10 Greatest Live Rock Albums Since 2010
4. Leonard Cohen - Live In Dublin
The septuagenarian Leonard Cohen returned to touring for unpleasant reasons (having been robbed by his manager), but the results were mesmerising. His return to the stage brought him to new generations of fans who had discovered his catalogue, and his tour continued for most of his remaining years.
The best document of this is 2014’s Live In Dublin. The career spanning effort sees Cohen on imperious form, conducting his fantastically smooth band in contrast to his ever-deepening vocals. “Tower Of Song” is a track that ages like wine, the aside about his golden voice becoming more delicious with every passing year.
He takes classic cuts like "Bird on the Wire" and “Hallelujah” to the limits, lost in the joy of his band, each of whom get plenty of chances to cut loose. He’s the epitome of a rock star aged gracefully, making once-soothing, light numbers like “Suzanne” into something heavy, though delivered with the trademark Cohen twinkle.
There are a collection of late period live records to choose from, but none have as thorough and spectacular a tracklist as this one. It’s the sound of a phenomenal artist having a late rediscovery of the joys of performance.