Suzanne Vega

Paradiso
Amsterdam
The Netherlands

16th February 2014 (2014-02-16)


RECORDING:

Type: Audience master, recorded from seat in centre of back row, approximately
15 metres from the stage,

Source: Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) ->
Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod
(-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV)

Lineage: Audacity 2.0.5
* Amplified right channel by 0.7 dB.
* Applied variable envelope amplification across recording for
consistent listening experience.
* Attenuated audience noise.
* Added fades.
* Split tracks.
* Converted to 16 bit.
-> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.3.0 20130526]

Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd)


SET LIST:

01. [01:06] [banter]
02. [04:23] Marlene On The Wall
03. [03:18] Caramel
04. [02:15] [banter]
05. [02:48] Fool's Complaint
06. [00:41] [banter]
07. [04:53] Crack In The Wall
08. [00:26] [banter]
09. [05:37] Jacob And The Angel
10. [04:25] Small Blue Thing
11. [03:19] [banter]
12. [04:23] Gypsy
13. [05:10] The Queen And The Soldier
14. [03:42] Don't Uncork What You Can't Contain
15. [00:44] [banter]
16. [04:21] Song Of The Stoic
17. [00:23] [banter]
18. [04:17] Solitude Standing
19. [03:41] Blood Makes Noise
20. [03:13] Left Of Center
21. [00:23] [banter]
22. [03:17] I Never Wear White
23. [00:51] [band & crew introduction/banter]
24. [04:08] Luka
25. [04:55] Tom's Diner
26. [00:44] [encore break]
27. [00:58] [banter]
28. [04:15] Walk On The Wild Side
29. [03:06] Horizon (There Is A Road)
30. [03:00] Rosemary
31. [00:58] [encore break]
32. [01:26] [banter]
33. [05:23] In Liverpool
34. [01:00] [banter]
35. [00:48] (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May (false start)
36. [03:55] (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May
37. [04:50] Some Journey

Total running time: 107:20

NOTES:

Unassigned seating, my own little love-hate relationship, once again sees me
biking to the Paradiso a good two hours before the first note will be struck
this evening.

The first order of business tonight: secure an optimal location in the
Paradiso's limited makeshift seating from which to record Suzanne Vega,
tonight playing to a sold-out crowd.

I'm at the Paradiso about 20 minutes before the doors open. It's not early
enough to be the first in the queue, but it's good enough. Once the doors are
opened, I saunter to my desired position, in the centre of the back row.

I'm more commonly found directly in front of the PA, but no chair in the
Paradiso's seated configuration offers that vantage point. There's standing
room along the sides, but that's also less than ideal, so the best position
for recording in this configuration is the centre of the back row. There will
be an increase in ambient sound on the recording, relative to what I usually
come away with, but it's Suzanne Vega playing to a bunch of farty middle-aged
people (yes, yes, of whom I am one), so it shouldn't get so wild that the
recording is impaired.

There's no support tonight, hence the long wait until things get under way.
I'm armed with a smart-phone and a shortlist of baby names with which to pass
the time.

On the face of it, tonight is a low-key affair. There isn't even a merchandise
stand to relieve punters of their disposable income, although a local record
shop is plying Vega's discography in the spot where one can usually be found.

Clearly, commerce isn't foremost in Vega's mind when she plays these shows. If
it were, she'd be playing a larger venue than the Paradiso. This and the
nearby Melkweg are virtually guaranteed to sell out when her name is on the
bill.

A Suzanne Vega show is a genuinely intimate affair, rich in stories, laughter
and interaction. It's the kind of atmosphere not easily evoked in a soulless
aircraft hangar selling popcorn and burgers in the foyer. And no-one
understands this better than the lady herself, of course.

The only thing missing tonight is a log-burning fireplace and a thick layer of
snow on the street outside, but for that we have our imagination.

From the stage configuration, it's clear that Vega will be accompanied by just
one other musician tonight. 'Tales From The Realm Of The Queen Of Pentacles',
the new album and her first wholly new studio outing in seven years, is a
full-band affair, so I'd imagined the tour to promote it would be, too. No
matter; I have every confidence that this stripped down configuration will
prove every bit as rewarding.

Suzanne comes on stage shortly after the scheduled 20:30 start time, joined by
longtime collaborator, guitarist Gerry Leonard.

They open with the instantly familiar 'Marlene On The Wall' and the atmosphere
inside the Paradiso warms in seconds to that of a log cabin.

All is well with the world. She's here, we're here and the sound is sublime.

I had perhaps forgotten what a refreshing, renewing experience a Suzanne Vega
concert is. It's been much too long since the last time.

The well-considered set contains something for everyone. As Vega herself
explains, there are hits, non-hits, new songs, old songs and songs from
somewhere in the middle. I can't think of anything that I particularly wanted
to hear that isn't performed.

Gerry Leonard's dexterous guitar work is a joy to behold. The man is a master
of his instrument. Watching him effortlessly layer sound upon sound with a
loop pedal is a clarion call to take up the instrument and follow in his
footsteps.

One moment, he's putting down some bass with the E string. The next, he's
tapping out a drum on the semi-acoustic body. That's followed by plucking a
riff with the plectrum. For the finishing touch, he takes the e-bow from its
stand and lays down a drone or a few effects-laden notes that mimic a
keyboard. With everything now in place, he's free to play a live layer atop
his looped creation.

Before you know it, he's conjured a whole band from a single instrument. Just
listen to 'Tom's Diner', on which Vega doesn't play at all, for a
demonstration of Leonard's loop pedal prowess. Many guitarists use such a
device these days, but few do it to such great effect as this man.

Vega is called back for two encores, resulting in 22 songs in all. That works
out to about a euro per song at the very modestly priced ticket fee.

The highlights are too numerous to go into, but I would like to draw attention
for a moment to Vega's cover of Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side'. Everyone
in the room was grooving away to that.

I haven't gone wild trying to attenuate the audience noise on this recording.
Much of the applause and cheering goes hand in hand with Vega's banter, so
there's a limit to what can be done without introducing unnatural-sounding
fluctuations in the volume.

Besides, it's part and parcel of the concert experience and at no time
intrudes on the music. Nevertheless, to the extent that attenuation was
possible without impairing the recording, it has been performed.

An evening of beautiful songs, hosted and sung by one of the warmest, lushest
voices that you're likely to hear during your short tenure on this earth:
that's what is documented here.

As always, samples are attached to the torrent, but more to entertain you
while you download the recording than to convince you to do so.