(Photo: Christof Graf)
Last night at Tower Of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen, fans around the world came together in celebration of the music icon at the Bell Centre in Montreal. From the power pop sound of Courtney Love to Lana Del Rey’s soulful duet of „Chelsea Hotel No. 2“ with Adam Cohen (who also co-produced the event) there was no shortage of excitement from the crowd. Renowned artists including Seth Rogen, Sting, Lana Del Rey, k.d. lang, Feist , Courtney Love, The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, BØRNS, Coeur de Pirate, Bettye Lavette, , Damien Rice, Ron Sexsmith, Sting, Patrick Watson, the Webb Sisters and Sharon Robinson , took the stage along with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
Sting opened the the night with „Dance Me to the End of Love“ to an energetic crowd followed by Feist’s rendition of acoustic favorite „Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye.“ Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites of The Lumineers brought a folk energy to the show with a harmonious cover of „Democracy,“ and Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang performed global anthem „Hallelujah“ to close out the first half.
Prime Minister Trudeau and wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, whose first dance at their wedding was „I’m Your Man,“ spoke of Cohen’s influence, thanking Adam Cohen for bringing everyone together for this tribute to his father.
At the close of the show, Adam Cohen took the stage one last time to perform the first song of his father’s he learned – „Coming Back to You.“
Noted record and concert producer Hal Willner produced the event, which was co-promoted by Evenko, Rubin Fogel Productions and Live Nation/Robomagic. Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning director Jack Bender (Game of Thrones, Lost, The Sopranos, Mr. Mercedes, etc.) filmed the event for an upcoming special.
The event benefitted the Canada Council for the Arts, the Council of Arts and Letters of Quebec, and the Montreal Arts Council.
