Heck Of A Guy

Leonard Cohen Performs In Dublin

On June 14, 2008, Leonard Cohen performed for Michael Foley and his 25 year old daughter.¹

Another 12,000 or so folks also showed up in Dublin that evening.  In fact, an audience of 12,000 filled up the stadium each of the three nights Cohen plied his trade in that city.

Happily. Mr. Foley had brought not only his daughter but also his camera. The photos that resulted are striking.

Although it was some four months after the event when I stumbled upon them, I nonetheless felt these pictures conveyed something special about the singer, the setting, and the Dublin audience at that performance.

Consequently, I contacted Michael who graciously granted permission to display his work here.

The Magical Dublin Concert Images

Returning viewers may recall that there was another set of photos posted more contemporaneously with the Dublin concert at Waltzing To Leonard Cohen At The Dublin Concert and The Leonard Cohen Dublin Concert - Photos and (Gasp) Complaints. I was and remain fascinated with those shots as well.

It seems significant that this venue, which has arguably drawn more complaints from those attending than perhaps any of the other stops on Cohen’s tour and which seems, at least to me, unburdened as I am  by a working knowledge of photographic techniques and technology, to be an especially difficult setting for creating decipherable, let alone moving, photos, has resulted in these two galleries of arresting images.

I have, it will surprise no one who knows me, an hypothesis.  I believe the elements of those Dublin concerts, the rough accommodations, the hardiness of the audience, the day to twilight to nighttime scheduling of the presentation, and Leonard Cohen’s undisguised age combined with his undiminished,  gorgeously gravelly voice reverberated with each other, creating a moment that resonates with anyone who shares the sensibilities of Cohen’s beautiful losers.

There is little else to add other than Michael Foley’s own description of the concert:

The concert that sets a benchmark for all other concerts according to my daughter who accompanied me to this fantastic event in Dublin. The charm, the grace, the beauty, the wit - he was magical and the audience (of all ages) were in love with him.

Leonard Cohen Dublin Concert Photos by Michael Foley

Alternative Views
If the above gallery of photos does not behave well on your computer (although it worked well when I tested it, it is a new gizmo, so …), try one of these views of the same shots:

• Smaller Images via Flash Viewer
• Large Images shown without Flash Viewer
• Original Photos on Flickr

Credit Due Department
These photos were, again, the work of Michael Foley of Michael Foley Photography. The Dublin Concert photos were found in his Flickr account. Both his web site and his Flickr photostream house a bounty of work that is skillfully and creatively constructed.


Footnotes

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1. Michael admits to being - well, older than 25↩

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I’m Your (Sharp-dressed) Man

-From Sharp-dressed Man by ZZ Top

This shot of Leonard Cohen rehearsing for his upcoming World Tour in his Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes² is intriguing and even a tad mysterious.

How, for example, does he look so good in that hat? Why does he look like an illustration for the dictionary definition of “dapper” wearing a double breasted jacket while 97% of the men that don them (including Dave Letterman, who wears one almost every night on his show) resemble nothing else as much as a corpse being fitted for a shroud? Why is he fingering a keyboard when he typically plays a guitar, if he plays any instrument, in his concerts? Why does he have only one hand on the keyboard? Is the one hand in the pocket stance essential as a component of the not quite insouciant slouch?

And what the heck is with that gong in the background?

Footnotes

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1. Photo by Lorca Cohen. Used by permission of Leonard Cohen via Ed Sanders. Thanks to Dick Straub for alerting me to the photo, which originally appeared on LeonardCohenFiles.com and LeonardCohenForum.com↩
2. Or would these be Leonard Cohen’s “Sabbath-go-to-meeting Clothes?” Or his “Sabbath-go-to-synagogue Clothes?” Such are the perils of the culturally sensitive blogger.↩

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The Lord of Leisure¹ Photo Gallery

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Editorial Note: A glance at the sidebar on the left will show that “Lord of Leisure Photo Gallery” is now a full-fledged Heck of a Guy Blog category. All of Lord of Leisure’s photos can be found by clicking on the link at Lord of Leisure Photo Gallery Category

Lord of Leisure writes:
This photo features the Double Arch Alcove which is located along the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek in the northwest section of Zion Park. To reach the Double Arch Alcove requires a three mile hike along a trail that follows the creek, crisscrossing it dozens of times.

This picture displays the two elements that make photography in the Desert Southwest special: light and sandstone. Light that shines directly on sandstone reflects with a very warm color, but when that light is reflected onto another sandstone surface the result is an eerie glow of reds, oranges and yellows.

In this instance, the nearly two thousand foot wall of sandstone in this picture is bathed in the light that has been reflected from the opposing wall of sandstone. Without the reflected line this north-facing wall would be in deep shade with barely discernible colors rather than the vivid hues seen here.

As noted in previous posts, the color in the photo accurately depicts what we saw with our eyes.

Footnotes

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1. Lord of Leisure was previously known in these posts as Mr. Science. Both Lord of Leisure and Mr Science spend most of their time disguised as Neil Ellis, mild-mannered, retired teacher at a great suburban school system, who can identify a bird by its call, complete the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snap a heck of a photo.↩

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The Lord of Leisure¹ Photo Gallery

Editorial Note: It’s a cold, windy, wet, overcast day here in the outermost frontiers of Chicagoland. The post I had planned to publish today lacked the luminosity necessary to counterbalance the local meteorological conditions. Lord of Leisure’s startlingly vivid Zion Canyon photos,² however, are more than a match for the weather and are capable of brightening any day.

Lord of Leisure writes:

This shot was taken in fading light near dusk. The overhanging rock allows one to trek behind the waterfall in the photo. The distant canyon wall reflects enough sunshine to backlight the falling water and illuminate the red maple in the center of the scene.

This was a long exposure that required a sturdy tripod and an equally sturdy Hippie With Tiara, to whom I am grateful for not only accompanying me but helping lug said sturdy tripod³ for many hours on these expeditions.

Footnotes

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1. Lord of Leisure was previously known in these posts as Mr. Science. Both Lord of Leisure and Mr Science spend most of their time disguised as Neil Ellis, mild-mannered, retired teacher at a great suburban school system, who can identify a bird by its call, complete the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snap a heck of a photo. These days, he is also a very happy Mizzou football fan.↩
2. See previously published The Spectacular Hues Of Zion Canyon↩
3. ”Sturdy” in the context of “sturdy tripod” can be translated as “heavy, bulky, and awkward”↩

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