For anyone who doubts why Prince and Leonard Cohen would be compared at all, here's the description of his work from the Wikipedia entry:

His work often deals with the exploration of religion, isolation, sexuality and complex interpersonal relationships.



Sounds familiar, no?

narcotizedmind said:

Check out my clip from this show. I had the best fucking seats in the house, front row centre. It was like he was playing in my lounge. Unforgettable concert, but can I ask you have you ever seen Prince live? I think part of the thrill that people are experiencing with Leonard is the surprise that he is bothering to tour and it's been so long since his last tour and he seems to be so clearly enjoying himself.

meow85 said:

Lyrically, few people can compete with him.

I'm surprised this thread got 3 pages of posts... especially considering the ridiculousness of the first.

dunno who leonard cohen is, so i'll say prince

mynameisnotsusan said:

What a great clip. Shame about the audio, but even that's decent enough to make out what's going on. Thanks for posting.

narcotizedmind said:

I saw Cohen last year at the O2 in London and it was a lovely concert. Warm, funny and great songs.

It didn't however, come anywhere near what Prince did there the year before. Cohen is a great songwriter and a lovely guy. Prince is one of the greatest live entertainers ever.

Leonard Cohen vs. Prince

Sorry but Leonard is not my cup of tea

PRINCE !

lezama said:

There are alot of old orgers on this site and younger ones that get taken in by the current hype around this guy ....zzzzz...zzzzz

mynameisnotsusan said:

Yeah, Auckland was outstanding on every level (my seat wasn't quite as good as yours, you lucky bastard!). What a night - even Sam Hunt was great! To answer your questions. I saw Prince in Miami, opening night of the '92 tour. It was a good show, but I really wasn't moved on any kind of deep level. He came, he was funky, he left... people mostly sat through it, which I found quite strange. But sure he's clearly capable of much greater things then that particular night. And you're right, there is a feeling with Cohen that we're witnessing something highly improbable... but it goes deeper. Just some aspects that spring to mind - the songs have gotten better with time. The lyrics just resonate amazingly. Take 'The Future', written 10 years before Sept. 11... it really WAS prophetic, or 'Democracy', two days after Obama - so beautiful. But it goes deeper still. NO other performer I can think of can pull something like 'A thousand Kisses Deep' out of his back pocket, almost a silent recitation, and you could hear a pin drop couldn't you. Personally I was bawling my eyes out, feeling emotions I thought were extinct, almost restoring faith in the very idea of being alive. For me it was THAT deep. I came away with a peculiar calmness, a feeling that I could deal with growing old and dying, that I could cope with whatever the future held for me... It was almost as if he was ministering to his flock - ya know what I mean? And the humour! He's just such a beautiful human being. So many moments to treasure (like the applause for the 'piano solo' on Tower of Song - those kind of things). God, I've got tears welling up just writing this. But anyway, you clearly get it. Unfortunately we won't see his like again, and that's why I'll see him 'one last time'. That's no way to say goodbye... Will I ever see something so beautiful again? Thank you for your kind attention

Seeing as Prince hasn't announced any tourdates for 2009 at this time, the issue is moot.

Nothinbutjoy said:

But clearly a thread about the relative merits of Michael Jackson and Prince as live performers would be 'allowed' even though neither is touring at the momemt. Aren't you the people who claim that Prince is 'the greatest live performer in the world' - if not history -, which IS AN IMPLICIT COMPARISON TO COHEN and every other musician on the planet. I seem to remember 1000s of such threads. Oh god, could the mighty Prince really be smoked live by a 74 year old Jewish Buddist - unthinkable! Treasonous! Personally I think it's true. Sorry to burst your bubble. I'm sure you'll get over it. I also think Prince is hugely overratted, over hyped and basically a fraud and a charlatan. Most of his lyrics are drivel. He seems incapable of true love, and a cruel narcicist to boot. Happy listening!

I WILL NEVER GET OVER IT!!!





























May I offer you a ?

narcotizedmind said:

Y'know I was tossing up whether to go or not because I've really only listened to Leonard in the last 10 years sporadically, I only had a couple of his albums but I went on the ticketek site and when front row came up I just abour fell out of my seat! I even thought about flogging them on trade me and become a bastard scalper but I'm so glad I didn't. Sam Hunt was great, I guess he's been performing forever so he knows how to work a crowd.



I missed the '92 tour when Prince went to Australia. Flights weren't as cheap to Aussie as they are now and without the internet, by the time I found out about the sale they'd already been sold-out. He kept adding dates but I didn't know about that until after the fact, so I still could of gone When he toured Aussie in 2003 with the open soundchecks and the aftershows, it was incredible and I got to see him play on 12 different occasions over the week, more than 50 different songs. I can't imagine anything topping that experience. Having said that, if Prince hadn't toured for 18 years, went away to a religious retreat, barely released any new music, got ripped of by his manager, and then reappeared with such a contented generous spirit where his songs only resonate deeper with time, I'm certain that would be miraculous. Unfortunately, Prince's funky party music and seduction numbers aren't going to play anywhere near as well when Prince is in his 70s as Leonards songs do for him. His voice now suits those songs better as you say below.



I have to say I thought of Prince when he said he'd delved into philosophy and religion but cheerfulness kept breaking through

I pray that Prince reaches the same kind of enlightenment.

LondonStyle said:

Seems there are even more lacking taste, so I guess we're even.

narcotizedmind said:

That sounds like an amazing experience. I am so envious of you for having the chance to go.

xlr8r said:

good one (song)

I chose Prince in eny contest whit any other artist.thats why im at the org.

meow85 said:

That's the problem with "media hype" they force people to think that Leonard Cohen is an artist.....like if you like his music your "taste" is good ....oh please music industry darlings...

narcotizedmind said:

God invented Wikipedia?

i would see Cohen. he's a great songwriter and i haven't seen him before.

his classic paris show was on my bday: 6.7.76


i don't get the shock of choosing cohen vs. PRN.

why? both are legends and both deserve respect.

[/quote]
Some of what you say about Prince I agree with, which is why I'd rather hang out with Cohen any day. However, after 25 years of pretty constant cocnert going, I've never seen anyone as amazing as Prince onstage.
[Edited 2/27/09 6:38am]

LondonStyle said:[quote]

meow85 said:

So Cohen isn't even an "artist" (whatever that is) now, and the 750,000 peolple who've seen the current tour are just the victims of "media hype" (not sure to what you're referring - virtually no coverage here in NZ at all, except ecstatic reviews). This is so absurd I can hardly be bothered arguing the contrary. Actually I'd rather go to bed. Goodnight.

I'd pick Prince every time
If anyone is in or near the Twin Cities U can check out Leonard Cohen's class act. He will be playing here soon, 5/3/2009 in MPLS at 8:00 PM at the Orpheum Theatre!

"Coming fresh on the heels of his recent trek through Europe, Leonard Cohen will be joined by a full band, including Sharon Robinson and the Webb Sisters – who have wowed crowds around the world with their rich and complementary background vocals – as well as Roscoe Beck (bass, vocals), Neil Larsen (keyboards & Hammond B3 accordion), Bob Metzger (electric, acoustic & pedal steel guitar), Javier Mas (bandurria, laud, archilaud, 12-string acoustic guitar), Rafael Gayol (drums, percussion) and Dino Soldo (sax, clarinet, dobro, keys)."

Presale tonite and tomorrow, Public sale 3/2 at 10AM!
[Edited 2/27/09 16:55pm]

colorblu said:

Please report back with full review. You're about to have the best night of your life

meow85 said:

Just got a ticket for Red Rocks on June 2nd; I missed the presale, but still got Row 11. It'll probably be off to the side, but I just want to be there! I was about to get the VIP package, which was $549, and that was only one row better! Get a decent ticket and report back!

When he does 21 nights in London, I might check out one of his aftershows.