Concert review: Leonard Cohen at Chicago Theatre
“Love is not some kind of victory march,” Leonard Cohen intoned Tuesday while performing his classic song “Hallelujah.” But for Cohen, who has been away from the touring circuit since 1993, his first of two sold-out concerts at the Chicago Theatre was exactly that.
He wore a black suit and snap-brim hat for the occasion, and dropped to one knee as if offering each of his songs up as a sacrament.
At age 74, the Canadian-born poet, novelist and songwriter supreme has never been more popular; when last he played Chicago, nearly 16 years ago, he was headlining a venue one-quarter of the size. Absence, it appears, has its benefits.
Instead of continuing to make albums in the ‘90s, he spent six years in a monastery. And that monastic reserve pervaded his presentation, lending gravity and dignity to even the simplest gestures. When one of his musicians performed a solo, Cohen quietly removed his hat and stood enraptured. But it was all just window-dressing for some of the greatest songs of the last 40 years, 26 in all spread over three hours.
In many of them, life can be one cruel ride, but somehow the narrator keeps paying the carny at the door for one more chance. God, if he exists at all, looks down on the whole thing with a bemused silence. The characters are worn-down wanderers who got more than they bargained for, and these songs are their moments of truth.
The lyrics are sprinkled with biblical allusions and sexually charged imagery. Cohen’s readings suggested chain-smoking detectives in trench coats reading a murder report, then extrapolating the details, the circumstances, that would drive human beings to do such desperate things.
Cohen’s presentation was meticulous, right down to the scripted between-songs patter. His nine-piece backing band consisted of able musicians who at times erred on the side of prettiness. The saxophone solos in particular sounded out of place, oozing sweetness.
These arrangements had nothing to do with rock’s Southern, rhythm-oriented sound. Even the disco beat for “First We Take Manhattan” sounded ironic. Instead, this was dark, European fare, flavored by Spanish guitar and hymn-like chord changes. Cohen’s deadpan baritone suited the material perfectly, and singers Charley and Hattie Webb followed suit with a beautifully unadorned reading of “If it be Your Will.”
“Tower of Song” was even more sparse, with an arrangement built on a pre-set keyboard rhythm that sounded straight out of a surreal “Blue Velvet” lounge. As this concert reiterated, Cohen’s songs are best served without extra seasoning. They’re that good.
greg@gregkot.com
Leonard Cohen’s set list Tuesday at Chicago Theatre
First set:
1. Dance Me to the End of Love
2. The Future
3. Ain’t No Cure for Love
4. Bird on the Wire
5. Everybody Knows
6. In My Secret Life
7. Who by Fire
8. Chelsea Hotel #2
9. Waiting for the Miracle
10. Anthem
Second set
11. Tower of Song
12. Suzanne
13. The Gypsy’s Wife
14. The Partisan
15. Boogie Street
16. Hallelujah
17. I’m Your Man
18. A Thousand Kisses Deep
19. Take This Waltz
First encore
20. So Long, Marianne
21. First We Take Manhattan
Second encore
22. Famous Blue Raincoat
23. If It Be Your Will
24. Democracy
Third encore
25. I Tried to Leave You
26. Whither Thou Goest