One for rock trivia fans:
“Everybody seems to be ready. Are you ready?”
Mick Jagger, Madison Square Gardens, November 1969 (only two weeks before Altamont, or so I read on Amazon). ‘Get Yer Ya Yas Out’.
“Are you ready? Is everybody ready?”
Leonard Cohen, Isle of Wight, August 31 1970. ‘Leonard Cohen Live at The Isle of Wight 1970′.
After that, things get pretty different. But both great performances. And, after seeing LC recently at Waldbühne in Berlin – a fantastic, magical performance – and the Stones at Glastonbury (though on TV only sadly), both are still going strong.
Leonard’s recent renaissance, incidentally, is a good example of a positive created from misfortune: having his money stolen by his manager has led to his re-engagement with life and the world. Bad luck or good luck? Or are they just two sides of the same coin?
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same; (Kipling)
Meanwhile… know any other live albums that begin with ‘Are you ready?’
Westrow Cooper 