Leonard Cohen in 2008. Photo by Rama via Wikimedia Commons.

New Orleans Musicians to Honor Leonard Cohen with Benefit Show

A group of New Orleans musicians will come together to honor the late Leonard Cohen during a tribute show on Tuesday, December 6.

Slated for 8pm at the Marigny’s Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center, the show will be led by David Symons and will feature performances from Luke Allen, Bremner Duthie, Helen Gillet, Ingrid Lucia, MaeDea Lady LaRose, Harry Mayronne, Micah McKee, Lydia Stein, Bart Ramsey, Mark Bingham and Anna Pardenik.. The artists will be backed by The Salt Wives, who will serve as the night’s house band.

Cohen passed away on November 7 at the age of 82. As a singer, songwriter, painter, poet and novelist, he was an artist in every sense of the word. A 2008 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he set his ruminations to various forms of music—from minimalist folk to experimental electronica—and was uncompromising in his choice of subject matter.

Billed as “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” the tribute to Cohen will also be a benefit for the ongoing efforts to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The protests have garnered an increasing amount of attention in recent weeks amid a controversial, and often violent, crackdown by law enforcement.

According to Gambit, the show’s organizers have put out a statement that reads, “2016 has seen the passing of an inordinately high number of extraordinary artists, with Cohen atop a list that also includes Prince and David Bowie. The familiar feeling of losing a hero or mentor, coupled with the maelstrom of Trump’s America and the outrageous actions taken against the Standing Rock Sioux has shocked so many of us into a combination of disbelief, confusion, and action … We are New Orleans and our action is our song.”

Tickets will be on sale for $10-20.