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Saturday, April 4, 2009

Concert Review: Leonard Cohen at Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie (April 3)

By Mandi Collier

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Friday night, Nokia Theatre was transformed from a mid-sized, 6,000 capacity venue, to an old-school jazz lounge. With the mezzanine closed and the blue lights low, the ambiance was set for a night dedicated to songwriting legend Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

The crowd was an interesting mix, several of them clad in hats; the signature Cohen fedora among the majority of them. But regardless of what adorned their heads, one and all gathered to hear the famous prose put to music. Immediately as the show began, the surprises followed suit. The star of the show (well into his seventies) was skipping lightheartedly onto the stage to welcome his fans and begin his three-hour presentation.

Playing many old favorites right from the start, each attendee was reintroduced to the raspy bass that makes up Cohen’s one-of-a-kind vocals. The stage was dressed with long, understated curtains, several area rugs, and instruments- both traditional and obscure. Throughout the evening, sounds would come from the likes of a bassoon, mandolin, harp, and an unidentifiable electric clarinet. Throughout his two set show, Cohen sang and read poetry, while intermittently doodling on several instruments. As intermission ended, the frontman started the second half playing what he comically deemed a “sophisticated keyboard.” This sarcastic statement was just one of many during the night, as yet another surprise was realized- this guy has a sense of humor too!

The second set featured many of the tunes from Live in London- Cohen’s first release since 2001. "Suzanne" and "Boogie Streets" were among them, the latter he explained, was co-written by backup vocalist and producer Sharon Robinson. During each number, Cohen’s eyes were closed and his fists clenched, often bending on one knee. Each song was an opportunity to share just a little bit of himself- and he had to make them all count.

The latter half of the show also included perhaps the most familiar Cohen tune - one that has been covered time and time again. And though the most popular version is likely the courtesy of Jeff Buckley, the song took on new meaning hearing it from its original source. There was a greater understanding of what the illusive "Hallelujah" meant to Cohen when he wrote it over twenty years ago.

After the multiple encores ended and bows were taken, the house lights came up and the masses went their separate ways, each of them taking a small piece of Cohen’s musical poetry along for the ride.

This story was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.

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Comments

Mike Orren

Mike Orren Staff

On my iPhone now, so will say more later. But if you know me, you know how I love me some live music.

And it is without hyperbole that I call this the best concert I've ever seen.

7 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren

Mike Orren Staff

Additional thoughts/notes on the show:

  • I have never seen so many standing ovations in one show. The first came when he took the stage. There were easily a dozen more.

  • True, LC and his songs alone are amazing, but you can't say enough about his band. Any one member of this band is good enough to deliver their own jaw-dropping headlining set. Special props go to Javier Mas on bandurria; Dino Soldo on every wind instrument known to man; and his backing singers, Sharon Robinson and the Webb Sisters.

  • It's a rare and neat trick to pull off a simultaneous air of reverence and fun. Much like Lyle Lovett's Large Band, everyone is "in uniform" with some variation on LC's fedora and suit look, but each with an individual twist. It goes hand in hand with a discipline and seriousness to the performance -- they're all completely focused and I've never seen a tighter band. At the same time, there's smiles, laughter and fun: For chrissake, the backup singers did a cartwheel in "The Future" in sync with the lyric "You'll see a woman hanging upside down, her features covered by her fallen gown."

  • I drag my wife to a lot of shows and she's the toughest critic I know. This night, she brought her knitting. It returned to her purse midway through the first number and never reappeared. She went on an LC spree in iTunes the next morning.

  • Here's the Star-T review, including setlist: http://www.dfw.com/117/story/114811.html

  • A great concert heightens your appreciation for all music. Yesterday I was basking in my recollections of the show, listening to a shuffle. Didn't have a single LC tune, but I was noticing and enjoying nuances in the songs that I usually miss.

  • I can't believe how much energy and power this 74 year-old still has. I watched some old YouTubes, and I think he's better now than he was 20 years ago.

  • I love dark, cynical funny lyrics matched with soaring harmonies. This was the prototype.

  • If you missed my earlier post, I was initially turned off by the high price and didn't buy tickets. I got $35 third-row seats from a scalper on Craigslist at 4:30 PM day of show.

A video shot that night:

7 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Miller

Scott Miller Verified

Sounds like an amazing show. Truly sorry I missed this one.

7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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