Tour Reviews and Other Memories from
LEONARD COHEN WORLD TOUR Spring 2009
April 26
Calgary, Alberta
Jack Singer Hall
|
Set List for April 26
Calgary Herald review & photo
Calgary Sun review & photo
Fan reports
|
April 28
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Credit Union Centre
|
The StarPhoenix review & photo
|
April 30
Winnipeg, Manitoba
MTS Centre
|
Set List for April 30
Winnipeg Free Press review & photos
Winnipeg Sun review
|
May 3
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Orpheum Theatre
|
Set List for May 3
Star Tribune review & photo
Pioneer Press review
CityPages photos
Fan reports
Youtube
|
May 5 & 6
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Theatre
|
Set List for May 5
Set List for May 6
Chicago Tribune review
Chicago-Sun Times review
Riverfront Times review
Illinois Entertainer review & photo
Chicago Decider review
The Times (Northwest Indiana) review
Fan reports
Youtube
|
Previous
Vancouver, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Seattle, Washington
Edmonton, Alberta |
|
|
Next Page
Detroit, Michigan
Columbia, Maryland
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Waterbury, Conneticut
|
|
|
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Set List - April 26, 2009
First Set
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem
Second Set
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz
Encores
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
Sisters of Mercy
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
Calgary, Alberta
Cohen delights fans with intimate show
Calgary Herald - April 27, 2009 by Heath McCoy (Photo: Gavin Young)
Leonard Cohen performed a sold-out show Sunday at Jack Singer Concert Hall.
For about 1,800 Cohenites who made it to the Jack Singer Concert Hall Sunday, the evening will forever go down as the blessed upside to the Cohen kerfuffle.
That's because without a doubt Calgary scored one of the best shows on Leonard Cohen's current tour with an intimate theatre gig, something far more suited to "the bard of the boudoir" than the sprawling arena concerts the Montreal icon has been playing on most his other stops.
Of course, that will be a bitter pill to swallow for the thousands of Leonard lovers who missed out Sunday. Tough break folks.
Local Cohen devotees know the story all too well. When tickets for the show went on sale in March, with only 1,800 for the taking, they sold out almost instantly, leaving many a fan fuming. Of course, this wasn't a problem for the arena shows held in other cities.
But what comes around goes around and on Sunday Cohen fans were paid back in kind for their troubles with a truly special show.
Cohen hit the ground running, literally, spryly dashing upon the stage--not bad for a 74-year-old --receiving a standing ovation as his band ushered in the seductive waltz, Dance Me to the End of Love.
One thing that was immediately apparent was the warm beauty of Cohen's voice, which held strong throughout the evening. Cohen's always been limited as a singer. He's been more of a reader with a distinct, measured delivery that brought his lyrics into the realm of song in the most subtle yet expressive way.
But age hasn't diluted his gift. Actually, it might just have added something, his gentle, raspy bass tone as seasoned as it's ever been as he crooned his way through Bird on a Wire, hitting many a high note along the way.
Cohen's classics filled up the night one after the other, intellectually, emotionally rich songs of life and death, sex and spirituality, and hope and despair.
Highlights included a darkly jaunty Everybody Knows and Chelsea Hotel No. 2, Cohen's ode to a real life tryst with Janis Joplin, which was spine tingling--sexual and heartbreaking at once.
Cohen's wonderful band and backup singers are deserving of particular praise, injecting an old world European flavour into the mix, along with snatches of pop, jazz and cabaret. They brought a real freshness to Cohen's catalogue. If you're somebody who, at times, has found Cohen's dark folk to be too overwhelmingly bleak you would have been delighted by his band's touch. The songs had a buoyancy and energy that made them seem new, even as they remained faithful to the dark, seductive poignancy of the original recordings.
Also a pleasure was the humour and charm that Cohen exhibited, joking that he hadn't been to Calgary since he was about 60, then "just a kid with a crazy dream" he quipped to much laughter. Later he playfully flirted with his pretty backup singers during the synthgrounded Tower of Song.
One of the evening's most spellbinding moments came during the second set as Cohen picked up his guitar for an appropriately solemn and chilling reading of his breakthrough song Suzanne.
At press time, dropping to one knee Cohen reclaimed one of his most beloved tunes, Hallelujah, a tremendous feat considering the spate of remarkable covers that song has been through, ranging from Jeff Buckley and k. d. lang to Michael Buble and Alexendra Burke.
While he may lack the vocal might of his admirers, Cohen proved the song still belongs to him with a tender, soulful rendition that brought the house to its feet.
That's not all he laid claim to Sunday night though. It was also the hearts of his most devoted Calgary Cohenites.
Calgary, Alberta
Everybody knows ... he's great
Calgary Sun - April 27, 2009 by Lisa Wilton (Photo: Mike Drew, Sun Media)
Legendary Canadian singer Leonard Cohen dazzles sell-out crowd with warm and rich voice
The Killers may have attracted thousands more people to their glitzy Saddledome show, but last night the hottest ticket in town was for a soft-spoken septuagenarian. If the Las Vegas pop-rockers hadn't already booked the 'Dome, there's no doubt Leonard Cohen could have filled the venue.
So when the iconic Canadian singer, poet and songwriter jogged onto the stage at the 1,800-capacity Jack Singer Concert Hall, there was a sense that we were witnessing something incredibly special.
For the sold-out audience it was a rare and thrilling opportunity to see Cohen in such an intimate atmosphere. His first Calgary appearance in 15 years was met with multiple standing ovations and rapturous applause from those who were lucky enough to snag a ticket.
At 74, Cohen cuts almost as dashing a figure as he did when he released his first album more than 40 years ago.
Dressed in a smart black suit and matching fedora, Cohen looked like a dapper, 1940s-style gangster as he led the audience on a mesmerizing three-hour journey through his impressive 'tower of song.'
Kicking off with the eastern European folk-tinged Dance Me to the End of Love from his 1984 release, Various Positions, Cohen smiled often and looked as happy to be on stage as the crowd was to see him there. And it's a blessing Cohen wasn't at the Saddledome as the Jack Singer offers much better acoustics for his intricate songwork.
Cohen's first act was filled with some of his best-known hits, including There Ain't No Cure For Love, Everybody Knows, Bird On a Wire and Who By Fire.
The live arrangement of these tracks were more soulful than the synth-heavy original recordings, but I did find There Ain't No Cure For Love hasn't aged as well as earlier tracks like So Long Marianne and Suzanne.
As with fellow Canadian music legend Gordon Lightfoot, who performed at the Jack Singer two weeks ago, the years have robbed Cohen of some of his vocal strength. But his raspy bass still captivates and was surprisingly rich and warm last night. Cohen's voice was perfectly complemented by the dulcet tones of his three backing singers -- sisters Charley and Hattie Webb and his longtime collaborator Sharon Robinson. Cohen graciously thanked and introduced the singers and his six musicians, and they returned the favour by supplying a polished backing to the Montreal native's fascinating poetic narrative.
Although Cohen has written a handful of wistful love songs, much of his work deals with themes of depression, loneliness, politics and religion.
But live, Cohen offsets the melancholy with a playful sense of humour. When Cohen sung the line, "There'll be fires on the road and a white man dancing" from The Future, he punctuated it with a rather good little white man dance of his own.
The haunting and transcendent quality of many of Cohen's tunes was no more apparent than during an absolutely hypnotic performance of In My Secret Life, co-written by Robinson.
The Jewish Buddhist (he was ordained as Rinzai Buddhist monk in 1996) proved he could still make the ladies swoon when he sang some of his more sexually charged lyrics. For close to an hour, the singer -- who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year -- barely uttered a word in between songs. But he eventually greeted the crowd, saying he hadn't been to this part of the country for a long time.
"I was 60," he said. "Just a kid with a crazy dream."
While the first act was heavy on Cohen's material from the '80s, his second set featured many of his earlier classics such as Suzanne, Sisters of Mercy and of course, Hallelujah, arguably his most popular song.
Cohen left the audience spellbound and wanting more. It was probably one of best concerts the Jack Singer has hosted in its 24-year existence.
Hallelujah indeed.
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5
Calgary, Alberta
Blogs and Other Fan Reports
Blog - "ZAAKISTAN" - "Leonard Live
"
I've seen some good concerts in my lifetime: U2, Barenaked Ladies, Bob Dylan, La Bottine Souriante, Audio Adrenaline, Switchfoot, dc Talk, Sam Roberts, Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings, Burlap to Cashmere, Habib Koité to note a few of the best. I am amazed to say it, but Leonard Cohen blew everyone out of the water. My mom accompanied me to the concert at Jack Singer Hall...
Discuss the tour and read fan reviews on The Leonard Cohen Forum and in French on the Leonard Cohen Forum (French site).
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Master lyricist Cohen reaches young and old
The StarPhoenix - April 29, 2009 by Jeanette Stewart (Photo: Greg Pender)
Leonard Cohen has much to teach a culture that too often favours youth and beauty over age and wisdom.
Time has been kind to Cohen, who enraptured and enthralled a multi-generational audience at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre Tuesday night.
As the lights went down on CUC, Cohen jogged quickly into his place between his assembled cast of world-class musicians, all dressed much like the 74-year-old Cohen, who wore a crisp black suit and a fedora.
Doffing his hat, he got down on his knees as virtuoso guitarist Javier Mas began the opening song, Dance Me To the End of Love.
The musicians have performed more than 100 shows with Cohen since he began his world tour in 2008, and the precision with which they play together is apparent, providing the background to Cohen's poetry with grace and ease. The audience will never know how hard they work.
Cohen moved through decades of material, offering his dark prophecies in the form of 1992's The Future. With the lyrics "love the only engine of survival," Cohen sent out a timely message in a climate of widespread economic panic, teetering global markets and the pervasive scent of despair trotted out daily by the media.
"Your private life will suddenly explode," he sings, as if predicting the advent of social networking, doing his best to lighten the mood with a few well-timed dance steps.
Cohen has often insisted his voice sounds better with female accompaniment, and the cartwheeling Webb sisters and long-time collaborator Sharon Robinson provided a pitch-perfect, ethereal accompaniment to his textured baritone.
"Speak to the angels," he said, looking rapturously at them.
He also maintained a similar reverence for his audience, adding "thank you folks" after many of the songs.
With Bird on a Wire, one of his folk singer-era successes, we were reminded once again of the power of his lyricism, his voice doing its best to slip into the higher registers he used to employ.
At press time Cohen had just begun the second half of the evening, manning a keyboard that was playing the synthesized beats of Tower of Song. The crowd was in full anticipation of favourites like Suzanne and Hallelujah to come.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Set List - April 30, 2009
First Set
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem
Second Set
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz
Encores
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
Winnipeg, Manitoba
REVIEW: Cohen unbound to passage of time
Winnipeg Free Press - May 1, 2009 by Melissa Martin (Photo: Boris Minkevich)
Unlike peers from the 1960s and 70s that have since passed into the realm of kitsch, Leonard Cohen never goes out of style.
The Montreal-born icon’s catalogue, chiselled out over the course of 40 long years, is both classic and yet aggressively relevant and contemporary.
His fans could be described the same way. On Thursday night, they funnelled into the MTS Centre: young, old, and somewhere in the middle.
Come to think of it, the only thing they had in common was Leonard Cohen.
Let that diversity be testament to Cohen’s legacy. Of course, he’s still crafting it; but this current tour, launched in 2008 to help recoup losses from an ex-manager who famously embezzled millions from Cohen’s retirement fund, may be fans’ last chance to add a live picture to their memories.
Oh, but what an image it was. Though Cohen has made his own aging a focal point of his recent creative life ("I’ll wear an old man’s mask for you," he murmured last night during a late-set rendition of I’m Your Man; the original line made no mention of "old man"), he hardly seems bound to the passage of time.
Though his face shows the wear of a 40-year career, his spry body and singularly penetrating baritone seem only slightly dented. And let’s face it: at 74, he’s still sexy. At least, the audience clearly thought so. "I need to see you naked in your body and your thought," Cohen growled on early-set offering Ain’t No Cure for Love, and a smatter of titillated cheers rose from the stands.
It wasn’t the only thrill in the three-hour concert, which began shortly after 8 p.m. On a stage adorned only by gossamer curtains, Cohen, svelte in a black suit with a fedora shrouding his eyes, said little, but gave much.
The poet and his sublime nine-piece band started with Dance Me to the End of Love, continued through Bird on a Wire, and settled for a few minutes on ominous 1988 classic Everybody Knows. But it was Cohen’s eerie, tender 1991 ballad In My Secret Life which proved the most gripping in that first hour.
An hour into the set, Cohen finally spoke. "I thank you for your hospitality," he intoned, then pulled out the line he’s cracked at every show on the tour thus far. "The last time I played here was 14 or 15 years ago... I was 60. Just a crazy kid with a dream."
Enhancing Cohen’s commanding onstage presence was his superb backing band, which included a lovely trio of vocalists in longtime collaborator Sharon Robinson and sisters Charlie and Hattie Webb; their lovely harmonies ebbed and flowed tastefully around spectacular guitar and oud work. (Robinson and the sisters also had their own spins in the spotlight, with the Webbs offering shimmering lead vocals on the ethereal If It Be Your Will.)
After breaking for 20 minutes, Cohen and co. returned to continue the slow, sombre affair. Cohen performed almost solo for the austere Suzanne, but that soon slipped into the rich intonations and lush, exotic instrumentation of The Gypsy’s Wife.
Cohen gave up Hallelujah halfway through this second act, the 1984 tune that became one of the era’s most coveted covers. The audience cheered wildly for this introduction, then perched in respectful silence during the keening keyboard solo. Cohen looked on, hat lowered to his chest.
And the poet left a parting gift to fans who had spent up to $250 a pop to see him in person: as it turned out, the set-ending Take This Waltz was, well, hardly a set-ender.
Instead, Cohen offered up no fewer than seven encore songs, beginning with So Long Marianne and the delicious First We Take Manhattan. There were walls of luscious instrumentalism, a clap-along, and a number of well-deserved standing ovations.... and one very sweet farewell.
"I don’t know when we’ll meet again, but ‘til then, be well friends. Be lucky, and may you always be surrounded by friends," Cohen murmured, as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his band. "May blessings find you in solitude. Thank you so much for the affection and warmth."
FIVE STARS
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Cohen does it again
Winnipeg Sun - April 30, 2009 by Darryl Sterdan
Sun Rating: 4 out of 5
With Leonard Cohen, it's always like the first time. Exactly like the first time.
At least, it was when the 74-year-old singer-songwriter and poet laureate of Canadian folk music brought his so-called Retirement Fund Replenishment tour to MTS Centre on Thursday night.
To be fair, I might have been one of the few in the crowd to notice. That's not because I am particularly perceptive or observant. It's because I was lucky enough to catch Cohen's tour-opening concert at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre back in February. And the best thing I can recommend is that you click here to read a review of that gig — because this show was pretty much the same in every respect from stem to stern.
And when I say pretty much the same, I mean: Virtually identical. There was the same three-hour set of classic songs (with a couple of minor exceptions) from throughout his career. The same running order. The same superb band. The same lush arrangements. The same subtle, sophisticated performances. The same stage moves. The same set, lights and curtains. The same pristine sound mix. The same verbose band introductions. The same comedic keyboard solo in Tower of Song. The same between-song banter about not having been onstage since he was 60 and "just a kid with a crazy dream." Heck, Lennie was even wearing the same outfit — or at least a reasonable facsimile — right down to the blue shirt and gangster fedora pulled down over his eyes.
Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with any of that. After all, most arena acts reproduce the exact same set night after night, week after week, month after month. Some bands like KISS do it decade after decade. And while Cohen is a long way from turning into Gene Simmons — now there's a horrible thought — there's no getting around the fact that he's nearing the best-before date on this set. Ever since he left the self-imposed seclusion of a monastery and reluctantly returned to the spotlight a few years back — after having his life savings allegedly drained by a former manager — Cohen has been playing more or less the same set. He's toured it around the rest of the world. He's released a live CD and a DVD of it. It's even been shown on CBC. So unless you've been living in a cave or purposefully avoiding all things Cohen for the last few years, chances are you knew at least some of what you were in for.
But here's the thing: You would never have known from Cohen's gentlemanly performance. Like the consummate old pro he clearly is, he made it all seem fresh. He delivered his pitch-black vocals with passion, commitment and gravitas. He told his tinder-dry jokes with a sparkle in his eyes. He dropped to his knees and skipped about with mischievous grace and boyish exuberance. He acknowleged his band with affection and treated them with respect. He made the cavernous MTS Centre seem like an intimate theatre — and at times, he made it seem like a folk club, a smoky lounge or a European cabaret. Not once did I get the impression this was just another song, another gig, another night on the endless road he thought he'd left behind.
Neither did anybody else, obviously — Cohen had the lovingly boisterous crowd in the palm of his hand from the moment he walked out on stage to the first of the several standing ovations he earned during the three-hour set. When the last one came at the end of his lengthy encore — after the oh-so-fitting I Tried to Leave You — it was clear the courtly troubadour had given the faithful virtually everything they could have wanted and more than they could have had a right to expect. Exactly like he did the first time I saw him.
Here's hoping this wasn't the last time.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Set List - May 3, 2009
First Set
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem
Second Set
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz
Encores
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Democracy
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Hallelujah" chorus greets Cohen
"They don't make men like that anymore," a woman was overheard saying to her man at the intermission of Leonard Cohen's concert Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre. "He's such a gentleman."
Courtly would have been the word to describe the 74-year-old Canadian's demeanor onstage. So would romantic, sexy, spiritual, political, poetic, profound and ageless.
The Mick Jagger-thin man in the sharp black suit, bolo tie and fedora trotted onstage and skipped off during a two-set, three-hour, four-encore performance. This was deeply satisfying, tantric concertizing by the Jewish Buddhist monk. And the worshipful sell-out audience responded as if they were having a religious experience at the House of Cohen.
In his first Twin Cities appearance since 1993, the revered songwriter and rumbling singer dressed his poems of hope, love and despair in a rich tapestry of smooth-jazz, gospel-lite and gypsy-tinged world music. Like a jazz concert, the approach allowed each of the six musicians and three backup singers to shine. Javier Mas, from Barcelona, was especially outstanding on bandurria, laud, archilaud and 12-string acoustic guitar, and the Webb Sisters, Hattie and Charley, did some lovely Irish vocalizing on the prayer-like "If It Be Your Will" and eye-popping cartwheels during "The Future," following Cohen's own little soft shoe routine.
Seeming more like a performance artist than a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Cohen was lost in his own world, head bent down, eyes closed, right hand clutching the microphone, left hand clenched around the microphone chord. He often dropped to one knee and once to both (during "Chelsea Hotel #2" about his fling with Janis Joplin), but this routine began to seem like an affectation. He plucked a guitar on a few tunes and plunked a couple of notes on an electric piano on "Tower of Song" in a way that was so slight that fans applauded and he joked about their applause.
Making his first U.S. tour in 15 years in order to replenish his retirement fund squandered by an ex-manager, Cohen is finding many new converts, who may have discovered him in the lyrics of a Nirvana song or via versions of his "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley, "American Idol" finalist Jason Castro or in the movie "Shrek."
Not surprisingly, the increasingly famous "Hallelujah," done with hymn-like restraint by Cohen, received a standing ovation on Sunday. The brightest of the other highlights included the hauntingly spare "Chelsea Hotel #2" (with the great line: "we are ugly but we have the music"); the spoken-word poem about wanting the relationship to go 1,000 kisses deep; "First We Take Manhattan" with its soulful groove; "I Tried To Leave You" as a fittingly false finale, and the gypsy soul strut "I'm Your Man," a perfect combination of the playful and the profound, just like the gentleman himself.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Concert review / Leonard Cohen's Twin Cities performance feels like heartfelt farewell
Leonard Cohen is different. Many a musician who first forged a career in the 1960s will be undertaking a concert tour in 2009. But Cohen seems to get something that so many of them don't: There's no guarantee that this won't be goodbye.
So Cohen and his extremely well-rehearsed nine-piece backing band performed a three-hour show Sunday night at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre that had the flavor of a valedictory, as if almost every song had something Cohen urgently wanted to say before departing. When you consider that this pioneer of the singer-songwriter set is 74 (and touring for the first time in 14 years), it seems only realistic to consider that this might be the last go-round.
But so few in a similar position pour as much into their performances as Cohen did Sunday.
Or are doing such inventive things with their material. While visiting songs from throughout his four-decade career, Cohen and his band transformed almost all of them into something transcending the original. Amid it all, Cohen seemed the epitome of class, wearing a dark suit and a fedora he held to his chest during solos by his bandmates, as if doffing it as an old-fashioned symbol of respect.
For those concerned that Cohen's baritone (almost bass) voice has grown too tattered by time, you should know there were moments Sunday when he sounded very much like he did on his early albums, when this published poet first took to setting his evocative words to music. When the arrangements became spare and haunting — as on "Suzanne" and "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" — things were quite close to the original in sound.
But other songs were enhanced by unusual instrumental combinations, such as oud, organ and pedal steel. "Bird on a Wire" became a slow-burning electric blues, "Hallelujah" a hymn, "Dance Me to the End of Love" a Jacques Brel-style cabaret song. The arrangements were almost invariably excellent, Cohen's delivery emotional and engaging.
But the overriding sense from Sunday's show was that this was a long, heartfelt goodbye. Lyrics written long ago that helped establish this songsmith's identity now sounded like fond farewells, none more so than an encore of "So Long, Marianne." If this was indeed the last opportunity for local audiences to hear Cohen, he made it a memorable one.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Slideshow: Leonard Cohen
Iconic folk singer and poet Leonard Cohen played an epic two-set show last night at the Opheum, singing his biggest hits like "Bird on a Wire," "Hallelujah," and "Famous Blue Raincoat."
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Blogs and Other Fan Reports
Blog - "The American Jewish World" - "In concert: Leonard Cohen turns up the graciousness"
It was a sensational and emotionally moving show by the troubadour from Montreal, who was backed by a talented cast of musicians and three sweet female back-up singers...
Blog - "Music for Humans" - "Leonard Cohen"
He was amazing and nothing short of perfect Sunday...
Blog - "Perfect Porridge" - "Leonard Cohen, May 3, 2009, Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis, MN"
...His performance had been sublime by even the strictest of measures. He had addressed it all: the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift.
Discuss the tour and read fan reviews on The Leonard Cohen Forum and in French on the Leonard Cohen Forum (French site).
Chicago, Illinois
Set List - May 5, 2009
Per Marie
First Set
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem
Second Set
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz
Encores
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Democracy
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
Chicago, Illinois
Set List - May 5, 2009
Per Marie
First Set
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem
Second Set
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz
Encores
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Democracy
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
Chicago, Illinois
Set List - May 6, 2009
Per Marie
First Set
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem
Second Set
Tower Of Song
Suzanne
Gypsy Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recitation)
Take This Waltz
Encores
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Democracy
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
Chicago, Illinois
Concert review: Leonard Cohen at Chicago Theatre
“Love is not some kind of victory march,” Leonard Cohen intoned Tuesday while performing his classic song “Hallelujah.” But for Cohen, who has been away from the touring circuit since 1993, his first of two sold-out concerts at the Chicago Theatre was exactly that.
He wore a black suit and snap-brim hat for the occasion, and dropped to one knee as if offering each of his songs up as a sacrament.
At age 74, the Canadian-born poet, novelist and songwriter supreme has never been more popular; when last he played Chicago, nearly 16 years ago, he was headlining a venue one-quarter of the size. Absence, it appears, has its benefits.
Instead of continuing to make albums in the ‘90s, he spent six years in a monastery. And that monastic reserve pervaded his presentation, lending gravity and dignity to even the simplest gestures. When one of his musicians performed a solo, Cohen quietly removed his hat and stood enraptured. But it was all just window-dressing for some of the greatest songs of the last 40 years, 26 in all spread over three hours.
In many of them, life can be one cruel ride, but somehow the narrator keeps paying the carny at the door for one more chance. God, if he exists at all, looks down on the whole thing with a bemused silence. The characters are worn-down wanderers who got more than they bargained for, and these songs are their moments of truth.
The lyrics are sprinkled with biblical allusions and sexually charged imagery. Cohen’s readings suggested chain-smoking detectives in trench coats reading a murder report, then extrapolating the details, the circumstances, that would drive human beings to do such desperate things.
Cohen’s presentation was meticulous, right down to the scripted between-songs patter. His nine-piece backing band consisted of able musicians who at times erred on the side of prettiness. The saxophone solos in particular sounded out of place, oozing sweetness.
These arrangements had nothing to do with rock’s Southern, rhythm-oriented sound. Even the disco beat for “First We Take Manhattan” sounded ironic. Instead, this was dark, European fare, flavored by Spanish guitar and hymn-like chord changes. Cohen’s deadpan baritone suited the material perfectly, and singers Charley and Hattie Webb followed suit with a beautifully unadorned reading of “If it be Your Will.”
“Tower of Song” was even more sparse, with an arrangement built on a pre-set keyboard rhythm that sounded straight out of a surreal “Blue Velvet” lounge. As this concert reiterated, Cohen’s songs are best served without extra seasoning. They’re that good.
Chicago, Illinois
Leonard Cohen at the Chicago Theatre
For a Buddhist monk, Leonard Cohen showed little evidence Tuesday of "being here and now."
The 74-year-old Canadian singer and songwriter's more than three-hour performance during the first of two sold-out shows at the Chicago Theatre followed the same set list as every other show on the tour, including the one documented on his recent album "Live in London." Even the patter was identical.
The last time he toured, a decade and a half ago, the musical legend was "just a crazy kid with a dream," he quipped.
But spontaneity wasn't the point, even if it was essential to another of his key inspirations, the Beat movement. This was an unexpected late-career victory lap, necessitated by having lost most of his savings, but nonetheless a welcome gift to fans who either thought they'd never see him again, or who knew him only through covers by Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Rufus Wainwright and countless others.
Though Cohen is one of the most poetic songwriters to emerge in the '60s, second perhaps only to Bob Dylan in terms of the many gems in his impressive catalog, his studio recordings often are marred by syrupy over-production at odds with the simple brilliance of his writing and the limited but powerful instrument of that gravelly bass voice.
There were moments Tuesday when the polished nine-piece band over-played or sounded just too slick and lite for the material. But the poignant beauty of the songs simply couldn't be denied as one classic followed another, rife with grand Biblical allusions and gritty barroom epiphanies: "Bird on the Wire," "Suzanne," "Chelsea Hotel" and "Hallelujah"--most of all "Hallelujah," a song that even blew Dylan's mind.
Cohen's versions of those and more than 20 others were revelatory in the way that it's always illuminating to hear a great writer read their own work. Wearing his familiar black suit and fedora and dancing with a gentle shuffle or dropping to one knee, he was in fine voice and seemingly humbled by the adoration. And best of all, he seemed ready to go for 74 years more.
Chicago, Illinois
Review + Setlist: Leonard Cohen at the Chicago Theatre, Wednesday, May 6
At 11:15 p.m., just before Leonard Cohen left the stage after performing nearly three hours of music, he locked arms with his six-piece band and trio of female singers. The packed Chicago Theatre crowd stood rapt as he started to say his farewells. After an a cappella reading of "Whither Thou Goest," a Bible-inspired song popularized by Guy Singer, he imparted some wisdom of his own. It went approximately like this:
"I hope in your life you are surrounded by friends and family," the white-haired, suit-clad Cohen said, his gravelly speaking voice not far from his baritone vocal intonations. "And if you aren't, I hope that you are happy in your solitude."
Making reference to the torrential rains that plagued Chicago earlier in the evening, he warned patrons to be careful, adding "and if you fall, I hope you fall on the right side of luck."
The 74-year-old Cohen finally seems to be after a tough few years, which found him fighting in court with an ex-manager over missing funds, a battle that halted his musical momentum. But he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, and this current U.S. tour, his first in fifteen years, is drawing rapturous reviews.
Still, it's hard not to consider the tour a farewell of sorts -- or at least a last hurrah. But Cohen certainly gave the audience its money's worth. He literally skipped on and off stage before each set -- one 75 minutes, one 50 minutes -- and three encores, totaling 45 minutes. Defying bad knees or hardwood floors, he tended to perform kneeling close to the stage, crouched so only the top of his fedora was visible. Occasionally he marched in place (and resembled a gaunt penguin in the process), while other times he did a little jig-dance, which made him seem like a cute grandpa.
For older material such as "Suzanne" and "The Gypsy's Wife," he strapped on a guitar - and for "Tower of Song," he looped a cheesy keyboard beat and plucked out a dinky melody on a synthesizer. (In the middle of the song, he also thanked the audience for being so kind to tolerate the music, just one example of his dry humor.) Cohen delivered "A Thousand Kisses Deep" as a bewitching poem instead, while the dark, dense "Everybody Knows" was another highlight. The playful "I'm Your Man" ended with a lone white spotlight focused on Cohen - just one example of the tasteful, simple light show.
But Cohen's strongest instrument is his voice, a wearied-by-life low rumble that he's grown into perfectly. The subtle inflections, the quick turns of phrase, the naked emotion, the poetic descriptions - his words dart and crackle, vibrant in their loneliness and lust, curled by romantic longing and burned by love lost. Like Tom Waits without the self-conscious quirks, Cohen growled for the underdogs -- the line "You fixed yourself, you said, 'Well never mind, we are ugly but we have the music'" from "Chelsea Hotel #2" drew spontaneous applause - and comforted the oppressed (a rabble-rousing, '80s-rock-ish "Democracy," the most upbeat tune of the night).
Musically, the full band accompanied his voice perfectly, playing beatnik blues-jazz, Spanish-inflected rock and even the occasional touch of soft-glow R&B. Surprisingly, the retro sound rarely detracted (save for an occasional Miami Vice-ish sax part, or an organ that wandered into cheesy), which is a testament to their talents - and Cohen's ability to reinvigorate his studio songs in a live setting.
The respect and deference Cohen showed to this fantastic band - including long-time collaborator/current band leader Roscoe Beck and Barcelona native Javier Mas, who added flair and textures with banduria, laud and archilaud - permeated the night. If a player soloed, Cohen removed his hat and listened intently to the performance. He introduced his band twice, made sure to give credit to collaborator/vocalist Sharon Robinson for her writing credits and had backing vocalists the Webb Sisters interpret "If It Be Your Will," which they did with golden harmonies.
The gesture was kind but also significant, because cover songs have kept Cohen's words vibrant over the years. (Later in the night, in fact, he humbly thanked people for keeping his songs alive.) And like Dylan, Cohen's words have become so familiar and ingrained in the culture, they might as well be considered traditional. Still, it was a treat hearing the originator tackle these iconic tunes. The epistolary "Famous Blue Raincoat" found him bathed in warm blue light, calmly reciting the lyrics, while "First We Take Manhattan" became a jazz-blues march full of ominous, vague threats and a sinister subconscious.
And then there was "Hallelujah." By this point, it's hard to imagine the song as Cohen's, because so many people have made it their own. But he delivered it with no more fanfare than he did, say, "So Long, Marianne" - except for the fact that his voice swelled loudly and forcefully through the chorus (in conjunction with the stage lights, which burned to white at the crests of emotion). Wisely, he let the audience's memories and connotations of the song instead of his own interpretation carry it forward, ensuring that it had maximum build and impact.
In the end, it's hard to really describe seeing a fantastic show by a legend, especially one whose talent stems from intellectual rigor and emotional depth instead of brute-force rock or giant universal pop songs. And Cohen is the rare artist whose music inspires emotionally, intellectually and romantically -- without being maudlin or didactic. He's an artist who articulates the private self, actualizing the silent parts of a person's hopes, fears, shame and longing.
Perhaps he's such a gifted wordsmith because he's acutely aware of his own mental gifts and accompanying anxieties. After all, this tour finds him grateful to even be performing his music - a fact he subtly nodded to by thanking the audience several times over for their hospitality.
In the end, that's the one thing he didn't get quite right: No, Leonard. Thank you.
Chicago, Illinois
Leonard Cohen live!
Illinois Entertainer - May 8, 2009 by Andy Argyrakis (Photo: Andy Argyrakis)
With 15 years since he last performed on American soil, it’s no wonder why Leonard Cohen’s pair of Chicago Theatre shows are amongst the most anticipated of the year thus far. Though fans were given a sneak peak of the set list via the CD/DVD collections Live In London (Columbia), they provided only a glimpse of the greatness that the troubadour turns in on tour.
While he’s unquestionably one of the greatest songwriters of all time (covered by the lauded likes of Jeff Buckley, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker and Bono, amongst countless others), Cohen was remarkably humble and soft-spoken on stage. After politely tipping his hat (to overwhelming applause), the sold out audience gained its composure, allowing the storyteller to share over forty years of sophistication, sexual yearning and spiritual seeking.
At 74, Cohen’s finally caught up to the wisdom-filled words he began weaving in the late 1960s, though each suave turn of phrase remains relevant right here and now. “The Future” was an early presentation where the mastermind warned of forthcoming doom and gloom, “Ain’t No Cure For Love” spoke of unshakable attraction, while the freedom seeking “Bird On a Wire” served as a masterful country/blues hybrid.
“Everybody Knows” found the enduring performer switching from straight ahead singing towards a deep-throated storytelling bellow, which was clearly responsible for shaping the future stylings of Lou Reed and Nick Cave. His gruff croon (an acquired taste for some and cherished by others) also brought the gentle ballad “Suzanne” to haunting realization. “Boogie Street” soon showcased his jazzier side, highlighting soulful vocalist Sharon Robinson (who also wrote the track).
His accompanying singers (which also included folk duo The Webb Sisters) were just part of a superior six-piece backing band that helped springboard Cohen’s material to additionally transcendent heights and he often acknowledged those session players’ polished skills. Even if he didn’t need any help to make a fresh rendering of “Hallelujah” any more memorable, the song soared with gospel-like harmonies and the originator’s smoky confidence.
The two act show included a few more numbers (ending with the ethnically-influenced “Take This Waltz”) before embarking on several extensive encores that put the marathon evening just past the three hour mark. The generous spread continued with the harmonica-doused love lament “So Long Marianne,” the cocktail swinger “First We Take Manhattan” and the politically potent “Democracy,” all of which demonstrated additional instrumental and topical diversity.
Although Cohen more than convinced the crowd of those treasured talents, he left the stage once again and returned to deliver “I Tried To Leave You,” subliminally suggesting he was having too much fun to actually call it a night. After presenting his poetic portion of the track, the band jammed in jazzy fusion for over eight minutes of free flowing abandon. Yet the marathon wound down on an a cappella note alongside the entire cast for “Whither Thou Goest,” capping off the extraordinary experience with magnificent melodies and the magical expository expression that can only be Leonard Cohen.
Chicago, Illinois
Recap: Leonard Cohen at the Chicago Theatre
After being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2008, Leonard Cohen could have announced that he was retreating back to the Zen Buddhist monastery in California where he spent half of the '90s. No one would have begrudged the now 74-year-old songwriter/poet/prince of wryness for living out his remaining days in solitude.
Instead, Cohen announced a massive new tour—his first in 15 years—and was soon jetting around North America, Europe, and Australia. He visited Chicago this week for a pair of shows at the Chicago Theatre, and the venue’s baroque opulence would seem like an odd setting for a man whose brooding music is more meditation than celebration, more confession booth than choir. But then, Cohen has always been a paradox: The literate brilliance of his music’s world-weary melancholy has made people happy for 40 years. He was a hesitant star, wanting to stand apart from “the figures of beauty” (as he called celebrities in “Chelsea Hotel”) even as he became one.
On Wednesday night, Cohen was rapturously greeted by a standing ovation the moment he walked onstage. So began a three-hour concert that delivered all the goods any diehard Cohen fan could ask for. It was a career retrospective (with hits from "Hallelujah" to "A Thousand Kisses Deep") that never crossed into canned indulgence because Cohen’s band beautifully breathed new life into old, spare songs (“Suzanne,” most notably).
Songs aside, the brilliance of Cohen’s performance was that he somehow retained his arch wryness while being the consummate showman. His gentle, exquisite theatrics—kneeling to sing many songs prayerfully, taking his hat off during applause—were balanced by deadpan banter. "Excuse me for not dying," Cohen memorably told the packed hall a few minutes after joking he had spent the 15 years since his last Chicago performance doing Prozac and Paxil. That graciousness spilled into the multiple encores, which offered more fan service.
His final song of the night was "I Tried To Leave You" from 1974's near perfect New Skin For The Old Ceremony—as if to suggest Cohen needed his audience as much they needed him. Who knew he was such a romantic showman? When he closed the evening with a simple note of gratitude—"Thank you for keeping my songs alive"—the room erupted at his humility.
Chicago, Illinois
Leonard Cohen fills Chicago Theatre
It seemed so incongruous, the 74-year-old architect of some of modern music’s most dour and downbeat popular songs of love and hate skipping across the stage like some kid. But there he was, Leonard Cohen, performing last Tuesday in the first of two nights in the darkened Chicago Theatre as part of his first international tour in more than a decade, with his molasses voice sounding almost identical to his later recordings.
"It’s been a long time since I stood on this stage, 14 or 15 years," Cohen said between songs. "I was 60 years old then, just a kid with a crazy dream. Since then I’ve taken a lot of Prozac."
Funny line. And it was almost word-for-word the same as a crack he made for the audience on his latest album, Live in London, recorded in July 2008. But the re-run joke fits into a larger point, which is that unlike other troubadours traveling America -– ahem, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison -- Cohen fans know what they’re going to get when they attend these shows. That is, faithful reproductions of many of Cohen’s most beloved studio recordings spanning most of his career.
In between songs at the Chicago, the audience was greeted with that most rare specimen, the humble artist, who frequently knelt down when he sang, removed his hat when other performers did solos, and told the crowd he was genuinely glad for all their support over the years. Their response was evident in the vanishingly few open seats in the crowd.
Chicago, Illinois
Blogs and Other Fan Reports
Blog - "There and Back Again" - "Septuagenarian swoon"
He wove some spoken lyrics throughout the night, which could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up they're so good...
Blog - "Emmakat" - "I saw Leonard Cohen!"
It was a great evening. The set decoration was sparse, but I was one of the many things I really loved about the show. Rugs covered the stage floor, which combined with Cohen's comfort on stage and his great soothing voice...It felt quite comfortable, warm and sweet...
Blog - "Strand of Oaks" - "Leonard Cohen: Chicago Theatre "
Watching people in disbelief each time Cohen skipped back out on stage. People cried, bottled up with joy, long contained and now released...
Blog - "The Private Intellectual" - "Chicago Diarist: We are ugly, but we have the music"
Unlike Reed or Dylan, his fellow enigmatic songsmiths, Leonard Cohen seems to like his old material and to love the audience that craves it...
Blog - "Crosswalks to Nowhere" - "An Evening With Leonard Cohen"
I've only been to a few shows where more than a single standing ovation was given, and I counted no fewer than seven during this show, including the minutes-long ovation Cohen received when he first walked on stage...
Discuss the tour and read fan reviews on The Leonard Cohen Forum and in French on the Leonard Cohen Forum (French site).
Speaking Cohen Home
Archives - Search Engine
Backgrounds provided by Eos Development
|
