Leonard Cohen - Rose Garden (Portland, OR; Dec. 8, 2010)
text: Theodora Karatzas / photos: Colin McLaughlin
[Eight b&w photos at the link - and an audio link of Leonard singing "So Long Marianne" - while you look at the pictures
]
“Are you excited?” said an old lady to me in the bathroom at the Rose Garden. “Yes,” I answered. “I never thought I’d get the chance to see him.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh really?” she asked. “Is this your first time?” When I replied with a vigorous nod, she gave me a gleeful smile. “You’re going to love it.”
I was being very honest when I told this unknown older woman that I never thought I’d see Leonard Cohen perform live. Up until 2008, he hadn’t toured in 15 years and Portland sometimes gets skipped on many larger tours. Couple this kind of anticipation with my fervent love for his music and you have one very excited little music junky on your hands. Despite this excitement though, I am always slightly apprehensive at the thought of a three-hour concert with any artist, no matter how great they are. In retrospect, it feels foolish to even question the greatness of his performances, as Cohen proved that he is and will always be one of the few artists who can pull off such a thing. It takes a rare character to be able to carry a show of that proportion on his own, and Cohen did a sublime job.
Cohen’s band took the stage to what looked to be a sold out crowd, running out in dapper black suits. Cohen himself came jogging out not far behind, waving at the crowd before launching into “Dance Me To the End of Love.” Crouching down on the stage, Cohen crooned out to the audience before stepping over to guitarist Javier Mas and crouching down next to him as Mas played. Cohen’s voice has aged beautifully, retaining every bit of its deep, warm huskiness and marinating in the juices of old age. The stunning thing about him is that even at 76, he’s seems as spry as ever. He frequently rocked his hips back and forth as he tip-toed and swayed to the music. His voice also hasn’t suffered in the same way that other older singers’ (cough, Bob Dylan, cough) voices have.
To top it all off, Cohen is one of the most kind and gracious performers I’ve had the chance to see. “I don’t know when we’re going to pass this way again,” he said after the first song, “but I assure you that tonight we’re going to give you everything we’ve got.” Throughout the concert, he frequently thanked the audience, referring to us all as his “friends.”
The next three and a half hours (intermission included) played out like a “Best of” album. Cohen played a range of his hits, spanning many different periods of his career. The result was a set that could please anyone. I’ve always been more partial to albums like New Skin For The Old Ceremony, and there were a few songs therefrom peppered into the set amongst more of his well known songs like “I’m Your Man” and “Anthem.”
Going into the second half of his show after a brief intermission, Cohen handed off the ropes for a minute to one of his back-up singers and a frequent and long-time collaborator Sharon Robinson. Robinson skillfully took lead on “Boogie Nights,” channeling every ounce of smooth, sexy Nina–Simone style jazz vocals that she could muster. The results were surprising, beautiful, and a nice (though unnecessary) break from Cohen’s vocals. Throughout the song, and many other times during the concert at instrumental solos, Cohen politely stepped back and removed his hat, listening intently and occasionally chiming in with his own vocal support.
Another spot where Cohen took a break from singing was during his second encore (there were three), when he recited a the first few stanzas of “If It Be Your Will,” before having his other two back-up singers, Charley and Hattie Webb of the Webb Sisters take over. I’ve always loved this song and the version that Antony Hagerty did as a tribute to Cohen, but the Webb Sisters certainly didn’t disappoint. Where Hagerty’s cover has a deep melancholy and fragility to it, the Webb Sisters manage to keep the song delicate with the introduction of a harp while weaving otherworldly vocal harmonies for a truly heavenly sounding interpretation.
I could try to go through and pick apart Cohen’s set list song-by-song, but after awhile even the songs didn’t seem to matter anymore. I’ll be the first to admit that his stuff is a little cheesy from time to time and it certainly has taken me a little longer to get into a few songs than it has with some of his other material. Everything he played live, however, was simply perfection. The cheesiness that he does pull off in his recordings was gone for the most part and replaced by honest, heartfelt music. I’ve always thought that Cohen was the kind of man who could pull off kitsch without being kitschy, but this concert sealed the deal for me. Watching him skip off stage after the final encore, I was mixed with feeling of sadness and complete bliss. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to see Cohen again, but I’m glad it happened once and it’s a memory I will never forget.
Setlist:
Dance Me to the End of Love
The Future
Ain’t No Cure for Love
Bird on the Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
The Darkness
Democracy
Chelsea Hotel #2
Waiting for the Miracle
Anthem
Set 2
Tower of Song
Suzanne
Sisters of Mercy
The Gypsy’s Wife
The Partisan
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I’m Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep
Take This Waltz
Encore:
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time
I Tried To Leave You
