LIVE REVIEW: Suzanne Vega in Groton, MA (10.06.24)

Suzanne Vega strode onto the stage to loud applause, donned a top hat over her long blonde hair, and opened with “Marlene on the Wall” on Sunday night. This set the tone for the 90-minute performance at Groton Hill Music Center, the last of this Northeast leg of her Old Songs, New Songs, and Other Songs tour. The veteran New York folk musician put on a fabulous show with varied arrangements and vocal stylings. Her songs tell stories and often address severe issues in an impactful manner. She’s a thoughtful performer with a warm heart.
Accompanied by a guitarist and a drum machine, Vega played an acoustic guitar for many of the songs. The singer/songwriter started out with some old songs, including a breathy, slowed-down “99.9 F” and a sexy, drawn-out “Caramel.” She performed a slower (and almost unrecognizable) “Left of Center at the beginning.” She played a song near and dear to my heart, “I Never Wear White.” It’s a bluesy, edgy song. “I like black. Black is my color. Black is the truth of my situation and my station in life.” Vega wore a black three-piece suit with boots and a dark green shirt.
I last saw Suzanne Vega at Berklee Performance Center in 1996. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever attended. I adored her 1996 album Nine Objects of Desire and played it repeatedly. The entire album has sultry vibes and cool, dark undertones. In her 40-year career, Vega has released nine studio albums. She won two Grammy Awards for Days of Open Hand (1990) and Beauty & Crime (2007).
Vega is a consummate professional and a strong performer. She’s also quite a character. She told an amusing story about the song “Gypsy.” When she was 18, she was a camp counselor in the Adirondacks. She met a boy who was a counselor at the boys’ camp up the street. He approached her and asked, “Do you like Leonard Cohen?” She told him: “I love Leonard Cohen but only in certain moods.” She said she didn’t want to give him the impression that she was depressed or medicated. She wrote him a poem, which became the song. He gave her a bandana. Wouldn’t that be amazing to have a song written about you?
Vega found herself in Liverpool, this guy’s hometown, twelve years later. She wondered what might have been. She was also incidentally reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She wrote, “In Liverpool.” On her 45th birthday, she’s playing in London and receives a bouquet with his email. They have lunch. The guy’s girlfriend can’t believe that he dated Suzanne Vega. On her 50th birthday, Vega opens for Leonard Cohen and invites this man and his girlfriend. She says that they’ve all become friends.
One of the new songs is about the First Amendment. It’s called “Speaker’s Corner,” and Vega says, “You know what I’m talking about. V-O-T-E is what I’m talking about. Another new song, the humorous, sardonic “Rats,” is fitting for a New Yorker to write. It has a punchy, supercharged beat and is influenced by the Ramones. Vega says that all the stories in the song are either told to her directly or as read on the NextDoor app. Gotta love a NextDoor reference. IYKYK.
Vega donned the top hat again and closed out the set with a pretty, extraordinary rendition of “Tom’s Diner.” She walked up the stairs and around the stage with a spotlight on her. “What a great and unusual venue this is,” Vega enthused. “I get to run up and down the steps.” The stage is built for orchestral and full-band performances with band risers. For an encore, Vega performed a prolonged version of the Lou Reed song “Walk on the Wildside.” She sang another new song influenced by a Bob Dylan song where he mentions a chambermaid. Vega explained that the song is written from the chambermaid’s perspective. The song is so new she read the words from a music stand. She closed out the show with the upbeat song “Tombstone” about “living life to the fullest every day.” It was a unique, memorable evening.
Featured image by: Ebru Yildlz