this ain't real, or it's real but it ain't exactly there
I realise I've been spammier than usual over the last couple of days, and I would apologise for updating again, except that today I get to say something I never thought I would.
I just saw Leonard Cohen live.
I can't even describe how amazing just being able to say that is. Or, well, I'll try. See, I love live music. I lovelovelovelove live music, even if it's not that great - it's a rare act that is so bad I can't even enjoy being in a position to listen to somebody make music. I am one of those people who, if they had the chance, would quite happily take a week off in order to go and see a particularly favourite live band multiple times as they tour. (People who this will not surprise: everybody! But especially therealjae. *g*) So, that's me. I also love Leonard Cohen, and have since I was small. And yet, up until I was told he was touring a month or so ago, it would never have occured to me to even go looking for Cohen tourdates. It just would never happen. That was a fact. The man hasn't toured in getting up to twenty years. No way, no how. He is in the 'will never, ever, ever see live' category of Katie's brain.
Today I got to be in the same room as him.
I was totally in the room and he sang Bird on the Wire and Democracy and So Long, Marianne and Take This Waltz and Everybody Knows and The Gypsy's Wife and First We Take Manhattan and Suzanne and Ain't No Cure For Love and Tower of Song and Who By Fire and I'm Your Man and Dance Me To The End of Love and Closing Time and The Future and In My Secret Life and HALLE-FREAKIN-LULJAH. (And some others, I suspect, which I can't remember right now.) WHILE I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM.
*breathe*
And yeah, he's seventy five and his voice is not as strong as it was, so he spoke A Thousand Kisses Deep instead of singing it, and If It Be Your Will was sung by his backup, the Webb Sisters, instead. But it was dealt with ridiculously well (amazing backup, well arranged) and he was still COHEN and he was amazing. He had the best hat ever and took it off whenever one of his band, or the audience, was doing something he felt particularly deserving of respect. (He also mentioned the band's names to get cheers about... fifteen times? A lot. It was cute.) The band loved him, too, a lot, and not just when they all sang I Tried to Leave You at the end. He was a tiny adorable old dude with this VOICE and who wrote THOSE SONGS and I was IN THE SAME ROOM.
I don't even know. Just about everybody there must have been waiting for this for nearly twenty years. The woman next to me told me that she'd seen him, once, in the seventies, and how she'd thought waiting so long for another chance would mean it would be awful, but it was better than she'd ever thought. She offered us her opera glasses, too, even though we had a great view. And we all got teary and screamed. Fandom is wonderful.
Even my dad, who would shame a stoic most of the time. I took him as a joint birthday/Father's Day thing; dad does not usually do either, and was dubious, but I insisted. And as we left he gave me a huge teary-eyed hug and said it was wonderful. And if Leonard Cohen can do that, then you had better believe he is something freaking special.
I just saw Leonard Cohen live.
I can't even describe how amazing just being able to say that is. Or, well, I'll try. See, I love live music. I lovelovelovelove live music, even if it's not that great - it's a rare act that is so bad I can't even enjoy being in a position to listen to somebody make music. I am one of those people who, if they had the chance, would quite happily take a week off in order to go and see a particularly favourite live band multiple times as they tour. (People who this will not surprise: everybody! But especially therealjae. *g*) So, that's me. I also love Leonard Cohen, and have since I was small. And yet, up until I was told he was touring a month or so ago, it would never have occured to me to even go looking for Cohen tourdates. It just would never happen. That was a fact. The man hasn't toured in getting up to twenty years. No way, no how. He is in the 'will never, ever, ever see live' category of Katie's brain.
Today I got to be in the same room as him.
I was totally in the room and he sang Bird on the Wire and Democracy and So Long, Marianne and Take This Waltz and Everybody Knows and The Gypsy's Wife and First We Take Manhattan and Suzanne and Ain't No Cure For Love and Tower of Song and Who By Fire and I'm Your Man and Dance Me To The End of Love and Closing Time and The Future and In My Secret Life and HALLE-FREAKIN-LULJAH. (And some others, I suspect, which I can't remember right now.) WHILE I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM.
*breathe*
And yeah, he's seventy five and his voice is not as strong as it was, so he spoke A Thousand Kisses Deep instead of singing it, and If It Be Your Will was sung by his backup, the Webb Sisters, instead. But it was dealt with ridiculously well (amazing backup, well arranged) and he was still COHEN and he was amazing. He had the best hat ever and took it off whenever one of his band, or the audience, was doing something he felt particularly deserving of respect. (He also mentioned the band's names to get cheers about... fifteen times? A lot. It was cute.) The band loved him, too, a lot, and not just when they all sang I Tried to Leave You at the end. He was a tiny adorable old dude with this VOICE and who wrote THOSE SONGS and I was IN THE SAME ROOM.
I don't even know. Just about everybody there must have been waiting for this for nearly twenty years. The woman next to me told me that she'd seen him, once, in the seventies, and how she'd thought waiting so long for another chance would mean it would be awful, but it was better than she'd ever thought. She offered us her opera glasses, too, even though we had a great view. And we all got teary and screamed. Fandom is wonderful.
Even my dad, who would shame a stoic most of the time. I took him as a joint birthday/Father's Day thing; dad does not usually do either, and was dubious, but I insisted. And as we left he gave me a huge teary-eyed hug and said it was wonderful. And if Leonard Cohen can do that, then you had better believe he is something freaking special.