From Big O re-posts they have a fine fine Leonard Cohen set from 2010 . . . . . . . .

LEONARD COHEN - VANCOUVER 2010

June 4, 2011 – 12:45 pm

LEONARD COHEN
Vancouver 2010 [no label, 4CD]
Live at Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC, Canada; December 2, 2010. Excellent stereo audience recording.

It doesn’t require an extraordinary pair of ears to hear that Bob Dylan’s vocals have been shot to hell even as he grows older but interestingly, Leonard Cohen’s gravelly voice - raw even - seems to have aged and imbued with a sense of wisdom and experience. Like a consoling pardoner, never accusing, he quietly dispenses hard-won nuggets of advice - just don’t expect absolution - and it’s no wonder fans easily lap up his three-hour shows.

Douglas Todd, in the Vancouver Sun, wrote of this concert:

Where does it come from? Where does Leonard Cohen get his vigor, stamina, discipline and élan vital? The 76-year-old’s simmering energy was on robust display Thursday evening at Roger’s Arena as Cohen began wrapping up a remarkable three-year world concert tour that will end December 11 in Las Vegas.

The high-octane Vancouver concert, which grey-haired Cohen opened with a stirring Dance Me To The End Of Love, may be one of the last times anyone ever gets to see a live performance by the Montreal-born singer-poet. He will be devoting next year to recording a new album…

It was a festival of love. It grew more ecstatic with each song. But it was always mixed with Cohen’s biting, brutally honest lyrics, which include deep familiarity with his own hate, confusion and depression. Addressing the crowd, he lamented the “hurt and suffering in the world” and the lucky preciousness of the “happy moment” that comes when he gives a concert.

And, as Cohen said, “I promise you… tonight, we’ll give you everything we’ve got.”

Thanks to seth01 (Seth Meister) for taping and sharing the tracks on Dime; and also for the back-cover picture. seth01 noted:

I was very, very concerned about going to this show and almost didn’t buy the very expensive tickets as I couldn’t see how the sound quality would possibly be any good in such a large venue with this type of a musician. A friend of mine had seen Cohen in this very venue a year previous and told me that it was one of the best shows he had ever seen. I respected his opinion highly as he’s an avid live music fan with a lot of experience.

Well, little did I know that Mark Vreeken (the long time soundman for the iconic Canadian band The Tragically Hip) was doing sound for this show. I thought he had retired but apparently was coaxed out of retirement by Cohen to do one more tour… and how could he resist? If I had known I wouldn’t have doubted for an instance. Cohen and Vreeken make for a perfect symbiotic relationship and it all culminates in my tape for your enjoyment.

Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (these are high quality MP3s - sample rate of 224 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.

4 discs (count 'em)

Lineup:
Leonard Cohen - vocals, guitar, keyboard
Roscoe Beck - musical director, stand up bass, electric bass, background vocals
Neil Larsen - keyboards, Hammond B3, accordion, brass instruments
Bob Metzger - guitar, pedal steel guitar, vocals
Javier Mas - bandurria, laud, archilaud and 12-string guitar
Rafael Gayol - drums, percussion
Dino Soldo - keyboard, saxophone, wind instruments, mouth harp, background vocals
Sharon Robinson - lead vocals, background vocals
Charley and Hattie Webb - background vocals, harp (Hattie), guitar (Charley) and gymnastics

Enjoy! I certainly did . . . . . .