The Selections
The list below comprises the best available1 video of each of the songs performed in concert during the 2012 Leonard Cohen Old Ideas World Tour.
“Best” is a subjective judgement that takes into account both the quality of the performance and the video itself. That judgement is also influenced by special factors. The calculations, for example, that resulted in the choice of a Dublin performance of “So Long, Marianne” factored in not only the traditional singalong skills of the audience but also my wish to avoid the messages conveying disapproval and threats of violence that would inevitably follow were I to choose a video of Leonard Cohen singing that song anywhere other than Ireland.
Titles from the Old Ideas album are marked in red. The order is an approximation of a combined setlist of the shows.2
This is a dynamic list; the current selections may give way to even better versions at the remaining concerts. I invite viewers to email me with candidates for inclusion on the Best Of 2012 Leonard Cohen Tour Video Setlist.
Also See: Best Of 2013 Leonard Cohen Tour Video Setlist
Most Recent Update: Jan 14, 2013
The Best 2012 Leonard Cohen Concert Videos Alphabetical Listing By Title
Click on title to go to video player with venue, date, and videographer data for that song.
- A Thousand Kisses Deep
- Ain’t No Cure For Love
- Alexandra Leaving
- Amen (Old Ideas)
- Anthem
- Anyhow (Old Ideas)
- Banjo (Old Ideas)
- Bird On The Wire
- Chelsea Hotel #2
- Closing Time
- Come Healing (Old Ideas)
- Coming Back To You
- Crazy To Love You (Old Ideas)
- Dance Me To The End of Love
- Democracy
- Different Sides (Old Ideas)
- Everybody Knows
- Famous Blue Raincoat
- First We Take Manhattan
- Going Home (Old Ideas)
- Hallelujah
- Heart With No Companion
- Hey That`s No Way To Say Goodbye
- I Can’t Forget
- I Tried To Leave You
- I’m Your Man
- I’ve Got A Little Secret
- If It Be Your Will
- In My Secret Life
- Joan Of Arc
- La Manic
- Light As The Breeze
- Lover, Lover, Lover
- Night Comes On
- Save The Last Dance For Me
- Show Me The Place (Old Ideas)
- Sisters Of Mercy
- So Long Marianne
- Suzanne
- Take This Waltz
- The Darkness (Old Ideas)
- The Future
- The Guests
- The Gypsy Wife
- The Partisan
- Tower Of Song
- Waiting For The Miracle
- Who By Fire
The Best 2012 Leonard Cohen Concert Videos
Leonard Cohen – Dance Me To The End of Love
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – In My Secret Life
Wembley Arena, London: Sept 8, 2012
Video by Tim Dale
Leonard Cohen – Going Home
Dublin: Sept 12, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Waiting For The Miracle
Dublin: Sept 12, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – The Future
Helsinki: Sept 2, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Leonard Cohen – Bird On The Wire
Amsterdam: August 22, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Everybody Knows
Paris: Sept 30, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Who By Fire featuring Javier Mas solo
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by Juraj M. at a1000kissesdeep
Leonard Cohen – Banjo
Ghent: Aug 14, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – The Darkness
Boston: Dec 16, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Hey That`s No Way To Say Goodbye
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Leonard Cohen – Amen
Paris: Sept 29, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen Featuring Webb Sisters – Come Healing
Helsinki: Sept 2, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Leonard Cohen – I Can’t Forget
Ghent: Aug 14, 2012
Video by Tim Dale
Leonard Cohen – Light As The Breeze
Ghent: Aug 14, 20123
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Different Sides
Ghent: Aug 14, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Anthem
Paris: Sept 29, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Tower Of Song
Paris: Sept 29, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Suzanne
Helsinki: Sept 2, 2012
Video by albertnoonan (Marie Nolan)
Leonard Cohen – Night Comes On
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by Juraj M. at a1000kissesdeep
Leonard Cohen – Crazy To Love You
Ghent: Aug 12, 2012
Video by MaartenLC
Leonard Cohen – Heart With No Companion
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Leonard Cohen – The Gypsy Wife
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – The Partisan
Dublin: Sept 12, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Democracy
Halden: Aug 29, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Webb Sisters – Coming Back To You
Amsterdam: August 21, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Sharon Robinson – Alexandra Leaving
Amsterdam: August 21, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
Olympia, Paris: Sept 30, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Anyhow
Dublin: Sept 15, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
Dublin: Aug 12, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Take This Waltz
Verona: Sept 24, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – So Long Marianne
Dublin: Sept 12, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan
Wembley Arena, London: Sept 8, 2012
Video by jules2view
Leonard Cohen – Famous Blue Raincoat
Helsinki: Sept 2, 2012
Video by albertnoonan (Marie Nolan)
Leonard Cohen – The Guests
Madrid: Oct 5, 2012
Video by manotauro
Leonard Cohen – Ain’t No Cure for Love
Montreal: Nov 28, 2012
Video by leonardcohenvideo
Leonard Cohen – A Thousand Kisses Deep
Barclays, Brooklyn: Dec 20, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Leonard Cohen – Joan Of Arc, Featuring Hattie Webb
Portland: Nov 11, 2012
Video by Arlene Dick
Leonard Cohen – La Manic
Quebec City: Dec 2, 2012
Video by Wirebirds
Leonard Cohen – Show Me The Place
Montreal: Nov 29, 2012
Video by leonardcohenvideo
Leonard Cohen – I’ve Got A Little Secret
Toronto: Dec 4, 2012
Video by MadLennyFan
Leonard Cohen – Chelsea Hotel #2
Boston: Dec 16, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Lover, Lover, Lover
Boston: Dec 18, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Webb Sisters – If It Be Your Will
Paris: Sept 20, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – I Tried To Leave You
Paris: Sept 29, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Sisters Of Mercy
Amsterdam: August 21, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Leonard Cohen – Save The Last Dance For Me
Ghent: Aug 12, 2012
Video by MaartenLC
Leonard Cohen – Closing Time
Amsterdam: August 22, 2012
Video by albertnoonan
Credit Due Department: The image atop this entry is a video screenshot of Leonard Cohen performing at the Sept 19, 2012 Istanbul Concert.
I am republishing selected posts from my former Leonard Cohen site, Cohencentric, here on AllanShowalter.com (these posts can be found at Leonard Cohen). This entry was originally posted Sept 28, 2012.
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- The popularity of a given song with videographers is a major determinant in these selections. Some songs are featured in many uploaded videos from most or all the concerts while others are rarely recorded. Also, it should be noted that only complete videos of a song’s performance are considered for this listing. [↩]
- “An approximation of a combined setlist of the shows” is code for “Dance Me To The End of Love” is the first song, “Closing Time” and “Save The Last Dance For Me” are near the end, and all the others are guesswork. [↩]
- First live performance of Light As The Breeze by Leonard Cohen. Light As The Breeze was released in 1992 on Leonard Cohen’s The Future album. Until the August 14, 2012 concert at Ghent, however, Cohen had performed the song only in the studio. [↩]