Rebirth Of A Ladies' Man: Leonard Cohen Live in London

“It’s been a long time since I stood on this stage in London. It was about 14 or 15 years ago. I was just 60 years old… just a kid with a crazy dream.”
- Leonard Cohen, introducing “Ain’t No Cure for Love” on Live in LondonDroll though his banter may be, there is something of an overnight-success vibe to Leonard Cohen lately. And his new Live in London, recorded last year at the O2 arena and available as a DVD or 2-CD set, feels like a long overdue benediction.

Despite residing on the same lofty musical terrain as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed and Van Morrison, Cohen has reaped few of the financial or commercial rewards as these artists. (I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard Cohen on mainstream radio. And a few years ago, a manager ripped him off for millions.)

But in recent years, Cohen has been getting the fair shake he has so long deserved, from tributes by R.E.M. and Kurt Cobain to Jeff Buckley’s and Rufus Wainwright’s covers of “Hallelujah,” the closest thing anyone’s written to an honest-to-god standard in decades.

Live in London is well timed to coincide with the increased interest in Cohen and his upcoming world tour. It’s a fantastic concert and makes a perfect entry point into his catalog, which goes back to 1967’s Songs of Leonard Cohen. (Before he was a singer, he was a poet and novelist; his first book was published in 1956.)

London finds Mr. Cohen showering himself in the love of his fans and playing up the spiritual and sensual underpinnings that give songs like “Suzanne” “Sisters of Mercy” and “The Future” such power and grace.

In addition to being a fantastic performance, Live in London is also beautifully recorded – it’s warm and rich, and his band provides sympathetic support in all the right places. And as the DVD shows, the legendary ladies' man is a riveting stage presence, sharply dressed in a pinstripe suit and fedora.


Leonard Cohen: Live in London is a treat for the heart and the mind, a stunning snapshot of a triumphant third act by an artist finally getting his due.

mp3: "The Future" Live in London

If, like me, you feel like you're late to the Cohen party, here's a Cohen primer: his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 – one year ahead of Metallica.