Leonard Cohen played at the Entertainment Centre last night. I was very happy to have snared a couple of tickets for the show. Especially as I had elected not to see him when he was here a couple of years ago; a concert now universally agreed to be the greatest gig by anyone ever. I thought I might have missed my chance...Luckily, he decided to visit Adelaide again.
We had elevated seats, with the stage to our right, and not too far back. Around 8.00 the lights dimmed, the recorded music stopped, and the band members took their positions. Once the stage was set, Cohen walked onto the stage to a warm, affectionate welcome.
There's no doubting his genius. All you have to do is listen. He could yell his words from the stage and still be magical but the music, and all that goes with it, lifts everything to a higher plane. The band members are just about perfect in both virtuosity and personality.
The show was in two parts, punctuated by an interval and, through the course of the evening, audience members were presented with the songs that they were hoping to hear. It's difficult to select a high point, because it was all good. If I was pushed, I'd say that Waiting for the Miracle and A Thousand Kisses Deep were my favourite moments. After two sets, three encores and a shedload of highlights, this genial 76-year old left us all happy and satisfied.
The whole production was, unsurprisingly, very similar to the 'Live in London' film that is available, and probably owned by everyone who was at the concert. So if you missed the show, you can get a sense of what it was like by looking at that.
Let's hope it's not the last time he chooses to come to Adelaide.
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