Maps and Mirrors

Suzanne Vega at the Atwood Concert Hall, Anchorage, Alaska, February 4, 2011

This was such a rare treat for me. Not just seeing a musician I've been a fan of since high school (when her first album came out) but one who's current work I still enjoy (I confess she did lose me for a bit after Days of Open Hand). I can probably count those people on one hand and the odds of one of them coming up to Alaska to perform? Pretty slim. The odds were probably evened out a bit by the fact that she was only accompanied by one other musician, guitarist Gerry Leonard, and her equipment needs were pretty small. She played in Kodiak before coming to Anchorage and is going on to Fairbanks. Stay warm you guys!

Gerry Leonard, by the way, looked like Jon Pertwee playing a rocker in an Archie comic; he had this black jacket with red and white ribbons and three-quarter sleeves with white lace. It was awesome.

Ms. Vega is in the process of releasing four albums on her own label of "reinterpreted" versions of her older songs, and as that's what she's touring to support most of the songs were from her earlier years, which pleased the crowd greatly. I would have been OK if the majority of the material had been from her last studio album of new work Beauty & Crime but it was lovely to hear so many old favorites, including ones I wouldn't necessarily have expected like "Ironbound". She did play one song from B&C, "Frank & Ava", which was certainly a good choice. She also treated us to a couple of songs from the forthcoming play, "Carson McCullers Talks About Love" that she wrote and is playing Carson McCullers in(!) Duncan Sheik is involved with the music side as well. It's opening in April.

The problematic acoustics of the venue (which I complain about like it's my job) were not too problematic this time around, but as I believe the problems usually arise from scaling down sound design I wasn't expecting it to be that bad. It would have been nice if they could have done the lighting so that there weren't constant reflections from her very shiny guitar bouncing off into the audience.

As far as the songs being reinterpreted, I couldn't really hear that much of a difference in the arrangements. This may have been in part because I was really only paying attention to her voice, and I didn't pick up much variation there. Mostly it was as gorgeous as it's always been.

I did consider braving the crowd afterward for her album signing session, if only to say thank you, but it would have meant missing the last bus home. I could have walked and I certainly have before but it had been a long day and a long week and I was tired. A couple of days later and I can say for certain that skipping that part did not in any way diminish my enjoyment of the show. She was fabulous.

So I thinking about TV theme music this evening, specifically the ones that are on my iTunes. Not soundtrack songs or other music from the score, just theme music. I think I have six:

1) Buffy (two versions actually, but let's just count that as one)
2) Angel
3) due South (two versions again, and they really are different ... nope, same rule as Buffy)
4) La Femme Nikita
5) The Unit

... I'm forgetting someone, I just know it. OK then, five. Yes, I own a lot more TV music than this, including theme music, but this is what's on my iTunes.

What about you? What makes it to your iTunes/music organization program of choice?

Sometimes Pandora is almost spooky in the songs it chooses for me. Sometimes it makes me scoff at myself for my obviously predictable tastes. And sometimes I wonder what its ulterior motive must be, because Kathie Lee Gifford in the middle of my neo-cabaret playlist? Seriously?

You know my new musical crush, Kris Delmhorst? I just found out she's going to be playing in Alaska next week. But the only local show that I could get to under my own power is sold out. The two others are a considerable drive away. And I can't drive.

Auuuuuuuuugh! I would have signed up for her newsletter if I thought there was any chance she would come up here!

Maybe I could tempt someone at work if I buy their ticket.

If I was wondering how much of me is still 13 years old, I saw the new 2-CD editions of U2's first three albums and freaked out. The thought of all those B-sides is making want to squeal like a massive squealing thingy. I actually own some of them, from 12"'s and Japanese 45's. Acquired, mind you, by a girl living in a small town in Alaska before the internet. Thank heavens for music magazines and mail order. My friends teased me about my obsession with this band with the lead singer with the funny name. Of course my senior year was when The Joshua Tree came out, so in some ways I got the last laugh.

My fondness for their music started to wane after Achtung Baby; I respect their choices but I also respect that the directions they've moved in are not to my personal preference. But those first years? Own my soul.

So, being the geek that I am, I'm trawling through music charts looking for good 1981 songs for Ashes to Ashes. I found way too much music that I like, and some that I'm really not ready to admit that I own. *facepalm* At least I'm young enough that I only have one of these on a 45. No, I'm not telling you which one. ( In which I geek out like a geekalicious geeking thing )