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(More customer reviews)I swore I would not open this DVD until after seeing L. Cohen in Oakland the Monday after next. But I'm so glad I broke my vow.
This is one of the most wonderful concerts I've ever seen captured on DVD.
The band and Leonard's singers are top-notch, and one senses that they feel as though they are a part of something special.
The songs span nearly 40 years of a canon that is second to none.
Most amazing of all,though, is how a digital disc can cut through its own technology and exude so much warmth and passion. Even when the camera shows a close shot of Cohen, one can still sense the warmth, love and admiration coming from the ecstatic London audience.
As for Leonard Cohen...if he were to do nothing but sing, that would be enough given the wonderful breadth of material performed at this concert.
However, his gentle and gracious command of the stage provides this show an added depth and dimension. Within the span of minutes he can be hilarious, self-deprecating, humble, poignant, appreciative...and I could easily go on with the superlatives to describe his on-stage demeanor.
Very often I make a point of remembering to trust the art and not the artist. In the case of Leonard Cohen, I tend to trust both. His warmth seems genuine. Unlike so many of his stature, his humility comes across as real. His spoken words are every bit as powerful as those that are sung. Given the way that the barriers are broken down between the singer and the band and the audience...to the point where it feels as though they are all part of one celebratory evening...such humility, graciousness and warmth cannot be anything but genuine.
The highlights are too many to mention: "Suzanne" sounds as fresh as it did 40 years ago. "Anthem" sounds more urgent today than when it was first penned. "The Future" & "First We Take Manahattan" are even more biting now in the 21st Century than when they were first penned. Cohen's increased age gives songs such as "Boogie Street," "Tower of Song," & "Democracy" a world weariness that makes these songs all the more penetrating. His lovely "If It Be Your Will" sounds as much like a prayer as it does one of the loveliest songs ever written. If I don't stop now, I'll wind up writing accolades about every song on this DVD. Yes, it is that wonderful!
I've been fortunate to see so many of the greats in my lifetime - legends whose works will be remembered for decades to come. Some have been surly and stand-offish. Others have been appreciative and welcoming toward their audience.
It is refreshing to see the best of everything embodied in this Leonard Cohen concert. Songs that are amongst the best ever written, still performed with a passion (as well as with the added wisdom that comes from Cohen being 74 years young), with a band & audience & singer all equally committed to one another.
There are moments when I laughed out loud at Leonard's deadpan, wry humor. There were times when tears welled in my eyes from the sincerity of the words that came out of his mouth, either spoken or in song.
In a day and age where so much seems packaged and perfunctionary, it is refreshing to see & hear someone such as Cohen whose observations can warm the heart or cut like a knife to get to the heart of a matter. He is the real deal. No airs, no faux modesty...just a man with four decades' worth of majestic material, with an excellent band whose respect for Cohen is reciprocated by their singer with his respect for their talents & abilities, along with a genuine warmth & sense of humanity that allows Leonard Cohen to turn a large London venue into a setting that is as intimate as being in one's living room.
Without a doubt, one of the finest, most moving and most satisfying concert DVDs I've ever seen.
I'm glad that I opened this prior to April 13. Seeing this makes me look forward to seeing Cohen in a small Oakland theater even more so than I already was.
However, had I not been fortunate enough to have gotten a ticket for his upcoming concert, I have to say that this DVD would have been a more than fine consolation. It is worth every cent. The staging, lighting, musicianship, song selection and sound are painstakingly stellar, obviously given great care & much thought.
This is a true gem, a most worthy representation of one of the greatest songwriters of our time.
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Live In London (2009)For over four decades, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, a figure whose body of work achieves greater depths of mystery and meaning as time goes on. His songs have set a virtually unmatched standard in their seriousness and range. Sex, spirituality, religion, power - he has relentlessly examined the largest issues in human lives, always with a full appreciation of how elusive answers can be to the vexing questions he raises. But those questions, and the journey he has traveled in seeking to address them, are the ever-shifting substance of his work, as well as the reasons why his songs never lose their overwhelming emotional force. Documentaries, awards, tribute albums and the ongoing march of artists eager to record his songs all acknowledge the peerless contribution Cohen has made to what one of his titles aptly calls "The Tower of Song."
In 2008 Leonard Cohen embarked on his first tour in 15 years. Quickly recognized as musical folklore in the making, 29 of the original dates sold out almost immediately, leaving fans and critics alike hailing the show as a once in a lifetime experience. By popular demand, the Canadian/UK tour was extended and by the end of that year it had reached 84 markets worldwide, selling more than 700,000 tickets. The Live In London release fully captures and recreates the extraordinary show from that tour that earned Cohen more than 80 five-star reviews for his performances. Track Listing: 1. Dance Me To The End Of Love 2. The Future 3. Ain't No Cure For Love 4. Bird On The Wire 5. Everybody Knows 6. In My Secret Life 7. Who By Fire 8. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye 9. Anthem 10. Introduction 11. Tower Of Song 12. Suzanne 13. The Gypsy's Wife 14. Boogie Street 15. Hallelujah 16. Democracy 17. I'm Your Man 18. Recitation w/ N.L. 19. Take This Waltz 20. So Long, Marianne 21. First We Take Manhattan 22. Sisters Of Mercy 23. If It Be Your Will 24. Closing Time 25. I Tried To Leave You 26. Wither Thou Goest
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