Leonard Cohen received one of the highest honors in music last night, and he's hitting the road to celebrate with his fans on his first tour in 15 years.

The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter, widely acclaimed if not a household name, took his induction in stride last night in a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

"This is a very unlikely occasion for me," Cohen said upon his introduction by Lou Reed. "It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about. I'm reminded of a prophetic statement of [veteran music critic] Jon Landau in the early '70s. He said, 'I have seen the future of rock 'n roll and it is not Leonard Cohen.'"

Cohen also recited the lyrics to his song "Tower of Song": "Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey / I ache in the places where I used to play / And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on / I'm just paying my rent every day / Oh in the Tower of Song."

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice performed a tribute to Cohen, playing a rendition of "Hallelujah," one of Cohen's best-known tracks.

As expected, Cohen unveiled dates for his first world tour in 15 years today. The tour will kick off June 6-7 at the Sony Centre in Toronto, and includes stops at some of the biggest music festivals in the world, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Bennicasim in Spain, the Nice Jazz Festival, and the massive Glastonbury Festival.

The 73-year-old artist will be backed on the road by Roscoe Beck (bass, vocals, music director) Neil Larsen (keyboard, accordion, brass instruments), Bob Metzger (guitar, steel guitar, vocals), Javier Mas (acoustic guitar, oud, string instruments), Christine Wu (violin, viola, cello, keyboard), Rafael Gayol (drums, percussion) and Dino Soldo (keyboard, saxophone, wind instruments, vocals).

Ticket details will be announced shortly, with more dates in the US and elsewhere to come.

Cohen is working on a new studio album, which is expected before year's end via Columbia.

Leonard Cohen tour dates:

6/6-7: Toronto (Sony Centre)

6/14: Dublin (IMMA)

6/17-20: Manchester, England (Manchester International Festival)

6/23-26: Montreal (Place des Arts)

6/29: Glastonbury, England (Glastonbury Festival)

7/1: Oslo (Aliset Stadium)

7/3: Helsingborg, Sweden (Open Air)

7/5: Copenhagen (Rosenborg Castle)

7/6: Arhuus, Denmark (Raadhus Parken)

7/8: Montreux, Switzerland (Jazz Festival)

7/9: Lyon, France (Lyon Festival)

7/10: Bruges, Belgium (Cactus)

7/12: Amsterdam (Westerdam)

7/16: Edinburgh (Castle)

7/17: London (O2 Arena)

7/19: Lisbon (Passeio Maritimo)

7/20: Bennicasim, Spain (Bennicasim Festival)

7/22: Nice, France (Jazz Festival)

7/25: Lorrach, Germany (Stimmen De Welt)

7/27: Lucca, Italy (Summer Festival)

7/29: Athens (Lykabettus Theatre)

8/3: Ledbury, England (Big Chill)

8/5-6: Istanbul (Arena)

8/10: Prague (Castle)

8/12: Budapest (Sziget)

8/14-15: Girona, Spain (Cap Roig)

8/28-29: Vienna (Opera House)