Trying to write a review for a Leonard Cohen concert has been one of the hardest tasks I’ve undertaken in recent memory (clearly I live a difficult life…). To be able to clearly articulate this experience is far outside my skills as a writer. Put simply, I will never be able to replicate the true magnificence of this rare event – something I never expected to experience, nor, to be honest, was I even sure I wanted to experience it. It really wasn’t until he had announced his return to the stage last year that I realised I had grown up with his music.
A poet, a songwriter, a musician … the genius that is Leonard Cohen has touched all of our lives in one way or another, even if we didn’t realise it (or thought it was through Jeff Buckley). “Hallelujah”, “Closing Time,” “Suzanne”, “Bird On A Wire”, “First We Take Manhattan”, “Everybody Knows”. The list goes on and on. And in the three hour set, complete with no less than three encores at his final night at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Leonard Cohen played them all, leaving few dry eyes in the house.
But first up, accompanied by nephew Dan Kelly, was Australia’s Paul Kelly, playing to the packed-out arena for half an hour. The audience was prompt and respectful – barely an empty seat in the house, which must be quite a gratifying experience for any support artist, even one as enigmatic as Mr. Kelly. And I think it goes without saying that this is an artist who has deserved that respect, becoming and remaining one of the best artists Australia has to offer.
Despite there being only two men on the stage, their resounding sound filled the Entertainment Centre with ease. I suppose it helped that you could have heard a pin drop from the crowd’s silence. The set drew mostly on his latest album, but went back through the years as well, and seemed to leave everyone satisfied on that front. But this is a man with such skill, he could honestly play anything and that level of satisfaction would remain the same. Always a pleasure to see him perform and tonight was no exception.
After a brief break, Leonard Cohen stormed onto the stage with his incomparable 9-piece band. And I really mean incomparable in every sense of the word. These were musicians who are as important to their respective instruments as Leonard Cohen is to his voice and lyrics. A voice of which, I might add, has possibly never sounded better. And this was certainly an area I was slightly weary of – while in his recordings there was quite a power – it was often so focused on love or pain or even hate that I really wasn’t sure how I would deal with 3 hours of that sort of performance. Thus, I guess it was fair to say that in my mis-education on all things Cohen, I didn’t expect much.
What I was greeted with was not only a man with a voice with such a power that goosebumps were prompted with every lyric, but a live composition which far exceeded anything that could be found in his recordings. From Javier Mas’ beautiful performances on the 12 string guitar, to the incomparable backing vocals (and harp, guitar and even gymnastics) of The Webb Sisters, musical director and bassist Roscoe Beck (who you may know from the Bass Guitar of the same name) had put together an ensemble second-to-none.
Together, they helped breathe new life into Cohen’s material, and perhaps even Leonard Cohen himself, whose energy would have surpassed even my own, performing for 3 hours, even skipping off stage for the intermission and encore breaks! But the audience played their part as well, rising to their feet time and time again, with grown men weeping while “Hallelujah” reverberated off the walls of the Entertainment Centre. Indeed, his song choices went through the entire back catalogue, I’m sure giving everyone a chance to hear their favourite song (some numbers, such as “Closing Time” would receive loud and impassioned cheers from just a select few in the crowd… and with that you knew that they were indeed having one of these moments).
But one of the most incredible things about Leonard Cohen was the respect which he brought to the stage. After every song he would thank the audience and put his hat on his heart. He would do the same every time he introduced his backing ensemble as well. And with such a talented team behind him, it was no surprise that there was a constant, genuine feeling of mutual respect running throughout the show. But it was at the finale that this was most felt, when he replaced his hat with his hand, holding it against his heart and pronouncing: “thank you so much for keeping my songs alive after all these years…”
And you knew he meant it. These were genuine words from a man of such immense importance and talent that you couldn’t help but have a tear in your eye when he made his final goodbye, digressing that he would most likely never grace the Sydney stage again.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience of pure beauty and unsurpassed musical talent. I’m so glad I attended the show despite my previous conceptions as I dare to say that it bordered on a life-changing evening. And damn, if he can do what he’s doing at 74, then it gives hope to us all.
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And now, to assist in redeeming my inability to perfectly articulate this incredible evening, here are some notable quotes about Leonard Cohen from some far more respected chaps:
“He is our Shelley, he is our Lord Byron” – Bono
“Leonard Cohen was the first artist I discovered by myself. He is the symbol of my musical independence. The sadness of Cohen was inspiring; it gave me a lot of energy. I always remember all this when someone says that my records are morbid or depressing.” – Nick Cave
I tell you who I also think is wonderful is a chap called Leonard Cohen. Do you know him? I mean, the orchestration is fantastic and the words, the lyrics and everything, he is a remarkable man.” – Prince Charles
“Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld/so I can sigh eternally.” Nirvana, “Pennyroyal Tea”
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And also, as I didn’t go into too much detail on the support band, here is the ensemble:
The 9 Piece Support Band:
Rafael Gayol – percussion
Roscoe Beck – musical director, bass, background vocals
Neil Larsen – keyboards
Javier Mas – bandurria, laud, archilaud and 12-string guitar
Bob Metzger – guitars, pedal steel, background vocals
Sharon Robinson – background vocals
Dino Soldo – saxophone, wind instruments, harmonica, keyboards and background vocals
The Webb Sisters – background vocals, harp and guitar … and gymnastics
