A brief review of Leonard Cohen’s performance in Asheville

In case you missed it, Leonard Cohen played in Asheville this past weekend. Folks are telling me that Cohen was in town from Thursday through the weekend. I hope he enjoyed our little town.

Here’s a review of the much-anticipated performance by loyal reader Chall. Thank you, Chall!

We get more than our fair share of great shows in Asheville, and Leonard Cohen’s appearance on Sunday evening at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium by Leonard Cohen was more than exemplary of that. The famous, and famously reclusive, legend stopped in Asheville on his current world tour–a tour that was in large part precipitated by the fact that while Cohen spent several years in a Buddhist monastery his former manager embezzled over $5,000,000, leaving him with less than $150,000 in his retirement account.

Whatever the reasons for this tour, his first in 15 years, those of us lucky enough to have a seat for the sold-out show on Sunday were treated to a stellar show almost three hours in length. And it was very much a show. Printed on the tickets was “8:00 p.m. Sharp”, and indeed, at exactly 8:00 Cohen, resplendent in a dark suit and fedora, bounded out to a waiting spotlight in the center of the stage and, after receiving a standing ovation, set right into “Dance Me to the End of Love”. Cohen’s voice has matured beautifully, and one cannot imagine many other singers having this much depth and range as they enter their late 70’s. Nevermind the stamina to carry an almost three hour, 37 song (though two of those were poems he recited sans accompaniment) show.

That isn’t to say the show didn’t have a few low points: I am not convinced I’ll ever be able to listen to “Boogie Street” and think of it as a good song; and there were a few more saxaphone solos than this reviewer would have preferred, but these details pale in comparison to the captivating performance that Cohen exhibited. He danced across the stage, he addressed verses to other band members, sometimes several per song, creating a sort of schizophrenic music conversation that was completely fascinating. The backing band was composed of music industry veterans such as Roscoe Beck and Bob Metzger, all of whom did Cohen’s music justice. The elaborate lighting design also enhanced the show–Cohen’s touring entourage includes two buses and four tractor-trailers–quite well, and the sound technicians were impeccable. I often hear people complain about the sound quality of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, but this show demonstrated that, in the hands of a capable sound technician, a show can sound fantastic in the auditorium.

Not knowing if Leonard Cohen will ever pass this way again, I doubt that anyone who saw the show on Sunday will be disappointed in their memories of seeing him perform live.

—Chall Gray