Re: CONCERT REPORT: Leeds UK - Saturday 7 September 2013
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:04 pm
There is no right or wrong to standing at stage for encores as everyone has different opinions based primarily on whether they wish to continue sitting rather than being forced to stand if they still want to see and if they can see even when standing. I am sorry if I have ever spoilt anyones enjoyment of a concert. I am 6"1" and always look who is behind me and either swap seats with who I am with or lean one way or another to try to help others.
Standing ovations and even standing throughout encores has a long tradition although in Leonard's case the length of encores is unusually long with normally 2 lots of 3 songs and often up to 8 songs.
Not that it justifies what happens at Leonard's concerts it has become normal practice over almost 20 years to stand throughout Bob Dylan concerts and not just for the single song encore he sometimes performs and that is despite every effort by the arena staff to get the audience to sit down. Likewise at football matches away fans often stand throughout the whole match.
What makes it difficult is that the further back you go the more reluctant the majority of people around you are to stand and so it can be an uncomfortable feeling to stand when others are sitting.
Personally I am tall so do not mind standing and I have had some decent seats and been able to get to the stage more often than not but have not been disturbed by people standing at the stage.
I have also been fortunate to not be at any shows where fans were talking or continually going on beer runs although Dublin was borderline.
Personally I object more to people coming and going and especially talking (or shouting to make themselves heard) and singing or warbling along and making complete and utter fools of themselves whilst completely ruining the concert for others.
I do however object to drunken behaviour and there was a bit of that recently in Manchester which almost went too far. I noticed that those involved were younger than the average attendee. I cannot understand getting hammered at a Leonard Cohen concert not that I am a prude and object to having a drink or two and being light headed. Its not exactly a rock concert.
Standing ovations and even standing throughout encores has a long tradition although in Leonard's case the length of encores is unusually long with normally 2 lots of 3 songs and often up to 8 songs.
Not that it justifies what happens at Leonard's concerts it has become normal practice over almost 20 years to stand throughout Bob Dylan concerts and not just for the single song encore he sometimes performs and that is despite every effort by the arena staff to get the audience to sit down. Likewise at football matches away fans often stand throughout the whole match.
What makes it difficult is that the further back you go the more reluctant the majority of people around you are to stand and so it can be an uncomfortable feeling to stand when others are sitting.
Personally I am tall so do not mind standing and I have had some decent seats and been able to get to the stage more often than not but have not been disturbed by people standing at the stage.
I have also been fortunate to not be at any shows where fans were talking or continually going on beer runs although Dublin was borderline.
Personally I object more to people coming and going and especially talking (or shouting to make themselves heard) and singing or warbling along and making complete and utter fools of themselves whilst completely ruining the concert for others.
I do however object to drunken behaviour and there was a bit of that recently in Manchester which almost went too far. I noticed that those involved were younger than the average attendee. I cannot understand getting hammered at a Leonard Cohen concert not that I am a prude and object to having a drink or two and being light headed. Its not exactly a rock concert.
So, here goes. Better late than never. I wanted my feelings recorded for posterity, or for at least as long as the web server allows!
)
) over further alcoholic beverages, we called it a day/night/early morning. 
Some of us had been up for over 21 hours at that point, and badly needed our beauty sleep. (ok -that was me. 
)
This has surely been his swansong of live performances. But boy do I hope to be proved wrong. As another master of this craft says, “better to burn out, than to fade away”.