Leonard Cohen walks out of concert (live 1972)

Obviously having a bad night - glad he's not doing this on the current tour! Sorry for poor picture quality. From Bird on a Wire, 1972. (8 of 10)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Leonard
• Cohen
• live
• concert
• walk
• out
• funny
• 1972
• tour

[shoshana9]

According to Ira Nadel's biography, "Various Positions." he and his band came back on stage to perform the version of So Long, Marianne that messalina79 has posted up here. Nadel says that the concert was an amazing success in the end. What a night! Thanks messalina79: I've been enjoying your contributions.

[messalina79]

Glad you've been enjoying them. I think I'll put numbers on the Bird on a Wire clips so that it's obvious what order they go in.

[crimsonabsinthe]

Poor Leonard. He really suffered with anxiety and I can see his struggling here. Don't be angry with him. He's an artist and he deserves respect. He was going through a bad time.

Peace.

[aymiderham]

I say just let him go home - he obviously wasn't in the right place mentally. He was actually trying to be considerate by not giving the audience what he thought would be a bad performance.

[MemphisBlueAgain]

Why did people had to clap and laugh like it was Monty Python or something? This is present in practically all of these early live performances. Poor Leonard must have felt like he was not taken seriously when in fact he often was.

[Domantic]

there was a belgian performer, he had this problem too. in one concert the audience sang along so loudly he couldnt hear himself. he kept moving on to another song.

[Songs4LovesGods]

Bro just cant get it out his heard

[herewEcomeLONDON]

Why don't audiences just the fuck up and listen, I understand exactly how Leonard Cohen feels in this Video. I don't go to a concert to listen to the audience

clap or sing along, I go to listen to the artist perform. It's like me going to the Louvre and wanting to add more paint to the Mona Lisa. Shut the fuck up audience let the artist perform

[itsulorincz]

I was there...

[e61807]

If you knew Cohen personally, this video would need no explanation. He does suffer from anxety attacks, but he also is a pretensious ass. He is NOT...I repeat...He is not this God like intellectual that he is trying to appear to be. He was peeved that the audience was not down on their knees in a worship position as he started the song. He tends to take himself too seriously as some "Great I AM". Deep down he knows that he doesn't write all his poems and songs himself. Just relax Cohen. I KNOW !

[Nunatag1]

What was it that went wrong exactly? He started so well then suddenly stopped

[FidelCastro128]

Artists are quite human, sometimes much to human for us mortals to believe

Artists have the perogative to do what they must do with little regard for

trival opinions.

[cydewalk]

Isn't it obvious that the audiences' stupid clapping destroys the whole atmosphere and that it's THAT that makes it impossible for him to sing the song as he intended to? As I see it he wasn't having a bad day, it was simply the audience that pissed him off. Despite that he stays incredibly respectful, calm and polite. How ironic to come to listen to beautiful music and then drown it with clapping noise!

[randyatlantis]

God I love this man.