Meeting Leonard...

It was a warm, sunny day in beautiful Nashville. I left my hotel, passing by the venue where Leonard Cohen would be playing that night and crossed the street to where there were two fountains I had grown fond of since I arrived in town the previous day. The fountains flanked a massive, column-intensive state building. There is a War Memorial there if you keep walking left in the large, open courtyard with the bookend fountains--a single, lacey-white bubbling cascade of water sung in the middle of large square pools of water.

Sitting on a marble bench that lined a planter for about twenty feet, while facing the sun and fountain, I took off my jacket and lit a cigarette. It was like a summer day in Juneau, this glorious fall day in Nashville. I had a notebook with me and was about to dig it out of my purse along with a black gel pen that makes my uber sloppy handwriting a little less indecipherable when I noticed a slight man approaching. He was wearing a beret and a light, waist-length jacket. I'd taken a long walk to Broadway that morning and had my sandals off to cool my feet on the smooth stone. The man continued on towards the fountain I had staked claim to and I hoped he continued on down towards the center of the long seating so I could still feel alone with my thoughts and not worry about bothering a stranger with cigarette smoke. When he got almost to the corner section where I was I paused and looked harder. Was that Leonard? A shift in profile pretty much confirmed it was him.

Should I say something? I didn't want to be 'bugged' so why should he? But then again, it was an opportunity I would probably end up regretting if I didn't say something, so I surreptitiously slipped my watch off and asked if he knew what time it is. He said he did not.
So I said, "Okay, thanks."
And he said, "Nice day, isn't it?"
And I said, "Yes, beautiful."
And he continued on down the path that surrounded the fountain and I swear out of the corner of my eye, I saw him skipping.

None of this is true. Well, none of the parts involving Leonard are true. I never saw him...but I did have a nice conversation with that fountain and my notebook.

Nothing is simple. Everything is simple.

I have been on a few of what amount to 'musical pilgrimmages.'
Starting with Bocelli and that first (ever) opera in Detroit where I had the pleasure of meeting him for the first time on the street in front of the MOT, to my recent first rock concert(s) in Vancouver, BC to see a musician I have admired for years (Jack White!) and his newest band, the hard-rocking, Dead Weather.*

Now, there is Leonard Cohen in Nashville. In what would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my Life, I almost didn't go, twice. For a long time I considered whether or not I was up for seeing Leonard Live. What if his age made those beautiful songs of his sound below his usual standard? What if it seemed like he was only there because it was a 'job' he needed to do because of circumstance? And then there is the personal baggage I have related to discovering this amazing musician/poet nearly a decade ago, that might make a live-listen just too fucking intense. I have issues and on the list is over-thinking stuff. Also on the list is being hyper-self-aware (thank you ADD!) and if any of the above ponderings were a reality, it could have been a disaster. Okay, maybe that is hyperbole, but just maybe. And it turned out all my ponderings were completely without merit.

It started a couple of months ago. I set a high-bar to help me make the decision, placing the burden of this coin flip on the Universe. IF I could find a perfect front-row-center seat at a fall tour venue, I would go. Had to pay a ridiculous VIP package price, but there it was, my dream seat and a dreamy venue. And it turned out to be in a city that had peripheral benefits.**

Then, mid-September I decided my job was no longer an option. It felt somewhat like a life or death decision. I chose Life. So that leads to the second "almost not going." I seriously considered (for a whole day!), cancelling this Nashville/Cohen trip (eating the expensive concert tik) to save a few bucks, since Job was going to be an X in a few months. Fortunately, I came to my senses and merely 'down-graded' my hotel to a Doubletree from the sublime looking Hermitage. Ah, sacrifices! But it was still ON.

I have to mention just how much I liked (like, liked!) Nashville. The weather Gods were very kind and it was sunny and warm--not too hot--just right. The architecture there is an anachronistic mix of eras and styles that some how 'works.' The streets are clean and the atmosphere laid-back. Even the traffic didn't seem daunting. My small town tendency to get over-whelmed by the hustle/bustle of a large town, never kicked in. And there are a couple of fountains there that provided a serene reprieve from the city 'noise' along with beautiful marble benches to chill (haha) on whilst being washed by the watery lullaby that fountains around the world sing. Nashville was an unexpected bonus on a trip that was turned out to be filled with 'all good things.'

Back to Leonard...My seat was intimate, being literally a few feet from the stage. Leonard has perfected the art of transformation. If you took a picture, an unmoving snap, what you would see is an old man, in a hat. It's an illusion. I believe he is aware of the inital perception vs. the reality and guides his audience away from anything that defines him by first impressions . It's only a guess, but hopefully not too far-fetched. His playful moves and humorous self-deprecating lyrics/comments--his kneeling to the floor and rising back up, like an athlete, to standing--to his energetic side-skips off the stage all send a message of who and what he is. This is not simply some 'old man' on the stage singing songs from the past. He is vibrant and giving and ageless. Shit, his new song, "The Darkness" is my current 'fave' song.

A genuine humbleness permeates everything. From his obvious appreciate of his audience to his obvious respect and admiration for those who have come along with him on this journey/tour. There are no slackers or inflated egos present up there on stage. I've never seen anything like the 'mutual admiration' society that is his band and backup singers...and no hyperbole, they are all deserving of the highest accolades for their musicianship. You can TELL there is a concerted effort to be completely there in the Now. Every damn one of them. At one point, Leonard stands in the back, in the near dark, hat in hand, eyes closed, listening, really listening, while Sharon Robinson solos, "Boogie Street." Nothing and no one came across as 'going through the motions' of another concert. And they all without a doubt love and respect Leonard and his music.

Hell, yeah. The concert was wonderful. The music and lyrics written by Leonard Cohen are long beloved and it would take a lot to screw them up. His lyrics which are so intriguing and well-written, I think end up leaving what is some of the most beautiful 'music' ever written over-shadowed. Music vs. Lyrics. Lyrics win, but Music comes in a close second. Can you imagine "Hallelujah" set to any other music? Or "Anthem"?*** Or "Dance Me To The End of Love"? It's just impossible. I don't think there is any other artist who has so successfully melded the theme of the lyrics with music, like Leonard Cohen has.

I didn't want to do a typical, Concert Report. It's so status quo. Of course I loved everything about the concert and the music needs not be mentioned--it is legendary for a reason.
Thank you Leonard!!

* Since then have seen the Dead Weather in New Orleans and Dallas.
**Third Man Records (and very nice co. :o)
***I fucking hate to cry in public and knew this would be the one that would possibly take me into that territory--being my intro to LC and the song that sort of saved what's left of me...Thankfully, I had to pee like a race horse for most of the first half of the concert and that little problem was enough to distract me.
Bladder 1. Kleenex 0.

Wet vase from iphone (experimental)

Trying this to see if it can be expanded when clicked.