When Leonard Cohen came out of a 15-year retirement and went back on the road his final tour — which lasted five years — he kicked it all off at a small venue in Fredericton, N.B.
In 2008 the Fredericton Playhouse, which holds around 700 people, was handpicked as the first venue for Cohen’s deep voice to echo through.
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“This was a good low-key place to start and work out the kinks,” explained Wilfred Langmaid, a freelance writer who attended the concert and attested to Cohen not skipping a beat despite a decade and a half hiatus. “But as it turned out there were very few kinks to work out. It was masterful from the get-go.”
“My expectations weren’t low, but I was blown away far more than I expected,” said Langmaid.
Fredericton likely held a special place in Cohen’s heart after that show.
On a recommendation, he’d gone to a local Caribbean restaurant and was so taken by their cuisine, he invited the owners on the road.
“He’s like, ‘okay I like this lunch … what are you doing for the rest of the week?” explained Chef Naz, Owner/Operator of Caribbean Flavas.
“I said ‘what do you mean? I was supposed to do just lunch.’ He said ‘no, no’ and points to his tour manager, ‘make sure they have a bus and everything else.'”
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The walls of Caribbean Flavas are a who’s who of music industry stars, as they’ve catered to the likes of Snoop Dogg, Russell Simmons, Sean Paul and more.
While he says most have been great to work with, Naz is quick to point out that Cohen was different from the pack, ensuring every crew member was fed before sitting down to eat and treating everyone with the utmost respect.
“He would sit with us, with us! The working folks,” he emphasized. “And eat, chat, make jokes. I’ve never seen that before.”
“Leonard Cohen, most humble soul I’ve ever met.”