The Big Chill organisers really pulled it out of the hat when they booked the legendary Leonard Cohen for this year’s festival, a huge coup for the festival organisers, an inspirational choice and a phenomenal pull for music fans.

This was the most highly anticipated and eagerly awaited performances of the festival, the one that had the crowd buzzing with excitement all weekend, and it was the performance that certainly drew the crowds like bees around the honey pot to the main stage on Sunday night, you couldn't move in that crowd, people arrived in droves to see the master at work.

At 73 the man has a career spanning over four decades, but with this much excitement and expectation having built up over the weekend could the man himself really meet these impossibly high expectations?

Put quite simply the man doesn't just meet the expectations of an overly excited crowd, he puts in a performance that is so unbearably smooth, rich and silky, so tinged and tangled with emotion that more than exceeding those impossibly high expectations, he proves unquestionably that he is the master with a performance that simply touches the very soul.

All the renowned favourites are there including 'Bird on the Wire', 'That's no way to say goodbye', 'Dance me to the end of love', 'Tower of Song', the signature tune 'Suzanne', 'Goodbye, Marianne', 'Closing Time', 'First We Take Manhattan', and a version of 'Hallelujah' which just sent collective goose bumps shimmering up and down the spine, inspiring, no compelling the crowd to sing along with the chorus.

This astonishing septagenarian moved the Big Chill audience well beyond that which could have been predicted, Leonard Cohen was utterly memorising as he delivered an unforgettable and inspired set on the Sunday evening, probably the most notable and astonishing thing about this legend was the sheer humility, sincerity and humbleness of the man. Septagenarian or not this self effacing genius oozed sex appeal from every pore and his gentle yet utterly stunning performance proved mesmerizing beyond belief, you really had to be there to feel it, there was no mistaking that you were in the presence of greatness.

This gent in a smart suit and sporting a dapper fedora, oozing an impossible and unbelievable sex appeal showed in no uncertain terms just why he is considered by so many to be one of the most influential singer/songwriters and poets of all time, why his music and words burn through your very soul and leave you dumfounded, Leonard Cohen weaved a magic spell over the Big Chill with a captivating performance that took the very breath away, the incontrovertible highlight of the Big Chill that left you with tears in your eyes.

Leonard Cohen Official Website

Leonard Cohen Wikipedia