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Leonard Cohen to Tour

Gloomy balladeer hits road for first time in 15 years

By Michael Quinn, Newser User

Posted Mar 19, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

(Newser) – The man Lou Reed called “one of the most important songwriters of our time” will hit the road this summer. Leonard Cohen, 73, will kick off his first tour in 15 years in his native Canada and then head to Europe, the Independent reports. So far, there are no US dates for Cohen, who was enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Cohen’s melancholy music has won him endless accolades in the industry—he’s been covered more than 1,300 times, by the likes of Johnny Cash, Jeff Buckley and the Pixies. His equally eclectic tour venues will see fans flocking from the Vienna Opera House to the UK’s Glastonbury Festival. “This will be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the legend,” said his promoter.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Canadian poet and singer Leonard Cohen sings during a concert with Anjani in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, March 31, 2007. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

Leonard Cohen, right, poses with singer Damien Rice backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Monday, March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Leonard Cohen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Leonard Cohen is photographed in Toronto in this Feb. 4, 2006, file photo. Cohen has announced his first tour in 15 years. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Harris, file)

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Leonard Cohen's induction (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) (ilcorvojo2 (YouTube))

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Leonard Cohen to Tour