Leonard Cohen – O2 Arena, London 17/07/08

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Let’s have no bones about it, Leonard Cohen embarked on this tour in an attempt to reclaim some of the $5 million swindled from him by his former manager. But judging by this show, if he’s worked half that hard during the rest of his career, he certainly deserves a comfortable retirement, whenever he intends to start it – age 75 perhaps?

Taking to the stage just after 8pm, (thank goodness there was a warning, the discerning gig-goers among us were still at the bar), Leonard Cohen looks every bit the gentlemen. In a sharp suit and fedora, he’s joined on stage by his band and three backing singers, all dressed in equally dapper fashion. After some well rehearsed but charming banter, including an apology for our ‘financial and geographical inconvenience’ and how good it is to be in the O2 ‘just on the other side of intimacy’, he begins the first half of his set.

Incidentally, attending a gig at the O2 is literally like a military operation, there are almost more stewards than people, and you’re directed to queue after queue, and then (in our case) a rather large number of escalators. If you have a problem with the possibility of plummeting to your death whilst trying to squeeze past a row of people to get to your seat, then I would recommend paying over the odds for some of the seats not on a vertical bank.

The first hour of Leonard Cohen’s marathon 3 hour set – a length that certainly helps soften the blow of his fans’ financial and geographical inconvenience – includes some of his best work, particularly the triple bill of ‘Ain’t No Cure For Love’, ‘Bird On A Wire’ and ‘Everybody Knows’, which gets the biggest applause of the night so far for it’s dark, ironic lyrics and smooth, liquid gold jazzy background.

After a brief interval (where I managed not to plummet to my death), Cohen skips back onto the stage to create more magic. Whatever he takes (or doesn’t take) that make his knees as sprightly as someone at least 20 years younger than him, it seems to be doing the trick. Spending much of the gig either kneeling, or with his knees bent, not to mention the several trips on and off stage throughout the night, this 74 year-old is clearly still in working order. As is his voice, and it becomes apparent that it’s gone the way of a fine wine instead of, well, Bob Dylan’s voice. Sounding as rich, warm, and of course deep as it ever did, Cohen’s voice fills the entire O2, and it’s like being draped in silk, albeit silk that has some rather cutting words hidden in it. If God has a voice, surely it must sound something like Leonard Cohen’s.

Despite perhaps on paper some of his lyrics seeming a little ‘inappropriate’ for a man of his age, it merely adds to the effect of the song, adding the weight of even more wisdom and experience to the words. His mix of Biblicals (as in, both sense of the word), make him one of the greatest lyricists the world has ever seen, and so far no-one seems to be able to top his mix of brutally honest imagery delivered in such style.

After a rousing rendition of ‘Boogie Street’, which sees his backing singers, Sharon Robinson and the Webb Sisters, prove their salt for the unquestionable privilege of performing alongside Cohen, the band effortlessly, almost casually slide into one of Cohen’s most famous songs, ‘Hallelujah’. It’s at this point the show ceases to be a simply amazing show, and enters, most appropriately, the realms of a truly religious experience. It’s an utterly captivating, spell binding 5 minutes, which stuns the 20,000 strong audience into reverent silence, almost as if they’re afraid it might be a dream that could shatter at any moment.

After the audience regain their composure – those who haven’t welled up are genuinely cold hearted souls – Cohen moves onto politics, with the lyrics of ‘Democracy’ – Democracy is coming to the USA – unfortunately still as apt today as they were when they were written.

‘I’m Your Man’ could’ve been tailor written for this occasion, and whilst suggestions of him being your love might be slightly odd for most of the audience, with a voice like that, it’s no wonder women have fallen at his feet for the past 50 years. Ending triumphantly on ‘Take This Waltz’, Cohen receives a standing ovation, (again, I narrowly avoid death plummeting), and takes his applause with the aplomb and graciousness he performed with.

Galloping offstage, he returns shortly after for the first of many encores, including a rousing call to arms in ‘First We Take Manhattan’ and a new track ‘If It Be Your Will, which begins with spoken word before flourishing into a beautiful track that’s performed by The Webb Sisters on harp, guitar and sumptuous vocals. Ending, as per tradition, on ‘Closing Time’, Cohen takes his final, final bow, doffs his hat one last time and hops, skips and jumps off the stage, a true professional, gentleman, and performer.

This tour was never planned, and ultimately might never have happened. However, Leonard Cohen’s music will have reached a whole new generation by the time this tour winds up, a generation like the ones before them that will realise whatever the man, or his manager thinks, you can’t put a price on Leonard Cohen.