsy's Wife", "Sisters Of Mercy".

Extremely powerful (as well as "... Miracle") sounded «I'm Your Man». Not surprisingly, the owner of this baritone recognizable to conquer the hearts of beautiful women.

Well, predictable top concert - "Hallelujah". Maestro falls on his knees again, and again nothing to say - so high emotional tension, although the drummer played so slowly that about any glowing speech, it would seem, can not be.
"Take This Waltz" and seemingly everything. But galloped in valiantly at the end of Cohen songs in just a half a minute back out. Room as if on cue stands, the fans are the flowers, and starts ... the standard encore of this tour. "So Long, Marianne".

That is if you think about - his own, this concert could not be. Could not have happened if not for Cohen opted circumstances. Hurtful story robbed of his producer, and the persuasions of others - if they do not, then the world would eat all the salt, wisdom and sweetness of these beautiful songs about the eternal, in the most convincing of their lifetimes. Alive.
Incidentally, the next was "First We Take Manhattan".

That manifested itself, and the reason for such an early start, and the reason for the imminent return for an encore. In all the concerts to Moscow in bise figured 07/06 songs, but here everything was three. "We would be willing to play for you all night, but there are different circumstances and reasons that prevent us, so ... It's closing time". The musicians struck up the song of the same name, proclaiming the end of the concert. On the official site, blog artist, implicitly cause shortening of the concert program was a "curfew". Sorry, but the three-hour program with intermission was too long for the orders of CTAG, so that some of the highly coveted Muscovites did not get to hear.

But I am confident that remaining in this hall to the end (and were gone) will likely cause for the evening of October 7, not least in its memory.

And they probably agree with me. God Bless You, Mr. Leonard.

Photo: Alexey Ivanov

Sergei Mudrik

[IMM]

and when LC returned to the original 'anal sex' lyric he and Dino had a very noticeable eye-to-eye affirmation of his having sung that line.

a private joke?

Perhaps it's to do with the only tree that's left, but I may be wrong.

[Shella]

It was the best concert in my life! My dream came true.

[fusional]

My thoughts on Moscow 2010. A little bit of background. Leonard fan for many years, as is my whole family. My sis, Susannah, had Suzanne played at her wedding while she signed the register with my best friend on guitar, and one of her friends singing. A very emotional moment. Glastonbury 2008 was incredible - just so amazing to be at a gig which I knew would define my festival and so so happy to see non fans completely entranced.

Then saw him in O2 which everyone here has watched I guess. Another great night.

So Susannah and I decided to watch him together, and we chose Lille last year - but it was a cancelled gig. So we waited an decided to head to Moscow from London. It seemed perfect - Kremlin Palace, beautiful city etc.


So I don't know what to say.... seeing him breaks my heart almost, I knew it might well be the last time to see him, and as a 27 year old I felt a bit like it was my final time, I truly hope it wasn't.

Anyway, we travelled out of the city to pick up the tickets. Passport, Visa, Driving licence. It may have been a signal of the slight problems about the gig. Anyway...

The tickets said a 7:30 start, and later someone told us 7:00. So we arrived around 6:30. There was a big queue, people were going in one by one, having their bags,and bodies searched. Then the metal detectors. I understand the issues, but the culture of paranoia seemed needless, even with the understanding it was the Kremlin.

We waited, and waited, and got in around 7:20. I was truly amazed to walk in and realise we'd missed 3-4 songs. It was almost soul-destroying to walk in to the venue and realise that 1/2 the crowd were missing the opening songs. Even at 120 euro per ticket, they had half the people who paid arriving late, and probably 20% of the tickets unsold or people never arrived. Upsetting. I mean really upsetting.

Anyway, the gig. My thought were that the first half (having missed Everybody Knows and Dance Me) was ok. I missed Sharon R. Leonard constantly went down to his knees and sang from the ground. This happened in the second half too. I couldn't tell if this was from emotion (and from the atmosphere I doubt it - in comparison to Glasto or O2) or simple tiredness.

The secondhalf was great. My sister's favourite song is Partisan, which I always found a litte dour, but he played a really unique version, far quicker tempo, than I've ever heard before. He hit a lot of his classics in this half - Sisters of Mercy, So long Marianne, Hallelujah. THE crowd were far more involved.

Towards the final 30 mins (inc the encore) I was annoyed that it seemed people were leaving. In truth about 10% were leaving, and the rest were moving to the front to the ridiculously expensive 500 euro seats, to stand and sing. We followed suit for the final 3 encore songs, which were some of the best times of my life. Truly.

I loved many many things about this gig. But for me the encore (take this waltz, manhattan, closing time) were not necessarily the songs I wanted. Three of my favourite songs were not played - FBR, Stranger Song, That's No Way - were not played. That did disappoint me to be honest.

To summarise, another great night. But not the 'final and perfect' Leonard gig I wanted to see. I'm now wondering where to see him next to close off my obsession. My thoughts are Vegas - since it will make a good holiday and is his final gig on this tour. I just need to find some travel buddies....

[framirez]

Dear friends:

Sorry for my bad english. I speak spanish...

I wrote to show you a note I wrote about Leonard Cohen concert in Moscow on October 7, 2010 in the theater of the Kremlin, which I attended, because I live here for a year. It was an amazing concert!!!! One of the best of my life! The photos are mine (if the guardians said it could not take pictures, I did not know...) and I can attest that the video is on YouTube is from that concert. Maybe you can put the text into a translator and if you want to post something in the blog you are welcome. Best Regards. Francisco. Russia.

This is the link:

http://actualidad.rt.com/mas/blogs/odis ... .html?rc=1

[Goldin]

Here is the Moscow setlist, received from Ute (thanks!!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64732726@N05/5896869578