A Night With Suzanne Vega
Saturday, January 19, 2008
A Night With Suzanne Vega
That, was probably the best concert I have ever been to. OK, I think this concert had a completely different energy from the other concerts that I have been to, but the sheer number of songs performed were enough to throw all the other concerts out of the waters. I cannot say that I am terribly familiar with Suzanne Vega, never looked online for old videos to get a rough idea of how her concerts would be like. But today's concert at the Esplanade was definitely an amazing experience, a concert that is not going to go down into my history as 'just another concert'. It was top-notched from the beginning till the end, completely immersing the audience into the whole vibe of the gig, drowning us in the beautiful of her words and melodies. Even Valerie, who isn't as big a fan as myself, enjoyed herself even though she didn't know some of the songs. Suzanne Vega blew me away with her live performance, and here's what happened tonight at her concert.
When I first heard about her coming to Singapore, I must admit that I was a little unsure of attending it. I wasn't very familiar with her, and Caramel was the only song of hers on my playlist. But it was part of my new year resolution last year to not miss a single act in Singapore, and I was determined not to let the Damien Rice incident happen all over again. So I bought the tickets and then got her Retrospective album, then listened to the album for a dozen times a day, for a straight month or so. Her songs grew on me, and it surprised me that lyrics could be written the way she wrote them. They were more than just song lyrics, but album after album of poetry. You read a normal piece of lyrics from a song and you know that you are reading the lyrics of a song, but certainly not for Suzanne Vega's case. She writes what she feels, and she writes all the time. Her songs are personal, and they are more like words written by a poet that so happens to have a nice melody to go along with them. She's a writer more than a singer, a poet more than a lyricist. She's everything that an artiste should work for - and more.
First of all, thank you Valerie for accompanying me to this concert when nobody else wanted to - or, nobody knew who Suzanne Vega was when I asked of them. April and Elizabeth really should have asked me about it sooner, I'm sure it would have been a lot more fun with more fans of Suzanne Vega around. But either way, it was a great night out with Valerie - as usual - and I thank her for that, truly. I was a little nervous about her coming, because she knew so little of Suzanne Vega's songs, and the last thing you want your partner at a concert to feel is boredom. I was terribly afraid, but I am glad that things turned out brilliantly and the night ended off with more than just a feast to my ears, but a great company from a great friend.
Anyway, Esplanade should really emphasize on the punctuality issue by locking the doors on the outside to prevent late comers from coming in. They not only distract the rest of the audience, but they certainly distract the performers and shows a great amount of disrespect as well. I think I have mentioned this the last time I went for a concert at the Esplanade, but I don't suppose anybody lodged a formal complain about the issue. This certainly should be addressed, simply because I am sick and tired of seeing people who can't be bothered to make it for a concert in time, and then scrambling to their seats and blocking the view of everybody else behind them. I think it is both inconsiderate and tactless to be late like that, and the crew of Esplanade should really consider locking these people out, it's all about quality control and quality reassurance here. With a gig like that playing in the concert hall, you would want your audience to have a certain level of class, or at least a sense of punctuality. Save the rest of us from their inconsideration and lock them out!
With that said, the concert went on smoothly. I like how fast everything worked in the Esplanade, how the show started right on time. Coldplay's concert at the Indoor Stadium was delayed for a full hour or so, but that certainly wasn't the case here. We were ushered to our seats, the seats were filled, the lights were dimmed, the singer was being announced, and things kick started. No hassles and no delays, something which I appreciated of Esplanade, not to mention the small cozy venue and the excellent sound system. Anyway, with the mentioning of her name, Suzanne Vega appeared onstage in a specially tailored coat that exposed her left shoulder. She came out with a cool fedora covering half her face, and underneath that fedora the hint of her carefully trimmed red hair. The lights reflected off her bare skin as she stood there silent for a while, waiting for the applause to die down. Then the light was focused on her, a breath was taken, and she started the night with an a cappella version of Tom's Diner.
The thing about the Asian audience in general is how difficult it is for them to get involved and let loose during a concert. It is difficult for the asian audience to respond to a certain request by the singer, or clap along to a certain tune especially at the beginning of every show. It usually gets heated up towards the end, but never at the beginning. Silence really is the sign of appreciation for the asian audience, and sometimes I just feel a little bad for the bands or the singers who may be thinking that the audience is being letdown one way or another. But the crowd started to become more responsive as the faster numbers started to flow, and Marlene On The Wall was really when I told myself "Wow, I am at a concert!" It felt magical, magical indeed.
I told Valerie and a few of my friends, that I'd die a happy man if she plays Caramel, and that was exactly what she did on the fifth song. I screamed my head off when I recognized the tune, and I couldn't believe how smooth the song sounded even live. You would think that it'd feel different live, but it was definitely better there in the concert hall. I still had the image of a naked couple making out in a dimly lid bedroom after a glass or two of whiskey, and the air smelling like scented candles and hot sweat. The song is my number one sexy song, and even amidst four hundred other people in the audience, I still felt the same thing. It was just a song of perfection, the song that defined Suzanne Vega for me. Brilliant song, truly brilliant. And like she said after the song, it's a song that really makes people hungry for some strange reason. For caramel or sex, I wonder? Maybe both.
The thing about live concerts I love is how you get to know a little more about the songs that you have already fallen in love with in the very first place. You get to know how they came about, the little stories behind them that were left out of the studio recording inevitably. Of course, it is probably possible for one to find the stories behind the songs, if you'd only search hard and deep enough into those fan sites and forums. Still, it was different hearing those interpretations and explanations from the artiste herself, and she certainly shared a lot of her past on stage with the audience. I certainly didn't know that Frank & Ava was a song written about Frank Sinatra and his wife having a rocky relationship but their contrasting sex life in bed. I certainly didn't know that Gypsy was written by her when she was 18, while she was in a camp teaching little children how to dance disco, for a British guy from Liverpool. I didn't know that Angel's Doorway was written after a conversation with her friend's wife about her husband, Angel - a rescue worker who was at the 9/11 ground zero, coming home from there everyday. And I certainly, didn't know that In Liverpool is, in a way, the sequel to the song Gypsy, written for the same guy from Liverpool. She wrote a song for him before he left, and he gave her, in return, a bandana.
For the song Gypsy and the next couple of songs, most of the band left the stage save for herself and her bassist. It became quite an intimate session to have her songs stripped down to just her vocals, her guitar and the bass being played in the silent hall. It was a welcoming change to the studio versions of the songs that we have heard a dozen times, and it was utterly beautiful indeed. For I'll Never Be Your Maggie May, she actually forgot her lyrics for a part of the song, though none of us actually noticed it until she mentioned it later. That's class man, that's how you are when you've worked in an industry for over twenty years. You just learn to make yourself cool, and your mistakes cooler. Pornographer's Dream was breathtaking, and I've finally figured out the meaning behind the song after hearing it from herself. A pornographer's dream would be to find a woman and desire her with her clothes on, I should have known! I have so much more respect for this singer especially after the little stories have been said to fill the holes in my mind. There aren't a lot of words I can say now that can truly justify how brilliant she was at the concert, so I shall stop here about the main set.
After the main set was done, I thought it was going to be over and the lights would be turned on anytime soon. But it was turned off, and the applause of the audience carried on until the full band appeared onstage again. They played two more songs for the first encore and two more for the second, and it was indeed a treat on our parts to listen to these encore tracks. They are like little prizes or bonuses we have earned as a good audience, and it was probably my favorite part of the whole show because it just felt different and special. The Queen and the Soldier was moving, and Small Blue Thing was intimate and personal. It touched me, and I am sure it did the same for a long of people out there tonight. The ringing of the guitar stopped after each song, and the echoes would be bouncing off the walls and lingering in the silence before the crowd would break out into a round of applause. They always say that the power of the song is known at the end when it stops, and no other concert halls tonight could have justified that statement better than the Suzanne Vega concert.
Like a tradition of Esplanade, there was an autograph session after the act. There weren't a lot of people queueing up for the autographs, at least compared to Rachael Yamagata's concert I went to almost a year ago. So Valerie and I decided that we should give it a shot, even if we were in the very last part of the queue and we didn't have the CDs for her to sign. We were only given half an hour, but Suzanne really took her time with every fan out there. It was getting close to my turn, and there was that feeling again. The feeling of wanting to say something, but nothing was fitting for a person such as herself. So I went up to her with my ticket and acted like a complete idiot, at least I thought I was like an idiot because I felt so small in front of her. There is this aura around her, this presence. She doesn't try to be intimidating, but that was the impression I got from her. Her eyes sank into mine, and she'd look at you as if she's trying to read your mind or something. Her red hair created a stark contrast from her dark pools of eyes, and it was just a sudden moment of realization that I was standing in front of someone bigger than her body givers her credit for. I shook her hand and I thanked her for the night, she was soft spoken and slow with her words. But her articulation was clear, slow but precise. "You are welcomed." she softly said, and I was off to ogle at the autograph on my ticket.
It was a strange experience meeting her so close, completely different from meeting Rachael Yamagata. Rachael felt like a friend, while Suzanne felt like somebody completely out of this world. Yet, her songs felt so close to me, felt so human and personal. I guess, being in the business for this long, you just get that natural presence around you. It is admirable as it is daunting, and it is definitely an experience I shall not soon forget. Corinna, you should have stayed. You really should have. But at least you got the free tickets and enjoyed the big set of twenty songs. A great, great, great concert indeed.
Set list:
1. Tom's Diner (A Cappella version)
2. Marlene On The Wall
3. New York Is A Woman
4. Ludlow Street
5. Caramel
6. Frank & Ava
7. Gypsy
8. I'll Never Be Your Maggie May
9. Left of Center
10. Blood Makes Noise
11. Angel's Doorway
12. Pornographer's Dream
13. Unbound
14. In Liverpool
15. Luka
16. Tom's Diner
Encore #1:
17. Zephyr & I
18. The Queen and the Soldier
Encore #2:
19. Small Blue Thing
20. Rosemary
This entry was posted
on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 11:10 PM.
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2:31 PM
Hi,
As the presenters of the concert, Greenhorn Productions is delighted you enjoyed it. Email us to register for future gigs. You should also consider uploading your review to the community section of www.suzannevega.com under the "Suzanne in Singapore" discussion link. Suzanne reads her website entries and the reviews will not be deleted and would serve as a wonderful record of a truly brilliant evening