Everybody knows

Not a lot of gas left in the tank tonight and a busy day ahead tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to getting through it all and then unwinding at the Leonard Cohen concert.



Last year the 75-year-old singer-songwriter embarked on his first tour in fifteen years, and this year he performed his first concert in the U.S. in a decade and a half. With ticket prices being a little steep, I initially balked at this rare chance to see him perform, but a drop in the cost,and a pretty good seat to boot, got me to pull the trigger. While I'm not deeply familiar with his catalog, I know a substantial number of his better-known songs. Plus, I don't expect he'll be coming around again.

The first time I recall becoming acquainted with anything Cohen wrote was an R.E.M. cover on the tribute album I'm Your Fan. Then there was Jeff Buckley's impeccable version of "Hallelujah", which eventually led to the song's new-found popularity in such inexplicable places as Shrek and American Idol. (Buckley's cover wasn't a hit, so to hear John Cale's take in a children's animated film was beyond strange.) And there's also the odd yet somehow fitting use of "Everybody Knows" in Exotica.

The guy has a way with words, and that deep voice is quite an instrument. I can't wait.