By Tim Van Schmidt

Faith. Let’s start with that. The Leonard Cohen concert at Red Rocks on June 4 went a long way toward restoring my faith in the concert setting as a source of personal inspiration. I’ve become used to so much loud, brash rock and roll pounding up the hillside, pulsing with more adrenalin than art, that an event geared a completely different direction was refreshing and rejuvenating. If I can see any more concerts like Cohen’s Red Rocks show again- a very stirring and satisfying experience- I wouldn’t want to pass it up- it was so sublime.

That was the first thing that struck me when I arrived at Red Rocks- there wasn’t any music booming out of the speakers to pump people up. All you could hear was the murmur of patrons talking among themselves, patiently waiting for the event to begin. The relative quiet was striking indeed, especially once the concert began. I was astonished to note that the majority of people were sitting and listening- not stonefaced, mind you, but intent on HEARING the music, a novel idea in most big concert situations. Sure, there were some annoying talkers and yellers in the crowd, but they were relatively few and isolated. The rest of the audience exhibited a kind of concentration on the music that helped restore my faith in people- you can take some of them out in public to hear music and they can act civilly to each other.

It should be said that the concert on June 4 was a postponed date. The original concert was scheduled for June 2, but excessive rain and abnormally low temperatures prompted the postponement. The crowd that did show up on June 4 was significantly thinned out from those who had tickets for the original scheduled date. So much so, that ushers in the upper third of the amphitheatre invited patrons to move down closer- kind of an unprecedented offer at Red Rocks. The crowd filled in the seats below and roughly half the venue was full when Cohen took the stage. This restored my faith that it is possible to see a major music event without having people jammed up against you, yelling in your ear.

The weather cooperated and it was a fine, beautiful Colorado night, the wind picking up only towards the end of the show- certainly sweetening the deal already made great by being able to see a rare concert date with Cohen. The calm air and the rocks themselves served to accentuate the finely crafted, deliberate music being played on the stage. As stated, most concerts project with a kind of sonic aggression aimed at overpowering the audience. Cohen’s music, however, was too cool and collected for that and my faith in Red Rocks as a world-class venue was restored as nearly every word and every note was clear and balanced- something that can hardly be discerned at higher volume- and what wasn’t perfect about the venue that night was evidently made up for by Cohen, his band and his technicians. It was gorgeous sound.

But more than just the sound, the band was fulfilling some gorgeous arrangements of a huge swath of Cohen’s best material. From the warm, mellow sound of Neil Larsen at the Hammond organ to the impressive woodwind diversity of Dino Soldo; Bob Metzger’s tasteful guitar work to Rafael Bernardo Gayol’s tasteful drums and percussion support; from the exciting Spanish stylings of Javier Mas on guitar, banduria and more to the beautiful mix of supporting vocals by Cohen’s songwriting collaborator Sharon Robinson and Charley Webb and Hattie Webb, every part was in place, every note deliberate, yet performed with vigor and meaning. All of this was under the musical direction of bassist Roscoe Beck who bobbed enthusiastically behind Cohen throughout the evening at Red Rocks. This ensemble should be remembered as one of the finest touring bands of our time, restoring my faith that there are still musicians out there who can not only play their instruments well, but can also blend their playing into that of others to make MUSIC.

But above and beyond the exceptional conditions and skilled musicianship, the Cohen concert was a rich experience because being able to just sit back and listen and take in the words of the songs was a bonus pleasure. And that’s where it got deep, too. Cohen’s lyrics are poetry in disguise and as they rolled up the amphitheatre, some lines would catch in the ear and linger until another one did the same thing. Enjoying Cohen’s performance didn’t necessarily depend on any one song. Rather, the constant flow of language brimmed over with alluring images and clever turns of phrase that captured the imagination. The songs were full of gritty darkness, even horror, but also tenderness and beauty- as well as some very dry humor. Towards the end of the show I fantasized that Cohen was actually a painter and each song was a painting- something you had to look at and study in both detail and a bigger view, prompting the desire to hear all of it again. Presented with such interesting pieces of art, my faith was restored in songform for supplying poignant words and memorable melodies that have continued to give pause, however vaguely, long after the concert.

Watching Cohen perform on stage was also a particular pleasure. He began most tunes by kneeling down low to the stage, bringing himself up slowly. He didn’t particularly move around the stage a lot, but when he did move, it seemed motivated by the drama in the material, accentuating it ever so gracefully. His voice was deep and resonant, made strong by his current touring effort. I liked his gentle between song patter and how he kept referring to the audience as “my friends.” Even better, I liked how whenever he left the stage, he broke into a big, loping skip. He had every reason to be happy, musically anyway, because this performance, this tour was not just a revival of his work, but a refinement and even an artistic realization of it. At 74 years old, Cohen seems to be enjoying a peak point in his career and that restores my faith in growing older.

So what was so great about the Cohen concert? All sorts of elements, but the biggest benefit from the event was that it strengthened my faith in general. I’m a little bit stronger person than I was before the show- and good art should be able to do that. Cohen presented some great art at Red Rocks and I came away feeling better, somehow more ready to face the future. So this ends up being about the future, not about an event that is over. Thanks to Cohen and band, I am looking ahead with a little bit more soul than I had before and there’s a new faith I can claim in music, poetry and joining together with others to share a good time.