On Thursday, we got to witness a Leonard Cohen concert in Tel Aviv.
We were good civilians and followed the advice of the police, who had released detailed explanations on how and when to get to the football stadium. We arrived well on time, explored the nearby mall, and then found our seats after climbing up the steep steep steps to our seat - row 60!
We were pleasantly surprised to discover a free seat-cushion, light stick, and a freezer bag waiting on our seat. Right before the concert was supposed to begin, a couple stretch minivans pulled up behind the stadium, and lots of men in suits, two of which were wearing grandpa-hats, disembarked and slipped into a tent.
One quarter of the audience, too lazy to leave on time, had still not made it in through the gate by the time the concert started. They can only blame themselves. It was very hard to miss all the official advice given.
The concert started on time, and it was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t recongize half the songs (I’m a bad fan), but after hearing some of the original recordings, I can safely say that his voice has only gotten better over the years.
In the second half of the concert (it lasted over 3 hours!), old Mr. Cohen suddenly started dancing around in a cute grandpa-shuffle dance. And when the audience really got into it, he broke into an extremely cute smile.
His band was extremely good. Most of the band members were provided the opportunity for solos and really given a chance to shine. Especially the back-up singers and guitarist were very memorable.
I never thought I’d see a Jewish Buddhist monk jamming away on stage like that!
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