Leonard Cohen Hints at Retirement at Sold-Out New York Show
- Posted on Oct 24th 2009 5:30PM by Mike Ayers
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As Leonard Cohen's comeback tour chugs through its final phase of 2009, at Friday night's Madison Square Garden show the singer alluded to the fact that this could be it for him and New York -- and maybe elsewhere, too. He's already played New York a handful of times this year, starting off at the Beacon Theater in February, then graduating to Radio City Music Hall for two nights in May. So last night's sold-out show, which offered him numerous standing ovations, was something of a victory lap that most cities haven't witnessed this year. Before starting up a slower than usual sounding version of "Bird on a Wire," he took time out of the evening's first set to welcome the crowd, but for fans, the words might have sounded a little ominous.
"I don't know if we'll pass this way again," Cohen said, "but it's our intention to give you the best."
Indeed, the nearly two-and-a-half-hour show was filled with Cohen classics such as "So Long, Marianne," "Everybody Knows," "Sisters Of Mercy," and a particularly soulful version of "Hallelujah," with Cohen purposefully falling to his knees several times to deliver his most famous lines in his deep, husky voice. New York centric songs "Chelsea Hotel #2" and "First We Take Manhattan" appropriately resonated, maybe more so after the realization that this could be the last time they're played in Gotham.
Even when he pulled out songs that were a bit more obscure, such as "A Thousand Kisses Deep" from 2001's 'Ten New Songs,' the crowd couldn't help being captivated with the opening line, "You came to me this morning and handled me like meat." Cohen's always been regarded as a master poet and storyteller, and this was just another example of how even in his later career, Cohen's words and delivery is still as engrossing as his four-decade-old songs.
Leonard Cohen's tour continues west through November 13, finishing at San Jose's HP Pavilion.
- Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News
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