Cohen Revisited

After the concert in Bruges last Thursday I wasn't too sure about the Amsterdam concert, I guess. I mean, Bruges was a lovely concert, would the second time be as good, or would it be a little disappointing? Well, it was different and the same, and I probably enjoyed this one even more.

The venue was the Westerpark. I never attended a concert there before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, how big the venue was, how big the stage. It was a little bigger than Bruges, and a little less intimate. The stage was bigger and higher, and there were no trees lining the area where the audience stood. It was altogether a little bigger and more open.

Getting in was different too, not quite as easy going as it was among the Belgians. No orderly queue, but a row of entrances, which meant a little pushing and shoving. I arrived at the venue early though, so I was in fairly quickly. And I managed to get a little closer to the stage than I was in Bruges. Combined with the stage being a little higher I got to see a little more. There are times I wish I was about 15 cm taller though...

The mood among the crowd was good from the start. Being so far to the front means being among the real fans. A lady close to me was virtually jumping up and down like a schoolgirl. And screaming like one. I mean, I know the man is extremely charming, but still...

No opening act this time, so Leonard started just after 19.30, when it was still completely light, and this meant it didn't get dark until virtually the end of the concert. It was a little cloudy at times, but the sun came out a few times to light up the audience. The only rain we got was when Leonard sang "So Long, Marianne", and it seemed to fit the lines: "And just when I climbed this whole mountainside,
to wash my eyelids in the rain!"

The set was the same as in Bruges, it sounded even more familiar now. The jokes sounded new, and sincere. Mr. Cohen is a wonderful performer and he made the audience feel special. He seemed a little more cheerful than he was in Belgium, smiling a little more. Being a little more aware of what to expect made me more attentive and gave me a chance to listen a little better than in Bruges. I was amazed at one point to find it was time for the interval when I thought the concert had just started. The voice, the songs and the person of Leonard Cohen just kept the attention and made time fly. He was as gracious as he was on Thursday, towards the audience and towards his band. And he was gracious enough to share the meaning of life with his Amsterdam audience too. And I think he really has found it.

The audience was different from the Belgian audience, even though it turned out after the concert I had been standing almost next to two Belgian women who came to Amsterdam because Bruges was sold out. It was quite an international audience, I was close to a woman from Austria and her daughter, to an Italian couple and some
Scandinavians. Plenty of Dutch there too, talking and singing along. The man next to me was a fan of many years, with a loud voice who obviously enjoyed singing along. He couldn't quite carry a tune though, and he didn't know all the lyrics. Another man kept the home front informed, holding his phone above his head during several songs. Again, lots of cameras and phones. This time people were actually talking on the phone during the concert. And so close to the stage.

Towards the end Cohen picked up a single red rose that had been thrown onto the stage, and then went on to pick up an indefinable blue soft toy, which obviously amused him as he kept looking at it. It was a lovely moment on a lovely evening.