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RareArtists - just when I thought life couldn't get any better, all of a sudden, I have a pair LEONARD COHEN tickets for tonight. now for dinner plans

crackedactor -Leonard Cohen! — at Paramount Theatre http://gowal.la/c/34iFH

billyverde - Leonard Cohen. Fifth row. May spend half the night crying like a baby.

hemuzak - Oakland's Paramount Theatre is a killer venue. Catching Charley and Hattie's show with Leonard Cohen.

chloedancer - Waiting for Leonard Cohen. http://plixi.com/p/61275359

_victoria_w_ - Leonard Cohen at the Paramount Theatre. http://yfrog.com/2h3pd01j

aimperial RT @bilbeny: A la cita pendiente con Leonard Cohen @ Paramount Theatre http://bit.ly/fiiRhT <- envidia de la güena

SanFranPlaces - Latest buzz for Fox Theatre: http://sch.mp/05dKf - RT @poshlost The line-cutting in the women's bathroom line at the Leonard Cohen show (...

chezzasf - Leonard Cohen. Still the Master. Paramount Theatre Oaktown http://yfrog.com/mtdf10j

moyalynne - Leonard Cohen. Wow. http://twitpic.com/3de5xq

anigregorians - Backstage at Leonard Cohen playing Angry birds

GojaSF - tonight: at Leonard Cohen at the Paramount in Oakland http://yfrog.com/64f81hj

bdubdrum - At Paramount in Oakland enjoying Leonard Cohen.. Life is good right now.

ebfmark - Leonard Cohen at the paramount "started the tour 3 yrs ago - just a kid with a dream at 73". Bet he'd do great tweets

winnig - The incomparable Leonard Cohen is rocking the Oakland Paramount incomparably. And he's such a class act.

OJShadmon - Leonard Cohen was really good!

Kcecelia - @LazyBuddhist Leonard Cohen totally still has it.

LazyBuddhist - You know Leonard Cohen still has "it" when at 76 years old women are woo-hooing at him while singing "I'm Your Man"

Leonard Cohen
December 6th, 2010 — 9:04am



I saw Leonard Cohen last night at the beautiful Paramount Theater in Oakland. He was astonishing. He is such a generous, visceral performer. He contains a stillness that makes his words that much more valuable.

His Chelsea Hotel was remarkable. And Hallelujah, was, of course, insanely moving and deep. He also surrounds himself with virtuoso musicians, and gives them time and space to shine. No one hogged the stage, not even Leonard, who, at 76, performed for 3-1/2 hours. It is inspiring to see someone at any age be fully who they are and share that with the world. At 76, with his gifts, it borders on the miraculous. Hallelujah.

Leonard Cohen Is 'Just a Kid With a Dream' in Oakland

Posted on Dec 6th 2010 7:11PM by Benjy Eise

Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

When Leonard Cohen brought his tower of song to Oakland, Calif. for the opening night or a two-night stand on Sunday, it represented the beginning of an end. After just two more tour stops, the production will go dark and Cohen will retreat back to his much-protected private life.

"Thank you for the honor of letting us play for you," Cohen told the captivated audience at the sold-out Paramount. "When we started this tour three years ago, I was 73. I was just a kid with a dream," he joked. "I don't know when we'll be back through here but, even though it's a school day tomorrow, we're going to give it all we've got tonight."

He meant it, too: Cohen filled three and a half hours with gems from his entire catalog, running down the classics -- such as 'Hallelujah,' 'Suzanne' and 'Bird on a Wire' -- while weaving in healthy doses from his newer releases as well. And while fans may argue that there's a divide between the two eras, Cohen effectively closed that gap on Sunday, as he offered a spoken word reinterpretation of 'A Thousand Kisses Deep,' as well as an emotional rendering of 'In My Secret Life' -- tunes from his 2001 release, 'Ten New Songs.' They fit seamlessly alongside nuggets like 1971's 'Famous Blue Raincoat' and 1988's 'I'm Your Man.'

Cohen used each song as a meditation, infused with all the cathartic passion of their original intent, while using their legacy as a vehicle to give the crowd a night of solid entertainment.

"It is a real pleasure to gather in places like this and play music when there's so much trouble going on in the world," he said, gravely. "Let us ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything -- that's how the light gets in."

He borrowed some of those words from the song 'Anthem,' which the band then launched into, as Cohen leaned into the music, fell on bended knee, and seduced the audience yet again. Every move he made was with dignity and grace. Every bow he took was sincere and genuine -- all the way through the fourth encore.

We hope, of course, that this is goodbye but not farewell. Because the next time he feels like singing... we're all ears.

Rainy Sunday.
* Oakland, California

Paramount theatre.
* Oakland, California
(tumblr make up posts)

Paramount night 1
* Oakland, California
( 05DEC2010 tumblr make up posts)

griffgriffiths - seeing Leonard Cohen, the hardest working 76 year old in showbiz, tonight at the Paramount in Oakland. Hallelujah!

munter - Last nights Leonard Cohen show at the Paramount. A 4 hr set and one of the best shows I can remember. http://twitpic.com/3dj6ki

3PennyMovies - Roscoe Beck: "We are definitely allowed to be creative; it's expected and hoped for..." Tom Harrison: Leonard Cohen http://is.gd/iiqbo

vtg - Leonard Cohen was amazing last eve. Definitely one of my biggest influences! http://fb.me/NoDVFhtU

ItsBrieBlog - I wonder what magnificent suit Leonard Cohen will be wearing tonight. Considering matching his outfit and pretending we're getting married.

girlinchucks - Oh Leonard Cohen concerts, why is your bathroom line always so long? #ihavetopee

rokni - Leonard Cohen http://yfrog.com/g4rf301j

hermiesmit - I'm so stocked! Going to see Leonard Cohen in 5min with my mom. Rare air I'm breathing.

MrMikeHayes - Waiting for Leonard Cohen. Love Leonard Cohen http://yfrog.com/5oxlt0j

pec - Leonard Cohen at the Paramount! One of a kind voice... http://yfrog.com/49et80j