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The man behind bringing Leonard
Cohen to Phnom Penh talks with
AsiaLIFE’s Mark Bibby Jackson about
the ground-breaking concert and clears
the air on controversy surrounding the
event. Photo by James Grant.
What made you choose Leonard
Cohen for the inaugural
Mekong Sessions concert Or
did Cohen choose you
A little bit of both, actually. I
personally approached Leonard
Cohen after developing the
concept of the Mekong Sessions
not only because he is the acknowledged
master of his genre
but I also felt he would have an
affinity with the country (being
an ordained Buddhist monk),
its struggles and its efforts to
rejuvenate itself. However, the
concert is only going ahead
precisely because of Leonard
Cohen’s exceptional generosity
and vision.
It’s very important to understand
that this is not just another
concert; there’s a level of passion
and commitment from all
the parties involved, including
our sponsors, to ensure that the
event is seamlessly organized
and an unforgettable experience
for everyone, including the
artist, the band and the crew.
Without these commitments
and Leonard Cohen recognizing
the potential of Cambodia, the
concert wouldn’t be possible
and I continue to be staggered
and humbled by the privilege
and the opportunity which his
decision to perform here represents.
We are all very lucky he
is coming.
You have stated previously in
AsiaLIFE Cambodia that the
Cohen show is a landmark concert
and will rejuvenate Phnom
Penh. What makes you feel that
one concert can give the city
such an uplift
Leonard Cohen’s performance
is a landmark event by virtue
of being just the first in a long
series of Mekong Sessions concerts.
His concert is exclusive to
Asia, the first time he has ever
performed here, and will be the
last live performance outside
the U.S. These are enormous
achievements for a city, which
less than a decade ago had
few paved streets. Establishing
Phnom Penh as the Southeast
Asian concert hub together with
AEG Live is one of our primary
aims, and Leonard Cohen agreeing
to perform here has been a
critical catalyst in building confidence
that Cambodia not only
has the potential to stand up as
a recognized concert venue but
can emerge as the most unique
destination of choice for artists
and fans alike.
This has significant economic
implications for Phnom Penh
and Cambodia. As well as
Cambodian residents, our target
market is the affluent locals
and expats in the region—there
are over 11 million expats in
Southeast Asia alone. This
brings considerable revenue
into the country from visa costs
to hotels, hospitality and visits
to places like Angkor Wat.
Our mature regional media
partnerships with AsiaLIFE
Phnom Penh/HCMC, the Bangkok
Post, the Phnom Penh Post
and F Magazine all contribute to
promoting the region and fostering
positive commercial co-
operation. The partnership with
the Bangkok Post in particular
represents a historic development
with businesses and media
in Cambodia and Thailand
cooperating to promote events
in Phnom Penh.
You have worked for 15 years
in Cambodia with CNVLD,
an NGO that develops sports
programmes for disabled individuals.
Can you explain how
the disabled in Cambodia will
benefit from the concert
After 15 years, the CNVLD is
still only touching the tip of
the iceberg in terms of demographics.
There are over 300,000
persons with a disability in
Cambodia, all of whom could
benefit from access to sport
and recreation programmes.
With adequate resources we
will be able to establish 20 or 30
new volleyball and wheelchair
racing clubs overnight, which
would allow massive opportunities
not only for persons with
a disability at an individual
level but also on the international
competition level. Thanks
to the input from the Mekong
Sessions, the CNVLD’s current
programmes will be able to
strengthen and we’ll have the
"Mekong
Sessions is in
the final stages
of negotiation
to see Bob
Dylan perform
here."
capacity to expand the number
of sports we offer. Just as importantly,
the renovations to the
Olympic Stadium will provide
international standard facilities
not only for athletes with a disability
but all Cambodian and
international athletes.
You have informed me of your
plans for future Mekong Sessions
involving the greats of
the music scene. Have you any
fresh news
We are exceptionally proud of
our relationship with AEG Live,
who manage some of the very
best artists in the world and
have singled out Cambodia as
a key location in their global
strategy. The Mekong Sessions is
immediately focused on bringing
legendary artists to Phnom
Penh but is also exploring bringing
big name contemporary acts
to perform in the outdoor arena,
as well as organizing regional
concerts by homegrown talent.
We are also working toward
hosting large-scale cultural
events. Fans can look forward to
an anticipated three concerts a
year here.
I can also reveal for the
first time to AsiaLIFE that the
Mekong Sessions is in the final
stages of negotiation to see Bob
Dylan perform here in the first
half of 2011 in a concert absolutely
exclusive to Asia. That will be
historic, no doubt about it.
As you know there has been a
fair amount of criticism over
the pricing policy for the Cohen
concert. What do you say to
those who claim the tickets are
too expensive
To a large degree the size of
the venue at just 3,500 seats—
compared to other tour venues
of 10 –15,000—has a considerable
impact on ticket prices.
Thanks to the exceptional personal
generosity of Mr. Cohen,
together with Robert Kory
Management and AEG Live, the
artist fees have been reduced. If
this weren’t the case, given the
size of the venue and the costs
required to produce an event to
the quality required by an artist
of such calibre, the cheapest
tickets would be US $600.
Remember, this is a benefit
concert with the specific aim of
raising funds to assist persons
with a disability in Cambodia, so
all ticket buyers can be assured
that their hard-earned money is
not only providing them the opportunity
to witness one of the
world’s greatest performers in
the most intimate venue, but is
also making a significant contribution
to support the aspirations
of some of the most marginalized
in Cambodian society.
For more information about the
Mekong Sessions, visit www.themekongsessions.com
online
asialife HCMC 17