The Master sings

(In case anyone's in any doubt, that's Leonard Cohen. On the big screen at the O2. Taken on super zoom from my seat. Oh yes.)

I've waited a long time for this.

Since December when the tickets went on sale and my wonderful husband snapped up two within the first hour...

Since 2008 when LC last toured the UK and I was too heavily pregnant to go (but had to hear all about it from my lucky boss who did manage to get tickets)...

Since 1997 when I sat in my first year undergraduate room, listening to the Songs of LC on repeat, envying my mother who was born in the right generation to hear it all "fresh"...

I can't remember when I first heard LC. But I can't remember not being a fan. So last night was pretty much a dream come true.

We were treated to a lot of old favourites - Dance me to the End of Love is as fine a way to start an evening as any I know. We also heard (amongst others) Suzanne, Bird on a Wire, Everybody Knows, The Future, I'm Your Man, the near-obligatory Hallelujah (restored to its rightful voice) and finished with Take This Waltz... Sadly, we had to slip out during the encore performance of So Long Marianne so that we could catch our train. In between times, his banter with the crowd gave an inkling of what a charming, humble and humorous (yes, humorous) man he is.

If I'm really honest, some of the backing arrangements these days border too much on easy listening/light jazz crooner style for my tastes. I generally preferred it when it was just Lenny and his guitar. But, to be fair to the man, he has been singing some of these songs for nearly half a century - it's probably fair enough for their presentation to change over time. Besides, there were also moments of sublime musicianship from the violinist, bassist and others in his band, which more than compensated.

And, if I'm really honest, the set list possibly contained a few too many of the songs from the (to my ears) slightly less wonderful recent albums. I would have preferred to hear some from Recent Songs (1979!), for example. But, with such a vast back catalogue, it's not surprising that not all of them will speak to everybody. And it's probably reasonable that he'd like to perform some of his more recent compositions - it is his tour after all. A couple of them actually made a lot more "sense" live than they had done on disc - I may have to go back and listen again.

Besides, he's Leonard Cohen, so I'll forgive him just about anything.


There is a crack, a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in.




Please note, any comments about LC being "depressing" will not be tolerated here. He is a poet, a speaker of truth about the human condition, a master of language, and - at the grand old age of 79 - still more than merits his place in the tower of song. You may be entitled to your opinion, but on this occasion I'm afraid you're just wrong. ;-)