22 May 2008: Suspension of Routine Posting: Because of the severe illness of a loved one, I am unable to routinely publish new posts on this or my other sites for a time. While blogging deferred is, by any accounting, hardly a catastrophe, I did want to explain the cause of the missing posts as a courtesy to readers. Happily, I can heartily I recommend an alternative site for information about the Leonard Cohen 2008 World Tour: the excellent and frequently updated listing posted by Speaking Cohen at Tour Reviews and Other Memories from Leonard Cohen World Tour 2008
May 11 2008: Tour Opens In Fredericton
There are photos and an outstanding review of the performance at LeonardCohenForum.
The photos and videos first appeared on Leonard Cohen Fan Pages at Facebook.
Videos
Leonard Cohen Talks To Fredericton Audience (11 May 2008)
Leonard Cohen In Fredericton - Dance Me To The End Of Love (11 May 2008)
Leonard Cohen In Fredericton (11 May 2008) - Who by Fire
Leonard Cohen In Fredericton (11 May 2008) - In My Secret Life (full song)
Leonard Cohen In Fredericton (11 May 2008) - Everybody knows (short clip)
13 May 2008: Selected Newspaper Reports of Fredericton and Halifax Concerts
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Globe and Mail.com: He was Fredericton’s man While this is a competent review, it lacks the verve and energy typically found in the Globe and Mail coverage of Leonard Cohen. I do think this quote, which I extracted from the middle of the article, perhaps the best short summary of the staging of the night’s performance.
“Onstage more than 2½ hours, Cohen certainly looked his age, a little stooped but dapper in a double-breasted suit and a fedora, which he removed to take a bow after each song. Cradling a hand-held microphone, he was able to move energetically around centre stage to interact with his band. He played two sets of eight songs each and four encores, including 1960s standards such as Suzanne, Bird on the Wire and So Long, Marianne as well as classics from his middle period in the 1980s and early 1990s such as Everybody Knows, Take This Waltz, Hallelujah and I’m Your Man.”
Also, while the article notes that “there had been pre-show buzz that another musical collaborator, Cohen’s romantic partner, Anjani Thomas, would perform, but she did not appear,” Anjani’s decision to remain in LA to work on her own album was announced at least a week or two beforehand.
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Daily Gleaner - Leonard Cohen wows Fredericton
Wilifred Langmaid provides a comprehensive, interesting review of Cohen’s performance at the Fredericton Playhouse. -
Tower of Song - The Chronicle Herald (Pre-concert)
THE UNPRECEDENTED response to the news that Montreal-born bard and Canadian music icon Leonard Cohen would be performing at Halifax’s Rebecca Cohn Auditorium and Glace Bay’s Savoy Theatre proves that his Tower of Song is a prime piece of real estate.
I’m not sure how the Tower of Song real estate metaphor works either, especially given the depressed housing market these days, but the tone certainly sounds upbeat. While the Metro ) went with the “sense of humility” theme, the Chronicle Herald led with a fiscal touchstone: Tickets sold out rapidly, as the Cohn show grew from a one-night stand into a five-show stint, and the rare East Coast appearance by this complex and revered performer took on the aura of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A quick scan of EBay sees Cohen’s Cohn tickets going for anywhere from $200 (with one day left in the auction), to a pair of front row centre seats priced to sell at nearly $1,200. The article rambles and is a bit disjointed in recounting Cohen’s biography but shines when the writer, Stephen Cooke, thoughtfully reflects on his own reactions to Cohen’s work.
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First he takes Halifax - The Chronicle Herald (Post-concert)
Best overall newspaper review (as of 13 May 2008; 5:58 AM). Stephen Cooke’s report of Leonard Cohen’s Halifax performance, although its headline conveniently overlooks Cohen’s performance the previous night in Fredericton) is exponentially more insightful and organized than the same writer’s article anticipating the concert. He writes, for example, Cohen and his band set the tone with Dance Me to the End of Love, summoning up a Euro-folk-jazz vibe augmented by Javier Mas’s gypsy guitar and Dino Soldo’s mellow electronic horn. The Montreal singer’s famous baritone came across soft and seductive, sounding even better than expected and nicely balanced by both the musicians and backup singers Sharon Robinson and the Webb sisters. This is an excellent, well written, review well worth reading. -
CBC: Cohen delivers fan favourites for tour kickoff in N.B.
Despite documenting “the night’s many standing ovations,” the CBC report of Cohen’s opening night of his 2008 seems somewhat restrained, focusing on his performance of “fan favourites,” and “his greatest hits.” In a separate line, the CBC notes that ” No new material was showcased.” Much of the piece is taken up with the concert schedule rather than Cohen’s performance. -
Metro - Concert shows Cohen still your man
The Metro blurb on Leonard Cohen’s appearance last night in Halifax is brief but sweet. The article does, however, conveniently forget that the tour actually opened previously in Fredrericton: “I hope you won’t be disappointed. Thanks for getting me started again,” added Cohen. His five sold-out nights at the Cohn come after a 15-year hiatus from arena touring and at the start of a world tour.” (emphasis mine)
