Leonard Cohen at WaMu Theater
Photo by Laura Musselman, full slideshow over here
The reception Cohen received when he bounded (yes, bounded) out on stage almost immediately brought me to tears. The entire audience was instantly on its' feet, welcoming the 74 year-old legend with a degree of outward affection few artists could even imagine experiencing. Looking impressively fit and fiercely dapper in a precisely tailored black suit, charcoal shirt and sharp fedora, he launched immediately into "Dance Me to the Edge of Love."
With ample assistance from what appeared to be the most gracefully accomplished collection of backing musicians on the planet, Cohen delivered a masterful, 3 ½ hour set (with one brief intermission) that encompassed all the highlights of his mammoth catalog, including "Bird on Wire", "Everybody Knows", "Who By Fire", "Chelsea Hotel No. 2", "Suzanne", "Hallelujah", and "I'm Your Man."
Unsurprisingly, he was a consummate and gracious showman, poetically introducing his band (describing one guitarist as "the architect of the arpeggio") like a proud father and offering up between song banter so artful, I was certain I could just listen to an entire set of his spiritual musings. "I once turned to a rigorous study of philosophy and religion, but cheerfulness kept breaking through," he said during the break after "Waiting For a Miracle". It would be impossible to single out a highlight, but watching him wind his way through an epic encore that included "So Long Marianne", "First We Take Manhattan" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" and retaining enough chutzpah to dance off the stage in exactly the same manner he'd arrived was unforgettably heart warming.
Finally, it's worth noting that I've never been a huge fan (or much of a detractor) of WaMu Theater's qualities as a venue, but my indifferent position took an abrupt 180 that night. The sound was mixed meticulously, with every wisp of clarinet and flutter of harp placed precisely, while Cohen's vocals were right where they were supposed to be--magically enveloping the entire room and yet sounding like he was whispering into your ear. Granted, the regal aesthetic of the Paramount might have seemed like a more fitting choice for such an iconic treasure, but my hat's off to the team behind the Cohen show for engineering such a flawlessly executed production.
Comment
