Impeccable Videos: Amen & Alexandra Leaving – 2012 Leonard Cohen Ghent Concerts

Sharon Robinson singing “Alexandra Leaving” – Ghent Aug 15, 2012

Sharon Robinson – Alexandra Leaving (Ghent – Aug 14, 2012)

Sharon Robinson inevitably performs Alexandra Leaving, which she and Leonard Cohen co-wrote, with overwhelming intensity and power. In this solo effort at the August 14, 2012 Ghent show, she outdoes herself.

Video by albertnoonan

Leonard Cohen – Amen (Ghent – Aug 14, 2012)

Amen is a track from Cohen’s new album, Old Ideas.  The 2012 Leonard Cohen Old Ideas World Tour is what is conventionally called “a tour in support of the new album.” Given the shift in the economic model of music industry, a more accurate phrasing might well be “an album issued in support of the forthcoming tour.” Regardless, I am surprised to find myself much more appreciative of this song after watching a recording of a live performance than when I simply heard it on my iPod.

Video by albertnoonan

The  Allure Of Albert Noonan Videos

Albert Noonan filming in Zagreb (courtesy of Kenneth Forsyth)

It’s tempting to automatically post any Leonard Cohen performance videos shot by Albert Noonan.¹

The technical quality of his work is uniformly high, he has repeatedly proven capable of focusing on the right spot at the right time in a song to capture the important action – even when confronted with challenges such as constantly moving audience members in front of him, he is extraordinarily reliable, and – well, his Cohen concert videos have been the gold standard since he began recording at the 2008 concerts on The Royal Hospital grounds in Kilmainham in Dublin.

So, if I’ve once again succumbed to the temptation of featuring Ailbert’s exquisite videos, “could you,” as Leonard Cohen puts it, “cut me one more slack?”

1. Those unfamiliar with Albert Noonan’s video work can read about the man whom Cohen fans regard, with something approximating reverence, as an indispensable asset at Albert Noonan – The Man Behind The Camera Of Those Great Leonard Cohen Concert Videos and Albert Noonan YouTube Videos Of Leonard Cohen Surpass 2,000,000 Viewings. [↩]