đď¸ Event Review:
đ Quick Facts
⢠Event Type: Live Music / Storytelling Concert
⢠Location: Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14 Ave NW, Calgary
⢠Duration: Two hours
⢠Ticket Info: Tickets required
We celebrated my birthday with âLeonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: The Untold Love Storyâ at The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. When youâre given the opportunity to hear the love story of two iconic Canadian legends on your Birthday weekend, you grab tix fast.
Growing up in a Canadian household in the â70s meant that Geoff and I were both raised on Joni Mitchell, with songs like Big Yellow Taxi, Help Me, and Both Sides Now. We heard them so often, they were ingrained in us the same way as Wonât You Be My Neighbour or the Rubber Duckie song; we could almost sing them word for word.
For me, there was another big reason: my mother. She was always the biggest Leonard Cohen fan, with Hallelujah being her most favourite song ever. When we lost her to dementia back in 2013, that song played a huge part in her farewell. And for years since then, every time I hear the song, it conjures up my Mom. I can be walking through Leicester Square in London or strolling through a summer festival here in Calgary. This song never fails to bring a tear to my eye.
Parking, as always, was easy at the Jube. As we took our seats, we wondered how they would tell this story, how they would make it come to life.
Taking turns between storytelling and belting out the tunes, Dana Wylie (as Joni) and Joe Nolan (as Leonard) told the story of how these two lovers met and eventually came together. Their spellbinding tribute immersed the audience in the fleeting 1967 romance between Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell and how a short-lived summer fling influenced some of the most celebrated songwriting of the 20th century.
Rather than opting for cheap, uncanny impersonations, these Edmonton-based folk and blues artists let the music and story speak for themselves. Wylie captured Mitchellâs vocal dexterity, emotional depth, and spirit. Her performance of Both Sides Now and A Case of You left the audience visibly moved.
Joe Nolan brought Cohen’s brooding, poetic side to life in front of us. While his vocal register differed from Cohenâs signature low growl, his delivery of Hallelujah and I’m Your Man captured the raw, spiritual yearning that defined Cohen.
The production was enhanced by its multimedia elements; historic photographs transported the auditorium straight back to the 1960s folk revival scene. You could almost hear the roar of the crowd at Newport Folk Festival.
The backing band, Secondhand Dreamcar, was outstanding. However, the vastness of the Jubilee seemed to work against them at times. In some numbers, the instruments overpowered the vocal storytelling, making it a bit difficult to catch the quieter, spoken narrative.
In my opinion, this hybrid storytelling-concert felt like a success because it understood that the connection between these two Canadian icons didnât end when their love affair did. Their relationship became a lifelong friendship that deeply influenced generations of music. The Untold Love Story felt less like a standard cover revue and more like an inside look at how the coming together of these two legends sharpened each otherâs brilliance.
It was an elegant, nostalgic, and deeply satisfying evening for casual listeners and die-hard fans alike.
When Cohen sang Hallelujah, I was ‘that girl’ sitting there with tears down my face, and in my mind, I could feel Momma sitting right there alongside me, swooning to the music.
How lucky can one birthday girl get?
đ Scorecard
⢠Organization and Flow: 4.5/5
⢠Engagement & Content: 4/5
⢠Location & Venue Comfort: 4.5/5
⢠Value for Money: 4.5/5
⢠â Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
