Review: HERE
(Photo: Anthony Keiler (The Line of Best Fit))
Saturday, September 22, 2012
LEONARD COHEN (London Wembley Arena, 09/09/12)
Due to a heavily-undersold second night at Wembley Arena (well, what do you expect if the cheapest tickets are £74?), the promoters decided to give away thousands of free Leonard Cohen tickets on the day of the gig. Hence I unexpectedly found myself seeing the legendary singer-songwriter perform what turned out to be one was undoubtedly one of the best shows I've seen in a very long time. Cohen freely admits that he only returned to touring after his ex-manager screwed him out of his fortune, but unlike his contemporary Bob Dylan, there's absolutely no sense he's phoning these shows in – indeed, his energetic showmanship would be impressive from someone much younger than his 77 years. For over three hours he left the audience spellbound, unleashing hit after hit with his superb backing band, and although I wasn't previously au fait with his material, his gloriously gravelly bass voice and wonderful turn of phrase made me an immediate fan. An absolute joy of a performance, and if he ever returns to these shores, I think I'd be more than willing to shell out the ridiculous prices he charges to see him again.
(Photo: John Gleeson)
Due to a heavily-undersold second night at Wembley Arena (well, what do you expect if the cheapest tickets are £74?), the promoters decided to give away thousands of free Leonard Cohen tickets on the day of the gig. Hence I unexpectedly found myself seeing the legendary singer-songwriter perform what turned out to be one was undoubtedly one of the best shows I've seen in a very long time. Cohen freely admits that he only returned to touring after his ex-manager screwed him out of his fortune, but unlike his contemporary Bob Dylan, there's absolutely no sense he's phoning these shows in – indeed, his energetic showmanship would be impressive from someone much younger than his 77 years. For over three hours he left the audience spellbound, unleashing hit after hit with his superb backing band, and although I wasn't previously au fait with his material, his gloriously gravelly bass voice and wonderful turn of phrase made me an immediate fan. An absolute joy of a performance, and if he ever returns to these shores, I think I'd be more than willing to shell out the ridiculous prices he charges to see him again.
(Photo: John Gleeson)
SIGUR ROS (Amsterdam Paradiso, 29/08/12)
A far more stripped down affair than the confetti-and-marching band extravaganza of the last couple of tours, but when it comes to the slow-burning post-rock crescendo, Sigur Ros are still in a league of their own. Concerns that the more muted, ambient material from new album "Valtari" would lead to a less exciting live show are mitigated by the fact they don't play much of it, with the focus very much on old favourites such as Hoppipolla, Vaka, Hafsol, Festival, Glosoli and Svefn-g-englar, (though Varud is undoubtedly a fine addition to their oeuvre). And when all is said and done, Untitled 8 still remains the greatest live song of all time, bar none. So glad to have them back.
A far more stripped down affair than the confetti-and-marching band extravaganza of the last couple of tours, but when it comes to the slow-burning post-rock crescendo, Sigur Ros are still in a league of their own. Concerns that the more muted, ambient material from new album "Valtari" would lead to a less exciting live show are mitigated by the fact they don't play much of it, with the focus very much on old favourites such as Hoppipolla, Vaka, Hafsol, Festival, Glosoli and Svefn-g-englar, (though Varud is undoubtedly a fine addition to their oeuvre). And when all is said and done, Untitled 8 still remains the greatest live song of all time, bar none. So glad to have them back.
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