On Sunday my buddy Buzzard and I saw the Leonard Cohen show here in Edmonton at Rexall Place. This was the second Canadian music legend we had seen in the past week, having seen Neil Young in Calgary four days previous. This was my second time seeing this incredible poet,singer/songwriter in concert.
There was no opening act for this show, just an evening with Leonard Cohen, and what an epic evening it was with Leonard Cohen and his moost excellent back-up band playing for well over three hours. The show didn't end til 11:50, by far the latest I have ever seen a show go at Rexall Place. Other the GnR, but who the hell cares about that fiasco.
The show started with Leonard Cohen running out onto the stage followed by a standing ovation from the crowd of about 10,000 mostly grey haired fans. Yes, at the age of 78 years old the man ran out to the front of the stage, and then within the first song of the night "Dance Me To The End Of The Stage" he was on his knees singing. He spent more time on his knees through out the show singing, hell I am almost half his age and can't be on my kness like that. After the first song, Leonard took in the accolades and thanked the crowd for coming out to the show, saying he hoped to be doing this for many years to come, but just in case he didn't he was going to give a show for the ages. He also went on to say that at the age of 80 he hoped to be able to afford smoking again, by the age of 90, he wanted to do acid, and at 100 still be able to have sex. The man has a great sense of humour, smiled through out the show, looked to be having a great time on stage, and is definitely a charmer. And spry, the man put on a three and a half hour concert, many artists a third his age couldn't do that.
Leonard Cohen is touring for his latest album Old Ideas that came out at the begining of the year and is right up there with his older stuff. He did four songs from that release, which were "Amen", "Come Healing", "Anyhow" and "Going Home". The show was done in two sets with a fiftenn minute break between sets. of course Leonard did lots of his hits including, "Bird On A Wire", "Everybody Knows" which has one of my favorite lines of his "And everybody knows that you live forever, even when you've done a line or two", "Tower Of Song" was the song he opened his second set with, which has the lyrics "I was born like this, I had no choice, I was born with the gift of a golden voice" that brought on a huge round of applause for the man with a voice like no other. When Leonard did the song "Hallelujah" after it, I was suprised by how many people left thinking the show was near its end. For those that did leave, you missed about a third of the show. As he did another eight songs after that one. Some of his biggest hits were in the encored, songs like "First We Take Manhattan", "Famous Blue Raincoat" and one of my all time favorites of his "Closing Time". Just when you thought the show might be ending Leonard and his band would come back out, with Leonard skipping along and do a few more songs. Just an amazing concert. The two spoken word poems that he did were haunting where he had everyone in the palm of his hands as he recited his poetry. Absolutely amazing!!! The only slow part of the show for me was when his three back-up singers did two songs in a row "If It Be Your Will" and "Alexandra Leaving", but that is a very minor gripe about the show, because even those were quite good. After all even Leonard Cohen needs a break once in a while. One of the best shows I have seen this year hands down. Good times!!!
Setlist for the Edmonton show.
Dance Me to the End of Love
The Future
Bird on the Wire
Everybody Knows
Who by Fire
Darkness
Ain't No Cure for Love
Amen
Come Healing
In My Secret Life
A Thousand Kisses Deep (spoken poetry)
Anthem
Second Set
Tower of Song
Suzanne
Sisters of Mercy
Waiting for the Miracle
Anyhow
Heart with No Companion
Democracy
If It Be Your Will
Alexandra Leaving
I'm Your Man
Hallelujah
Take This Waltz
Encore:
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Encore 2:
Famous Blue Raincoat
Going Home
Closing Time
Encore 3:
I Tried to Leave You
Save the Last Dance for Me
Pictures from the show.
T-shirt front.
Back of t-shirt.
Limited edition poster from the show.
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