Last night I saw the best concert of my life. At 46 I have been fortunate to see some legendary performers over the years including Elvis, Dylan, Cash and recently Joan Baez. Nobody I have seen before can touch Mr. Cohen's performance last night and his band was amazing. Sharon Robinson & The Web Sisters did a fantastic job on vocals. Javier Mas (bandurria, laud, archilaud, 12 string acoustic guitar) was worth the price of admission alone.
I could go on and on about what a great poet Leonard is or talk about how he sang all of my favorites, and yet in thinking about the concert I keep coming back to the man himself and his stage presence. Mr. Cohen is such a gentleman. As much as I enjoyed hearing him sing I also enjoyed watching him not sing .... yes, watching him take his hat off and hold it closely to his heart as he listened to his fellow band members perform their solos. His respect for them was so powerful. We were fortunate to have 7th row seats and so I found myself wrapped up in the tiny understated movements of his body as he sang. During the evening Mr. Cohen alternated between tiny graceful side to side movements of his feet to dropping to his knees in an almost prayer like fashion to deliver his song to us. When called back on stage for numerous encores, 74 year old Cohen literally skipped on and off the stage with the lightness of being that is normally only seen in children and the mentally deranged. I think he was having a very good time.
Leonard is leaving Dallas to play at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix next. Check out his tour dates on his website.
In 2008 Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it was also the year that brought him back to the stage, performing in front of audiences in Canada for the first time in 15 years. Don't miss this legendary performer if he comes your way.
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8 comments:
I'm so jealous, and so happy you got to see him. "Bird on a Wire" is one of my all-time favorite songs.
Have a great weekend!
PERFECT! spot on.
-hauself
Sooooo jealous! Too bad I wasn't going to be in Phoenix!! Did he play "Closing Time"?
Thanks for stopping by ladies...yes Manon, closing time was one of several he tried to close on... he kept coming out for more encores.
I was there too! The concert had an old school arrangement with a mind blowing precision. I was into tears must of the concert, trying really hard not to sing along, and just absorb Leonard Cohen's deep deep beauty.
One of the many times he came back to keep on singing I was about to star singing
"look at me Leonard
look at me one last time...."
Thanks for your reply, I am going to listen to Dance me to the end of love just to have them all in my mind's treasure box.
My heart is going to be skipping in happiness for a long time thanks to LC. Thanks again. :)
I'm giddy with excitement right now. The power of the 'net...I posted about having difficulties with getting wheelchair tickets, and someone emailed me, saying that Mr. Cohen's management wants to help!!! Looks like I get to see him here in San Diego on Tuesday!! My heart is thumping!!
Tamandra-
Very cool. Hope they will hook you up with some terrific seats! It was so great to be up close to the stage.
Enjoy!!!!
Rebecca, thanks for pointing me to this, your amazing review that is actually spot on with the show I saw, a year and a half after your reviwe here (the final show of this tour Dec. 11, 2010). I loved your review. As I read it, I realized I could have written it if we had not been in the nose bleed section. I could not help but think how lucky I felt to be there at all. THE SHOW was epic, HE is epic. The band was incomoarabke, and his respect love and appreciation was palpable. The man is sprinkled with magic, there is no other way to describe it. It was the best show I have ever been to as well.
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