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September 17, 2007 |
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The stage at the Ark was full of anticipation and musical instruments. Around the stage, tables were situated amongst the chairs, transforming the venue into a casual sidewalk café. The audience's excitement swirled about as everyone filed in to find his or her perfect seat in this fantastic Michigan venue. At 7:55, Pat Bergeson walked onto the stage and quietly knelt down to check the tune on all the guitars before slipping backstage just as stealthily. The concert was not a sellout, sadly enough, but probably about 200 music lovers anxiously awaited the band's arrival. Just past the scheduled start time, Todd London, Denny Bixby, Pat Bergeson, and Will Barrows took their positions and the level of excitement grew. A representative of the Ark greeted the crowd and gave Suzy a proper introduction to a round of appreciative applause. At 8:06, she emerged, the picture of Sweet Danger in a black top, blue jeans, and a gorgeous burgundy shawl jacket adorned with long fringe all around. I never did see her wearing shoes….they came off very early in the concert. With a huge smile, Suzy asked how it was going and complimented the "French out on the sidewalk kinda feel." With a "click, click, go," she started strumming her guitar, stopping to mention happily that she had blue jeans on. She joked about how she should join us and have a party and the rest of the band would play for all of us. She seemed even more cheerful and comfortable than usual, with a flair about her that set everyone immediately at ease. As she spoke to the audience, there was a generous amount of laughter and you could just feel the good time everyone was enjoying, Suzy in particular. "Outbound Plane" was her first
selection. Both Denny and Will chimed in for the
background vocals. After the claps and cheers
subsided, Suzy said that it was always a pleasure to be
back in Ann Arbor, but especially today, as it was a
GREAT day due to the weather. She continued that
her Midwest tour had been just awesome as far as
weather, as it was in a cool down trend that was
perfect. She then commented on the changing of
the seasons in the area and said it had been the driest
Suzy looked around and said that she could see that several folks had traveled far and wide to be there, and thanked everyone. "I know that's hard on a school night!" she told us, calling young, vital, cultured, and sophisticated. Being there on a Monday, she continued, meant we had a broad sense of being. Then she said she was full of bull! Back to the music, she advised that she wanted to warm up with some of the older stuff, and then asked if anyone knew that Ian Tyson had turned 75 this week. "He's 75," she marveled. "But he does NOT have a 75 year old butt!!" The crowd giggled and she commented on his starched Wranglers, moving into, of course, "Someday Soon," the beginning of which generated approving applause from the fans. Suzy was completely solo on this one, showcasing her voice with no backup vocalization – lovely! Suzy grinned as she revealed her next announcement. "You want to get a kick out of something?" she inquired. "I came in on the Billboard Jazz chart today at #4!" Everyone laughed and cheered loudly. She talked of the CD and how she had made it in New York. "If I'd tried to make it country in New York, it would have been a disaster!" She joked about the old salsa commercials (for Pace). Continuing with the commercials theme, she told us how they play a game on the bus where they sing all the old cigarette commercials. She lowered her voice to a tease, "I know all the girl stuff – Virginia Slims and stuff!" She turned her attention to what she told us was a Merle Haggard song and gave us a bit of background info on the song. There was a slight pause after she finished speaking. "Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed to the guys. "I'm counting! Were you waiting on me?" She counted off the beat to begin "Somewhere Between," and was joined on vocals by Denny. The format changed a bit on the third verse, which began just Suzy's voice and subtle guitar chords. Will joined her on the final chorus. She told us she was going to do a new one for us – the title cut. As applause poured forth, Suzy smiled, "Woohoo! Throw babies in the air!" She moved her capo, stating that Pat had told her to "yank" her strings when moving her capo. As she finished, she told us, "I hate it when he's right!" Being Suzy, she then walked to each side of the stage, waving to the folks in each section before beginning a fantastic live "Sweet Danger." Her voice was so clear and perfect and she was accompanied only slightly by Denny. Watching her, you could tell she is proud of her new songs and thoroughly enjoyed performing them. This next song, she advised, had
been first performed live at the Ark last year, having
only been heard on the Opry.
She apologized for any tears and gave us, "In Heaven." The crowd enjoyed the piece, which made Suzy's smile even wider. She joked that she had considered using a cheat sheet for the next song, but said that everyone made her feel so comfortable that she just knew she wouldn't need it. "This is my first attempt at rap," she began and laughter immediately ensued. Again, "No
"That was pretty fun," she continued, saying she felt lucky and asking the audience if they recalled when she had been there years ago with Verlon Thompson. She joked that his mom's name was Darwettia…"and…his name is Verlon!" she finished as the audience laughed. She talked about first hearing that song and how bluegrassy it sounded. She gave it to the New York guys and they changed it a little. When Verlon heard it again, he said, "Suzy….that's nice." Suzy assured us this was a big compliment from Verlon! Up next was to be some stuff off the Swing album. Suzy suggested "Straighten Up" to the band and chatted with the guys for a moment, then returned to the microphone and fidgeted a bit with her jeans. She captured the laughter of every female in the audience when she expressed how she did NOT like the current trend of low-rise jeans. "Girls, are you tired of these pants that are down around our knees?" she asked. Calling herself a slave to fashion, she said that she was considering using safety pins for them because if they didn't get up to at least her hips, they weren't "gonna stick on nothin'!" There wasn't a woman in that auditorium that wasn't laughing or smiling at this discussion! Suzy then went into "Straighten Up." Pat did a phenomenal job on the harmonica as always, impressing everyone present. Suzy told us that they were going to do one more song before an intermission. She advised everyone to go and get another drink from the bar, "because we sound REALLY good after that second cocktail!" She chose a sing-along and began chanting a bad rendition of "Blowin' in the Wind" and everyone laughed. Sporting her best 60s hippie impersonation, she uttered into the mic, "Hello, Ann Arbor…stay green!" to more laughter and cheers. "Will, show your stuff!" she said, suddenly having more difficulty with her jeans. She laughed that she couldn't get her pick out of her pocket because of her fringe. Once she had it in her hand, she started the traditional "Eat at Joe's" without the usual lesson. "They'll follow along," she assured the guys. "I know this whole front row has it already!" After about a 20-minute intermission, the group came back to the stage, and Suzy chatted a bit with the audience. Someone asked her about her fringed shawl-jacket and she said that she had purchased it in a hippie town in California called Felton, outside of Santa Cruz. Another person asked if she had ever been to Bonnaroo. She admitted that she hadn't, but said that she might reconsider attending, now that she is a jazz artist…. Switching gears, she told us that Jill says hi. Those of you that were at the Ark last year are sure to remember Jill slipping across the stage to obtain something Suzy had forgotten backstage! Suzy had just talked to Jill, who wasn't there this year because she was playing professional sand volleyball back in Nashville. The second set began with a gentle "Hammer and Nail" and Suzy invited everyone to sing along if they wanted to. Afterwards, Suzy teased Denny a bit about playing lonesome cowboy songs late last night in his bunk, telling us he was a long way from his sweetie in Portland. "He told me to say that in case there were any volunteers," she teased to a lot of laughter. She mentioned a saying about supporting the arts by sleeping with a musician before revealing that she was going to do another new one to celebrate the #4 Jazz album. "The Bus Ride" was her choice. Looking at her guitar, Suzy told the band that she was going to keep it on, but she wasn't going to play the next song, because she didn't know it yet. "But these guys do, thank goodness!" she grinned. She continued by letting everyone know that she hadn't done this one before, so we were going to be her guinea pigs. It's a song she and her husband wrote about being married, she advised. They had started it at home, but finished it driving through Spain on vacation. She said that it was funny to know that it had been written at a time that was supposed to be very romantic, a second honeymoon kind of thing, and they were bringing up things about the marriage that they loved – and that they hated. "Everything" was also ideal live. It was an interesting version, because in the places where her voice had blended with itself in the studio, Denny's voice was the one tying the chorus to the verses with "You're everything…." Will had his accordion for this one, and gave a picture-perfect performance. At one point near the end, Suzy did giggle for a moment, but that just added to the fun nature of the entire show. She talked about Sweet Danger, saying that there are several songs on it that are funny cheesy, and some that are very serious, as we had heard earlier. Then there are some that are just kind of groovy, like the only cover on the album. She told the story of Ben singing the song on the way home from school one day, which inspired her to give it a try. "If You Leave Me Now" was lovely. Wandering back in time, Suzy chose another of her classics next in "Letting Go." As she began the song, however, she had some guitar issues. Adjusting the dials on top, she mused that someone really needed to come up with a better design for women, because her dials were getting inadvertently moved! Everyone laughed right along with her. Rocking it up a bit, "No Way Out" was the next selection, immediately followed by "Drive South," both of which were loud and exciting. As the instruments wound down on the latter, Suzy thanked everyone for coming out and introduced each of the amazing musicians on the stage. They all headed to the doorway to the backstage area, but didn't get far before the cries of the fans brought them back out. The encore was one that Suzy called a request, and it gave everyone a chance to hear how beautifully she can yodel as she sang the one-and-only "Night Rider's Lament." She thanked everyone and said she would be out front for a while before leaving the stage for the end of the show. This was an overall wonderful performance! Hearing the new tracks done live as well as having them blended with both classic Suzy and more recent recordings was a joy. The songs of Sweet Danger take on a new life when you can watch her sing them and see how much she loves what she's doing. It's only going to get better from here! It was definitely worth going out "on a school night!" Hope you see a show very, very soon!
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www.bogguss.com: © 2007 S.F. Promotion Group. All rights reserved.
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Any/all of Suzy Bogguss´ music, sound recordings, musical works, pictures and audio visual works are protected by copyright laws. Those laws prohibit all unauthorized reproduction and all unauthorized distribution of any items in all/but not limited to the categories listed above. Anyone engaging in such activities could be liable for substantial financial damages. |
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