Leonard Cohen was one of those singer/songwriters who could cut a gorgeous record and bring it fully to life during live performances. Some of those live performances, though, are simply on another level. Let’s look at just three of the poet’s greatest live sets of all time.
Videos by American Songwriter
German TV, 1979
The name of this German television program has been lost to time (from what I could find), but some footage of Leonard Cohen’s live set on this TV show from 1979 has survived the fires of time. This was Cohen at his peak. He was on his Field Commander Cohen Tour, and his performance chops were absolutely incredible during this period.
His backing band likely contributed to how good his performance of “Famous Blue Raincoat” on the show was, but I say that without detracting from how magnetic Cohen was on his own. Paul Ostyermaster’s sax solo is pretty killer, too.
Frederiction, 2008
When Leonard Cohen would whip out “Hallelujah”, you’d think audiences were at church. And I would say the same thing if the song had a different, non-religious title. He had such command over this incredible song and the crowds he crooned to, and that much was obvious later in his career when he performed the tune on Frederiction in 2008. It’s wild to think that it had been more than a decade and a half since Cohen performed live. He sang “Hallelujah” like it was his debut.
Isle Of Wight Fest, 1970
Leonard Cohen’s live concerts were always a delight at every point in his career, but his set at The Isle of Wight Festival back in 1970 was just different. It’s one of his most well-known live performances. That says a lot, considering the festival was full of rioting, fire-setting, and mob mentality throughout the day. Even greats like Kris Kristofferson got booed off stage and pelted with beer bottles.
Cohen took to the stage, more or less in his sleepwear, and the half-million-headed crowd didn’t boo him off stage. In fact, he had managed to charge the whole of the crowd. His command over an audience with storytelling, relatability, and an odd sense of calm was really something to behold.
Photo by Terry Lott/Sony Music Archive via Getty Images
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