Subject: "European Tour, 1997"

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Subj: Taratata review Date: 97-02-03 18:53:15 EST From: algranti@club-internet.fr (David Algranti) I'm just back from the taping of Taratata. I went there with David B. and Nael, both from the list. Waiting in the line we noticed there was 75 people from some Phil Collins fan-club, so we thought that our 3-men-fan-club should yell very loud. First came the hostess, cool Alexandra Kazan. Then Phil Collins came in, acclaimed by a (requested) standing ovation. He sang a song, then chatted a bit with Alexandra, then chose a rerun of Annie Lennox performance. Then chat. THEN SUZANNE came and played Luka with her band. Great version and Suzanne looked great. She was very well dressed, with a short dress that looked like a cooking smock (really it was cool, but I'm not good at describing clothes), a mid-long leather jacket and... tall leather high-heeled boots! Really cool. Then she joined Alexandra and Phil. She was not very comfortable but had the public laugh a few times, mostly because she would often answer Alex's questions by "yes" or "no", though very politely. The public wasn't making fun of Suzanne at all, but more of Alex who didn't ask very interesting questions. She said that her voice had changed since she had Ruby, but right now she had a cold so it sounded like her old voice. She told what are the 9 objects. She said that the first time she met Phil was at the Prince's Trust Concert, and that once she saw him in Japan but he didn't see her. Then she chose to see a rerun of Lou reed performing "Take a Walk On The Wild Side" in a previous Taratata, and said she had met him a few times. Alex seemed to wait for a funny anecdote or comment, but Suzanne hadn't anything to say, so she just said he was the first person she had ever seen in concert. After that, they chatted a little (with Phil), but nothing worth reporting here. Except maybe that she said that the idea of 'The Thin Man' had been partly inspired by a Jacques Brel's song. then blah blah Then Phil and her went to sing a song that Suzanne had chosen, with Suzanne's whole band (plus a second fat bearded man, I mean besides Pete Thomas): Waterloo Sunset, by the Kinks. That was really great, they both sang the whole song together. She wasn't playing guitar and had to read the lyrics (Phil too). I wish they would include that song to the tour set. Then they went back to chat and Phil said they had rehearsed all day but he did it wrong. Alex gently replied that nobody had noticed, and turned to Suzanne: "did he do it bad?" and Suzanne ironically said "Noooooooo". Blah blah, then she left (wait, wait she's gonna come back). Then came (burp!) East 17 / chat / duet with Phil... Then Suzanne came back and sang Headshots. Great! good whistling at the end too. Then Phil... The End. I think she made the right move making that show. I guess that a lot of people will watch the show for Phil, then see Suzanne sing Luka and think "oh, yeah i remember that girl" (and they'll see how beautiful she is, the filming of that show is always outstanding (not that she needs good filming to be beautiful)), then they'll see the duet and think "wow she's somebody", and then they will carefully watch Headshots and run buy the single (cause it really needs to be released as a single), and the album too, and then buy tickets for her shows in France (Alex told the dates but forgot the one in Lyons). The show in Paris is March 17, and Taratata will be broadcast March 13. That's a bit tight, but Im sure it will help a lot. Me I saw three songs, plus interviews live for free. Actually I lost a buck in the chocolate-bar machine but i'm sure you don't want to know. I hope you'll hear Waterloo Sunset sometime. Taratata has released two compilations of duets so far. Maybe if they release a third one, it will include this song (cross your fingers). David. Subj: Time Out Date: 97-02-04 06:34:43 EST From: rcxsj@unix.ccc.nottingham.ac.uk (Sharon Jennings) Hi Folks, I'm back on the list!! For all the people in the UK, Time Out magazine has a two page article/interview with Suzanne.... so get it while you can. I'll type it up for the list/web site tomorrow. Suzanne's appearance on the National Lottery was a wise move...... 16 million viewers!!! Unfortunately, Suzanne didn't bring me any luck..... I didn't win anything. Glad to be back Sharon PS. I will be at the Norwich, Cambridge and Nottingham shows if anyone wants to meet..... drop me an e-mail by Friday afternoon because I hit the road Saturday morning :) Sharon. A. Jennings Cancer Research Campaign Laboratories Univesity of Nottingham University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD (0115) 9513408 ENGLAND (0115) 9513414 (FAX) Subj: Fwd: First '97 gig @ UEA Norwich England Date: 97-02-08 20:01:46 EST From: sm@sys.uea.ac.uk (Shaun McCullagh) Was jolly good. Three Encores, lots of stuff from all the albums. Some really excellent stuff from 99.9F, really brought the album to life. Last number was 'Men in War', seemed appropriate considering the incredibly punishing tour schedule which I just looked at on the site. I don't how Suzanne can find the stamina.... The least I can do do is go and see them again in Cambridge tomorrow. Nice to AIl at the the gig. Cheers Shaun Subj: Norwich & Cambridge Concerts Date: 97-02-10 19:41:58 EST From: rob@collins.dungeon.com (Robert Collinson) Hello everyone, Well, what a great week-end I've just had ! Saw Suzanne in concert on Saturday at Norwich University and on Sunday at Cambridge Corn Exchange. Luckily for me, both venues are less than 70 miles from where I live. It's thanks to the e-mail from VegaNet we received last December about the tour dates, that I managed to get such good tickets. For the Norwich concert (an all standing venue) I had tickets numbered 00001 and 00002 and for Cambridge I had front row seats! I tend to keep the tickets for all the concerts I've been to over the years (not just Suzanne's) and have built up a bit of a collection. So I was disappointed to find that on entering the Norwich venue the security person was taking and keeping the whole ticket ! :( When I asked her if I could at least have part of it she said "No, but I will be handing them out at the end of the show". Then she noticed the number and said "Oh you want number 1 back do you ? I'll put it in my top pocket and if you see me after, I'll give it back" :)) Anyway, my ticket is the only souvenir I'll have of the event as I didn't see any merchandise on sale. After having a quick drink at the bar, I took up position directly in front of the microphone stand but a few feet back. I never thought I'd see Suzanne at Norwich UEA again. It's quite a small hall and my favorite place for seeing bands live. The last time she played here was in November 1986 a few days after the Royal Albert Hall shows in London. The only other time I think she played in Norwich was at Saint Andrews Hall (an old church) on the very day that 'days of open Hand' was released. Part of that show was televised live on a program called 'Rock Steady' and I remember that a then virtually unknown Lenny Kravitz also played a short set before Suzanne! I really enjoyed the Norwich concert. I won't list what was played in case it spoils things for those who are going to the other shows. It was nice for me to be able to bear in mind that I had it all to look forward to again the following evening. Suzanne didn't tell many 'stories' this night. She had a little trouble with a person shouting out stupid comments but dealt with him well. She suggested he was probably a "Scottish person who had had too much to drink". At the end of the gig Suzanne realized that some of us would be going to the Cambridge show and joked that we could have a lift in the tour bus if we wanted ! Then she remembered it only had 14 seats ! I was surprised by the number of other people collecting tickets on the way out ! Sunday night at Cambridge and the show seemed even better. It started half an hour earlier at 20:30. The sound was louder but then the venue was a lot bigger and I was at the front. It was the same set but I think a couple of songs were in different positions. Suzanne invited the seated audience to dance and 'do their own thing' if they wanted. A child's voice could be heard at the start of the concert. It was coming from a balcony box high above the stage to Suzanne's left. She acknowledged this by saying "I recognize that voice!" She was much more talkative tonight and commented on the previous night at Norwich. She justified the Scottish reference by revealing that her Grandfather was of Scottish descent. This show really rocked! The absolute highlight for me was when at the climax of 'In Liverpool' , Suzanne came and stood directly in front of me, and as she strummed furiously on her guitar, she gave me a lovely smile! Anyway, sorry to ramble on like this. Hope you enjoy(ed) the show as much as I did. Bye for now, Robert Subj: Friday's Live Session + Concert today Date: 97-02-11 04:52:58 EST From: n.saber@ic.ac.uk (Nikoo R Saber) Hey Undertowers, As promised, I did tape Suzanne's live session on Virgin Radio, 105.8FM London, last Friday. I have to say it didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong now; Suzanne's live version of "No Cheap Thrill" was as powerful and exhilarating as ever. But unfortunately it turned out that her performance was just a starter (sort of an 'opening act', you might say) for another band playing live after her... The Bee Gees!!! I presumed that with all the advertisement and hype for her session, it would last quite a bit, but all I got on tape was probably less than 10 minutes, with only one song performed. The interviewer/DJ said that they were going to have another (meaning ONE other?!) song from SV in about an hours time (probably towards the end of the BGs' show), but he didn't specify whether she was going to do it live or that it was an album version, and anyway, I was going out by then, so I couldn't have taped it. Disappointment! When are the radio DJs (over here at least, I'm not sure about elsewhere) realize what a great performer Suzanne is, and give her the coverage and air-play that she so rightfully deserves?! On to my 'subject of the week', SV's concert tonight in London! I've decided to go to the venue and try my luck, since I haven't found anything through the box office as of now. Who knows, maybe someone will feel sorry for this Undertower and give her a ticket! :-( Keep you posted! Suzanne, if you're by any chance reading this, a backstage pass would be more than welcome, too! Thanx! Catch y'all later, Nikoo Subj: Norwich & Cambridge Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 11:35:34 +0500 From: Sharon Jennings (rcxsj@unix.ccc.nottingham.ac.uk) What can I say........ I'm chuffed!! Both gigs were good but Cambridge was slightly better....... Suzanne was extremely funny and the sound was better. They managed to bring dust down from the rafters both nights..... so you can imagine how much they rocked!! The extended music bits of the new songs worked very well but it was the old favourites that brought a tear to my eye and reminded me of that day back in 1987 when I first heard Suzanne. Not sure yet about the arrangement of "Luka" though..... I missed seeing Marc Shulman flailing around during the guitar solo :) I arrived early at Norwich and got a spot right in front of Suzanne. There was a drunk heckler and she dealt with him very swiftly. Glad to see that Suzanne still has her sharp sense of humour :) Cambridge was a better venue and the audience was there to listen and not to chat all the way through. Quite a few people knew the new songs which is a good thing. They must have bought the album as an import..... but that is not good news for when it's released here in a few weeks because only UK sales will count towards a chart position. I braved the cold after the Cambridge gig to wait for Suzanne to emerge. She said that she was going to post a pre-tour message to the list but that her computer is on the blink ie. it's knackered :) She is hoping to get another one soon from Apple and will post something then. She told me to say hi to everyone, so here goes: "Hi". The 370 miles (I know that this is short on an American scale but on a British scale it's quite a journey) round trip was worth it and I'm looking forward to the Nottingham gig next month. Not quite sure what to think of the support act Richard Julian. He was doing fine until he started singing like Jimmy Somerville...... maybe his voice will grow on me with time. At times his guitar style reminded me of Shawn Colvin and I did like his song "Charlie Lewis". No merchandise!!!!! Amnesty International were present though and I ended up donating the price of a t-shirt to them...... maybe that was the plan :) Highlight of the trip: being overtaken at 2.30am by a milk float!!! on the A52. Suzanne was interviewed by Richard and Judy on the "This Morning" TV show yesterday (Tuesday). I'm transcribe the interview and post it soon..... she then went on to sing "No Cheap Thrill". I missed the Virgin radio thingy on Friday..... oh well. I can post the set lists if anyone wants them..... I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who are going to gigs in the next few weeks in Europe. I picked up the CD and tape singles for "No Cheap Thrill" yesterday..... if anyone abroad wants a copy then e-mail me. The CD is two pounds and the tape is one pound (one pound is approximately one and a half US dollars). Tracks are the album versions of "No Cheap Thrill", "Marlene On The Wall", "Luka" and "Tom's Diner". For Suzanne: Knackered is quite a handy word, though it should not be used in polite company :) Oh, I'm knackered - translates as tired. My computer is knackered - translates as broken Oh damn, I'm really knackered now! - translates as being in trouble Take care all Sharon Sharon. A. Jennings Cancer Research Campaign Laboratories Univesity of Nottingham University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD (0115) 9513408 ENGLAND (0115) 9513414 (FAX) Subj.: London ramblings....quite long Date: Thu, 13 Feb 97 17:53:00 +0000 From: Lee Allen (lallen@galileo.co.uk) [Note to non-British readers: "chuffed" means extremely well pleased. Ed.] Hello Undertowers, I've appreciated others reports on Mrs. Froom's appearances, so I thought I'd do the decent thing and relate my own London experience. We (that is me and my wife ) got there with loads of time to spare and managed to find one of the 'Gold dust' parking spaces near to the Empire - well chuffed :) The weather wasn't too conducive to queuing so we sought refuge in a the Firkin (just next door) and felt obliged to sample the excellent wares. An hour and a half later, the rain had eased so we went for the queue. On the way we noticed that there was a BBC truck parked by the Empire - future broadcast maybe - anyone know anything more about this ? Forty minutes can go by very quickly watching the exploits of the west London Ticket touts. A film crew were working the queue, they weren't having a good time of it - it seemed everyone they chose couldn't speak English very well, or didn't know Suzanne very well at all. Finally the doors opened and in we swept single mindedly - stage front, stage front, stage front! YES!! STAGE FRONT! About six or seven people to the right of the microphone as you look at the stage. I'd been to see Suzanne 3 times before and always had had crap seats in the upper circle, I'd often wondered what you had to do to get tickets at the very front - now I know - be lucky! I was impressed by the supporting act - Richard Julian, his guitar work was cool, and his songwriting ability clearly wasn't lacking. Richard went off, the lights came up, press photographers arrived, more press photographers arrived....yet more press photographers arrived, the latest arrivals looking very bemused at the now crowded photographers pit and venue. One photographer exclaimed - "Shit, she's not that popular is she?". One photographer arrived so late that there was no room for him in the pit, but as compensation was allowed to sit on the stage, and stay for the whole concert rather than the usual first three songs. An age later the house lights were dimmed, and Suzanne sauntered on stage with the band. She looked supremely confident and relaxed, working the press photographers like a pro' which of course is what she is. It was quite interesting to watch her "Cat walk"-ish efforts to please them. Other notable events:- New shoes - "Black with a big shiny buckle" Ruby - Somewhere in one of the upper balconies complaining vociferously about Suzanne's anecdotal interludes. Bad lighting - Suzanne requests to the lighting director to stop shining the light into the upper circle because it was blinding the punters. Dancing - She gets more comfortable with this side of her performance with every tour. English slang- Knackered means what!!!!! Smiles - She looked really happy and fired off a particularly dazzling smile in my direction. Use of hands - Managing to raise her hands over her head without, to quote herself, "Looking like an asshole" The bells... - "The bells of the cathedral" line [in Tom's Diner] still catches people by surprise, leaving Suzanne with a "Oh no not again" look on her face. Holy Grail - I may not have got the set list, but I did get the one remaining press photographer to pass me Suzanne's drinking water - I was gasping! Rude bit - Suzanne's explaination of her visit to the Richard & Judy show, lead to some profanity that would be unuseable by the BBC recording team. Ooops. Suzanne seemed quite apologetic at her lapse. Well that's all I can think of for the moment. If you were there I was the tall 'rhythmically challenged' flat topped guy at front right. Sorry for the length..... Lee lallen@galileo.co.uk Subj: SAW SUZY IN LONDON CONCERT! Date: 97-02-12 10:24:28 EST From: n.saber@ic.ac.uk (Nikoo R Saber) Hi Undertowers, Well, I'm the living proof that perseverance pays off, BIG TIME! I finally decided to take a risk and go to the concert venue yesterday evening and try my luck at finding tickets. It was raining cats and dogs, and by the time I got there, I was drenched! But, sure enough, tickets 'materialized' in the form of ticket sellers at the door. My friend and I drew up a good bargain, and ended up paying only *one* pound more than we would've paid if we'd bought the tickets directly from the box office! Another piece of luck was that, since we were there earlier than others (in search of tickets), there wasn't a very long queue and as we had standing tickets, we got the *BEST* standing position ever... right at the VERY front of the stage, with the microphone (and Suzanne!) only 4 feet - about 1.2 m - away from us (the 4 feet in between being reserved for *seated* photographers)!! I just stood there, not really believing that after all the frustration and frantic mail postings and god-knows-how-many phone calls to ticket hotlines, and not even having a ticket an hour before, I had finally made it, and not only that, I had a place others would KILL for! The venue, Shepherds Bush Empire (FYI: apparently, the British band Bush hail from this area of London) had a very nice setting and an intimate atmosphere, which is ideal for performances such as Suzanne's. The opening act was pretty good, but then Suzanne came on, and she was absolutely AWESOME! I'd never seen her playing live before, and it was excellent! I had been told by you guys that she's very comfortable with her audience and surroundings, but I hadn't quite expected how much! She was kidding around with her band members, and made even the sweating photographers up front feel at home with her! She was quite talkative, with lots of stories to tell from her past couple of days in the UK. She said she was happy that she could actually "see" a couple of faces up front; most of her previous concerts in London had been in big venues. She urged everyone to "do their own thing" and dance to the numbers they wanted to ("ofcourse" she said, "I know you British people are too cool to dance around!"), and the crowd went absolutely berzerk at her renditions of "Fat Man and Dancing Girl" and "Blood Makes Noise"! She also made a comment about Ruby wanting "her Mama to sing, not talk" when she heard a baby's voice (Ruby? I'm not sure). Altogether, a very laid-back performer, at ease with her audience, her stage and her music. And a lovely smile that comes every so often (I should know; she was staring me in the face!). I loved her acoustic versions of "Small Blue Thing" and "The Queen and The Soldier", and ofcourse everyone joined in for "Tom's Diner", by which she said she was very impressed! The show had two encores, and then it all ended, gone by in a flash. There were some people standing outside at the stage door, waiting for her to come out at the back. I couldn't stay since I had to catch the last train home, but I would've loved to speak to her or get her autograph on my album cover. Unfortunately, I didn't see any merchandise for sale over there, but I've got a couple of promo pics from her tour and the "No Cheap Thrill" single, my ticket stub and ofcourse my memories of a fantastic night of music with SV to remember the concert by! Sorry if I've rambled on for too long! It's just that I had a GREAT time last night, and I thought I'd share my experience with you. Thanks for all your support during the last (very hectic ;-) ) week, and especially thanx to Tom "Marlene on the Web" Bergeon and Deb Lawler who gave me one last push to go there, no matter what. All I can say to anyone who's going to see Suzanne perform in the coming weeks on the Europian leg of her tour: YOU'RE IN FOR A VERY BIG TREAT! ENJOY! Nikoo Subj: Paradiso Amsterdam Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 12:06:32 +0100 From: jan volkers (janvolkers@digitaal.nl) Mrs Vega performed in our hippie- temple in Amsterdam last night. Yeah. Since her first record i wanted to see her in the flesh, she is a kind of mystery to me. Well, this was it. What attracts me to her music is the vulnerability with which she sings. It rhymes with the poetry that she writes and is a contradiction to the fact that she is on stage as a rockstar. I guess one also has to have an elephant-skin doing that. She stands like a rock with it. This, along with the fact that i find her music written and played with very good taste, makes me have a great respect for her. Does this make me a fan? yukk... Paradiso is for this kind of concert a small place. Very intimate and it wasn't overcrowded though sold out. Suzanne seemed to enjoy this, even as the audience wasn't responding much. Maybe it is the kind of people that come to her concert that is not screaming and jumping frantically around the place, i am not anyway. It was nice to see who came. Keywords: softer, introverted, literate, romantic. People i like. Amazing to see what old farts were in her band (sorry guys, i'm one too!) playing sitting down. But did they _play_ . For sure it is not Suzanne alone responsible for the high quality of the music. Suzanne herself is someone i would describe as peculiar, i feel somehow uncomfortable at first sight with her. Maybe it is the view of her feelings that makes me feel uneasy. It appears to be a one way deal, but isn't. Obviously she enjoys this way of sharing, i felt such a warmth between her and us during the concert. By the time she was singing 'Gypsy' in one of the encores she sang right inside me... Also in the encores she did 'Tom's Diner'. That fragile solo-voice, no electronic effects, just the support of the audience singing tatatada. Personally i am not so fond of the housy effects since 99.9F but at this stage it is ...ok. If it were only those introspective things, it would be way too soft. Now there is that *rock*. So there you have it. I'm so glad to have been there, and it's enough of me pouring my personal sauce over you now. Hope you enjoyed it and please reply. To Suzanne: if you read this, hope you have tried riding a bicycle in Amsterdam, i did. Also quite an experience :-) And Thank You. jan Subj: Suzanne in Brussels Date: 97-02-17 05:30:10 EST From: 9612751@luc.ac.be (Baker baker) Hi fellow-underowers, What better way to celebrate Valentine than with a concert of Suzanne herself ? Last Friday was the best day of my life I guess. My girlfriend and I at the front row of the stage and screaming at the top of our lungs. Suzy was absolutely great. Her warmup-gig was also good but quite boring compared with her. But I think that Richard Julian got all the attention he wanted. But Suzanne was great. I waited a whole year (not that long) to see her and it was worth waiting for. Only a pity that the journalists in the paper can't appreciate her. Most of those people are quite old and anything that doesn't sound like Neill Young is bad. Pity though. But that doesn't mean that I and the rest of the people at the concert didn't like her ! Like Jan wrote : she was like a sort of mystery. And that night the mystery came pretty close to an answer, but not that close anyway. She will stay a mystery to me. She sang about 21 songs over a period of two hours. But it was great. The whole band by the way. I thought that the bass-player sometimes looked like George Clooney from 'from dusk till dawn' and 'ER'. Or is it only my personal opinion/imagination. Anyway, Suzanne brought me a better present on Valentine than any other person could [except for my girlfriend :-)] ** Rien Croonenborghs e-mail:9612751@luc.ac.be ** Subj: Brussels, another opinion Date: 97-02-17 11:10:29 EST From: goffaux@arke.ucl.ac.be (Goffaux Bertrand) Hi fellow-undertowers, This will be my small contribution to Suzanne's tour coverage. First I have to say that I am not an especially devoted fan; by this I mean that I always remain critical -some say negative- about any performer I see on stage. I do love Suzanne Vega (otherwise I wouldn't be on this list, would I?), but my review of her concert won't be as enthusiastic as Baker Baker's. I'm sure that you tolerant people won't mind... I'll start with the (quite) negative points: - the sound: the mix was sometimes awful, making it impossible to actually hear Suzanne's voice (especially on the 'noisy' numbers; I do not know if this was only the case in Brussels or if the sound engineer repeats the same mistakes at every gig). - the band: Sad to say, but it was a real 'backing' band; I mean they were always in the back of the stage. I know that Suzanne is the person everyone wanted to see, but I found it somehow uncomfortable that the band stayed in the shadow. This is not my idea of a 'live' band. They were professional and all, of course (only their names can tell you so), but I won't say they 'rocked' so much. I also have to say that 'Women on the tier' was a disaster to me, as the very oppressive sound of the record (with the industrial-sounding drum loop) was replaced by a single binary drum banging. The song lost most of its impact... - the audience: STOP! I won't say that I blame every single person in the audience; I just felt that most of the people there didn't seem so interested in Suzanne's songs. I'm not sure that Valentine's day was so great to see her: there were definitely many people who were there for their compulsory Valentine's evening out. 'What am I gonna do for Valentine's day? Oh there's that singer Suzanne Vega; I don't know her much, but isn't she the one that wrote Luka?'. The venue was sold out and it was difficult to move, so there wasn't anyone dancing. And that's sad... Sorry if I feel a bit sarcastic. Anyway, Suzanne herself said that she felt shy because the audience was so respectful (a polite way to say reserved or worse, indifferent), and she was not used to; fortunately, someone shouted 'Then shut up!', and she laughed and called him the New York guy all through the gig. And now Ladies and Gentlemen, the GOOD point: Suzanne Vega herself. Her presence was enough to make the evening enjoyable. First, she's charming... I mean every guy in the audience, despite Valentine's day, was under her spell (that's the mistery Baker talked about). Then her voice (when you were able to listen to it I mean)... Jesus it's the smoothest one I've ever heard live (and I'm a busy concert-goer...). And that's the reason I really prefered when she was alone with her guitar; strange as I prefer the sophisticated arrangements of the last two records. There was such an emotion when she sang (I can't find the words- not a native English speaker, as you certainly noticed). [You're doing just fine -- Ed.] She made nice comments although most of them were the usual ones (Gipsy and the bandana, ...); she talked about Jacques Brel and said that 'Thin man' was inspired by one of his songs (I should check the bulletin board to find which one, if the topic has already been discussed; anyone can help me?). So don't worry: I really enjoyed the show, and Suzanne still has her special place in my heart. Go and find out for yourself what you think about the concert. Strange but I'd like to find some people who, although they're big fans, were disappointed by some aspects of her concerts. And if you are shocked by my negative eye, please say so! Best wishes to everyone Bertrand Bertrand Goffaux (goffaux@arke.ucl.ac.be) Subj: Re: Brussels, another opinion Date: 97-02-17 14:38:07 EST From: 9612751@luc.ac.be (Baker baker) On Mon, 17 Feb 1997, Goffaux Bertrand wrote: > - the sound: the mix was sometimes awful, making it impossible to actually > hear Suzanne's voice (especially on the 'noisy' numbers; I do not know if > this was only the case in Brussels or if the sound engineer repeats the same > mistakes at every gig). > Well, maybe Bertrand was right. But I was in front of the stage and I heard her voice pretty good. Maybe it was because of the monitors in front. > - the band: Sad to say, but it was a real 'backing' band; I mean they were > always in the back of the stage. I know that Suzanne is the person everyone > wanted to see, but I found it somehow uncomfortable that the band stayed in > the shadow. This is not my idea of a 'live' band. They were professional > and all, of course (only their names can tell you so), but I won't say they > 'rocked' so much. I also have to say that 'Women on the tier' was a > disaster to me, as the very oppressive sound of the record (with the > industrial-sounding drum loop) was replaced by a single binary drum banging. > The song lost most of its impact... > Betrand is right again. Excuse me for saying this but I was totally NOT interested in the band. Suzanne Vega had my complete attention. > She made nice comments although most of them were the usual ones (Gipsy >and the bandana, ...); she talked about Jacques Brel and said that 'Thin >man' was inspired by one of his songs (I should check the bulletin board >to find which one, if the topic has already been discussed; anyone can >help me?). I just want to ask a little question to Bertrand : What do you think of that one girl who threw a cassette to Suzanne ? I was a bit shocked because of that, but Suzanne really smoothened the wrinkles there (I don't know how to tell it correctly!) by thanking the girl and putting the cassette in her pocket (not rock in this pocket but cassette in this pocket this time !!) Soit, her show was great in my opinion ! Bye Subj: Hi gang-- (Suzanne in Stockholm) Date: 97-02-17 18:40:05 EST From: Hugo.Westerlund@ipm.ki.se (Hugo Westerlund) Hi gang-- I'm just back from Suzanne's show in Stockholm. The venue was small, but the show was great. I wish more people would know how good she really is on stage. But on the other hand, it's quite nice to be in a small audience in a small place with an intimate atmosphere. I had a chat with Suzanne afterwards, and she asked me to say hi to you all. She misses you and promises to post as soon as she's got a new powerbook working again. Anyway, she's well and so is Ruby and Mitchell, so there's nothing to worry about... The band was really great, too. I must say that I'm always been extremely focused on Suzanne, but this time I enjoyed the band as a whole. Maybe it was Mitchell's new keyboard as well -- he bought it today and played it for the first time during the concert... Fat Man & Dancing Girl, a song I've always had a love-hate relationship to, came out wonderfully. They almost made me dance, which is a rare thing, at least in public :-) But Suzanne can still mesmerize on her own. She played The Queen and the Soldier as an encore -- and the intensity was stunning. Well, I can't describe the concert any better than this -- make sure you get to see her if you have even the slightest chance! Later, /Hugo --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hugo G. Westerlund Phone/fax: +46-8-15 98 68 * Privacy? PGP cryptography public key available at request *