Leonard Cohen @ NiB Stadium,Perth (24/11/10)

Tue 30th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

williamb’s gallery

Hitting Perth for his final night in Australia, Leonard Cohen promised that he and the band would be giving us their all. And they did. From beginning to end, the audience was rapt. Eyes shone with empathetic tears, even as Cohen’s wry humour incited chuckles of delight.

The NiB stadium was crowded with music lovers of all ages. Throughout the concert Cohen was humble and dignified, repeatedly thanking us for inviting him back, calling us “friends” each time. After three hours listening to his intimate stories in song, the appellation seemed apt. And an honour.

There is no one song that was most eagerly anticipated, and no guessing which ones would be saved for the encore, somehow he made each familiar song a favourite, and any unfamiliar song your new favourite. Cohen is a lyrical genius, and his baritone has only become deeper and more compelling with age.

Beginning with Dance me to the End of Love, which he sang mostly kneeling in front of Javier Mas, his “Shepherd of the strings” (12 string acoustic guitar, bandurria, laud, archilaud,) a hush fell over the crowd, which would be broken only by applause at the end of each song until Who by Fire which elicited a happy gasp from many. The song had been introduced by a long saxophone solo from Dino Soldo (also on clarinet, keys, dobro and harmonica) so it wasn’t till Cohen began to sing that there was a response.

That a 76 year old dude can sing “…giving me head on the unmade bed …” And not make a bit of vomit come up in anyone under 60 is an indication of his magic. But Chelsea Hotel #2 is about his affair with Janice Joplin, and it is one of those songs that breaks your heart and can still make you laugh with his candid delivery of “You told me again you preferred handsome men, but for me you would make an exception.” It was clear from his delivery that the emotion in each song is still real, though he seems more able to look back fondly as if some of the bitterness has gone.

He introduced the band several times, “The Sublime Webb Sisters… the Grammy nominated Neil Larson ” (Keys / Hammond B3) Rosco Beck (Bass / vox) Bob Metzger (Guitar / Pedal Steel), earning applause for each member of his band. When he came to introduce his drummer, he went into considerable detail, to the surprise and delight of Rafael Gayol:

“A sculptor of silence. Laying it down, bringing it home, putting it to bed, clipping its toenails, smothering it with a pillow, going to jail, joining the Aryan Brotherhood, later converting to Judaism, later losing his faith, spending the remainder of his days working in a half-way house for destroyed vegetarians … the Regent of Restraint, the Prince of Passionate Precision, Rafael Bernado Gayol!”

During the intermission, exclamations of “he is just so… amazing” were heard often -in a lost-for-words kind of way. It seems Cohen’s words are so perfect, so evocative, that people lose their own words trying to describe them. Also during the intermission, several angry conversations were witnessed between punters and the door staff who would not allow people to smoke in the outdoor stadium, or come back in if they chose to go outside to smoke. For those used to this sort of discrimination, it was typical, but the baby boomers in the crowd who still smoked were furious that the venue and the promoters had conspired to prevent them from indulging their addiction. Eventually, most people found a way to smoke, and the ladies who had been queuing for a while appropriated one of the men’s toilet blocks rather than wait any longer.

Whatever grumbling there was during the break, was soothed away with Tower of Song, and people hurried back to their seats not wanting to miss a second. Avalanche and Sisters of Mercy received roars from the crowd as well. It is impossible to choose the highlight of the second half, each seemed to be the most beautiful song ever, though Suzanne had people in tears, as did the recitation of A Thousand Kisses Deep. During the encore, his performance of Famous Blue Raincoat was so arresting that not a sound was heard from the audience, not a peep. He managed to namedrop Perth in Hallelujah, earning a chuckle from the crowd. Skipping on and off the stage between encores, he seemed spry and not at all tired, finally winking at the crowd as he performed I Tried to Leave You as his final song.

Twenty six songs and four standing ovations later, the crowd was sated, and he doffed his hat and bowed, thanking the crowd for their kindness and hoping to back this way again soon.

williamb’s gallery

Setlist: Leonard Cohen, Perth 24/11/10
Set 1
Dance Me To The End Of Love
The Future
Ain’t No Cure For Love
Bird On The Wire
Everybody Knows
Who By Fire
The Darkness
Chelsea Hotel #2
Waiting For The Miracle
Anthem

Intermission

Tower of Song
Suzanne
Avalanche
Sisters Of Mercy
The Gypsy’s Wife
The Partisan
Hallelujah
I’m Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep
Take This Waltz

Encore 1
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan

Encore 2
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time

Encore 3
I Tried To Leave You