My husband and I got back quite late from the Leonard Cohen show in Boston last night (the show got out at midnight and it’s a three hour drive back to Maine so needless to say I’m exhausted). Still, it was an excellent concert and I’m extremely impressed by the man. I’ve grown used to seeing living legends on stage who are out of shape, seem tired, and sound little like their former selves, but with the exception of a more gruff and low voice Leonard is none of the above. He sprinted out onto the stage and for the duration of the concert (which consisted of two parts and two encores totaling 4 hours) danced and knelt and bowed and moved from one band member to another with more flexibility than I as a 26 year old possess. He also had a humility that was terribly endearing, at one point jokingly asking after a spontaneous round of applause from the audience if we really meant it or if we were just being nice to an older gentleman. I don’t have any pictures from the concert because they specifically stated it was prohibited to take any and I respect such rules (unlike the 10 or so people in front of me with their iphones), but I did purchase a mug and lapel pin from the merch table.
I think the “Cup of Longing,” modeled after the cover of his Book of Longing, definitely wins the prize for my favorite tour merch of 2012.
For the curious, here is the set list from the show:
Set One:
1) Dance Me to the End of Love, 2) The Future, 3)Bird on a Wire, 4) Everybody Knows, 5) Who By Fire, 6) Darkness, 7) Ain’t No Cure For Love, 8) Amen, 9) Come Healing, 10) In My Secret Life, 11) A recitation of “A Thousand Kisses Deep”, 12) Anthem
Set Two:
1) Tower of Song, 2) Suzanne, 3) Chelsea Hotel #2, 4) Waiting for the Miracle, 5) Show Me the Place, 6) Lover Lover Lover, 7) Democracy, 8) Sharon Robinson performing Alexandra Leaving, 9) I’m Your Man, 10) Hallelujah, 11) Take This Waltz
Encore One:
1) So Long Marianne, 2) Going Home, 3) First We Take Manhattan [note: the lights and instrumentation ont his song was fantastic- it was like attending the Leonard Cohen disco]
Encore Two:
1) Famous blue Raincoat, 2) Spoken introduction by Leonard and then “If It Be Your Will” performed by The Webb Sisters), 3) Closing Time
Aren’t these adorable? You can see more of the pictures from our session with Elisha on her blog and you can see her portfolio on her website here.
