Sunday • September 29, 2013 - 2:46 a.m. - Miriam Canales
This past September 15 there was a performance at the London 02 Arena by the Canadian singer-songwriter, who at nearly 80 years of age still seduces both the fans who have followed him since the sixties and those who are just discovering him with his unique voice, his songs and his music.
London • It was believed that the show was over, that his life was heading toward a Buddhist monastery, but fate - or the embezzlement by his ex-manager-- steered him again onto the musical highway to continue offering concerts around the world. First he had conquered Manhattan, then Berlin ... and this time London, at the O2 Arena.
"I don’t know when we will meet again, but tonight we’ll give you everything we got." Cohen spoke sincerely at the beginning of his only date in that city before heading to the Netherlands and Australia, promoting his 2012 album Old Ideas during autumn. Latin America is not in his geographic plans. His advanced age or his desire to leave his suit and tie for meditation could once again divert him from his musical vocation, as it did in the mid -nineties. That night belonged to him and he would make it fall in love with him and trap it with his best weapon: his voice.
During those days the British capital was enfolded in cold, rain, news about the threatened invasion of Syria and the premiere of the biopic of Princess Diana and the scandalous monarchy, fertile ground for gossip. The dizzying and omnipresent tourism pervaded the city everywhere despite the bad weather and the end of the high season. It was on a September 15th that Mexico celebrated its Grito de Independencia, and listening to Cohen in the UK was the least patriotic thing imaginable. Maybe his ancient and loyal followers should thank Kelley Lynch, his former manager, for stealing all his assets and fleeing, forcing him to return to the stage to regain his status and earn the right to be a monk.
***
"Dance me to the end of love" was the first song that emerged from his experienced throat to make the tears of some attendees spill over, and it did not stop for the next three hours. It began at 7:45 pm and at 10:20 pm; after 27 songs, it seemed the finale would never arrive. In Mexico City, The Cure achieved a similar feat during their performance in April at the Foro Sol. Cohen is 25 years older than Robert Smith and is able to undertake a concert of long proportions, but with 39 minutes intermission. He seemed not to want to say goodbye to a town where his recitals have been numerous, but more and more sporadic. In Mexico there has never been any hint of his lights ... and all indications are that there never will be.
The Canadian singer, who turned 79 last September 21, is full of vitality: frail in appearance, but with a powerful voice able to move and excite an audience mostly of middle age. It was not a conventional rock concert, nor was it aimed at young people who in Mexican circumstances would make all kinds of noise. Nothing of stridency or racket ... at least until the second half, after intermission, when the euphoria exploded and some people shouted words like "I love you!" Still others imitated his wardrobe, and black hats and ties predominated. The English veterans are phlegmatic and serious and need a little beer to relax and put shyness aside, unlike the younger and more casual audience that welcomed him in the spring of 2008 during his performance at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California, when he was newly returned to the stage. Awards such as the Prince of Asturias prize for literature were awaiting his collection three years later.
They are not "old ideas," but a renewal of his career and a series of new songs waiting to be played and remembered alongside his old anthems like "Hallelujah," "Take this waltz" or the perennial "Suzanne." On Old Ideas one can find finely crafted and sophisticated songs such as the initial "Darkness" or "Come Healing" and his sweet female choirs and portentous ballads like "Going Home" and "Amen:" "Tell me again when I'm clean and sober / Tell me again When I've seen through the horror / Tell me again, tell me over and over / tell me that you want me then / Amen, amen."
Cohen is neither English nor an irreverent rocker, but he has been a strong influence for many of them and for some of his contemporaries who have almost reached his age under more extreme and libertine conditions, such as the Rolling Stones. Bands like U2 or REM have paid homage on albums like I'm Your Fan (1991). Other veteran acts have done recent concerts on British soil, such as Roger Waters with a new facet of The Wall tour, as well as Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Perhaps had he not died 20 years ago, his contemporary Serge Gainsbourg might have reached his level. Canada has continued to be present on the scene with newer artists like Justin Bieber, Grimes and the band Arcade Fire for different audiences, youth or even hipsters who cannot ignore the image of their godfather even though they do not share the same musical current.
***
What moves us today when we see Cohen if he is not the fashionable artist and he has not made adjustments to new trends to please young people? Maybe it’s only a little bit of nostalgia, appreciating a masterpiece made by a real artist or just the feeling of knowing that at any moment it will be the last time you're standing, singing and filling stadiums for not inconsiderable amounts of money—such as a £ 70 ticket, and a trip of over 11 hours on unpredictable flights and airlines with questionable services. Listening to him then implies a price beyond economics, but a huge reward, like a rite of passage.
The O2 Arena has great dimensions; it would have hosted one of the concerts on the farewell tour of Michael Jackson, scheduled in July 2009, had it not been for his untimely death. To get there you need to use the Metro (Underground, as it is called in London) and get off at the North Greenwich station, which despite the rain and cold is quick and orderly when receiving crowds. In September, the reunion of Fleetwood Mac was also expected in the same location, but Cohen transformed it that night into a small intimate place, like the living room of a house where old friends get together who have stopped seeing each other frequently.
At certain intervals he took the opportunity to recite some of his poems in an atmosphere of calm, melancholy and a touch of subtle sensuality. "Like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Lyrics from "Bird on a wire .”.
The songs of this Canadian emanate mixed feelings. Although he maintains little eye contact with the audience, he prostrates himself before it by way of reverence, reflecting his passion and gratitude. "Thank you for not going home," he said. Cohen has a dry sense of humor to joke; he can be funny without losing an iota of seriousness. "You think this is the best that I can do? Then watch this!" He was referring to his impetuous style of playing the keyboard with his elbow while the English public burst into laughter and celebrated his jocularity. His years are not an obstacle if it is a matter of a joke ... neither is the distance between Mexico and Britain to see him. "Everybody knows" is remembered for the scenes of the film Exotica in which the actress Mia Kirschner danced in a schoolgirl uniform and Cohen's voice served as a leitmotif accompanying her.
***
Love and women are another fundamental piece of his history, songs and muses that have come through his life such as "Suzanne," inspired by Suzanne Verdal, the wife of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, and " So Long, Marianne " created by the influence of Marianne Jensen, "the most beautiful woman he had known" whom he found on his way through the Greek island of Hydra in his transition from poet to singer. His relationship with actress Rebecca de Mornay seems to have left no trace or homage ... or his film career, either, although the memory of Janis Joplin did, and her song "Chelsea Hotel."
The band accompanying Cohen on this tour consists of musicians of different nationalities, not well known but skilled and experienced, such as American bassist Roscoe Beck, the chorus of deep and enveloping voices: Sharon Robinson and the English sisters Charley and Hattie Webb, Spanish guitarist Javier Mas, the Moldovan Alexandru Bublitchi, whom he addressed as "the best violinist in the world," and percussionist Rafael Bernardo Gayol, originally from Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, who has participated in groups such as Tito & Tarantula and movie soundtracks such as Sin City and Kill Bill Vol. Two. Some younger than others and some newcomers he has met through festivals such as San Remo. On that night of memories and new things their skillful instruments played both the classic notes of "I'm Your Man," "Tower of Song," "First We Take Manhattan" and "Lover, Lover, Lover" as well as the recently premiered songs in search of transcendence.
What will become of the life of Leonard Cohen in subsequent years when he crosses the octogenarian threshold? Maybe it is random chance, bad turns, his failed relationships and the deceptions of treacherous managers that have led him to continue achieving triumphs now, beyond his old Mediterranean utopia of the sixties of living on a Greek island writing poetry. Even so, today demonstrates that the power of his voice is still able to cast a spell and cause tears and joy for some women moved by its present strength. Time does not pass in vain, but he is still "our man."
This past September 15 there was a performance at the London 02 Arena by the Canadian singer-songwriter, who at nearly 80 years of age still seduces both the fans who have followed him since the sixties and those who are just discovering him with his unique voice, his songs and his music.
London • It was believed that the show was over, that his life was heading toward a Buddhist monastery, but fate - or the embezzlement by his ex-manager-- steered him again onto the musical highway to continue offering concerts around the world. First he had conquered Manhattan, then Berlin ... and this time London, at the O2 Arena.
"I don’t know when we will meet again, but tonight we’ll give you everything we got." Cohen spoke sincerely at the beginning of his only date in that city before heading to the Netherlands and Australia, promoting his 2012 album Old Ideas during autumn. Latin America is not in his geographic plans. His advanced age or his desire to leave his suit and tie for meditation could once again divert him from his musical vocation, as it did in the mid -nineties. That night belonged to him and he would make it fall in love with him and trap it with his best weapon: his voice.
During those days the British capital was enfolded in cold, rain, news about the threatened invasion of Syria and the premiere of the biopic of Princess Diana and the scandalous monarchy, fertile ground for gossip. The dizzying and omnipresent tourism pervaded the city everywhere despite the bad weather and the end of the high season. It was on a September 15th that Mexico celebrated its Grito de Independencia, and listening to Cohen in the UK was the least patriotic thing imaginable. Maybe his ancient and loyal followers should thank Kelley Lynch, his former manager, for stealing all his assets and fleeing, forcing him to return to the stage to regain his status and earn the right to be a monk.
***
"Dance me to the end of love" was the first song that emerged from his experienced throat to make the tears of some attendees spill over, and it did not stop for the next three hours. It began at 7:45 pm and at 10:20 pm; after 27 songs, it seemed the finale would never arrive. In Mexico City, The Cure achieved a similar feat during their performance in April at the Foro Sol. Cohen is 25 years older than Robert Smith and is able to undertake a concert of long proportions, but with 39 minutes intermission. He seemed not to want to say goodbye to a town where his recitals have been numerous, but more and more sporadic. In Mexico there has never been any hint of his lights ... and all indications are that there never will be.
The Canadian singer, who turned 79 last September 21, is full of vitality: frail in appearance, but with a powerful voice able to move and excite an audience mostly of middle age. It was not a conventional rock concert, nor was it aimed at young people who in Mexican circumstances would make all kinds of noise. Nothing of stridency or racket ... at least until the second half, after intermission, when the euphoria exploded and some people shouted words like "I love you!" Still others imitated his wardrobe, and black hats and ties predominated. The English veterans are phlegmatic and serious and need a little beer to relax and put shyness aside, unlike the younger and more casual audience that welcomed him in the spring of 2008 during his performance at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California, when he was newly returned to the stage. Awards such as the Prince of Asturias prize for literature were awaiting his collection three years later.
They are not "old ideas," but a renewal of his career and a series of new songs waiting to be played and remembered alongside his old anthems like "Hallelujah," "Take this waltz" or the perennial "Suzanne." On Old Ideas one can find finely crafted and sophisticated songs such as the initial "Darkness" or "Come Healing" and his sweet female choirs and portentous ballads like "Going Home" and "Amen:" "Tell me again when I'm clean and sober / Tell me again When I've seen through the horror / Tell me again, tell me over and over / tell me that you want me then / Amen, amen."
Cohen is neither English nor an irreverent rocker, but he has been a strong influence for many of them and for some of his contemporaries who have almost reached his age under more extreme and libertine conditions, such as the Rolling Stones. Bands like U2 or REM have paid homage on albums like I'm Your Fan (1991). Other veteran acts have done recent concerts on British soil, such as Roger Waters with a new facet of The Wall tour, as well as Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Perhaps had he not died 20 years ago, his contemporary Serge Gainsbourg might have reached his level. Canada has continued to be present on the scene with newer artists like Justin Bieber, Grimes and the band Arcade Fire for different audiences, youth or even hipsters who cannot ignore the image of their godfather even though they do not share the same musical current.
***
What moves us today when we see Cohen if he is not the fashionable artist and he has not made adjustments to new trends to please young people? Maybe it’s only a little bit of nostalgia, appreciating a masterpiece made by a real artist or just the feeling of knowing that at any moment it will be the last time you're standing, singing and filling stadiums for not inconsiderable amounts of money—such as a £ 70 ticket, and a trip of over 11 hours on unpredictable flights and airlines with questionable services. Listening to him then implies a price beyond economics, but a huge reward, like a rite of passage.
The O2 Arena has great dimensions; it would have hosted one of the concerts on the farewell tour of Michael Jackson, scheduled in July 2009, had it not been for his untimely death. To get there you need to use the Metro (Underground, as it is called in London) and get off at the North Greenwich station, which despite the rain and cold is quick and orderly when receiving crowds. In September, the reunion of Fleetwood Mac was also expected in the same location, but Cohen transformed it that night into a small intimate place, like the living room of a house where old friends get together who have stopped seeing each other frequently.
At certain intervals he took the opportunity to recite some of his poems in an atmosphere of calm, melancholy and a touch of subtle sensuality. "Like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Lyrics from "Bird on a wire .”.
The songs of this Canadian emanate mixed feelings. Although he maintains little eye contact with the audience, he prostrates himself before it by way of reverence, reflecting his passion and gratitude. "Thank you for not going home," he said. Cohen has a dry sense of humor to joke; he can be funny without losing an iota of seriousness. "You think this is the best that I can do? Then watch this!" He was referring to his impetuous style of playing the keyboard with his elbow while the English public burst into laughter and celebrated his jocularity. His years are not an obstacle if it is a matter of a joke ... neither is the distance between Mexico and Britain to see him. "Everybody knows" is remembered for the scenes of the film Exotica in which the actress Mia Kirschner danced in a schoolgirl uniform and Cohen's voice served as a leitmotif accompanying her.
***
Love and women are another fundamental piece of his history, songs and muses that have come through his life such as "Suzanne," inspired by Suzanne Verdal, the wife of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, and " So Long, Marianne " created by the influence of Marianne Jensen, "the most beautiful woman he had known" whom he found on his way through the Greek island of Hydra in his transition from poet to singer. His relationship with actress Rebecca de Mornay seems to have left no trace or homage ... or his film career, either, although the memory of Janis Joplin did, and her song "Chelsea Hotel."
The band accompanying Cohen on this tour consists of musicians of different nationalities, not well known but skilled and experienced, such as American bassist Roscoe Beck, the chorus of deep and enveloping voices: Sharon Robinson and the English sisters Charley and Hattie Webb, Spanish guitarist Javier Mas, the Moldovan Alexandru Bublitchi, whom he addressed as "the best violinist in the world," and percussionist Rafael Bernardo Gayol, originally from Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, who has participated in groups such as Tito & Tarantula and movie soundtracks such as Sin City and Kill Bill Vol. Two. Some younger than others and some newcomers he has met through festivals such as San Remo. On that night of memories and new things their skillful instruments played both the classic notes of "I'm Your Man," "Tower of Song," "First We Take Manhattan" and "Lover, Lover, Lover" as well as the recently premiered songs in search of transcendence.
What will become of the life of Leonard Cohen in subsequent years when he crosses the octogenarian threshold? Maybe it is random chance, bad turns, his failed relationships and the deceptions of treacherous managers that have led him to continue achieving triumphs now, beyond his old Mediterranean utopia of the sixties of living on a Greek island writing poetry. Even so, today demonstrates that the power of his voice is still able to cast a spell and cause tears and joy for some women moved by its present strength. Time does not pass in vain, but he is still "our man."
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