Wiesbaden Big One: Leonard Cohen Offers Thousands Indescribable
09/04/2010 - WIESBADEN
By Mara Brown
Leonard Cohen. Photo: wita / Uwe Stotz
It is nearly eleven clock, as Leonard Cohen enters the stage in front of the spa for a new addition. "I tried to leave you, I do not deny," breathes the doyen of the musical poetry with a scratchy voice into the microphone (I tried to leave you) - and the nearly ten thousand, which he just does not want to let go, laugh; are almost happy that he is still there: Prancing step back into the circle of his musicians. He pulls his hat, bowed deeply to his audience and does another song to - this really be the last, but only for today: "Until we meet again," Cohen said goodbye - until we meet again. While he is finally off the stage, the night sky above the spa town of fireworks will be lit: A perfect moment - not the only one that evening.
It's just after seven, as Leonard Cohen opened the concert with "Dance Me to the end of love". He seems almost oblivious, as he so with eyes downcast, her hands always moved close to his face, back to the music on the stage. On two large screens, each movement of the 75-year-olds will be transferred, which appeals to his audience as "dear friends" - dear friends - is sincerely thanked for the warm welcome broadcasting, and with every word, every movement of great modesty.
Magnetic personality
Behind the Nassauer Hof slowly, the sun, the sky show color variations, which occur only in those few days between the end of summer and early autumn. Pink and orange hanging clouds like sweet mounds of cotton candy on the Bowling Green, Cohen sings "Bird on the wire" - and just at that moment orbit amid loud cries birds on the park: When not just any timid beating heart felt in the audience addressed by the songs of Canadian poets, his magnetic personality, but every creature that breathes and lives.
"Who by fire," Cohen sings, "who by sunshine, who by night time" as the day passes slowly into the night and his voice floats on the sound of a harp through the ranks. There are excellent musicians with whom the poet is singing on tour - including Sharon Robinson, who has written several songs with him. Shortly before the break, to the anthemic sounds of "Anthem", he presents them to the public, inform the applause - but what seems like an end of the concert is fortunately only the half.
A great artist - an unforgettable evening
An evening like this was a rare event, while the world is sinking ever further into chaos philosophizing, the songwriter, who repeatedly thanked for the "kind attention to our songs." The second part, he returns with his sunglasses back on the darkness surrounded stage, opens with the personal ballad "Tower of Song" and reaps jubilant applause for the line of text, "I was born with the gift of a golden voice" (I was with the gift of a golden voice born.)
It long does not matter how close or far from the stage, you sit, because everything is full of his music, the gentle wisdom of this clever poet. And when Cohen finally calm, clear voice, on his knees, his indescribable "Hallelujah" strikes up, there it is, in focusing the whole town together with his music: a great artist - and a truly unforgettable concert evening.