So long, Mr Cohen – I guess we won’t see you in these parts ever again but you made several thousand baby boomers (and a few bright young things) deeply happy last Wednesday night.
The first LP I ever bought was Songs of Leonard Cohen from the Philips Record Club. Its mysterious lyrics suited my teenage angst as I lay in my bedroom, listening over and over. I’ve followed your work over the years and I fell in love again on seeing the I’m your man DVD.
I was lucky enough to see you on Wednesday night. Mr. Cohen you are now 76 but your are still the man. You are a poet and songwriter extraordinaire. You are the one with the golden voice, man of spirit but of the world.
You gave your all and we weren’t disappointed. Standouts for me were So long, Marianne – pared back, as it was back then, and the inimitable A thousand kisses deep – so achingly beautiful.
You sang The Anthem – Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in, with partner Sharon. I wanted to hear more of her deep, sonorous voice.
Your musicians were impeccable too, as you said. I would have liked to have seen you in the Town Hall so I could see your face, not just on the big screen, but you can’t be too greedy.
After three standing ovations, you said you shouldn’t keep us up as it was a school night and you skipped out. What I wanted to ask was why you found New Zealand so mysterious…
If you missed the man in concert, enjoy the his latest dvd, Songs from the road or the earlier, Live in London.