Leonard Cohen @ A Day On The Green, January ’09

No words can satisfactorily explain the emotion Leonard Cohen‘s performance at A Day On The Green had on the crowd of 8000+ people gathered. Was it the dubious circumstances behind the tour (his manager running off with all his money, leaving him broke with no pension), the depth and conviction in his songs, the softly spoken vocals or just his sheer presence on a stage once again?

Whatever it was, this man in his mid 60’s crooning songs of love, loss and devotion brought me to tears within the first song. A difficult situation none the less, as I had signed a release allowing me to only shoot the first song from the sound desk. But my eyes were welled and as I shot a few frames, I was in two worlds: to shoot or watch? I simply couldn’t concentrate. I was (like everyone else) stuck to the spot in complete awe.

These are the only shots I got.

Incredible.