Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
It’s not often that items are released within a couple of weeks of each other about the same artist where one was originally recorded some 40 years before the other. It’s especially rare to have two DVDs about the same person with that time difference surfacing one right after the other. The number of performers who have endured from the 1970s to now are few enough as it is, but for there to be anything new under the sun from the past not yet released that is actually worth viewing is as remarkable as the longevity required for them still to be performing today.
Leonard Cohen has actually been around a lot longer than since the early 1970s, but the DVD that was to be released on August 31, 2010, Bird On A Wire, was of the never-before-seen film made of his 1972 European tour. (As of now the DVD has still not been released due to “concerns” on the part of Cohen’s current label — you won’t even find it listed yet at either the distributor’s web site or at Amazon.) Now two weeks later, September 14, Columbia Records’ Legacy Recordings has released Songs From The Road, a collection of 12 songs taken from Cohen’s 2008/2009 world tour. Available as a CD/DVD package and Blu-ray, the songs are taken from 11 of the many venues Cohen performed at during his two years on the road, with two from his November 2008 concert at London’s O2 Arena.
While 12 songs might not seem like much of a representation of a career that has spanned nearly five decades, that’s not the point of this release. Instead it was an attempt to capture some of what the recording’s producer, Ed Sanders, calls the tour’s special moments. As we see in the special feature documentary included on the DVD, “Backstage Sketch”, it was Cohen’s habit at the end of each show to go directly from the stage to a waiting vehicle which would whisk him back to his hotel. Accompanied by only his tour manager and Sanders he would usually not even mention the show just performed. However, over the course of the tour there were nights when something special would have happened on stage which would compel Cohen to talk about the show. Each of these songs represents, either in Cohen’s or Sanders’ estimation, one of those moments on the tour.
Ironically, just like its predecessor from 1972, Songs From The Road opens with Cohen’s Tel Aviv concert. In September of 2009 Cohen played to some 50,000 people at the Ramat Gan Stadium. While that might seem like a strange environment for a performer whose material is as intimate as Cohen’s, you can’t help but be amazed at his ability to connect to an audience no matter what its size. As he and the band work their way through a beautiful rendition of “Lover, Lover, Lover”, the camera pans out over the stadium where the entire audience appear to be holding green light sticks which are swaying in time to the music like some eerily glowing field of grass. Even more than actually seeing the audience react to the song, one can’t help but be impressed by the connection it demonstrates between Cohen and his audience or the implied power it represents. Yet, the appreciation he shows for their applause when the song ends is so genuine, it’s his humility that leaves the strongest impression.
It doesn’t seem to matter where he’s performing, or the size of the crowd, each of the songs on this DVD manages to capture the sense of communion existing between Cohen and his audience. This is not your typical rock and roll tour with its crowd of worshippers; instead there appears to be a genuine feeling of reciprocity between the performer and his audience. After each song the applause is deafening and Cohen responds by standing before them humbly, either doffing his hat in recognition of their response or saying a genuine “Thank you friends”, constantly surprised at the strength of their reaction.
No collection as small as this one will satisfy every fan of Cohen’s, but what I liked about it is the mix of classics and lessor known pieces. “Bird On The Wire” and “Chelsea Hotel” are followed on the disc by “Heart With No Companion”, “That Don’t Make It Junk” and “Waiting For The Miracle”, three songs that you won’t often find on any greatest hits collection. “Heart”, with its decidedly country feel and slightly tongue in cheek presentation—watch for the three backup vocalists doing some line dancing in the instrumental break—was an example of the rather surprising lightness of spirit that pervaded Cohen’s performances. This was, after all, the guy who became famous for cutting a rather brooding and romantic figure. However, even though his material has lost none of its emotional intensity, there was prevailing sense of optimism to the proceedings.
Perhaps the explanation lies not in what was being performed, but in the fact that both audience and performers were taking such joy in being present. This was something that went beyond the audience merely appreciating Cohen and the band’s renditions of the songs, and is hard to define. Unlike other concerts where there is a clear demarcation of roles for both performer and audience, the line at these concerts seemed to blur somewhat. It was like the connection between the two was so strong each song became an experience to share, not something one sat back and passively observed.
One of the best examples of this is the recording of Cohen’s performance of “Hallelujah” recorded at the Coachella Music Festival in California. Normally multiple stages are in operation at once, but festival organizers arranged it so Cohen’s performance was the only one scheduled and he performed for the entire festival crowd. With a crowd that size standing in front of a stage you’d expect to notice people being distracted or looking around. Not on this night at this moment. Every face seemed riveted on the slightly stooped grey suited figure holding the microphone, hanging on his every word and awaiting their cue to start singing along with the chorus. As producer Sanders says in his notes, if he had to pick a moment as a highlight from the tour it would be hearing the tens of thousands of voices raised in a chorus of one word at the end of the song — hallelujah.
Naturally the sound and visual quality of this CD/DVD package are excellent with the on stage visuals being exceptionally well done providing both wonderful close ups during solos and excellent full band coverage when required as well. However don’t look to the special features for any startling revelations or insights into the artistry of Leonard Cohen. While the short documentary, “Backstage Sketch”, introduces us to all the other people on the tour, band members, roadies, tour manager, and even the tour accountant, Cohen himself only appears incidentally.
While Tony Palmer’s film Bird On A Wire from 1972 provided viewers with extensive back- and off-stage footage of Cohen and his band, the tour itself was plagued by horrible sound problems. As a result the footage from onstage was limited and not of the quality we’re now used to. It was more than adequate considering the conditions and the time, but compared to what you can see and hear on Songs From The Road you truly comprehend the advantages our new technology has given us over films made in the past. While Bird On A Wire might have given us a better understanding of Cohen the man, Songs From The Road allows you a deeper appreciation of Cohen the performer and the amazing bond he has with his audiences.
