Mon, Jul 07 2003, 10:53 AM
This is my first post to the message board as I couldn’t let the magical evening at The Stables go by without comment. I’ve been listening to Suzanne’s music since the first album but for some reason have never managed to see her play live. I realised on Friday night what I have missed. I have been going to gigs since 1974 covering the whole spectrum of popular music but I have never been so captivated than by Suzanne’s performance at The Stables.
The Stables is a small venue and the audience are usually quite reserved (or polite as Suzanne noted). Suzanne appeared to be quite nervous for the first couple of numbers (did the reserved crowd add to the tension?) and believe it or not she actually lost her way (vocally!!) half way through Marlene!!! "I've been playing that song for 20 years and have never goofed until tonight" she quipped. Did we care - not at bit it just added to the charm of the evening. The reading was "The Happy Gravedigger". We got Small Blue Thing for one of the first encores ("It would be rude not to play what the audience asked for" she commented to the band). For the second encore Suzanne asked for requests - Song Of David - "wow, we haen't done that for a while" you could see Suzanne wracking her brain for the lyrics, trying a few chords, trying to convince the bass player that he did know the song!!!!
I always gauge the impact of a show by how long after I have the songs in my head - well it is now Monday and they are still there (loud and clear) and I have listened to nothing else all over the weekend.
It was a wonderful, enthralling and totally captivating evening. Thank you Suzanne, take care and please hurry back to the UK.