live in london

the title of a new leonard cohen dvd
recorded mid 2008 before his recent tour
but presumably the same band and material
this live concert at the humongous o2 arena
most famously used last year by zed leppelin
now i must confess i am not a hard core fan
only lately getting into him with dear heather
a very good album released a few years back
his recent concerts receiving universal praise
tonight it was decided to watch a music dvd
current hosts well set up home theatrically
so an easy decision to indulge in this concert
the action opening with the man coming on stage
a huge ovation from a huge crowd at this huge venue
leading to some concern about how this is going to work
his material as far away from stadium rock as you can get
but cleverly the director has a means to nullify that
keep it close - very close - the close-ups reign
so we get to see every line on his craggy face
which also means we can monitor the sincerity
and there's plenty of that coming from him
every note of every tune sung emotionally
and clearly too - the lyrics easy to decipher
the sheer poetry of his songs there for the taking
so for me as a late convert this is working very well
and then there is the band - perfect for the material
the hammond organ the standout instrument aurally
the chap on guitars and laud also of the highest quality
but the master-stroke is cohen's choice of backing singers
sharon robinson particularly held in high esteem by the man
similarly the gorgeous webb sisters just right on the night
lots of eye contact from the man as he looks on lovingly
graciously acknowledging all of those on stage with him
and in turn giving thanks to the large and excited crowd
the tunes - 25 of them in all including all the big ones
so long marianne, suzanne, hallelujah, tower of song
the banter between songs both humorous and telling
it’s been a long time since i’ve stood on a stage in london
it was about 14 or 15 years ago - i was 60 years old
....just a kid with a crazy dream
even at 2 hours the dvd is shorter than the show itself
but it is entirely captivating - total class throughout
and well suited to a large screen and speakers
a very pleasant saturday night in the country