Subject: Fall 1996 European Promo Tour Reviews

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Subj: Now I can die (part 1) Date: 96-10-04 20:39:38 EDT From: algranti@club-internet.fr (David Algranti) To: undertow@serv4.law.emory.edu Hi all, greetings from Heaven. I'm just back from Suzanne's first concert of the tour (in Salle Pleyel, Paris, France). I'm on my knees but I won't be able to sleep if I don't write you about it first. This list means a lot to me. I tell you first about the concert, and then about me before, during and after the concert. So if you don't want any spoiler for the concerts you will see, skip the first part, and if you don't care about me, skip the second. FIRST PART: There was no merchandising at all. The room was much smaller than I had thought, about 300 seats only. the tickets said 8:30 p.m. but it started at about 9:30. Suzanne and the band came in. She was wearing some kind of tight black trousers, a black tight T-Shirt and a pale green shirt. She had her hair in a ponytail and she was damn cute. MF was on keyboards, Pete thomas on drums, Michael Viscgelia (sorry for the spell) on bass and a big man with a beard on guitar (I didn't understand his name). I have the right order of the songs, but I may put a piece of chat at a wrong place. 1-She began with STOCKINGS, playing acoustic guitar through all the song, though the arrangement was not much different from the album. The sound wasn't really good and she missed a whole line or two. After the song she said that it was her very first real concert with the band so we should better consider it as a 'record-release party', and she said that when she'll come back later, they will have rehearsed more and worked on the songs better. 2-ROCK IN THIS POCKET. That was a highlight. The sound was much better and the arrangement was really cool (half acoustic and half rock). Then she said she couldn't speak French (she just said 'Merci' or 'Merci beaucoup' between all the songs) but was working on it and know she was able to say '2 cafes au lait s'il vous plait' (2 milk coffees please). Last tour she could say 'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?' (Will you sleep with me), it seems that now she also stays for breakfast (kidding). 3-CARAMEL. Without her guitar. That was exactly like on the album, but she sang it very well and was very sensual. 4-THIN MAN. Pretty good, and you could hear her sing 'tadada' much better than on the album. 5-CASUAL MATCH. That was gorgeous, a real highlight of the show. Pete Thomas was amazing on drums and Suzanne was not afraid to walk around dancing a little. Near the end of the song, she took back her guitar and I was wondering if she was going to play, but it was only for the next song, and I guess she's always more comfortable behind her guitar. She did this each time after. 6-Then she said something like: 'there's this paper, how is it called?' and she tried to say 'Les Inrockuptibles' several times, 'they made an interview with me and they called it "Suzanne's Vega sado-masochist folk, so now I will sing a more quiet song', and she sang SMALL BLUE THING, almost alone with her guitar. 7-Then she sang MARLENE ON THE WALL, alone with her guitar and she was really great, though she seemed to forget to take her breath sometimes and had some trouble, but that was maybe intended. 8-HEADSHOTS. The public reaction when the bass began proved that it HAS to be released as a single. Not much different from the album, and she did whistle a bit at the end. Very cool. 9-NO CHEAP THRILL. She was playing (acoustic guitar) in the choruses only, which it seemed to me she sang slightly off-key, but maybe that's only me because she sang it the same way in the TV show (that I saw when I came back. She just went and sang the song and that was all). 10-FAT MAN AND DANCING GIRL. Very good. Very different arrangement, with the guitarist playing a oboe. Suzanne was miming the song a bit. 11-NEIGHBORHOOD GIRLS. Alone with her guitar. That was another highlight of the show. I've heard several acoustic versions of this song, but this one is really the best. Suzanne brought it a very different mood, she was whispering more. Really great. 12-WORLD BEFORE COLUMBUS. She introduced it as being written for her child Ruby. Not much different from the album but with a better feel. After the song, she said it wasn't about colonialism at all, as some (oops) seemed to have thought, and she wanted to 'tell you this, now that I can speak to you face to face' (which made me go deep into my seat since I was the one who began the controversy on the list). 13-ROOM OFF THE STREET. As usual without her guitar but clapping hands, with really good percussions. I was relieved that no one tried to clap hands with her (like some did on the last tour) because she's really hard to follow. 14-She said something like: 'Picture this, you're a nun and you have to visit a man convicted with murder, condemned to death penalty (...) That song is from Dead Man Walking'. So she sang WOMAN ON A TIER. They made it very different. MF was playing some chords on keyboards that aren't on the studio version. To be frank I prefer the studio version, though Pete Thomas was amazing (like in all the concert). 15-Then BLOOD MAKES NOISE. Very cool, but it lacked last tour's megaphone. 16-LUKA. Seems like I got off there since I don't recall much of the song. I remember that it was half acoustic / half rock (like Rock In This Pocket). 17-BIRTH-DAY. She was playing acoustic guitar on it and the arrangement was great, but she seemed to have some problems and didn't sing the last strain ('shaking over....') at all. Then they left. Then we applaused to call her back, and they did. 18-TOM'S DINER. Definitely a failure. First some people began to applause in rythm (she did herself), but some jerks said 'shhhhhh' and everybody got quiet. After the first strain, I and my friends started to sing 'tadada' shyly but nobody followed. Then as the song was continuing, Suzanne didn't seem comfortable (waiting a little, laughing a little) and she was putting less and less place between the lyrics, so that she wasn't so alone. She mimed the song a little (looking on the side). After 'her hair has gooten wet', some guy applaused loudly like it was the end, which provoked some 'shhhh's and some laughs (including from Suzanne). Then she finished the song and at the end, we tried again 'tadadada' and it worked a bit better. 19-Someone shouted 'In Liverpool' and she said 'next time'. Then she sang MEN IN A WAR. Very good, and she was awesome at the guitar, strumming like crazy and dancing while playing. The song began acoustic and then the band joined heavily. Then she left again. Now something very bad happened: they switched on the lights (big mistake), which usually means: 'that's the end, she won't come back', so a bunch of people started to leave. We had seen from where we were that there was one more song on the playlist (We knew afterwards that it was HONEYMOON SUITE) so we were still applauding and shouting and whistling, like most of the audience of course. After a while, she showed her head, watched the people leaving and hesitated a while. Then she went in the middle of the stage, and tried to talk, but her mike was already switched off! Finally she said that the show was over but she heard us call so she went back to say thank you. She said again that they would come back soon and that the songs would be better worked on then. Everybody was asking for one more song but she said that the material was already off (she told us after the show that it was actually because people were leaving, but I don't blame them since the light operator (or whoever) never should have turned the lights on). She had some requests. I shouted 'The Wallaby' (since it's an a capella song and she could have done it easily if she still remembered the lyrics) but she didn't pay attention and I even heard somebody say 'who cares about the Wallaby?'. That's all. In short, I'd say that all the show was a bit forced and the sound was often bad, but the show itself was great and Suzanne was awesome, very cool and looking happy and healthy, unlike the concert I saw in 1993. She reminded me a lot of the SS video single, she had those very same looks (the way she would move, turn her head or look in front of her). David, the chin on the table but ready to write PART 2. Subj: Now I can die (part 2) Date: 96-10-04 21:46:50 EDT From: algranti@club-internet.fr (David Algranti) To: undertow@serv4.law.emory.edu Ok, so now I tell you about me if you don't mind. it IS informative about Suzanne though. The show was supposed to be at 8:30 pm, but I had nothing to do for the whole day (my college is on strike), so I was really like a lion in a cage. At 3:00 pm I was all ready, with my 1993 European Tour T-shirt on. Then I decided to shave. Big mistake. Well I'm not sure you wanna hear about it, but when I shave, I usually bleed a little (very little, I just wipe it with a cotton) like most men I guess. But today, I don't know what happened, I started bleeding like crazy, from everywhere on my cheeks and chin and I couldn't stop it. I can't explain it, was it the excitation and stress that made my blood run faster or a higher pression? I mean like when you get nervous nose bleeds. Well anyway, after 30 minutes I was OK and all cleaned up. It was 4:20 pm and I decided to leave. I arrived at Salle Pleyel at about 4:45 pm. It's a big place with several rooms, so I entered the place and looked for the right room. I was then guided by music and came to an open door. At the other edge was MF and the band, testing material. I stayed there a while, Suzanne walked on the stage and went away, then went back and stayed. Then a (French) man told me: 'we're gonna have to close the doors now' (it was about 5:05). I said 'OK' and stepped back, when he told me 'you can stay in if you want'. Can you believe that? So I attended to more than an hour of rehearsals. I sat at the back of the room, but like I told you, it was a little room so I could see Suzanne very well. They seemed to have problems with STOCKINGS but they eventually rehearsed it from the beginning to the end. Then they also did whole rehearsals of WOMAN ON THE TIER, BLOOD MAKES NOISE, CARAMEL, THIN MAN, CASUAL MATCH and HEADSHOTS (twice). And I was the only one in the room (except people from the crew and another guy who was probably like me). It was very interesting for me. She made strange vocals (witch-like sometimes, tch-tch-like other times) around the usual '1, 1-2, ...'. Something very funny was that Suzanne was getting a lot of static charges from the mike, with her mouth or only by touching it with her finger. Pete Thomas made a joke which I didn't hear and they all laughed very hard. Then MF became slightly angry towards the technicians and protective towards Suzanne, pointing that there was something wrong with the mike. Then they all wondered if it could be due to Suzanne's shirt (satin-like) because the technicians didn't get any charge (except one man). Then they said they would buy something to put around the mike (which I could see they had done when the concert began). After HEADSHOTS, they said they had to leave now (to live-tape the TV show), and she went off the stage. I went out of the room (it was 6:15), saw David B. (from Undertow) by the window-door and went to see him. Then we both waited for Suzanne to come out (on her way to the TV show). There were only the two of us and another guy. Though she was on a rush, she kindly signed us autographs (I got mine on my promo cardboard Caramel single). I told her my name and that we were from Undertow. She said 'what?'. I repeated it, adding 'the internet mailing list'. And she said 'Oh, yes!', she looked at us in the eyes and said 'Nice to meet you' then left (very exciting, huh?). Then went three other friends from Undertow (Nael, Mourad who is no longer on the list because he doesn't have any computer anymore, and Erik who's been my friend long before Undertow). Then blah blah blah, and then the show began, we were at second row. I was in heaven, the knees that were pushing my back, my position that was cutting my blood circulation and the bastard who was singing along behind me didn't matter at all. Then the rest is in the first part of my review. It was magical. I can't describe my feelings then, but I think I shed a tear or two at one moment. At the end when we were applauding for her to come back and that we all stood up, my legs and my hands were trembling ('shaking over like an old sick dog'), but I can't say wether it was due to the excitation, the emotion, or my prior sitting position. Then the show ended and my head started to pound really bad. We waited for Suzanne. When she came out we were only the 5 of us, plus two more persons, but she and MF were really on a hurry and she talked to us just a little bit, before leaving. A tall, grey-haired man was always with her, does anyone know who he was (obviously not a body-guard). There it is, and now I'm gonna lay my aching head on my pillow and probably have very sweet dreams. I think Suzanne gave me my dose of magic for a long time now (but now I'm waiting to see her in NY city Oct. 26th). Good night, David. Subj: Re: Now I can die (part 2) Date: 96-10-05 18:26:04 EDT From: BobandSooz@aol.com To: algranti@club-internet.fr, undertow@serv4.law.emory.edu In a message dated 96-10-04 21:46:50 EDT, algranti@club-internet.fr (David Algranti) writes: << Well I'm not sure you wanna hear about it, but when I shave, I usually bleed a little (very little, I just wipe it with a cotton) like most men I guess. But today, I don't know what happened, I started bleeding like crazy, from everywhere on my cheeks and chin and I couldn't stop it. I can't explain it, was it the excitation and stress that made my blood run faster or a higher pression? >> I'd like to help you, David Yes I really, really would But I'm a girl I don't shave So my advice is no good . . . Subj: Re: Now I can die (part 2) Date: 96-10-05 18:33:06 EDT From: Unique212@aol.com To: undertow@serv4.law.emory.edu Hey, I was thinking that same thing -- and here's the rest of the verse: Blood makes noise It's a mess inside my sink And I'll tell the Undertow Just to hear the stuff they think.. BobandSooz wrote: I'd like to help you, David Yes I really, really would But I'm a girl I don't shave So my advice is no good . . . From: David Bonnefoy-Cudraz (bonnefoy@ensta.fr) Date: Mon, 07 Oct 1996 15:50:38 Re: Now I can die (part 1) Hi all, As David said, I was with him at the concert. I don't have much to add... Just a few impressions. I find it very funny how Suzanne kept on saying that we should come to her next concert in Paris. She said they would have rehearsed more, she would have improved her french and that there would be more stories between songs. For me, the best part was 'Rock in this Pocket'. Half acoustic and half with all the band, it was very nice. I liked 'Caramel' a lot, too. The stage was all lit in red, which really added to the sensual feeling. About the lights, there was no 'special effects' but often the band was lit in blue, red or green (depending on the song), and Suzanne in white, which was quite good. Anyway, it was very nice meeting her even if it was very short and I don't remember saying something else than 'hello' and 'thank you'... David B. From: ABECASSIS Eddie (abecassi@club-internet.fr) Date: Sun, 06 Oct 1996 18:21:22 -0500 Re: Now I can die (part 2) Hello David, I was there too, on the 5th rank and I agree with you - Suzanne was really great ! (and Bruce Thomas did a really good job) Well, I wasn't lucky enough to talk to Suzanne like you did but I think she saw me because I waved my hand to her at the end of the show and she answered the same way... I don't know if it's real or not, but it makes happy for the next million year. I'm now waiting for the next show in Paris, and the next video and the next single and the next CD and the next CDROM (a CDROM would be great !) ... Eddie PS : Thank you David for all the news concerning the French TV. It's of great interest and I always program my video tape in confidence when I've read your mails. (More info about MCM ?) Subj: Suzanne on Finnish-TV Date: 96-10-11 09:34:10 EDT From: mk42171@uta.fi (Matti) To: undertow@serv4.law.emory.edu Suzanne was on Finnish-TV on MTV3's "Hyv_t, pahat ja rumat" -show 10.10.96 "HPR" is a popular talk show here. The other interviews were live but Suzanne's part was pre-recorded (my guess is it was taped previously that day). There was five minute's interview and then she sang playback "No Cheap Thrill". The other guests were Lola Odusoga (Miss Scandinavia), Deni Mendez (Miss Italia), J. Karjalainen (singer/songwriter) and Kauko R÷yhk_ (singer/songwriter). Here's the transcript from the interview: Simo Rantalainen/HPR: Tervetuloa takaisin l_hetykseen. HPR:n musiikkivieraiden kirjo on ollut t_n_ syksyn_ varsin etninen ja ulkomaalaisten musiikkivieraiden sarja jatkuu, nimitt_in meill_ on t__ll_ maailmanluokan t_hti SUZANNE VEGA! Welcome to our show! Suzanne Vega: Thank you! HPR: A lot of people I think remember you of the hit song "Luka". You've been quite quiet after that actually. SV: Not really. I've made...this is my third album after that so I've made several records and toured but it was not the big hit that "Luka" was except for "Tom's Diner" which was a hit for a moment. HPR: I guess you can concider yourself as pretty lucky because there are lot musicians, lot of singers who never come up with the hit album or hit song. SV: That's true and lot of them are really good so you don't know why they don't have a hit or...but I've been very happy with my own career. HPR: This album it's titled "Nine Objects of Desire". Two for man, two for kid and two for death! Why death? SV: I think it's because once I entered into my thirties...I started to think about the things I wanted to do. The things I wanted to do in my life before I died and one of them was have a child. And I think those kind of issues always make you think about your death and make you think about your own death...and in these songs I was imagining death a very peaceful, quit place ...(laughter)...nothing at all like New York City which is where I'm from and of course we don't know what it's like but every so often you could imagine the moment that sort of peaceful and tranquil. It might not be such a bad thing to desire but normally I'm not a depressed person or morbid person so I don't think about it often. Which is twice on thsi record. HPR: Have you ever been close to death? SV: Yes, mostly as a young baby. When I was born I was very small and very early...(HPR: makes two of us)...Really? I was two months early so I spent five weeks in the inquibator while they fed me and try to get me fatter so I could leave and go home. So my early weeks were close to death. HPR: Sometimes when I listen to your music, which is not very often because I like black music better, I seem to hear some latin colour in your music. Is it because your stepfather is from Puerto Rico? SV: Yes, my stpefather is from Puerto Rico but also where I grew up in New York there's a lot of different kinds of music. There's... you could hear people playing drums on the street... the different radio stations, the soul stations. My parents liked to listen to jazz so that's what we grew up listening to. A lot of bossa nova and sort of the cool jazz from the sixties. I myself liked the Beatles so there's a lot different kind of music in the house. HPR: You started as a dancer, you were actually studing dancing. What happened to those dancing lessons? SV: (laughter) I gave it up. I gave it because I felt I really wanted to be a great performer and as a dancer I was always limited by my technique. I felt as a singer and as a songwriter I might not have a lot of technique but I felt I had very unique... style and a better chance to... make myself... known than staying as a dancer. HPR: On this new album you have some musicians from the groups of Elvis Costello and Peter Gabriel. It's produced by your husband Mitchell Froom. What do you have to say about those musicians, they must be professionals. SV: Oh, they're great! They are great musicians and it's not even so much that they are professionals but they are with a lot of character. Jerry Marotta who plays with Peter Gabriel is a great drummer and he has his own distinctive style and the same thing with Pete Thomas who plays with the Attraction. You know, they both have different styles but they are both musicians with lot of character, very strange and very interesting. HPR: Lately I've noticed that lot of women have come up writing songs (SV: yeah) making songs. Do you think that in any ways that you've been acting as a trailblazer to those young girls who have started to make songs? SV: I read from the press from time to time that I'm a trailblazer for these girls. I think myself when I strated there were women that came before me, there were quite a few women that came before me and I think that at the time in 1987 when "Luka" came along I sold a lot of records. I think it was about three million so of course I had influence on the industry. Not so much on the girls themselves because I think those girls were talanted and would be playing music anyway but I think I might have added influence on bussinessmen who make the industry run cos they realized there was a market so that's the way I think I was a trailblazer for them. HPR: Last question Suzanne Vega: Is it easy to work and performe when your own husband is the producer? SV: Actually I find my working relationship is real easy and that goes very well and it continues to go really well. The harder part is having a family; being a mother and a wife I find being more difficult than being an artist in some respects. Now we've moved together as a family and that's the more difficult part. It's still great and I wouldn't give it up. HPR: Thanks for having you on our show and the stage is yours. Ja nyt Suzanne Vega "No Cheap Thrill". Transcript by Matti Kolari Subj: Belgian showcase Date: 96-10-11 18:13:25 EDT From: Renaut.Ryckaert@cediti.be To: undertow@serv4.law.emory.edu Hi, SV did a showcase on Wednesday 9th in Brussels, Belgium. The entire concert was broadcasted on a national radio (Radio 21) and lasted about 40-45 min (I taped it). It was a closed concert, only for guests :-( The playlist was: 1. Marlene on the Wall 2. Caramel 3. Rock in this pocket 4. Stockings 5. Fat Man & Dancing Girl 6. Neighborhood Girls 7. World before Colombus (dedicated to her child) 8. Luka 9. Tom's Dinner -- 10. Small Blue Thing It was an acoustic set, with Mike Visceglia on the bass, and Mitchell Froom on keyboards. She promised to come back for a "normal" concert in Belgium late January or begin February. I hope to be there this time. Renaut ryckaert@cediti.be