Live Review: A Night with Leonard Cohen

At 76 years of age Leonard Cohen still has it. Whatever it is that “it” refers to in this saying is rather perplexing, because the word is a singular neuter pronoun, which grammatically would only refer to one thing, however Cohen undoubtedly defies this truism with an exhibition of his many talents in his 2010 Australian tour. The man has got everything. An embodiment of all that is music and performance, the audience is entirely enslaved by a lined, silver haired yet oh so dignified and dapper Cohen and his nine piece band. Proving that age has no limitations (well, certainly not in his case) he performed a generous three and a half-hour long set at Rod Laver Arena, with no signs of exhaustion or apathy towards his music or his audience. The passion is alive and well. A long way from the Cohen of the 60s and 70s, he delivers his gift of song with his matured, velvety, husky voice, harmonised beautifully by his three female back-up singers, the Webb sisters and his long time collaborator and friend Sharon Robinson.

“Dance Me to the End of Love“, a hit from his 1984 album Various Positions, was the show opener, which infinitely got the crowd buzzing, seeing this energy right through until the final encore, “Closing Time”. The set list included a perfect mixture of songs from all of his albums throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s and luckily for the audience none of the favourites were excluded. I held my breath with awe when the first few chords of every song began, and upon recognition let out a slight sigh of admiration. As opposed to his 2009 tour, which tendered more towards the 80s jazzy sound, this years has improved, with more variety and a closer feel for what he may have been like live in the 70s. Sensory perceptions were aroused when we were treated to a couple of his more folky tracks, such as “Avalanche” and”The Partisan”, with just him and his melancholy guitar. The melodic poetry of “So Long Marianne”, “Suzanne” and “Who by Fire” left my heart throbbing for more. And the bluesy resonance of “The Darkness” was undeniable.

To be able to experience Cohen’s creation and view his exhibition simultaneously is a pleasure and an invaluable experience. He exudes grace and charm and relays a fond respect for all of his band members, taking time to praise them and humbly thank them. He understands musical genius when he sees it, because he himself is a musical genius. But not only that, he is a profound poet, an artist of sorts and above all, a gentleman. Leonard Cohen was born cool, and boy do I know that he will die cool. He is the real deal.

Leonard Cohen
November 13, 2010
Melbourne, VIC @ Rod Laver Arena