ON THE HEELS OF INDUCTION INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, LEONARD COHEN ANNOUNCES HIS FIRST TOUR IN 15 YEARS
MARCH 11, 2008
Immediately following his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel tonight, Leonard Cohen announced his world tour, marking a return to the live arena after 15 years. He is scheduled to open in Toronto on June 6 and 7, the city that gave birth to his career as a recording and literary artist, and then play Europe in the remainder of June, July, August and early September.
Cohen is arguably the greatest singer songwriter of modern times. At his induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, he was recognized by Lou Reed as, "Without question one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, a figure whose body of work achieves greater mystery and depth as time goes one." Among those inducted with Cohen were Madonna, John Mellencamp The Dave Clark Five, and the Ventures.
His songs have been famously covered by the great and the good, each version a fascinating attempt to move closer to Cohen's enigmatic muse. From Judy Collins' "Suzanne" to Jeff Buckley's seminal rendition of "Hallelujah," Cohen's songs have traveled as far and wide as their author. U2, REM, Sting, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright and the late Johnny Cash are among other famous devotees. It is estimated that his songbook has been covered over 1,330 times by other recording artists.
In 2008, Cohen's live tour will be as varied as his influence. He plays the UK's legendary Glastonbury Festival on June 29, for 150,000 fans. The Montreux Jazz Festival and Spain's Bennicasim are also stand out dates among arena shows at the O2 in London and more intimate dates such as Toronto's Sony Centre and the Manchester's Opera House in the UK. Rob Hallett from AEG Live said, "For many this tour will be the once in a lifetime opportunity to see the legend that is Leonard Cohen. We as a company are honored to bring this long rumored tour to reality across the globe."
In all, the tour will take in fans from intimate theatres to rock festivals proving the remarkable reach of Cohen's words and music across nations and generations. He will be joined by world renowned musicians: Roscoe Beck (bass & vocals, music director) Neil Larsen (keyboard, accordion, brass instruments), Bob Metzger (guitar, steel guitar & vocals), Javier Mas (acoustic guitar, oud & misc. string instruments), Christine Wu (violin, viola, cello & keyboard), Rafael Gayol (drums & percussion) and Dino Soldo (keyboard, saxophone, wind instruments & vocals).
Cohen has been a SONY/BMG recording artist for his entire career. He continues as an active songwriter with much anticipated new work that is planned for release later this year.
Cohen is beyond comparison and a true original, providing some of music and literature's most illuminating writing on love, sex, death and religion.
This is a world tour of epic proportions, but it is something even more than that. Leonard Cohen's eagerly anticipated return to the stage after all these years is nothing short of musical history in the making.
Leonard Cohen's World Tour Itinerary (as of 11-Mar-08)
06-Jun-08 Toronto Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
07-Jun-08 Toronto Sony Centre For The Performing Arts
14-Jun-08 Dublin IMMA
15-Jun-08 Dublin IMMA
17-Jun-08 Manchester Opera House
18-Jun-08 Manchester Opera House
19-Jun-08 Manchester Opera House
20-Jun-08 Manchester Opera House
23-Jun-08 Montreal Montreal Jazz Festival / Place des Arts
24-Jun-08 Montreal Montreal Jazz Festival / Place des Arts
25-Jun-08 Montreal Montreal Jazz Festival / Place des Arts
29-Jun-08 Glastonbury Glastonbury Festival
01-Jul-08 Oslo Aliset Stadium
03-Jul-08 Helsingborg Open Air
05-Jul-08 Copenhagen Rosenborg Castle
06-Jul-08 Arhuus Raadhus Parken
08-Jul-08 Montreux Montreux Jazz Festival
09-Jul-08 Lyon Festival
10-Jul-08 Bruges Cactus
12-Jul-08 Amsterdam Westendam
16-Jul-08 Edinburgh Castle
17-Jul-08 London The 02 Arena
19-Jul-08 Lisbon Passeio Maritimo
20-Jul-08 Bennicasim Festival
22-Jul-08 Nice Jazz Festival
24-Jul-08 Nyon Paleo Festival
25-Jul-08 Lorrach Stimmen Der Welt
27-Jul-08 Lucca Summer Festival
29-Jul-08 Athens Lykabettus Theatre
* Worldwide tour dates will continue to be announced within the coming weeks. Fans should visit http://leonardcohen.aeglive.com
Please check back for new performance dates.
www.leonardcohen.com
13th March 2008 08:32 PM
GotToRollMe
Ooooo...Lenny at the Beacon. Now that would be worth leaving the house for!
13th March 2008 09:52 PM
PartyDoll MEG
quote:GotToRollMe wrote:
Ooooo...Lenny at the Beacon. Now that would be worth leaving the house for!
Are you dreamin', GTRM? I didn't see that listed!
Ya suppose he will tour here or just skip us?
13th March 2008 11:06 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:PartyDoll MEG wrote:
Are you dreamin', GTRM? I didn't see that listed!
Ya suppose he will tour here or just skip us?
Well, if it's a "world tour of epic proportions" I was hoping he might give us a couple of tunes.
14th March 2008 11:43 AM
Gazza
Tickets seemed to have gone on sale today for a lot of shows. His site didnt provide that information. Dublin #1 was gone, but I got some for the second night. Odd location. An outdoor show in the grounds of the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham. WTF?
14th March 2008 11:51 AM
Lazy Bones
tickets for the two Toronto shows are $75-$225! shame...
the tour now has an new opening location - Hamilton, ON: tuesday, 3 June!
14th March 2008 12:07 PM
Gazza
quote:GotToRollMe wrote:
Well, if it's a "world tour of epic proportions" I was hoping he might give us a couple of tunes.
It's a world tour of epic proportions based on economic necessity, I would imagine. He's basically been obliged to go on the road again due to his accountant/manager having embezzled all but $150,000 of his $5 million retirement fund (plus the publishing rights to his songs) when he was secluded in that Buddhist monastery in California for about five years. Even though he won $9 million in a civil suit, it seems unlikely he'll ever get the money.
14th March 2008 12:08 PM
Gazza
quote:Lazy Bones wrote:
tickets for the two Toronto shows are $75-$225! shame...
the tour now has an new opening location - Hamilton, ON: tuesday, 3 June!
hey Lazy. Went to see Neil Young in Manchester Tuesday & Wednesday night. Two words. Fucking stunning.
14th March 2008 12:16 PM
Lazy Bones
quote:Gazza wrote:
hey Lazy. Went to see Neil Young in Manchester Tuesday & Wednesday night. Two words. Fucking stunning.
unbelievable, ain't he?!
...2nd song's a killer!
I was waiting for your review(s) here about the shows! I read (and replied to) your comments on the first Apollo torrent re: Helpless...
2nd show is now on dime, too, if you're not already on board...
14th March 2008 12:51 PM
Gazza
Oh so that was you! Cool. Thanks for the tip about the second show.
Posted this on IORR as I met some folks from that site at the shows. Jostorm was at the 2nd night with me.
Two incredible shows. Preferred the first night myself as I think it was a better choice of songs. Plus it had a version of Down By The River which just defied description (it also came hot on the heels of an absolutely scorching Spirit Road). I'd no idea Helpless was such a rarity. It was excellent, too. Great to hear some of my favourites over the two nights - songs I never expected to hear such as Ambulance Blues, Too Far Gone, Winterlong. Plus he played a few unreleased songs and just to prove what a quirky old bastard he is, ended the second night's show NOT with a 'warhorse' as one would expect, but a 45 year old instrumental called "The Sultan" which he recorded with his high school band The Squires. Plus he played a couple of songs off "Time Fades Away" - an album he still for some reason refuses to release on CD.
He played approximately 2 and three quarter hours both nights - with a 25-30 minute intermission. Not bad for a guy of 62. Hard to believe he almost died a couple of years ago. If thats what an aneurysm does for you, sign me up for a couple. They dragged the arse out of a few songs towards the end though on the second night which was a minor gripe. Instead of listening to 4-5 minutes of feedback at the end of 'No Hidden Path' (which had already clocked in at some 20 minutes), he could have thrown in a quick 'Dont Cry No Tears' or something...
Setlists
Tuesday :
Acoustic - From Hank To Hendrix/Ambulance Blues/Sad Movies/ A Man Needs a Maid(piano)/Stringman (piano)/Try (piano)/Harvest/ Love in Mind (piano)/Mellow My Mind (banjo)/ Love Art Blues/Dont Let It Bring you Down/ Helpless/ Heart of Gold/The Needle & The Damage Done
Electric - Mr Soul/Dirty Old Man/Spirit Road/Down By The River/Hey Hey My My/Too Far Gone/Oh Lonesome Me (Neil acoustic)/Winterlong/Powderfinger/No Hidden Path
Encore : Roll Another Number For The Road
Wednesday : (changes from night 1 in bold - 10 songs!)
Acoustic set - From Hank To Hendrix/Ambulance Blues/Sad Movies/A Man Needs a Maid (piano & organ)/No One Seems To Know (piano)/ Harvest/Journey Through The Past (piano)/Mellow My Mind (banjo)/Love Art Blues/ Love Is A Rose/ Old Man
Electric set - The Loner/Dirty Old Man/Spirit Road/Powderfinger/Hey Hey My My/Too Far Gone/ Oh Lonesome Me (Neil on acoustic)/The Believer/No Hidden Path
Encores (1) Cinnamon Girl/ Fuckin' Up
(2) Tonight's The Night (Neil on piano)
(3) The Sultan
Review of Manchester 1st night on www.uncut.co.uk
Neil Young - Manchester Apollo, March 11 2008
2008-03-12 09:39:59
I have to admit to a certain amount of anxiety tonight. It’s not just the weather, which is, of course, rotten, the wind howling like it’s fit to tear chunks from rooftops from miles around.
Nor is it the small matter of my beloved Liverpool’s tricky Champions League fixture at Inter Milan, made all the more potentially hazardous by Rafa’s selection of Martin Skrtel at centre-back. The last time I saw him, he was hopelessly fluffing his way through an FA Cup tie against Havant & Waterlooville, playing for all the world like someone who’d popped into Anfield to deliver half-time oranges, only to be mistaken for a ‘real’ footballer, handed a shirt and told “Here, put this on and get out there”.
Perhaps it’s more to do with the fact that, last time Neil Young played the Apollo here, it was 2003’s Greendale tour. Allan has already filled you in on the brain-sapping details of punters being forced to endure an entire album of utterly forgettable songs in grim procession, in the vain hope he might play something good later. So I’ll leave it there. But these things live in the memory.
So far, reports of these latest shows have been excellent, seeming to indicate a Neil Young revitalised, refocused and eager to rock out with abandon. As it turns out, I don’t have much to grumble about after all, omens or not. He saunters on for the acoustic set first, baggy-suited and surrounded by a phalanx of guitars. Someone has hoisted up a huge ‘N’ stage left, just in case we’re not sure. Bathed in a curious kind of fireside glow, he settles into “From Hank To Hendrix”, before the captivating “Ambulance Blues”.
As you probably know by now, it’s become the surprise staple of this tour, and it really is wonderful. A great, urgent, labyrinthine thing, it feels like Young is crawling somewhere within it, unsure of where he’s going to take it at any given moment. In an odd way too, it seems to set a certain mood for this acoustic half. He hardly utters a word to the crowd, seems a little tetchy.
He plays “Sad Movies”, another rarity finally dusted down for this tour, then stands up and does that slow bumbling about that I’ve been reading about, like an ageing college lecturer who’s forgotten where his glasses are. Mild performance art maybe, but it does all seem pretty unnecessary and painfully self-conscious. “A Man Needs A Maid”, at piano and synth, is just beautiful, little shivers of notes shooting into the air. Then comes tonight’s first surprise: “Stringman”, originally written in 1976, but unreleased until Unplugged in the early ‘90s. A lovely, almost meditative rendition at piano, it’s followed by “Try”, a sunny piano rag from the "Homegrown" sessions that’s also been stretching its limbs on these dates.
In between “Harvest” and “Love In Mind”, Neil dispenses with a stray heckler, but it’s all starting to feel a little grumpy. Digging out the banjo, he ignores the calls for “Old King” and almost attacks “Mellow In Mind”, plucking hard at the strings, suddenly animated, keening for the high notes. It’s a sinewy, unexpectedly powerful version that gives you a jolt. The timeworn classics are brought out to finish, with “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” getting the biggest roar of the night so far.
Interval over (during which time I’ve squeezed past a bunch of people from Emmerdale, spotted the bald dome of TV chef Simon Rimmer and overheard Mani talking to someone about working with Bjorn from Peter, Bjorn & John) and it’s a wholly different Neil. With Rick Rosas on bass, Ben Keith on rhythm guitar and Ralph Molina on drums, he tears into “Mr Soul” like it’s an itch he’s been desperate to address all evening.
Springing up and down, bouncing from foot to foot, screwing his face up into the mic, he’s now clearly having fun. Silhouetted against the glaring crimson lights of the now-familiar “junk-shop-memory” stage set, “Dirty Old Man” looks, and sounds, brilliantly hellish, full of the impish glee of old men who know they should really be doing something more sedentary on a weekday night.
Much has been made of “No Hidden Path” this tour, and rightly so. It’s an immense, spectacular thing. But for pure rock’n’roll dementia, head-buckling riffs and roaring solos, “Spirit Road” is its equal tonight. Huddling up to Keith and Rosas, riding the exchange like a tempestuous bull, Young is cutting loose. “Down By The River” is colossal too, Young turning his back, hunkering down and rocking so wildly you fear he’s going to topple into Molina’s lap. It’s a huge ball of knotted noise. At one point during a similarly frenzied “Hey Hey My My”, it sounds like it could easily smash the place to pieces.
Brief respite arrives with Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me”, prefaced with Young’s introduction: “When I was 20, I wrote another melody for this. It wasn’t a good idea, I should have left it alone.” Needless to say, the song, with Keith on organ, Anthony Crawford at the piano and Young wheezing into harmonica, sounds just gorgeous. Then comes “Winterlong”, first aired on 1977 retrospective "Decade", and dedicated to his late friend Danny Whitten.
It stands alone in this electric set as a rolling, graceful country song, albeit with a kick. “Powderfinger” is extraordinary too. After “No Hidden Path” and much audience wailing, the band return for “Roll Another Number”, which, after all that, sounds like a gentle rubdown.
Is this Young, on the other side of 60, giving us all his last hurrah? Reminding us, on the back of "Living With War" and "Chrome Dreams II", that "Are You Passionate?" and "Greendale" didn’t signal the beginning of a long slow fade into mediocrity? Or is Neil just doing what the hell Neil wants and having fun in the process? My guess is the latter. Oh, and by the way, Skrtel did alright tonight. We won 1-0.
ROB HUGHES
ACOUSTIC SET
From Hank To Hendrix
Ambulance Blues
Sad Movies
A Man Needs A Maid
Stringman
Try
Harvest
Love In Mind
Mellow My Mind
Love Art Blues
Don’t Let It Bring You Down
Helpless
The Needle And The Damage Done
Heart Of Gold
ELECTRIC SET
Mr Soul
Dirty Old Man
Spirit Road
Down By The River
Hey Hey, My My
Too Far Gone
Oh, Lonesome Me
Winterlong
Powderfinger
No Hidden Path
Roll Another Number (For The Road)
ROB HUGHES
[Edited by Gazza]
14th March 2008 01:06 PM
Lazy Bones
sounded like a great time!
14th March 2008 02:31 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:Gazza wrote:
It's a world tour of epic proportions based on economic necessity, I would imagine. He's basically been obliged to go on the road again due to his accountant/manager having embezzled all but $150,000 of his $5 million retirement fund (plus the publishing rights to his songs) when he was secluded in that Buddhist monastery in California for about five years. Even though he won $9 million in a civil suit, it seems unlikely he'll ever get the money.
Forced to sing for his supper because of a thieving bastid. It's an old tune, but a never-ending one.
15th March 2008 04:00 PM
PartyDoll MEG
"I have seen the future of rock and roll and it is not Leonard Cohen"
[Edited by PartyDoll MEG]
15th March 2008 05:17 PM
mrhipfl
who is LEONARD COHEN???
15th March 2008 05:27 PM
Erik_Snow
First chance of my life to see Leonard Cohen this summer, but I can't make it - due to work... I'll never forgive society for this
15th March 2008 05:36 PM
PartyDoll MEG
quote:mrhipfl wrote:
who is LEONARD COHEN???
Oh dear..you must be really "young"
For starters, he wrote this great song which I am sure you thought Jeff Buckley wrote
Or maybe you have heard of one of these.....
15th March 2008 07:13 PM
mrhipfl
He looks like Ross from "Friends."
15th March 2008 07:17 PM
VoodooChileInWOnderl
The "Cure for insmonia Tour"
Sorry for the joke LOL
17th March 2008 01:25 AM
MrPleasant
Gerardo! You make Mr Pleasant sad.
17th March 2008 01:31 AM
MrPleasant
(Warning: rhe vid below contains the ending of the movie)
[Edited by MrPleasant]
[Edited by MrPleasant]
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