Seeing Leonard Cohen in the desert one wonders if they're just seeing a messianic mirage. In fact, his set on Friday night at Coachella was not unlike going to church -- a notion driven home by the fact that the notoriously chatty crowd remained absolutely silent during Cohen's one-hour set except for 'Hallelujah,' during which everyone threw their arms in the air and sang in unison. A cathartic moment during a set full of them as Cohen sang one essential hit after another, including 'Bird on a Wire,' 'I'm Your Man' and 'Everybody Knows.'

Cohen, 74, looked frail but didn't act that way as he delivered every verse with the same diction and conviction as the "ladies man" he was in the '60s. He referred to the audience as "friends," thanking them repeatedly and taking his hat off between songs in gesture of respect. Well, our hats off to you, Mr. Cohen.