The Vega Show

Well, here we are in Brighton. We've seen our concert and now we have half a day to wander around town, have a leisurely brunch and then catch the train back to London. The weather isn't exactly cooperating, as it's pretty damp out there, but I can't have everything and this is England in almost-November.

Dave and I worked full days yesterday and then promptly headed for Victoria station, where we caught a train that brought us to Brighton in just over an hour. We had sandwiches on the train, so all we had to do here was check into our hotel and then head to the theater.

We passed the ghost projection above, swirling on the sidewalk in front of the Theatre Royal. That's not where our concert was, though -- it was across the street at the Brighton Dome, part of the fanciful Royal Pavilion complex. The inside of the theater featured Indian (from India) style arches and architectural elements; it was a cool place to see a show.

The music began at 7:30 p.m. with opening act Katherine Priddy, a singer and acoustic guitarist, and we caught most of that. Suzanne Vega took the stage with her two accompanists, a guitarist and a cellist, soon afterwards.

As I said in yesterday's post, I've been a fan of Vega since the 1980s. I think my college friend Lorenzo first introduced me to her music, back when she only had one album. Now she has ten albums and a long career behind her, including radio hits like "Luka" and "Tom's Diner." She's 66, so she's several years older than me, but I still feel like we've grown up together. I first saw her in concert 35 years ago, and most recently (before last night) 18 years ago, which blows my mind!

For those of you who may know her songs, here's the set list from last night's show:

Marlene on the Wall
99.9 Fº
Caramel

Small Blue Thing
Gypsy
In Liverpool
The Queen and the Soldier
Flying With Angels
Speaker's Corner

Chambermaid
Left of Center
I Never Wear White
Some Journey
Luka
Tom's Diner

Encores:
Walk on the Wild Side
Alley
Galway

Some of those are from her newest album, which I haven't yet heard, and I hope I got all the titles right! I was happily surprised to hear her play "Walk on the Wild Side," because she usually sings her own songs rather than covering someone else's, but apparently she regularly performs that one as a tribute to her late friend Lou Reed.

Here's a very brief 40-second snippet of her performing "Tom's Diner," the hit DNA version with a beat (as opposed to her original song, which was a capella.)

After the show we walked back to the hotel, past the decorative doorways of the building known as the Corn Exchange (above). Now, I'm off to find some morning coffee!