Leonard Cohen - 5 lessons from the master

Olympisch Stadion, 21 August 2012

Leonard Cohen is one of the greats. In a career that spans 45 years the man has done it all, and I’m pretty sure he has won enough awards and accolades that he doesn’t need me or this blog to tell him just how good he is. So instead, here are the 5 things that I learnt from the master at his show in Amsterdam last week:

Top 5 song lyrics that are anything but timeless

You often hear of art, and in particular music, being described as timeless. I mean Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor can be just as moving today as I am sure it was in the early 1800’s. Of course when you throw in lyrics it can be a little more tricky, which is no doubt why we see so many songs written about the ‘timeless’ topics of love and loss, and relationships in general.

But every now and then you come across ephemeral moments in songs that seem to date them almost instantaneously. Here’s my top 5:

JV's Top Shows of 2011

So it is that time of year when I look back on the year that was and realize how many great bands I got to see play in the Netherlands.

Usually the top 5 bands of the year are ones which I have been really waiting and anticipating them and most times they don’t disappoint. Occasionally they do, and you know who you are Lykke Li. One noticeable fact is that the top 5 shows were all performed in the Paradiso and to quote Faithless “this is my Church, this is where I heal my hurt”. I love the Paradiso and that probably adds to the romance of a fantastic performance.

JP's Top 5 Shows of 2011

The main reason for wanting to start a blog was partly just for some fun and partly to have something that documents where so much of our time, money and conversations are spent.

So what better way to start than to reminisce about the year that was, and where so much of said time, money and discussions were spent during 2011. So with much thought and some debate, I present my Top 5 shows of 2011. Please feel free to comment, challenge, add to or just ignore.