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Leonard Cohen’s return to Vegas proves he’s got miles left if he wants ’em

Spencer Patterson
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 (5:49 p.m.)


Leonard Cohen at the Colosseum December 10, 2010.
Photo: Bill Hughes

The Wall Street Journal recently dared pose the question: Is it time for Bob Dylan to retire from the road? The same might reasonably be asked of 76-year-old Leonard Cohen, who wrapped what could be his final tour with two nights in Vegas last weekend. But where Dylan’s voice and song alterations inspire debate over his continued abilities whenever he plays, Cohen’s Caesars Palace crowd seemed unified in thought as the three-hour event let out: This was a show for the ages, not an appreciation of the aged.

Though the folk icon’s setlist and song arrangements essentially mirrored those from 2009’s fantastic Colosseum performance, this second stopover felt sharper still. Every number was surely a life highlight for someone in attendance—from sparse late-’60s material like “Suzanne” and “Sisters of Mercy” that best showed off Cohen’s forlorn vocals to late-’80s fare such as “Everybody Knows” and “First We Take Manhattan” that demonstrated the collective prowess of his nine-piece backing group. For me, the moment proved to be “The Partisan,” a spine-tingling reworking of Cohen’s 1969 cover, featuring the exquisite bandurria work of Javier Mas.

Cohen balanced out the night’s intensity with some lightheartedness, particularly his introduction of drummer Rafael Gayol: “Laying it [the beat] down, bringing it home, smothering it with a pillow, going to prison. He’s recruited by the Aryan Brotherhood. Disillusioned with the quality of their tattoos, he converts to Judaism, but gets excommunicated for lighting the Hanukkah candles in the wrong direction. Spends many years in a halfway house for disgruntled vegetarians, and then joins the softest rock ’n’ roll band in the world.” Forget retirement. The man’s got a second career as a stand-up comic waiting if he wants it.

bridger15 wrote:

j6ppc wrote:Out for a morning walk on Sunday I was fortunate enough to run into Leonard. The opportunity to thank him personally was priceless.

Hey, Jon. Did you get any pics with your hi-tech cell phone?

You shot half of Venice with that phone and they were gorgeous. How aboui it?

---Arlene

j6ppc
I asked for neither pics nor an autograph. The moment sufficed for Carrie and I.

donalagata wrote:Arriving home late Monday evening after a long drawn out wait at the Las Vegas airport and then the very difficult drive home due to ice... Sleep and more sleep until my body felt replenished and ready to resume life. Several e-mails answered and my mind is busy with thoughts and details of these past days . My heart is full and joyful as I search for the words to describe what I experienced on December 10 & 11th. So many beautiful descriptions of the events with the details of each personal journey ...written with passion, love and honesty have been shared . Each day offered its own sweetness and special moments which were personal to each of us. Leonard gave all that he had and more ...
I shared laughter,tears and moments of pure joy with all of you who were there . As Leonard sang I felt the power and the passion of each lyric he sang. Each word spoken was filled with the intensity of conviction and the beauty of complete surrender. Wrapped around his lyrics came the voices of his angels each with there own unique sound but in perfect harmony with each other. The band played with precision and passion as each instrument spoke to us. Emotions were apparent as we all prepared for the last song. Leonard was kind and gentle to us as he prepared us for the final moment of departure. He honored us with his presence and we embraced him with our love. The journey is long and beautiful...
and we are all just passing through... I will savor these moments and the memories of this journey. I am thankful for all that I have experienced and although we can never go home again we can most certainly continue the journey...
donalagata

zodkavombie wrote:Hello everyone
Got back from Vegas yesterday and looked at this thread and there is very little I could add to it, everyone has said it all. What an experience that was, just AMAZING.
It was lovely to meet again with some of you and meet up for the first time some wonderful people.
I will download my photos at some point either today or tomorrow but it will be on facebook as so far I have never managed to put them on the forum. No very good with computers
Victorine

IrishAL wrote:Below is a link to Leonard introducing and thanking the Band for the last time. I love the look shared between Javier and leonard as he is introduced.

enjoy

albert