And now for Leonard Cohen

[petronia]

Leonard Cohen, Salle Wilfred-Pelletier (Place-des-Arts), June 23

I'm not going to post songs as I do that every other week anyhow, so here is the setlist (as painstakingly compiled on leonardcohenforum.com):

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
Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Take This Waltz

Second Set

Tower Of Song (nb: masterpiece of comedic recitative)
Avalanche
Suzanne
The Gypsy's Wife
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
Democracy
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep (recital)
Anthem

Encores

So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan

Sisters Of Mercy
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time
That Don't Make It Junk

I Tried To Leave You (lololol)
Famous Blue Raincoat
Whither Thou Goest

It speaks for itself, honestly. And we lucked out in the ticket purchase server roulette - everyone says the first night was the best, and "Famous Blue Raincoat" is only played occasionally this tour. ♥

Thoughts in no particular order:

1) The concert lasted for THREE HOURS holee crap. My dad was worried about getting to bed on time and I was like lulz, I'm pretty sure Leonard Cohen will need to call it a night before you do. HOW WRONG I WAS.

2) Suspect the audience went in assuming Len would whisper-rasp all his songs as per the last couple of albums - I did, anyway. Wrong again! As mentioned in my original post I've never seen a crowded house rise to its feet as fast as after he belted out "Hallelujah", except in the movies.

3) This really brought home the fact that I prefer late Cohen to early Cohen, even though I was exposed to early Cohen first. Ten New Songs is a 10/10 album for me, and that only because the arrangements are seriously cheesy - if lyrics and melody were all it took it'd be something like 15/10. When the songs are played live the handicap is erased. In fact Leonard Cohen is supposedly recording his next album with this touring band (presumably now that he can afford more than 1 x Casio keyboard and 1 x drum machine to work with); I can't wait. XD

4) This was one of the most consistently hilarious concerts I've ever been to. Then again, devoted Leonard Cohen fans probably all have similar senses of humour. ("I last played here fifteen years ago... I was just sixty... a kid with a big dream... in between I took a lot of Prozac.")

5) Come to think of it the last time I heard that scary pharmaceutical recitative was out of Adam Green's mouth. Not that Leonard Cohen is some kind of alcoholic stoner who wrote songs about crack and anal sex OH WAIT.

6) Being a Leonard Cohen backup singer is kind of like being a Bond girl, y/n?


Leonard Cohen tribute concert, Place-des-Arts (outdoors), June 26

Which was broadcast, apparently - on Arte. Lots of clips here, which also give a sense of how immense the crowd was. Was there with Ced and Erin and gave up on getting close enough to see the stage properly; close enough to watch on the screens was adventurous enough.

I liked Katie Melua on this, or maybe it's my fondness for the song:

And Michel Pagliaro NAILED it:

I can't find clips of Steven Page out of The Barenaked Ladies, unfortunately as IMO he was the standout for keen selection - "The Singer Must Die" and "Memories"! ...Two weeks later he got busted for coke, wtf that is getting old. :/

Comments

*____*

[analyse.livejournal.com]

is montreal ALWAYS this awesome? (wait for me, mr cohen!)

Re: *____*

[petronia.livejournal.com]

I have to be honest and say it's awesomer in the summer than in the winter. XD We can go stalk Leonard Cohen's house, though! (He won't be there.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_pratz_/]

why montreal, why, why, why? *wails*

speaking of the list, my heart goes to the encore set more ^^

[triestine.livejournal.com]

I HATE YOU SO MUCH I AM OOZING ENVY

(no, not really; well, I am envious, and at the same time happy and thankful for the report)

I am dying to know if he'll play in Ljubljana or what. EUROPE DATES CONFIRM! Come onnnn!