On March 26, 2012 Cohen announced the first eighteen concerts taking place in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal forming part of the first European leg of the 'Old Ideas World Tour'.

[6] However, on August 23 both concerts would be moved to Wembley Arena in London, England, for unspecified reasons.

"Amen", "Come Healing" and the aforementioned "Darkness" would become tour staples, played in every show on this leg.

[7] Cohen later announced second concerts in Montreal and Toronto due to increasing public demand.

Songs not performed in North America that were played in Europe were "Crazy to Love You" and "Light As the Breeze".

This leg also featured a rare cover of George Dor's "La Manic", played in the Franco-Canadian part of the tour.

The shows themselves followed the structure of previous legs on this tour very closely, although noticeably shorter in length and with less songs performed.

"Different Sides" and "Show Me the Place" went unplayed during this leg, which meant that the latter one has not been performed on Europe to this date.

A noticeable change in the setlist occurred during the early part of the leg when "Anthem" was dropped from the show.

On 29 July 2013 it was announced[12] on Cohen's official page that the tour would continue in November and December with concerts in New Zealand and Australia.

Guido Lauwaert (Knack) wrote about opening night "The 78-year-old poet and singer seems 50 years younger for the duration of the concert.

Cohen himself singing downright excellent, though his deep, almost otherworldly baritone had not much variation in the set, exactly why was it right that the ladies often introduced a different timbre, and the rest of the band – all virtuoso with an impressive track record – could demonstrate their skill.

"[29] Another reviewer (Robert Heller of Bloomberg Businessweek) states of the Berlin show in 2012 that "On record, Cohen has tended toward more spartan sounds, stripped back to just his voice and an acoustic guitar.

It plays with a manicured sweetness: A mandolin and violin add spice and color, a Hammond organ richness and depth.

The Webb Sisters and Sharon Robinson provide luminous backing, careful arrangements making full use of each singer's tone.

Craig Jones of eGigs (UK) states of the concert at the Wembley Arena, "He may refer to himself on the self-deprecating Going Home as "a lazy bastard living in a suit", but Cohen is in fact quite the opposite.

Just two weeks away from his 78th birthday, the fact that he is still able to deliver a three and a half hour set of intense beauty, melancholy and drama is quite a feat.