Reviews
Artist: Leonard Cohen plus Suzanne Vega (support)
Venue: Mercedes Benz
Town: Weybridge, Surrey
Date: 11/07/09
Website: http://www.leonardcohen.com/
http://www.suzannevega.com
Back in the early seventies, there was only one programme I ever wanted to listen to on the radio: Alan Freeman. Sadly, he was on a Saturday afternoon, always about the time that my mother thought it was time to drag her brood off shopping. I have vivid memories of being herded reluctantly to some clothes emporium, only to discover that Alan Freeman was playing on the shop radio. He was playing a track called "Suzanne". It really impressed me, not least because it was so unlike the Led Zeppelin/ Black Sabbath/ Deep Purple material I normally listened to. Since then, I have always loved Leonard Cohen's music and poetry.
Was really quite excited to be going to see him at Weybridge, though I did baulk at the price of the tickets. For £75 per ticket you could have gone to see quite a lot of other bands, and still have change left over.
Was even more looking forward to it when I discovered that Suzanne Vega was going to be the support. Not too familiar with her material, but a band I like called "Cry No More" had supported her once on a previous tour, and they had said good things about her, so I had high hopes.
One thing that was really needed though, was some good weather, as it was an outdoor concert. All week though, the weather forecasters had been threatening a downpour, and they weren't too far wrong.
Knowing that the traffic was likely to be congested, we went by train, and were delighted to find that the organisers had arranged buses from the station to the event - or so we thought. This event was the second of a now annual event held by Mercedes Benz, the previous year headlined by Elton John. Last year the ticket price included access to the Brooklands Museum (which backs on to Mercedes Benz). The buses therefore took everyone to the Museum, but nothing had been organised this year. When people got off the buses, there was a couple of miles to walk to the event, with no signs or clues as to which direction to go in.
Luckily, we arrived early, before we were allowed to our seats and were in time to hear Suzanne Vega's sound check. She played two songs, "Marlene on the Wall" and a new one called "The Pornographer's Dream".
"Doors" opened at four o'clock, with the music not starting till quarter to six, so theoretically there was plenty of time for everyone to arrive and get sat down, but when Suzanne Vega started the venue was only half full. Suzanne Vega was brilliant. Loved her set very much despite the rain. She wore a fabulous jacket, with Crystal Carrington shoulder pads, and a Lilly Allen cleavage; a sort of cross between the eighties and the noughties. She was really chuffed to have been supporting Leonard Cohen, and to add to her pleasure, she announced that it was her birthday.
As it turned out, the reason why so many people hadn't arrived on time was down to the dire event organisation. Aware that the traffic would be busy, they had decided "for safety" that they would close one of the main roads in to the event. Approaching from one direction you sudenly found, without warning, the road closed, and so everyone had to turn round and go back, and find a different route. Traffic, of course, ground to a standstill, with no-one knowing where they were going or how to get there. Just as the pedestrians who had got off the train were wandering without a clue where to go, so were the cars. Grid lock. To all accounts, the car parking was badly organised as well, with no clues as to which car parks you were allowed to park in, or where to go once you got there.
Trouble was, the seats were so tightly packed, that whenever anyone did finally manage to arrive, everyone else had to stand up to let them in. It also seemed to be mandatory that whenever anyone arrived it was necessary to hold a conversation, rather than to sit down and listen to the music.
Yes, Leonard Cohen was good, but we had a miserable time. The weather didn't help, the late arrivals didn't help, but worse was the seating. In a theatre, the seats are staggered, so that you aren't staring at the head of the person in front. Here the seats were lined up in rows, so that you could see nothing else. Early on it wasn't too bad, but as the seats filled, visibility became less and less. Yes, sure, there were large monitors showing film of the event, but even they were obscured. The seats, towards the edges, were arranged pointing at the screen, rather than at the stage, so that to see the stage at all you had to twist your neck. Very uncomfortable, particularly in the wet.
At the interval everyone was wet and frozen, and needed a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate to warm up with. Sure enough the organisation hadn't let us down. There was one van selling hot drinks, manned by two people, one to take the money, and one to make tea, one cup at a time. We queued for half an hour, and moved forward three places. Those who hung on, of course, then disturbed the rest of us throughout the second set as they fought their way back to their seats. .
Loved Leonard Cohen, he really was good, but we had basically payed £150 to watch a badly pixelated video screen in the pouring rain. For a tenth of the price we could have stayed at home and watched his DVD, in the warm, with hot coffee permanantly on tap, and a far better view.
I didn't attempt to keep a set list, it was too cold and wet to be writing notes, but there was very little difference, even in the running order, from the concert last year at the O2, (which is available on CD and DVD). Don't remember him playing "The Gypsy's Wife", which is on the DVD, but he did play "The Partisan" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" (as a late encore), neither of which are on the DVD but are amongst my all time favorite Cohen tracks.
Both Suzanne Vega and Leonard Cohen battled valiantly against the rain which was blowing directly at them on stage. Suzanne Vega's bassist had a towel to dry his guitar off between numbers, and puddles of water could be seen gathering on Leonard Cohen's pianist's piano. Despite their efforts, and no matter how good they were, they were let down badly by the organisation, and the entire evening was not one I'd wish to repeat in a hurry.
Pete Bradley