April 25th

 On April 25th, 2009 I saw the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter poet Leonard Cohen at Rexall Place in Edmonton. This show was so good!

Leonard Cohen Stamps

I picked up these Leonard Cohen stamps a couple months ago and thought it was about time I showed them off. These stamps issued by Canada Post were released on September to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Cohen’s birth. Leonard Cohen passed away November 7th 2016. He was a Canadian Legend who was a singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist. Leonard has been inducted into every music hall of fame you could think of. A true legend and missed dearly. This book of nine stamps with three different pictures shows Leonard through a different phase of his career. The front of the booklet features a picture of a mural painted on a building in his hometown of Montreal. These stamps can now go with the other Canadian music stamps (The Hip, Guess Who, Rush and Stompin' Tom Connors) I have collected over the years.

RIP Leonard Cohen 1934-2016

I woke up this morning to the sad news of the passing of Canadian music legend Leonard Cohen. Leonard was 82 years of age and had just released his latest album "You Want It Darker" in October.

I was lucky enough to have seen Leonard Cohen in concert twice here in Edmonton. The first time was in 2009 and again in 2012. Both shows were incredible. To read my reviews of both shows click here and here.

Rest In Peace Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen performing "Closing Time" in Edmonton April 25th 2009.

My favorite Leonard Cohen quote - "Does anybody have a cigarette? I'm looking forward to that first smoke. I've been looking forward to [it] for about 30 years."

Throwback Thursday...Leonard Cohen

A couple of posters from the two times I have seen Leonard Cohen in concert.

19 Years Ago Today...November 18th

It was nineteen years ago today that I saw the Cadillac Tramps play at The Rev in Edmonton.

And it was nine years ago today that I saw Misery Signals live at the Krobar here in Edmonton.

It was three years ago today that I saw Mike Plume perform at the Haven Social Club in Edmonton.

And it was a year ago today that I saw Leonard Cohen play at Rexall Place in Edmonton.

7 Years Ago Today...April 25th

It was seven years ago today that I saw Franz Ferdinand with Death Cab For Cutie play at the Shaw Conference Centre here in Edmonton.





Also four years ago today I saw Leonard Cohen play at Rexall Place in Edmonton.

Leonard Cohen Live In Edmonton Nov.18th 2012

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.

Concert Shirt/Poster Of The Day July 12th (Leonard Cohen)

Today's t-shirt is from the Leonard Cohen concert my buddy Eor and I went to in 2009 at Rexall Place in Edmonton. This was an amazing concert, Leonard made the Coliseum feel like an intimate smokey jazz bar. The poet/musician sounded great with an awesome back up band. I wasn't sure what to expect, after all he is getting up there in age. I left this show with an even bigger appreciation for Leonard Cohen. Good times!!!

Setlist for Edmonton show.

First Set
1. Dance Me to the End Of Love
2. The Future
3. Ain't No Cure For Love
4. Bird on a Wire
5. Everybody Knows
6. In My Secret Life
7. Who By Fire
8. Chelsea Hotel No. 2
9. Waiting for the Miracle
10. Anthem

Second Set
11. Tower of Song
12. Suzanne
13. The Gypsy's Wife
14. The Partisan
15. Boogie Street
16. Hallelujah
17. I'm Your Man
18. A Thousand Kisses Deep
19. Take This Waltz

First Encore
20. So Long, Marianne
21. First We Take Manhattan

Second Encore
22. Famous Blue Raincoat
23. If It Be Your Will

Third Encore
24. Sisters of Mercy
25. Closing Time

Fourth Encore
26. I Tried to Leave You
27. Whither Thou Ghost

Front.


Back.

Lyrics Of The Day Sept.21st (Leonard Cohen)

"Ah we're drinking and we're dancing
and the band is really happening
and the Johnny Walker wisdom running high
And my very sweet companion
she's the Angel of Compassion
she's rubbing half the world against her thigh
And every drinker every dancer
lifts a happy face to thank her
the fiddler fiddles something so sublime
all the women tear their blouses off
and the men they dance on the polka-dots
and it's partner found, it's partner lost
and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops:
it's CLOSING TIME "



Lyrics by Leonard Cohen from the song "Closing Time" released in 1992 on the album "The Future".

Happy 76th Birthday Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen In Edmonton April 25th 2009

What a week for Canadian music legends. Saturday saw Leonard Cohen playing Rexall Place here in Edmonton, two days after Neil Young played the same venue. I wasn't going to go to this show, but then knew my friend Joe is a huge Cohen fan, and thought I might as well check it out with him. I am glad that I did, Leonard doesn't tour very often and who knows if I would ever get the chance to see him if I didn't go this time.
He played for just under 3 hours with an intermission half way through. The show started with a standing ovation for him from the crowd of about 8,000. I was quite impressed with the show, his voice still sounds great, raspy and all. It was a laid back older crowd for the show.
I wouls rate this show an 8 out of 10. Earl also decided to come to the show at the last minute. All and all a good time.