Leonard Cohen 23/07/09

Thursday 23 July 2009 had finally arrived. I had waited with much impatience & anticipation for Leonard Cohen’s concert at the O2 Dublin. I wasn't disappointed. At exactly 8PM Leonard & his band including The Webb Sisters & Sharon Robinson came out on stage to cheers from a delighted audience. They immediately burst into song even though there were still a lot of people waiting to take their seats. The stewards rightly made them wait a while so that those of us who had arrived on time could enjoy the start of the show. The 1st part of the show lasted until 9.10pm & included a guitar solo from Javier Mas & excellent saxophone playing from Dino Soldo. I wasn't really familiar with most of the songs from this half except for 'Bird on the Wire', 'Dance Me to the End of Love' & 'Tried to Leave You'. I didn't mind not knowing some of the songs because the lyrics of Leonard’s song are sublime so even songs heard for a 1st time sound great. After a 20 min interval the second half started at 9.30pm & this for me was just an absolutely brilliant set. Songs such as 'Suzanne' followed by 'Sisters of Mercy' were belted out. A couple of songs later the now infamous 'Hallelujah' saw Leonard really putting the passion into his singing. Of all the covers of this song & there are some good ones notably the late Jeff Buckley, nothing compares to hearing Leonard sing this live. During this song we were treated to a piano solo from Neil Larsen & Leonard on his knees as the song ended. A couple of songs later came 'So Long, Marianne', one of my personal favourites & possibly my concert highlight. Watching Leonard sing this amazing song live in 2009 that he wrote in 1967 with a passion so raw we could almost feel it was one of those moments in life that I will never forget. Also included in the 2nd half was another spellbindingly passionate performance of 'First We Take Manhattan' & the equally memorable' Famous Blue Raincoat' where the stage developed a blue haze. Sharon Robinson treated us to a breath taking version of 'Everybody Knows'. Leonard was quick to remind us of her greatness & of the fact that she co-wrote a number of his songs including the aforementioned that she performed. Leonard introduced The Webb Sisters rendition of 'If It Be Your Wil'l by quoting the first few lines of the fabulous song before the 2 ladies delighted us by singing it. They also spontaneously treated us to cart wheels earlier in the night. Other songs that we were treated to throughout the night included 'I'm Your Man', 'The Partisan', 'Ain't No Cure For Love', 'Take This Waltz', 'Closing Time' & 'A Thousand Kisses Deep'. Leaving the music aside there was so much more that made this night so memorable. Seeing a legend & one of the best lyricists ever for me was something special. I always knew that I would enjoy this concert but the magnitude of how amazing it was came as a very pleasant surprise. What struck me from the moment he walked on stage is how humble Leonard Cohen is & of the deep respect that he gives his band, entourage & fans alike. At 2 stages during the gig he introduced us to each band member in turn & removed his hat & bowed to them. Also during any song where a band member played a solo he stood beside them hat removed. I was very moved by this & other artists should follow his example of respect. At the end of the concert he thanked everyone involved including stage managers & even the person who looks after the hats! The concert finished up just after 11PM & as we left to head for home I had a warm feeling inside that can only come on the rarest of occasions after a live concert. As someone who lives for live music it is the highest compliment I can give & I thank Leonard for a very moving evening & one that will give me lasting good memories for a long time to come.
Gwen Langford 23/07/09