Media Release 15.07.10: The Mekong Sessions Responds

The promotor has begun screenings of Live in London to Khmer audience which I think is terrific. I hope ticket sales are going as well as Mr. Minko hoped.

Media Release 15.07.10: The Mekong Sessions Responds

As local promoters of the Leonard Cohen Live in Phnom Penh benefit concert at the Olympic Stadium on 27 November 2010, the Mekong Sessions is issuing the following singular statement:

1. Leonard Cohen Live in Phnom Penh is, thanks to the exceptional generosity of Leonard Cohen and AEG Live, a benefit concert with proceeds going to Cambodian Red Cross, the athletes with a disability of Cambodia and a full renovation of the indoor court of the Olympic Stadium. This has been made absolutely clear from the outset including the official media release of June 17 2010, on the Mekong Sessions website and associated media. Those purchasing tickets can be assured not only of experiencing one of the greatest musical and cultural events anywhere but also that they will be positively contributing to assisting some of the most vulnerable in Cambodian society through two of the most reputable organisations in the nation.

2. Given the pioneering nature of the concert, significant production costs are involved given the lack of resources necessary for a concert of this calibre at the present time in Cambodia - hence the lack of artists to date of the stature of Leonard Cohen playing here.

3. The Olympic Stadium is a relatively very small venue with just 3600 seats available. This has obvious impacts on the ticket prices as does its present dilapidated condition. Purchasers are guaranteed the most intimate concert on the World Tour in an international standard venue.

4. Sadly, while the Mekong Sessions has been embracing the enormous privilege of hosting Leonard Cohen in Cambodia, a vocal minority of expatriates in Phnom Penh have been using digital forums to post highly inflammatory critiques.

5. The nub of the issue is not the concert; rather it stems from a small segment of expatriate community bloggers in Phnom Penh who enjoy Cambodia for lifestyle opportunities impossible in their own countries and now complain when something is perceived to be beyond their reach despite the clear benefits for Cambodia and Cambodians. Those who criticise the motives behind the concert not only display an astonishing lack of knowledge or true long term commitment to the development process in Cambodia but denigrate the dignity of Leonard Cohen and his decision to honour us with his performance.

"I am deeply honoured, as is every Cambodian I’ve spoken to, that Leonard Cohen has chosen to perform a benefit concert in Phnom Penh," Mekong Sessions CEO Chris Minko said today ahead of a Cambodian media conference on Friday 16 July,

"This is the culmination of 15yrs work on behalf of the disadvantaged in Cambodia. After watching Live in London with Khmers for the last three nights running and witnessing their reactions to the elegance and humanity of his performance, I hold no reservations as to the welcome Leonard Cohen will enjoy here. The Mekong Sessions is focusing its entire energies on ensuring a seamless event regarded as a highlight of Leonard Cohen’s acclaimed world tour."

"In a world where humanity is lauded but often measurably limited in those that grasp the chance to make a difference, who better to cast light than one of the greatest statesmen and poets of the human condition?"

Chris Minko
CEO
Mekong Sessions

Cohen Tix On Sale Tomorrow July 10

Thanks to the huge interest in the Phnom Penh concert, Leonard Cohen and AEG Live together with the Mekong Sessions are pleased to announce that tickets for the concert will now be available for sale earlier than previously announced.

Leonard Cohen Live in Phnom Penh tickets are available for purchase as follows:

All ticket sales are only available online. No telephone bookings will be accepted. The following links will go live at the times below:
600 tickets have been reserved for Cambodian residents and will be available for purchase online via a special ticketing link 24 hours before the general release of tickets. Cash sales are also available at the Mekong Sessions office. Resident’s online presales will be disabled at 08.00 GMT July 11 and tickets must be collected from the Mekong Sessions office, No. 27, St.294, Phnom Penh by the end of July.

09.00 GMT July 10: Cambodian Residents pre-sales:
http://www.seetickets.com/aeglive/leona ... n-cambodia

09.00 GMT July 11: General sales:
http://www.seetickets.com/aeglive/?a=le ... r2=general

http://www.themekongsessions.com

http://leonardcohen.aeglive.com/

Gnashing of Teeth Part II: On the Other Hand Rabbi....

Of course with all this teeth gnashing there had to be an other hand. And this came through to me quite forcefully last evening following a conversation with the concert promoter who happened to be in Phnom Penh and stopped by Garage for a couple of cold beverages and to talk about the Cohen show.

So yes, on the other hand rabbi, what about the beneficiaries?? Is it really important who does the giving and what their motivations might be? Or put more directly in terms of the Cohen concert: If the primary goal of this concert series is to raise money for two worthwhile local charities, and if the maximum fundraising can be achieved by filling this venue at these ticket prices, is there any obligation to cater to fans by offering lower ticket prices and thus reducing the charitable benefits? Can one morally justify writing off, let's say $30,000 (that might go to the Red Cross (300 tickets x $100) so that 300 fans can attend the show who might otherwise not?

From a moral perspective I think it's a tough argument to make. Leonard and his promoter have considered this carefully I'm told and have come down clearly on the side of maximizing the proceeds available to the charities. Whether the promoters are correct in their calculus is a separate issue but they certainly know more about maximizing concert revenue than I do. Of course the moral high ground is lost if the monies don't get spent by the charities as they should. I will presume that Leonard's people have done their homework here regarding the charities.

Mr. Cohen has a history here to consider: 100% of the proceeds of his September Tel Aviv concert, a very pricey ticket, went to the Fund For Reconciliation, Tolerance and Peace he established to aid organizations doing good work in Israel and Palestine. And that includes 100% of the promoter's earnings as well (I looked it up).

What about from an artistic point of view? Will it be the same show, as good a show as if Cohen were playing to an arena of primarily fans? Well I am assured that Leonard will play the same quality show he does around the world regardless of who is filling seats, and with Leonard being known as an artist of extraordinary integrity, I don't doubt this. Ok, there may be less foot stomping and hooting, but that might be the same in say Tokyo.

Does the elitist nature of the concert limit the extent to which this is meaningful event for the larger Cambodian community (which of course is another main goal of the concert series)? From a cultural point of view, yes I think it would if Leonard and his peeps simply fly in and fly out. But it seems that this event means a great deal to Leonard so I'm expecting more from the man. I know a lot of local fans are hugely disappointed at the high ticket prices but I for one am anxious to see how this plays out.

Gnashing of Teen among the Coheneem?

Ticket prices for the Leonard Cohen concert have been announced and tickets gone up for sale through Leonard's fan club site, and they range in cost after processing fees, from $281 - over $600 per ticket. That is a rather expensive night out in one of the poorest countries on the planet. I know of one person who has bought a ticket. Apparently that's not a problem as the vast majority of seats are not up for public sale anyway. The fact that some portion of the proceeds benefit the Prime Minister's two favorite charities does not lessen the feeling of discomfort that many of Cohen's fans here feel about this.

Ads for the Cohen concert portray this as some kind of kickoff in the regeneration of Phnom Penh as a center of culture. Just how a Canadian Jew singing often impenetrable poetry to an arena chock full of Cambodian VIP's -- and a flurry of overpaid NGO workers and corporate sponsors -- currying favor with HE and Mrs. HE signals anything of the sort quite goes beyond my understanding.

At this time I'd like to turn your attention to the different spins charitable giving has in the Jewish and Buddhist Khmer traditions. The Jewish thinking was outlined quite cleary nine-hundred years ago by Maimonides, to wit:

Rambam organized the different levels of tzedakah (charity) into a list from the least to the most honorable.

8. When donations are given grudgingly.

7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.

6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.

5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.

4. When the recipient is aware of the donor's identity, but the donor does not know the identity of the recipient.

3. When the donor is aware of the recipient's identity, but the recipient is unaware of the source.

2. When the donor and recipient are unknown to each other.

1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.

In the Khmer Buddhist tradition, one's status in life, including one's financial status, is a reflection of one's accumulated karma in past lives, thus those who are rich and powerful, however they may act in the present life to lose karma points, are at least in some strong sense deserving of their position. Acts of charity are valued based upon how much is given, whether one is rich or poor, a view which enables those with large fortunes to rack up even more karma points even if the amounts given are a pittance of what they may be capable of giving.

Now I have not discussed this matter with my rabbi or any of the local monks, but upon continuing reflection it's pretty clear to me the kind of charitable and cultural event this concert represents and in spite of Mr. Cohen's probably fine intentions, I don't think much of it.