The Official Leonard Cohen Site

May 3, 2012 – Legendary singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen will be gracing stages throughout the U.S. and Canada with a new live show, beginning October 31st in Austin, TX. The North American leg of Cohen’s “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows on the heels of his previously announced European concert dates. The tour, promoted by AEG Live and presented in Canada by CBCMUSIC.CA, celebrates Cohen’s highly acclaimed twelfth studio album, Old Ideas. The album debuted at #1 across the globe, making it the highest charting album of his career. Tickets for the Canadian tour dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 11th and U.S. dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 18th. For updated tour information visit www.LeonardCohen.com.

The “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows Cohen’s triumphant 2008-2010 world tour – his first in 15 years — which was met with overwhelming praise. The New York Times reported that “Mr. Cohen sang these words with a kind of gracious generosity…awash in wild applause,” while The San Jose Mercury News reported “The show underscored what his fans already know: Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of popular music.” The Victoria Times Colonist reported that Cohen received “an automatic standing ovation at what was clearly the Church of Leonard.” The Vancouver Sun called the show “nothing short of a religious experience” and the Toronto Sun declared Leonard Cohen “Charming, funny, poignant, smart, sharp, sexy… he is still a ladykiller.”

In his sixth decade of producing critically acclaimed music, Leonard Cohen is arguably one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Old Ideas, released on January 31, 2012 by Columbia Records, has earned worldwide accolades for its highly acclaimed collection of new songs. USA Today raves that “Old Ideas is the work of a master craftsman,” while Rolling Stone gave the album 4 ½ stars. TIME Magazine states, “Listeners have been relying on Cohen’s heartbroken yet grinning, world-weary yet hopeful voice to get through that night for decades, and this album should continue that for a whole new batch of souls.” Newsday hails Old Ideas as “GRADE A… Stunningly simple, incredibly deep and destined to be a classic.” The Telegraph (UK) reports that “Old Ideas is an unexpected and precious gift of new gems from an old master,” and The Irish Times exclaimed that “The more you play it the better it gets.” The Times (South Africa) commended it as “an album of poetic and pared-down musical genius,” and the Montreal Gazette simply states that “Lyrically, Cohen is at the top of his game.”

“OLD IDEAS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR” ITINERARY:
October 31   Austin, TX         Bass Concert Hall
November 3   Denver, CO         1st Bank Center
November 5   Los Angeles, CA    Nokia Theatre
November 7   San Jose, CA       HP Pavilion
November 9   Seattle, WA        Key Arena
November 11  Portland, OR       Rose Garden
November 12  Vancouver, BC      Rogers Arena
November 16  Calgary, AB        Scotiabank Saddledome
November 18  Edmonton, AB       Rexall Place
November 20  Saskatoon, SK      Credit Union Centre
November 23  Chicago, IL        Akoo Theatre
November 26  Detroit, MI        Fox Theatre
November 28  Montreal, QC       Bell Centre
December 2   Quebec City, QC    Colisee Pepsi
December 4   Toronto, ON        Air Canada Centre
December 7   Ottawa, ON         Scotiabank Place
December 11  London, ON         John Labatt Centre
December 13  Kingston, ON       K-Rock Centre
December 15  Boston, MA         The Wang Theatre
December 18  New York, NY       Madison Square Garden
December 20  Brooklyn, NY       Barclays Center

(For the most up-to-date tour schedule, please see the Tour Section of this site)