Glastonbury 2008

James Otway
Exquisite,beautifully orchesrated ,professional...heaven came to Glastonbury and made grown men cry.

roy kernot
Absolutely complete, sings to you,not at you.Totally engaging and satisfying- all ends too soon.

Mark Bosley
Leonard Cohen might seem an unlikely choice to some to play high up the bill on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage. But so charismatic is this stately old gentleman of song, sharp-suited, hat aloft in salutation to his fans that we just want to applaud him for being Leonard Cohen.Backed by an expansive band (there are nine or ten musicians on stage including three backing singers) the sound is full and sumptious. 'Dance Me to the End of Love' is the sensual opener, drawing the audience into Leonard's world. Understandably the set is shorter than last week's set(s) at Manchester Opera House. His voice is deeper and more resonant than ever. Curiously there is nothing from 'Ten New Songs' or 'Dear Heather'. Likewise there are no selections from 'Recent Songs', otherwise there is generous selection from the rest of his back catalogue. Fears that Leonard's music is too intimate and too gentle for a big festival crowd prove groundless. Everybody sang 'Hallelujah' (complete with a sly Glastonbury reference) and everybody sang 'So Long, Marianne'. Song after song found their mark, including substantial proportions of 'I'm Your Man' and 'The Future'. The great man even played some trademark classical guitar on 'Suzanne', 'Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye' and the mesmerising 'Who By Fire?' There were plenty of opportunites for Cohen's backing musicians to shine on numerous solos and no reluctance from him to share the spotlight.Having relished the droll pessimism of 'Everybody Knows' and having been teased as 'angels of the mud' the triumphant set concluded with 'First We Take Manhattan' and sadly it was all over. It may have been financial necessity that propelled Leonard Cohen back onto the road in his seventies but I for one will always be grateful I had a chance to see him, surely the equal of any living songwriter, on this (presumably) last global lap of honour.

Anna Boellaard
Leonard Cohen at Glastonbury was like your very wise and beloved grandfather telling everybody (all 50.000 or so!) to live life passionately! His voice is so lived through and strong, he captured the audience and had me cry my eyes out with Hallelujah. I felt part of the real world. Thank you, Mr. Cohen!

Trevor
Highlight of Glasto without a doubt. No posturing or bad mouthing like other acts, just good humour, humility and fantastic songs. When those first bars of Dance Me To The End Of Love burst from the speakers it was obvious we were in for something special. I defy anyone who was there to deny that they didn't feel a tingle during Hallelujah. A perfect sunset slot but deserved to be the headliner.

Viv from Plymouth
Just sublime, a wonderful experience to hear him sing live and to be received so whole heartedly by such a huge crowd, hanging on to his every word!

Melia R
Goosebumps on top of goosebumps - it is almost impossible to describe what it felt like to finally see Leonard Cohen live. Definitely the highlight of the festival for me, his voice was as incredible as ever & the performance was perfect from beginning to end. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, I can only be glad I was one of 'the angels born of mud' there to see him!

Steve M
I thought LC's set might be depressing but decided we just had to see the legend. But he was uplifting. This 70-odd year old had incredible stage presence and had the Pyramid audience eating out of his hand after the first few bars of the opening number "Dance me to the end of love" which was brilliant and then one by one came the classics (Bird on a wire, Susanne, Hallelui, etc) which were truly spell-binding especially as the sun set against the background of Glastonbury Tor. A truly special moment. His voice, now deep and rough, now gives a different feel to his songs which IMHO is actually an improvement over the original recordings. I must add a note about the fantastic backing band and the musical arrangements. My only dissappointment is that LC chose not to be recorded so that others could have seen this remarkable performance.

sandra lynch
Leonard Cohen rocked at Glastonbury! What a set - all my favourites - he is most definitely my man (I wish)!

PauL Olphert
This was the most romantic moment in modern music a love affair between the bard and his angels of the mud, more crys of joy and sighs of adoration from a huge gathering of people I cannot remember.

Malcolm Somers
What a breath of fresh air. no swearing. a crowd that listened with great intense and what an amazing version of Hallelujah.My glastonbury very best moment

andrea
he was a big influence on my music as a teenager , he was fantastic and im not ashamed to say i had a lump in my throat when he was singing x

Steve from Doncaster
Sunday night on the Pyramid Stage, the sun setting on a perfect day, with Leonard Cohen singing my best ever song. I'm not religious, but Hallelujah! I'm crying again, with the memory. Thanks Glastonbury.

Bob
A magical evening - the Canadian poet can still weave intrigue and mystery into words against a background of hypnotic and beautiful music - his gentle and grateful manner combined with a self depreciating sense of humour make him a totally unique master of all he does - a real privilege to be there.

Sarah Joy Linstead
I saw Leonard Cohen at Glastonbury and he had me in tears of joy. It was a truly magical performance from an incredible, beautiful open hearted man. He performed with eloquence, warmth, honesty and love. Singing 'Hallelujah' with the whole, vast crowd as the sun set was a phenomenal experience.

Sue James
He was as good - no better than when I saw him perform in the mid 70's. He is poet, musician, showman, muse. What was so fantastic at Glastonbury was the response of a second generation - as enthralled and entranced and entertained as those of us who have followed him for decades. Leonard we are your friends.

Di Gill
his chocolately voice told all the poems and stories and it made my heart glad to see so many young people there even if they didn't know he actually wrote Halejuhah! Thank you for a wonderful set Leonard

max
OMG OMG OMG he is such an amazing singer a preformer. He inspire's awe and a sense of a abiguious nostalgic emotion that does not yet have name- I think ill call it leoncohness. A truly epic and iconic man that has helped shape music today. quietly bold and Unique in every sense + wonderfully modest he is a truly breathtaking man who's preformance was so breathtaking crossed with the crushing - it made me feel asthmatic in a good way and gave somthing for the audience to remeber for the rest of there lives

Lizzie Lowes
Great concert, beautiful songs from a beautiful man, shared with a complete stranger, a special glastonbury experience.Rochester

patpee52@hotmail.co.uk
Ah Leonard! This Prince of words, this mesmerizing shamen. How long have your words been my salvation?I pay homage to your genius and worship at the alter of your poetic perfection an yet I love the fact hat you are an aging old guy in a Hugo Boss suit ... I love you still

Helen Washington
The most moving set at Glasto - sincere, honest and beautiful, the setting couldn't have been more perfect... totally blown away!

Hugh Jones
By far the most moving and beautiful of any gig I have seen at Glastonbury.I know the material a little, but the music came alive in the presence of the man himself.I can honestly say that in my 26 years of Glastonbury Festival I have not seen a performer with such charisma charm and humanity.

Lee
Totally brilliant and humbing to watch such a great and truly gifted songwriter.

Gill K
Cohen at Glastonbury.THE MAN, and we all knew it from the moment he came on stage. He made us think about love, politics and the apocalypse. He put the fear of god into us, and then told us not to be afraid.

Diane Iveson
I was at that sunset gig - what a performance! So many things stand out for me - of course his voice was amazing, seeing him sing was amazing, I laughed, I cried and I sang along (quietly, for the sake of the people around me!). But the big thing for me was seeing his gratitude to us for being there and supporting him, several times his eyes looked tearful and he would remove his hat and thank us. It was as if he simply did not expect us to love him. He introduced us by full name to every person on the stage with him and they all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being there. What a far cry from the night before - 'I am Jay Z and I am awesome'!! ;-)

Paul T
I would guess that nobody was more surprised about just how well he went down at Glastonbury than Leonard himself. His hour and forty mintue set had the Pyramin stage spellbound and there were plenty of tears on display. Amazingly, his voice is still stong and rich depsite his advancing years and I'm sure may who had barely even heard of him were converted by this show. It would be a dream to see this come out on DVD to help his current fundraising efforts and it will be a sad loss if this epic concert was consigned purely to our memories. Sadly no room in the set for Take this Waltz or Famous Blue Raincoat, but Hallelujah gave us a classic Glastonbury moment to treasure. 11/10

Elaine Sparey
I saw Leonard Cohen at Glastonbury yesterday and thought the was absolutely amazing, so charasmatic on stage. He sang all of the old favourites which pleased the crowd who sang along with him. I was surprised and pleased to see that even the younger ones in the audience loved and appreciated him. What stamina for a man in his early 70's to do a one and half hour set - a master at his craft and a true professional. It all made the aching and sore feet worth it. The experience and enjoyment will live me for ever and especially so as this was my first trip to Glastonbury!

Shiloh Hindle
For me, Leonard was the definite highlight of Glastonbury 2008. His set was touching, genuine, musically perfect, and he was very gracious. The man is an absolute legend!

Steve Whitmore
Never heard of this guy and neither did alot of the young crowd. His voice shot me straight away, the older lady besides me was going wild. A performance that'll stay with me till the day I die, words cant describe how the crowd listened so intently to his unique voice.