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Things spread everywhere the day I was born. There was wind. Dry leaves banged against the walls of the homeopathic hospital. I was alive. I was alive amidst the horror. Donors crowded over me like a rugby team. They began to give me things and then take them away. The things that weren't suitable were thrown back into the vacuum tube. Many were the gifts and many were the warnings that came with them. We give you a big heart but if you start drinking wine you will begin to hate the world. The moon is your sister but if you take sleeping pills you will find yourself in the company of unhappy women. Every time you try to grasp love, you will lose a snowflake from your memory
When talking about artists like Leonard Cohen, one cannot help but feel ashamed of one's own uselessness, one's own embarrassing fruitlessness. I must say that I am quite surprised that no one reviewed this remarkable release before me. In fact, I impatiently awaited its publication for months and as soon as I purchased my copy, I was ready to bow down respectfully before it.
On August 31, 1970, Leonard Cohen, then 35 years old, was awakened at 2 a.m. while in his trailer. He got on stage with his group and offered a deliciously unreal concert to the 600,000 present, immersed in the unrepeatable atmosphere of that summer night. A few days’ beard, long hair lazily enveloping his face. That is how the Canadian poet presents himself on stage, clad in an unusual beige raincoat, complete with a belt. He timidly approaches the microphone, lightly touching it with the tip of his hand, disconcerted by the crowd's noise. He prudently greets and begins to tell:
When I was seven, my father used to take me to the circus. He had black mustache, a gray suit, and a pansy on the lapel of his jacket. He liked the circus much more than I did. But there was a moment I eagerly awaited when I was at the circus. I don't want to impose anything on anyone. But there was a moment when a man would stand up and say: "Would you kindly light a match so we can find each other?" May I ask each of you to light a match, wherever you are, so I can see you all wherever you are camped?
Slowly, the small uncertain lights light up to the joy of Cohen. Now he can begin. He gently plucks the guitar strings and slowly, very slowly, pronounces the first verses of "Bird On The Wire":
Like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free
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The concert begins in a delicate magic atmosphere, and it continues with many of Cohen's masterpieces, who presents his "jewels" in exquisite versions, impeccably accompanied by the musicians who join him. Besides the tracks from the first two albums ("Songs Of Leonard Cohen" and "Songs From A Room"), there are "Diamonds In The Mine", "Famous Blue Raincoat", and "Sing Another Song Boys", which are presented to the public for the first time and will become part of his third album "Songs Of Love And Hate". These are absolutely perfect interpretations and listening to this album leaves no doubt: Cohen is an exceptional performer, capable of achieving technical and stylistic perfection even live.
Many of Cohen's early songs are presented during the concert with a completely new look; refined and enriched with uncommon elegance and delicacy. For example, "One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong" and "The Stranger Song", included in Cohen's first album, are spectacularly refined and revisited here, and they have that additional touch of perfection that makes them impeccable, thanks in part to the richer but never excessive arrangements that distinguish them from the originals.
The Box Set includes the audio disc and the DVD of the concert which was filmed and directed by Murray Lerner under difficult conditions, after 5 days of turmoil and fires, with many pieces of equipment out of order and after the stage had been in the hands of people like Hendrix. It is an absolutely memorable concert, and it is a fortune to be able to enjoy it on DVD as well. So, believe me, it is truly worth it. There are no ups and downs. It is a little gem to be enjoyed in all its completeness.
Probably the best Cohen concert. A must-have.
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