The link is to a good but long background article on Leonard's tour from the support act's perspective but this is some of it:
As a Kelly fan I felt Paul and Dan didn't get enough time on stage (only 45 minutes) and I was disappointed in the songs he selected for the set. I would have liked a few more classics like 'Careless' and a few less songs from his latest album 'Stolen Apples'. I also felt for them on the edge of a stage full of someone else's equipment and fronting a lot of empty seats plus a huge crowd in the throes of getting settled.Some of our best acts put their egos aside in honour of Leonard Cohen, writes Xenia Hanusiak.
TONIGHT, Paul Kelly, local hero and ARIA Hall of Fame icon, opens the first show for the legendary Leonard Cohen. Kelly remembers the phone call from music promoter Michael Gudinski, wondering about taking on the Australian leg of Cohen's world tour.He then asked Kelly if he would "do the support".
As Kelly tells it, playing cool, he said: "Well, you know I don't normally do supports in Australia but I'll have a think about it."
"Meanwhile my heart pumped a little faster. Songs of Love and Hate and Songs From a Room are imprinted in my soul."
A few days later, despite the falling Australian dollar and the global financial crisis, Gudinski decided to take the plunge. "I stepped back and let him and my agent do a little dance and after a couple of turns on the floor, I got the gig," Kelly says. Elsewhere on this world tour, Cohen and the band are the only act: no support artists.
But Kelly's recordings were exchanged, Cohen gave the nod and Gudinski got the tour of his dreams, teaming as he calls it "the legendary Leonard Cohen with Australia's greatest singer song-writer".
At about the same time in Perth, Blackeyed Susans bass player Phil Kakulas was also monitoring the Cohen world tour. Cohen had been on Kakulas' desire line for 30 years. As a 16-year-old, Kakulas' high school band, the Triffids, covered Cohen's Death of Ladies Man. Describing Cohen as the "best lyricist in the business", Kakulas was determined to get the Blackeyed Susans on the support list.
I'd be interested in other people's thoughts who see the rest of the concerts.
BM