Re: CONCERT REPORTS: London, September 8 & 9
Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 2:24 am
Greetings, santaevita! There is indeed said to be a full scale U.K. tour next year, so you should have more chances to see Leonard.
Meanwhile, here are my belated thoughts on last Sunday's show; though I've not much new to add to what most people will have read or experienced. For some six months, I didn't think I would see Leonard last weekend, as I was already committed to three days work at a conference near Cambridge. Despite this, the workings of the universe seemed to comply with my desire to be there. First there was the shift to Wembley, then the great seats being released one week before. I only just made it though, and after a morning of intensive work, I had to pack fifty boxes of books, help load them onto a van, and unload them back in London. I then had 15 minutes to get ready.
It was strange to arrive at a Leonard concert without any time for anticipation of what was to be. My heart sank when I arrived, and saw the queue extending for approximately two lengths of the Arena. This was decidely ironic considering that I had phoned Wembley earlier in the week to ask if tickets could be collected before the event, and was told that they had to be collected on the day. Grievances aside, I soon saw some friendly faces (Karen Edlin and Sue Merlyn); then due to the grace of God (and Leonard!), the start was delayed for half an hour, so we didn't miss anything. After some sorting of tickets amongst friends, I took my place in block A3 Row H, which was ideal for viewing the show. I soon discovered that Graham and Mandy Webb were sitting in row D, and was able to re-connect Graham with a friend of mine (a recent LC convert) who had known him through his work forty years ago. Everything went incredibly well; the people around us were fine, and cameras thankfully absent. That said, the quest for the loo did indeed take up most of the interval, so I'm glad that I managed to grab a drink on the way in.
I've almost run out of superlatives to describe the quality of Leonard's shows. All I can say is that they maintain a remarkable standard of perfection and excellence that reflect the workings of a double Virgo on the highest conceivable level! It was the first time that I had heard songs from "Old Ideas" live, and it was good to hear them. I was sorry not to hear my favourite "Show Me the Place" or "Different Sides", but who can complain when you still get three hours of Leonard at his best? Most of my all-time favourites were included...a lovely "Sisters of Mercy", "Anthem", "I Can't Forget", "Night Comes On" and "Take This Waltz" to name but five. The Webb Sisters were looking looking sophisticated and glamorous; it's remarkable how they do their cartwheel so effortlessly. I thought their version of "Coming Back To You" (another of my all-time favourite Leonard songs) was truly beautiful. I was also impressed by Javier Mas's amazing prelude to "Who By Fire, and Sharon Robinson's exquisite version of "Alexandra Leaving" which was definitely a show-stopper. We didn't get "Famous Blue Raincoat", but I've heard that live enough times. "Save The Last Dance" as a closer was fun; though I think that "Wither Thou Goest" is generally a better song to end with. In conclusion, everything turned out better than I may have dared to hope for. Fortunately, there was still a young lady selling programmes. She had only seen the show in part, but was genuinely enthusiastic about Leonard and his music.
All good things, John E
Meanwhile, here are my belated thoughts on last Sunday's show; though I've not much new to add to what most people will have read or experienced. For some six months, I didn't think I would see Leonard last weekend, as I was already committed to three days work at a conference near Cambridge. Despite this, the workings of the universe seemed to comply with my desire to be there. First there was the shift to Wembley, then the great seats being released one week before. I only just made it though, and after a morning of intensive work, I had to pack fifty boxes of books, help load them onto a van, and unload them back in London. I then had 15 minutes to get ready.
It was strange to arrive at a Leonard concert without any time for anticipation of what was to be. My heart sank when I arrived, and saw the queue extending for approximately two lengths of the Arena. This was decidely ironic considering that I had phoned Wembley earlier in the week to ask if tickets could be collected before the event, and was told that they had to be collected on the day. Grievances aside, I soon saw some friendly faces (Karen Edlin and Sue Merlyn); then due to the grace of God (and Leonard!), the start was delayed for half an hour, so we didn't miss anything. After some sorting of tickets amongst friends, I took my place in block A3 Row H, which was ideal for viewing the show. I soon discovered that Graham and Mandy Webb were sitting in row D, and was able to re-connect Graham with a friend of mine (a recent LC convert) who had known him through his work forty years ago. Everything went incredibly well; the people around us were fine, and cameras thankfully absent. That said, the quest for the loo did indeed take up most of the interval, so I'm glad that I managed to grab a drink on the way in.
I've almost run out of superlatives to describe the quality of Leonard's shows. All I can say is that they maintain a remarkable standard of perfection and excellence that reflect the workings of a double Virgo on the highest conceivable level! It was the first time that I had heard songs from "Old Ideas" live, and it was good to hear them. I was sorry not to hear my favourite "Show Me the Place" or "Different Sides", but who can complain when you still get three hours of Leonard at his best? Most of my all-time favourites were included...a lovely "Sisters of Mercy", "Anthem", "I Can't Forget", "Night Comes On" and "Take This Waltz" to name but five. The Webb Sisters were looking looking sophisticated and glamorous; it's remarkable how they do their cartwheel so effortlessly. I thought their version of "Coming Back To You" (another of my all-time favourite Leonard songs) was truly beautiful. I was also impressed by Javier Mas's amazing prelude to "Who By Fire, and Sharon Robinson's exquisite version of "Alexandra Leaving" which was definitely a show-stopper. We didn't get "Famous Blue Raincoat", but I've heard that live enough times. "Save The Last Dance" as a closer was fun; though I think that "Wither Thou Goest" is generally a better song to end with. In conclusion, everything turned out better than I may have dared to hope for. Fortunately, there was still a young lady selling programmes. She had only seen the show in part, but was genuinely enthusiastic about Leonard and his music.
All good things, John E
) Love Alex's solo though!