One of the great things about living in (or, depending on the details of geographical definitions and your political philosophy, on the outskirts of) Europe is just how short a distance it is to other countries. Last week, I took advantage of this and made a last-minute trip to Barcelona to see Leonard Cohen perform at the Palau Sant Jordi.
![Barcelona Olympic Park: Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc - 03](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2650/3947803196_ef1cd006f5_m.jpg)
It turns out it was his 75th birthday that day (it also turns out he had just collapsed on stage due to food poisoning; luckily there seemed to be no lingering aftereffects by the time of our concert). He treated us to three and a half hours of music from “Suzanne” to “The Future” and his most recent recordings. Although sometimes the band lapsed into light-jazz mode, Leonard’s gravel voice carried the night, and gave hope to those of us hoping to age gracefully.
![Leonard Cohen in Barcelona - 15](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3947813884_57ee5f68ea.jpg)