Suzanne Vega @ Town Hall, 19th June 2010
The support act for tonight’s show is singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, a Grammy Award nominee, who plays acoustic guitar with the addition of an electric guitarist to add some depth in places.
Unfortunately, I only caught the last three songs which comprised of two covers from his latest album that celebrates his love of English music, Depeche Mode’s Stripped and Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees. Both tracks capture the essence of the songs whilst demonstrating the beauty of simplicity, complimented by an original composition, Such Reveries. Duncan Sheik is worth checking out if you appreciate laid back, understated yet beautifully constructed songs performed by a mellow voice. His style and talent is the perfect support for Suzanne Vega, and despite his success in the US, hopefully, he has gained more followers in this country courtesy of this tour.
Nearing 8.30, Suzanne Vega wanders onto the stage with the additional support of an electric guitarist, who had been seen previously with Duncan Sheik, and a bassist. She starts with Marlene on the Wall, which is a fantastic opener, and sets the standard for the evening’s events. The three piece create a rich sound which is not missing anything with the absence of drums, in fact it allows them the freedom to play with timing to enhance the dynamics of the songs. Vega’s voice is enchanting, the smooth qualities of her voice permeate around the hall with ease and her descriptive lyrics present a visual element.
This tour is in support of her latest album, which consists of reworkings of old songs connected to the theme of love and that Vega has put out on her own record label. The explanation leads into Small Blue Thing which, after brief applause at the beginning, is listened to in complete silence by everyone in the audience. Between each of the songs, Vega engages in banter with the audience, either to explain the purpose of penning Tombstone is in order to stop her mother floating her corpse down the East River Viking style or to quiz us as to what sort of person Birmingham is. According to someone, Birmingham is a spiteful little man which contrasts with New York being a woman that wears too much make up and would happily steal your wallet! This exchange between artist and audience demonstrates how comfortable Suzanne Vega is on stage, as she exudes friendliness with a wicked sense of humour.
The evening proceeds with awesome track after awesome track ranging from one of her newest songs with Sparklehorse and Dangermaus, The Man Who Played God to songs from her self-titled debut album, which is having its 25th year anniversary, such as The Queen and the Soldier. The arrangement of each song has been considerately thought out, and mixes up the use of the trio, for example Blood Makes Noise’s frenetic bassline is raised until the break when the electric guitar solo clashes dischordantly with it. The set draws to a close with the emotionally charged Luka and the illustrative Tom’s Diner. The audience call Vega back on stage for more and, after a brief discussion with the other players, she brings out Calypso and Rosemary which are greeted enthusiastically by all. She skips off the stage, only to be forced back on by the audience’s response and finally finishes her performance with Freeze Tag and In Liverpool.
Suzanne Vega’s ninety minute performance was fantastic and if you have any interest in singer-songwriters, you should definitely make the effort to see her perform live. Not only does she manage to convey emotion lyrically and musically, she also brings an edginess to many of her songs with her arrangements.
Review – Toni Woodward
Photos – Steve Gerrard
I was listening to her on BBC Radio the other day, and she still gets ex-boyfriends calling her saying “Is that song about me?!”, many years after they’ve parted company. I’d imagine that would spook the crap out of me! :o)
Chance would be a fine thing, though ;o)