Leonard Cohen in Melbourne

[Impenitent]

Last night was his final concert and I had the great good fortune of being part of the audience.

First...where does this 74 year old man get the energy!? He was so completely on the ball, giving a wonderful performance - musical (yes, very musical!), varied, funny, pacy, gracious, intuitive and a wonderful stage presence! And, you know, his lyrics are not the run-of-the-mill pop repeat lyrics; they are complex, and he was all over them!

He was supported by a wonderful band of musicians - each first-class musicians in their own right - to whom he twice praised with sublime adjectives.

His voice was mellow and deep - deeper than one would have thought possible, and his presence was light and agile on stage. He skipped on, he kneeled on stage, he bowed his head and tipped his hat. There were a lot of hats on that stage, but only Leonard removed his, to acknowledge applause, or the proficiency of the other musicians.

Each word and phrase was carefully weighed, reading his audience, his sincerity ringing through it all.

He recited lines from his poems/lyrics before singing:
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
...offered significantly to the victims of the bushfires.

So many wonderful lyrics!

"Like a bird on the wire,
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free..."

Tower of Song, I'm Your Man, Dance Me To The End of Love, If it Be Your Will, Hallellujah, True Love Leaves No Traces, Suzanne, Sisters of Mercy, So Long Maryanne, That's no way to say goodbye, The Gypsy Wife, The Partisan, First We Take Manhattan, Famous Blue Raincoat, In My Secret Life, Who By Fire (this was just beautiful!), Democracy...I'm sure I've missed some!

He recited rather than sung a reworked "A thousand kisses deep", as an old man looking back, without any backing, hat in hand. So many of the songs/poems that I thought I new so well had been revisited and magnified with a light, master's hand to exquisite poignancy.

"Boogie Street" was sung as a solo by his long-time collaborator Sharon Robinson, who also provided backing vocals alongside the extraordinary Webb sisters, who sang a haunting duet with guitar and harp accompaniment of "If it be your will", following Cohen's unadorned recitation of the poem. The surprise element for me was Javier Mas, who played 12 string guitar and several other stringed instruments, including laud and bandurria. He was extraordinary! his playing added such nuance and depth to every piece!

Cohen was on stage for 5 encores, 3 and a half hours all told, and was incredibly generous, self-deprecating, funny, appreciative of the moment and a true collaborator with his fellow performers! Ahhhhh, truly satisfying to the heart and the senses.

[vison]

Leonard Cohen is peerless as a song writer.

[Alatar]

Oh I think he has a couple of peers Vison. One is in your sig...

Glad you enjoyed it Impy. Were you aware that the only reason he came out of retirement was cause his manager either embezzled or lost all his money?

[Impenitent]

No, I didn't know that. I've not followed the music industry in any meaningful way - in fact, I didn't even know he was coming to Melbourne until I got the phone call from a friend urging me to go with her.

In that case, I think it's wonderful that such wonderful musicians came on tour with him (including Australian legend Paul Kelly, who was support act) and I hope he makes a nice squillion. I suspect he will, because all the concerts through the country were sellouts. He's been touring since last June, apparently!

I haven't got that kind of energy and I'm 30 years younger than he.

[Padme]

Glad you had a good time. Sounds wonderful.

[vison]

Alatar, I agree that Paul Simon is a great songwriter, but his songs aren't like Cohen's songs. I don't like Cohen "as a poet" and his other writing (a horrible novel) aren't what I like either.

I heard Cohen interviewed on CBC radio a few years ago and he praised Jennifer Warnes (Sp?) to the skies, saying she interpreted his songs better than anyone, including himself.

It's like, people keep saying Bob Dylan is a great poet, but I disagree. He's a great songwriter, which is an entirely different thing. His songs do not "read" as poetry, but are perfect set as music. I know nothing about music at all, but I know a great poem when I read it!

Paul Simon means more to me in a personal sense than Cohen ever will, but that's not due to the quality of either man's writing. Anyway, they are as different as chalk and cheese.

[Alatar]

Its a still life water color,
Of a now late afternoon,
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
And shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our lives.

And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what weve lost.
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm,
Couplets out of rhyme,
In syncopated time
Lost in the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our lives.

Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
Can analysis be worthwhile?
Is the theater really dead?
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow,
I cannot feel your hand,
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation.
And the superficial sighs,
In the borders of our lives.

[sauronsfinger]

That sounds like a wonderful event. I have always loved Suzanne and think it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

On Youtube I saw Allison Crowe sing Hallellejuah and it completely blew away Cohens own rendition which I always thought was fantastic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMOdVXAPJ0

I envy you this experience