Subject: The North American Tour, Nov/Dec, 1996

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Subj: Re: Toronto Show November 1, 1996 Date: 96-11-02 15:22:06 EST From: wilkes@hotstar.net (Jim Wilkes / Hilary Russell) Nice job on the review, Bruce. The show was two hours of pure pleasure!!! Folks in Vermont tonight and Montreal tomorrow are in for a real treat. Despite the bizarre acoustics of the venue, Suzanne and the boys were in great form. (I did miss the frenetically manic guitar work of Marc Shulman from previous tours.) Trinity-St. Paul's is the church where the Cowboy Junkies recorded their first album... CD, whatever... The Trinity Sessions. It's a very intimate place and the lighting was often haunting. During the show, Suzanne said there are two types of people who come out to her shows these days... those who want to dance and those who want to read. A typically reserved Toronto crowd often seemed stuck on Page 3. My wife and I went early to check out the place -- yes U212, she consented to see the other woman in my life -- and as we peeked in the back to watch the band go through its sound check, who should walk up behind us but Suzy herself. Had a nice chat -- talked a bit about undertow and such -- and signed a series of matted graphics (computer-manipulated photo images of herself). I've photographed presidents and prime ministers, interviewed the high and mighty and covered death, destruction and misery for more than two decades, but have rarely been as unnerved. I know what you other folks mean about being tongue-tied in a face-to-face with SV. She was preparing for a TV interview to run on MuchMusic (available on U.S. satellite networks) next Monday. They also shot viz from the show. She looked spectacular -- Hil said she had such wonderful skin!!! -- and was Very Village in her blacks and sharp leather coat. She switched to a black dress and knee-length tunic for the show. And were those really Hush Puppies she was wearing? They must be the most sensible shoes on tour! Opening act RON Sexsmith will be opening the Montreal show as well. Regards........... jw/toronto From: wafer@juno.com Subj. ROYAL OAK!!! Date: Thu, 07 Nov 1996 08:06:44 EST well i finally get to write a email well after the concert.. it sucked having to work right after the concert but its all good.. Well to summarize how i felt about the concert..hrmmm how do i say ... I LOOOOOOOVVVED IT!!!!. i dont think there was a single thing ..well except one song the keyboard was way to loud drowned out her singing but tha twas just one song....and the fact that i was sitting in the balcony and had a bar in my vision so did so bending to see under it. um ok here are the songs i think that were played...not in any order or maybe not played at all..but this is off the top of my head and probably wrong. Marlene on the wall small blue thing the queen and the soldier Tom's diner luka men in war rock in this pocket blood make nosie in liver pool 99.9F fat man and dancing girl headshots caramel stockings thin man no cheap thrill world before cloumbus the song from dead man walking during Tom's diner the crowd claped along and did the da-da-da-da-da it was kinda neat but probably better if it didnt happen. Wafer whose life is now complete with having seen her perform live Ps:thanks to Ron Fierstein, Rick Kay, and Jane Geraghty for making it so the place would allow me to enter without being 21 Subj: SV show in Providence Date: 96-11-05 14:50:34 EST From: kanderso@wheatonma.edu (Kirk Anderson) SV gave a fine show in Providence RI last night. It was the first time I'd seen her, so I can't compare it to other concerts, but the sound was very clean and the band were in fine form. I've been a casual fan for quite a while, but since last night I feel less 'casual' about it. And I even got to meet Pete Thomas--I was surprised to see he was part of the tour, and delighted to be able to corner him over by the cigarette machine and get an autograph. He didn't mind a bit. Said that he remembered the joint from playing there with Squeeze. I didn't even know he'd been part of Squeeze... was their regular drummer in rehab? Friends and I waited on the sidewalk outside for about 40 minutes to see SV and the band leave and a buddy of mine marched right up and asked for her autograph. She seemed to be in a real hurry to get away from the club, and led us (and her band) on a fast walk down the street about one block. Then she stopped and said "okay, here" and signed the back of his ticket. SV seemed really spooked or upset about something, as if maybe there'd just been some kind of a scene backstage (some kind of trouble, some kind of fight?). It was odd after seeing her comfortable on stage. Anyway I hope she's back again soon: I'll be there with bells on. Kirk Anderson Subj: Vancouver review Date: 96-11-15 01:48:49 EST From: Bruce_Miyashita@mckinsey.com (Bruce Miyashita) Gang. Was very lucky to catch Suzanne's show in Vancouver last evening. The venue is a two-level dance club and bar that holds perhaps 400-500(?) I don't know if any of the other gigs had a dance floor in front of the stage, but this one did and it made for an interesting difference in the show as compared to the shows in Toronto and Chicago where there was seating right up to the stage. The biggest difference was that many could (and did) dance. This energy seemed to give the band that extra push over the top, especially on Blood Makes Noise, Men In a War, Casual Match, and Birth-Day. While in (good olde sedate) Toronto the quieter numbers like Queen and the Soldier sounded far better than in Vancouver (where you could hear noise from the bar throughout the song), on the hard songs in Vancouver the band absolutely shredded the original versions. Men in a War and Casual Match in particular had a power and drive that took them to another level. The amazing thing now about Suzanne as a performer -- and I don't think one could have credibly said this about her ten or maybe even 5 years ago -- is that she now possesses perhaps the greatest combination of power and finesse of any performer. She has the repertoire of songs, and the kind of band, that can slug it out toe-to-toe with any other band out there in "full power mode", while also having the songs and the musicianship to play songs with as light touch such as "Queen and the Soldier" and "Small Blue Thing." I can think of few performers who come close to having this kind of range (Chrissy Hynde and the Pretenders might come close?); watching it in full flight was a rare privilege. One result of the shows is that my hitherto ambivalent feelings towards the album 99.9 F are now decidedly positive. It's takes an incredible album to feature such diversity: the hard-driving songs like "Blood Makes Noise," the quiet beauty of "Blood Sings" (perhaps my all-time favourite), and a great pop anthem like "In Liverpool" (I think the long, powerful fade-out on that song in concert is almost worth the ticket of admission alone). The opening act was Ron Sexsmith backed by Mitchell Froom throughout the set and Pete Thomas on three numbers. His songs have a reflective, melancholy edge to them as well as some inventive melodic patterns. Ron said that Mitchell was going to be producing his next album; I think he's well-worth checking out. Did not have a chance to meet the Great One herself -- there were alot of people wanting to meet her back stage, including Sarah McLachlan -- but no matter. All in all, a good show. P.S. And Suzanne, if you are still able to read all this stuff: Thank-you for the show (also, I asked the security guys to pass along to you a book of short essays on Canada written by Jan Morris; hope you got it.) Subj: Seattle/Portland Concerts (Long, Part 1 of 3) Date: 96-11-19 17:42:58 EST From: djhamma@aloha.net (David J. Hammar) Well, I'm back in Hawaii after seeing not one, but *two* shows. To quote Homer Simpson, Suzanne was "really, really, really, uhmm.... good." I'm still awestruck. For the benefit of those who missed the Seattle and/or Portland shows, or have (*gasp*) never been fortunate enough to see her in concert and for the benefit of future generations, I'll attempt to relate the experience... Volume One: Before the Show Thursday, 14 November 1996, Seattle - I'm in my (rental) car, listening to Suzanne's in-studio appearance on KMTT 103.7 ("The Mountain"). She'd arrived late, sans band, and the 3:15 show is starting a half-hour late. They open with a discussion of her selection as of the "New Yorkers who've made significant contributions to the New York recording industry and the community at large." (Suzanne, Michael Cayman, and L.L. Cool J will receive awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at their 2nd Annual Heroes Awards Dinner on December 5th in New York City.) Suzanne is asked about the story behind "Tom's Album", and relates the story of how DNA's unauthorized remix had eventually inspired her to compile and release the various tapes of cover versions she'd been sent. She plays a beautiful acoustic version of "No Cheap Thrill" ("This is the only time I've ever done this, and it may be the only time it ever happens, depending on how it goes...") The conversation then moves on to her record-buying habits, which she admits have been somewhat forgotten recently, in favor of watching videos of "Winnie the Pooh", and "101 Dalmatians" with Ruby in the back of the tour bus while the rest of the band jams to "Los Pinguinos Del Norte" in the front. She closes by playing "World Before Columbus" and details her plans for the rest of the year, including the recently announced half-hour acoustic "Christmas Shows". I head downtown to the theater, hoping to catch Suzanne before the show, and possibly entice her to personalize my "Caramel" CD. Curses! -- I suddenly realize I've forgotten to purchase a *pen*! While beating my head repeatedly against the padded dash, I manage to locate a drugstore, and rush inside to purchase a "Sharpie". (No such luck -- I have to settle for a "Rub-a-Dub" laundry marker... ) I begin to ponder how I might introduce myself if I do manage to spot her--one needs to be a bit careful about these things, you know, particularly since musicians from New York are somewhat wary of fans who've flown in from Hawaii to see them, ever since that little incident with John Lennon a few years back... 4:30 P.M. - I arrive at the King Cat Theater at 6th and Blanchard. No one outside yet, but the tour bus is parked out front, with a U-Haul trailer hooked up to the back. Darn! Everyone is already inside, so I figure I've missed my chance to get a pre-show glimpse of Suzanne. Still, I check out the building - the back door is open slightly, and I can hear the early level checks, but no vocals yet. At least I can console myself with the chance of hearing some rehearsals... 4:45 P.M. - I stroll around to the front of the building to see if any other fans have shown up yet. A couple of women are getting out of a car, perhaps to attend the show. It finally dawns on me that it's actually Suzanne and her sister, arriving from the radio station. Attempting to collect my thoughts, I manage to walk up and shyly mumble "Hi. Uhmm... I know you're probably tired, but could I possibly get an autograph?" Brilliant... Suzanne looks a bit bothered, but politely explains "Well, usually I do those *after* the show." (I make a mental note to chastise my fellow Undertowers for failing to mention this point of etiquette.) Still, she courteously accepts my CD & pen, dashes off a signature and heads inside with her guitar. My joy at obtaining an autograph somewhat tempered by humiliation, I slink off to lock the CD up in my car... I return shortly after 6:00 to find thirteen people queued up at the box office, hoping for tickets. The show is, officially, "sold out" - a fact which had enabled me to snare a concert flyer out of a record store window earlier in the day. After briefly mingling, I walk around to see if anyone else is hanging out at the back door. The door is open enough to hear Suzanne and the band running through "Birthday". After about ten minutes, they start into "Rock in this Pocket", followed up with "Stockings". I'm standing at the back door, listening to the soundchecks and trying to look casual to the various passers-by, mostly office workers heading home. A young woman comes past, pushing a stroller with the most adorable little girl riding in it. The pair seems a bit out of place until they turn and come up the walkway towards the door. Ruby! She's nicely dressed, and holding a stuffed tiger. Incredibly cute. Must run in the family. The soundchecks are over. A few minutes later, Jason Falkner (I recognize him from his poster at the box office) steps out with his girlfriend to grab a cigarette. I introduce myself, and manage to have a much more intelligent conversation than I'd managed with Suzanne. Jason is a genuinely nice guy, who seems a bit amused by his position as Suzanne's low-budget opening act. While the rest of the band rode across the country in the luxurious tour bus, Jason and his S.O. followed in their van. I confess I hadn't heard *any* of his music, but promise I'll pick up his new CD ("Jason Falker Presents Artist Unknown") and check it out. Jason and his girlfriend went back inside for his soundchecks. The show is still an hour and 15 minutes off, and I recall there is a Tower store just a few blocks away. It seems a good way to kill time, so I head there and buy the last copy (or perhaps it's their only copy?) of "Author Unknown". By 7:15, I'm back. The doors are open (finally!), so I surrender my ticket and go inside. The King Cat Theater holds about 1,000. I'm seated ten rows from the stage, even though I'd purchased my tickets just 20 minutes after they went on sale. Still, it's not too bad. The audience begins to trickle in, many clutching cups from the Espresso stand in the lobby (Coffee may be popular everywhere, but Seattle seems to have raised this appreciation to the point of fanaticism.) and quickly defines the meaning of "All Ages" - how many artists can you take the entire family to see, and still have everyone enjoy the show? Jason Falkner takes the stage at 8:03 P.M. with a friendly "Howdy". He's brought only two guitars and a harmonium ("Kind of like a bicycle, with keys...") - probably as much as could fit in the van. He launches into "I Live", the opening track from his CD, performed with more energy than his studio recording despite the sparse arrangement. He follows this up with "Don't Show Me Heaven", "Miracle Medicine" and "Hectified", all from "Author Unknown." I decide if his CD is anywhere near as good as the show thus far, it'll be worth the purchase price. Jason keeps things fairly informal, cracking jokes even when his guitar begins disassembling itself onstage. "Eloquence" follows -- a beautiful song, as yet unreleased - then it's time for a skillful cover of the Tom Waits composition "Johnsburg, Illinois". Another "Unknown" track - "Miss Understanding" ("two words, baby!") precedes "Both Belong" (from his days with The Grays), "She Goes to Bed" and another excellent cover of Magazi ne's "A Song From Under the Floorboard". Jason moves to the harmonium for "Very Best Years" (also a Grays' song?) and concludes with a Karaoke-style performance ("kind of a reverse Milli Vanilli thing - besides, I can't afford the orchestra") of "Before My Heart Attacks" a sort of Tom Waits-ish number, accompanied by the backing instrumental from his record. During the break, I wander out to the lobby, where Mr. Falkner stands surrounded by a cluster of attractive female admirers (his album photos really don't do him justice) while his equally attractive girlfriend stands politely nearby. I congratulate him on his set, and mention that I'd picked up his CD, which he signs to ensure that even if I hate it, I won't be able to take it back. ("Or it might even be worth $1.50 more this way.") After checking out the SV merchandise, but deferring any purchases until the next evening, I head back to my seat to wait for Suzanne... -- Dave H. http://www.aloha.net/~djhamma Subj: Seattle/Portland Concerts (Part 2a of 3) Date: 96-11-19 22:26:39 EST From: djhamma@aloha.net (David J. Hammar) ***Suzanne Vega in Seattle*** Suzanne finally comes on at 9:17. Actually Mitchell comes on first, and takes up position behind his wall of keyboards. Throughout the show, I can't help feeling he's either awfully uncomfortable onstage or is just too focused on his playing to have any fun. I get the idea he'd be just as happy if he were set up somewhere off stage - perhaps over by the mixing board. He's followed by Steve Donnelly, Mike Visceglia (where was he when the album was being recorded?) and Pete Thomas. Suzanne comes out last. For the sake of future generations, I copy down her every word - the following is a complete transcript of her Seattle concert (as best as I can remember). Get out your CD's, and if you play them as you read along, you can relive the show. (Opens with "Stockings") Thanks. How are you? All right? (Cheers from the audience. Someone asks, "How are You?") I'm all right! Thanks. (Question shouted from the audience.) "How's the Kid?" She's good, thank you - Yeah, Mike's going , "Yeah, I'm OK." That song was called, "Stockings," and the very first time I think I ever sang it in public was here in Seattle, back in April, for a birthday party for "The Mountain." - is that right? (Laughter) Well, you gotta keep the radio stations straight, there's a lot of them, as you know, all across America, with various names - we have "The Mountain", "The River", "The Peak"... So before I get into any more trouble, I will start singing the next song. (Plays "Rock in this Pocket") Thank you. So - okay, let's see - what shall I tell you? You can hear Ruby in the audience, I believe, and she's doing really well on this tour. Ruby is my daughter, she's two years old. (applause) No, she's not gonna come up, she's gonna stay where she is 'cause she has to go to bed very soon. She's been really great on this trip - she watches cartoons in the back of the bus. We started to be a little concerned, I guess, the other day, when in Vancouver we were watching television in the morning, and suddenly she attacked the television set with a knife and fork. We started to wonder if perhaps this life on the road was getting to be a bit much - I mean, we occasionally feel like attacking the television with a knife and fork ourselves, but we usually don't do that - so I was going, "Ruby, no no sweetie - are you hungry?" Mitchell figured out that actually what she wanted was to play percussion, and we gave her two spoons and a plate, and she was very happy after that. (Laughter from the audience and Suzanne) Now I think I'll sing again. I don't know -- the storytelling, we'll just have to warm it up, I think... (Plays "Caramel", followed by "Thin Man") Thank you. (Launches immediately into "Casual Match") Thank you. Today I was at the radio station and they wanted to know, could I sing some songs acoustically, and I said yes, that I could, and they wanted to know, could I sing "Casual Match" acoustically, and I thought, well, something would be missing, I think. 'Course we could bring Pete along and he could pound on the table. (Chuckles to herself) He could pound on the table, and we'd have someone else going "Da da da, da duh duh duh duh duh duh duh," and then I could sing over that. I don't think that would work, really. Anyway, we have other songs that work very well acoustically... (Plays "Small Blue Thing" - the band meanwhile, stands by, looking a bit uncomfortable, until they finally get to add their small contributions when Suzanne begins "falling down the stairs." Not literally, of course...) (Plays "Marlene on the Wall", then the band joins in for "Headshots") Thank you. Oh, sometimes when I sing that song I have this little urge to, like, make up a little dance, the kind of thing that my sister used to do. My sister would make up joke lyrics to my songs, and do little dances to act them out, you know, like, what would she do, like, (puts her fingers around eyes as if looking through binoculars) "Watching all the people who are (fingers walking) passing unaware..." - you know, that sort of thing. I think it might be too much, really, for this particular audience at this particular time, although I see you guys, though, and I see that you're wiggling around, some of you. Recently it's a kind of a funny thing, you know, half the audience to dance, you know, they want to hear "Casual Match" or "Blood Makes Noise", and the other half come to read, I think . (Laughter) So how many of you play poker? (One or two cheers and a bit of polite applause) Not many, really! This song is about romance, using the language of poker - I'm sure you'll get it. It's not a problem. (Plays "No Cheap Thrill" then moves into "Fat Man and Dancing Girl") Can't wait to hear the acoustic version of *that* -- we've done it, actually! And not far from here, either. So I know that you're sitting there in your seats going "Who *is* the 'International Fun Boy', Billy Purl?" And the fact is that he was a band leader in the Midwest, in the Thirties. "Oh, yea!" you're thinking to yourself, "how wonderful!" My grandmother was his drummer, in his band, and they did the Vaudeville circuit during the Depression, and he was billed as the "International Fun Boy", and his band was called - among other bands, there were a lot of bands that were formed at this time, and his was one of them, and the other one was "The Merry Makers Ladies Orchestra". So that was my Grandmother's band, way back then. So now you know. (To be continued...) -- Dave H. http://www.aloha.net/~djhamma Subj: Seattle/Portland Concerts (Long, Part 2b of 3) Date: 96-11-19 19:08:12 EST From: djhamma@aloha.net (David J. Hammar) (More on the Seattle show. We pick up following Suzanne's explanation of "Fat Man & Dancing Girl"...) (The band has left the stage during Suzanne's narrative, and she begins an acoustic version of "Neighborhood Girls") Thanks. I don't remember exactly how this came up, but somehow we were all sitting on the bus, talking about old jobs that we'd had. And I remembered this one particular summer where I was about seventeen - first of all I've had tons and tons of jobs, I mean, I've been a babysitter, librarian, Avon Lady (laughter) - you don't wanna hear that story - very short-lived period of time there, I'd say about two weeks. So in this one particular summer it was really hot and it was like 104 degrees, and I was the messenger for an arts company in New York City that happened to be based in Times Square. So I'm, you know, running around the city, and wearing my tube top and overalls - it was 1976, at this point, and I'm about to get onto a bus, and this man comes up to me and says, "Straight as an arrow." I'm like, "Yeah, OK. All right friend, what are you talking about?" So he goes, "I wish all of our models had posture like yours." I'm like, "Yeah, I'm 17, this is 42nd Street. I don't think so. Goodbye." He goes, "No, really! No, really! I think you should come and model for us! There'll be *no nudity*!" So I'm like, I'm going "Yeah. Bye!", and he's going "My name's Joe, here's my card!" And he gives me this card, and on it, it says "Joe", with his last name, and printed in big letters, says, "NO NUDITY." (Laughter) So I'm *impressed* by this, yeah. So I said "Thank you very much," took the card, put it in my pocket, slammed the door in his face and rolled up the street, and then the next summer I made sure that I worked outside of the city, and so I was the Disco Dance and Folk Singing counselor at a sleepaway camp in the Adirondacks, much to my surprise, not to mention my young children that I was looking after. Most of them were seven or eight, and so therefore they wanted to hear, you know, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," not "Story of Isaac" by Leonard Cohen, or my own long and introspective ballads which I was trying very hard to create at that point, like "The Silver Lady" - there's a young girl, she lives at home with her father, he's a madman, and she leaves home to follow her heart and her father drowns himself in a river - this was not popular among my eight-year-old students. But fortunately there was this boys camp up the road, and (catcalls and laughter from the audience) - maybe we should just get to the end of the story, huh? So anyway, the guy that I met there who was a strange and interesting person was a 21-year-old dadaist painter from Liverpool who had applied to this camp, I think, in a spirit of anarchy, really, which was sort of rampant in those days, if you remember back that far. He had just shaved his head and was growing his hair back, and wore one earring, and had this big lump on his head from where he had been thrown down on the concrete by some gang in Liverpool. So we became good friends, and, you know, said the obligatory, "Do you like Leonard Cohen? Oh yes, but only in certain moods, what about you? O h, I love Leonard Cohen, in any mood." So this became, like, our password, and we became, uhmm, you know, "entangled" for the summer. And I wrote him this song at the end of the summer as a kind of going away present, and he in return gave me his bandanna. (Laughter, as Suzanne begins "Gypsy") Thanks. So this next song is written for my daughter. (Plays "World Before Columbus". Towards the end of the song, the band filters back onstage, and at the conclusion of WBC, Pete Thomas takes up a position behind the bongo stand. Suzanne begins clapping out a beat, which he quickly picks up, and the band moves into "Room Off the Street/Cuba". A couple folks in the audience, either brave or foolish, have ignored the "All Cameras and Recording Devices Will Be Confiscated by the Crew" warnings posted at the doors, and several flashes disrupt the mood a bit at the start of the song. Suzanne's Camera Nazi begins zeroing in on the source, which seems to originate from a position in the section of seats somewhat to my right, where he paces and glares for the remainder of the number. Though unable to finger the culprit, his presence serves as a deterrent to further photographs -- a good thing, actually, since Suzanne's show uses a lot of colored spot lighting for mood, and the camera flashes are a bit distracting, actually.) Oh, so now that I've got you all in a pleasant mood, now I'd like you to imagine that you are in a prison. "No!" they shout from the back. How many people here have seen the movie "Dead Man Walking"? (Cheers) This is a song that was inspired by that movie, and it's on the soundtrack of that movie, and it's called, "Woman on the Tier." (Now the work for the band *really* begins as they provide the complex backings for "Woman on the Tier", "Blood Makes Noise" and "In Liverpool" in quick succession.) Thank you! And now, I'd like to introduce the band - we have on keyboards, Mitchell Froom, on guitar, Steve Donnelly, on bass, Mike Visceglia, on drums, Pete Thomas. All right... (Plays "Luka") (As "Birthday" begins...) Thank you, Seattle, for coming out, for listening, for wiggling around in your seats, suggestions... ("Birthday") Thank you! Good Night! See you next time. (The band leaves the stage. A few minutes later, Suzanne returns...) Thank you. (The audience begins shouting out requests.) Let's just get it all out of our systems, OK? Yell out any song that you think that I wanna play. (The audience cooperates enthusiastically, predictably one guy requests "Free Bird"...) What great suggestions! I gotta say! (Begins "Tom's Diner" The audience is well trained, clapping along in time, and adding their obligatory "Duh De Duh Duh's" at the appropriate times. The band returns near the end of the song.) Thank you! Thanks! Nice job! That was a song about breakfast. Actually, more accurately, it was about alienation, at breakfast. And this next song - (more shouted requests from the audience) thank you *very* much for you kind suggestions - however, this next song is about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, in case you're sitting there wondering --(Intro to the song begins) -- I think some people must wonder what the hell I'm talking about, from time to time. (Plays "Men is a War") Thank you! Good night, and I'll see you next time! (Suzanne returns, this time alone, plays "Queen and the Soldier", then says a final "Good Night")