FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEONARD COHEN

NORTH AMERICAN DATES ANNOUNCED FOR

“OLD IDEAS WORLD TOUR 2012”

*****

Tickets for Canadian Dates Go On Sale Starting May 11 and

U.S. Dates Go On Sale Starting May 18

 May 3, 2012 – Legendary singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen will be gracing stages throughout the U.S. and Canada with a new live show, beginning October 31st in Austin, TX. The North American leg of Cohen’s “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows on the heels of his previously announced European concert dates. The tour, promoted by AEG Live and presented in Canada by CBCMUSIC.CA, celebrates Cohen’s highly acclaimed twelfth studio album, Old Ideas. The album debuted at #1 across the globe, making it the highest charting album of his career. Tickets for the Canadian tour dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 1th and U.S. dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 18th. For updated tour information visit www.LeonardCohen.com.

The “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows Cohen’s triumphant 2008-2010 world tour – his first in 15 years — which was met with overwhelming praise. The New York Times reported that “Mr. Cohen sang these words with a kind of gracious generosity…awash in wild applause,” while The San Jose Mercury News reported “The show underscored what his fans already know: Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of popular music.” The Victoria Times Colonist reported that Cohen received “an automatic standing ovation at what was clearly the Church of Leonard.”  The Vancouver Sun called the show “nothing short of a religious experience” and the Toronto Sun declared Leonard Cohen “Charming, funny, poignant, smart, sharp, sexy… he is still a ladykiller.”

In his sixth decade of producing critically acclaimed music, Leonard Cohen is arguably one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Old Ideas, released on January 31, 2012 by Columbia Records, has earned worldwide accolades for its highly acclaimed collection of new songs. USA Today raves that “Old Ideas is the work of a master craftsman,” while Rolling Stone gave the album 4 ½ stars. TIME Magazine states, “Listeners have been relying on Cohen’s heartbroken yet grinning, world-weary yet hopeful voice to get through that night for decades, and this album should continue that for a whole new batch of souls.” Newsday hails Old Ideas as “GRADE A… Stunningly simple, incredibly deep and destined to be a classic.” The Telegraph (UK) reports that “Old Ideas is an unexpected and precious gift of new gems from an old master,” and The Irish Times exclaimed that “The more you play it the better it gets.” The Times (South Africa) commended it as “an album of poetic and pared-down musical genius,” and the Montreal Gazette simply states that “Lyrically, Cohen is at the top of his game.”

“OLD IDEAS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY:

About Leonard Cohen:

Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician and poet whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions. Citing W.B Yeats, Irving Layton and Walt Whitman as literary influences, Cohen first shot to the forefront of the music industry in the 60’s and has remained an inspirational talent and contributor to the industry since he first emerged. His albums Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), I’m Your Man (1990) and Dear Heather (2004) are rightly considered classics along with the beautiful singles “Hallelujah” and “Suzanne.”  He has sold over 20 million albums, worldwide and published 12 books.  With a career spanning five decades, Leonard Cohen has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (2008), and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame (2010), and is a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (2010).

 About AEG Live:

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance.  AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices and owns, operates or exclusively books thirty-five state-of-the-art venues.  The current and recent concert tour roster includes artists such as Taylor Swift, American Idol, Bon Jovi, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Justin Bieber, Leonard Cohen, Wisin & Yandel, Kenny Chesney, P!nk, Enrique Iglesias and Paul McCartney.  The company is also currently producing residency shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas including Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain opening in December and is the exclusive promoter at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Our exhibition at portfolio boasts the most successful exhibition of all time, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which has attracted more than 8 million visitors since 2005. AEG Live is also the largest producer of music festivals in North America from the critically acclaimed Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach Country Music Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. www.aeglive.com

About CBC Music:

CBC Music is Canada’s free digital music service. For the casual listener to the hardcore fan, connect with the very best Canadian and International music, concerts, features and other music fans. Simple and easy to navigate, CBC Music gives Canadians access to 40 web radio stations, 12 distinct genre-based music communities, plus CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, playlists and more. Experience CBC Music online at cbcmusic.ca. The CBC Music App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.ca/appstore.  Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/cbcmusic or on Twitter @cbc_music.

For More Information:

Sunshine, Sachs & Associates, 212-691-2800

Tiffany Shipp, Shipp@sunshinesachs.com

Scoop Marketing, 818-761-6100

Eve Samuels, esamuels@solters.com

#          #         #