I caught Leonard Cohen in Chicago last night. It was his second night at the Chicago Theatre, and, over the course of three hours, he did not disappoint. I went in expecting to be amazed and I was. That doesn’t always happen when lofty expectations are on the line. I’d forgotten what a troubadour Leonard Cohen is. His always present or just out of reach muse remains the revolving door of his creativity and mastery. Then there’s faith. There’s a duality in the make up of his catalog, equal parts heart and faith. There’s little here that I can write that would cut close to the pure enjoyment I got out of being in the audience last night. Watching people in disbelief each time Cohen skipped back out on stage. People cried, bottled up with joy, long contained and now released.

For years Leonard Cohen’s name sat amongst a list of artists whose live show I thought would never present an opportunity to be seen. Thankfully, that’s not the case.

Discuss: Have you seen any shows on this tour? Please leave your thoughts/reviews of the shows in the comments. Favorite album and songs are welcomed discussion as well.

Buy: Leonard Cohen – Live In London

I will definitely be heading to Chicago for this one. Levon Helm’s Dirt Farmer remains in heavy rotation some two years since its release. We recently informed you about his new album, Electric Dirt, arriving June 30th, but it seems the good news continues to roll in.

Levon Helm will perform the Chicago Theatre on Tuesday, June 9th. Tickets range in price from $38.00 – $72.50 and go on sale Saturday, April 18th at noon (central). This show will probably keep me satisfied until I can break away for my road trip up to Levon’s house for one of his legendary Midnight Rambles.

Discuss: Any readers seen Levon Helm in concert? How about any Midnight Ramble attendees? Obviously, I’d be thrilled to hear from anybody that ever saw The Band too. Drop a comment and share your experience.