Wine, Women and Song - Suzy, Gretchen Peters, & Matraca Berg
Tin Pan South - 12th & Porter - Nashville, TN

There's nothing quite like being first in line, is there?  Well, when you show up for a show at 12^th and Porter in Nashville almost four hours before it begins, you have a really good chance at being the folks that start the line!  Yes, it was a long wait, but it was also a great show, and we didn't have to go across any oceans to see it!!

The venue itself was even smaller than I expected. A small stage at the front, a handful of tables that were reserved for family and friends of the ladies, and a bit of standing room was what it offered. Black-painted walls and a bar along one side completed the look, unless you looked up, where you would find a small balcony area.  Opposite the bar was a narrow raised platform of sorts. The lighting was scarce, so I personally didn't get any photos of the show (I have no clue how to turn off my flash!), but it was good lighting onstage to showcase Suzy, Gretchen, and Matraca.

Shortly after everyone was allowed to enter from the lines outside, a young woman took the stage to talk about the NSAI and Tin Pan South and to introduce the stars of the evening.  Our wait was over at 9:37 pm. Matraca, in blue jeans, cowgirl boots, and a green shirt with brown lace trim, took the first seat, stage right. Gretchen was elegant in a long black skirt and a light colored blazer (tweed, perhaps?) and sat in the center chair.  Suzy, who was of course stage left, looked as gorgeous as always in a seasonal red dress with soft orange floral accents and a denim jacket.  She didn't take off her jacket - or her smile - the entire evening!  The stage was simple, but stylish, with small tables between the chairs to hold the wine, glasses, water, and of course, Suzy's mug for her hot tea.

Upon taking the stage, the women greeted the crowd and Gretchen announced, "We take the wine part of the Wine, Women, and Song seriously. We're really sorry that you guys can't have any wine – we didn't know!" She then began to play, "Secret of Life."  Matraca and Suzy sang backup harmonies and at any given moment, Suzy could be seen smiling and moving in tune to the rhythm of Gretchen's guitar.  When she was finished, Matraca asked, "Who's next?" and when she was told it was her, she smiled and greeted the audience.  She asked that her guitar be turned down, and Suzy chimed in with, "And turn down the people who are not listening!"  The crowd cheered loudly at this, as there were some individuals inside the venue whose talking could be heard over the beauty of the music.  Suzy then relayed how Chet Atkins had been known to state that a lot of people had paid good money to hear a show, so if you didn't like it, get the hell out. After the applause subsided, Matraca played, "Wrong Side of Memphis."

Before Suzy's first piece, we heard friendly chat amongst the women that was a cornerstone of this in-the-round style.  It really contributed to the warmth of the show.  Suzy chose "Aces" and after a slightly long introduction, laughed and asked her friends, "What's the first words?"  After providing the lyrics, Gretchen and Matraca giggled genuinely as Suzy began to sing.  With all three women harmonizing, it was a very unique and enjoyable version.

Gretchen then again addressed the audience with an amusing anecdote. Apparently, during a performance in Glasgow, Suzy sang a song about what's under a guy's kilt.  She suggested that if they downed the bottle of wine, maybe she would sing it again.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to hear the piece! As Gretchen tuned her guitar to prepare for her next song, Suzy entertained us with her pirate joke. Surely you've heard the one about the pirate with the steering wheel in his pants….if not, talk to Suzy!  As the applause subsided, Gretchen gave us a beautiful "You Don't Even Know Who I Am," after which Matraca commented, "I love that freakin' song!"

Matraca continued, talking about how when she was first becoming a songwriter, she would hear all these songs on the radio that she just loved – and that they all seemed to be written by Gretchen Peters.  She said she never worked harder in her life than after she heard Gretchen's songs – and then she'd go home and try harder.  Fast forwarding a bit, the women told a story of performing in London several years ago, where it was a similar setup, but with Joan Baez in Suzy's place.  Matraca said that they could tell Joan was thinking, "Why am I here with these girls?"  At one point in rehearsal, Joan Baez made a friendly remark, calling them "you Nashville girls," which they felt would be a good title for a song.  So, Matraca and Gretchen then performed the first and only song they have written together, the hilarious "Nashville Girls."  In case you haven't heard it yet, know that those girls "got big hair for a reason."  You'll probably hear it soon, though, because Terri Clark is in the process of recording it now!

At the conclusion of the amusing song, Gretchen and Matraca did a big high-five and Matraca asked, "Do you think they'll say 'kiss my a**' on country radio?" Suzy replied, "They say it on TV, so why not?"  Gretchen laughed and responded, "All three of us have said it TO country radio!!!" That got a very loud audience reaction! "Don't hold back" someone called out to the stage.

As Suzy began to prepare for "Hammer and Nail," Matraca jokingly asked the crowd, "Does anyone have a C harmonica?"  To her surprise, someone called out, "I do!" and presented her with a harmonica.  Suzy laughed, "Does anyone have any Listerine or some crayons?" Matraca had a little trouble with the new instrument, but was able to help Suzy out on the choruses with the right notes.  Gretchen strummed her guitar and both women provided voice harmony.

Next, Gretchen called Barry Walsh out to the stage.  "We need some male energy up here," she told him as he came out and took an empty stool with his accordion. She mentioned her newest album, which is coming out in Europe in a week, and in the US around July. She and Barry performed a song from her recent album Halcyon called "If Heaven."   Afterwards, as Matraca worked on readying her guitar for her next selection, she asked Suzy for another joke. Of course, Suzy was ready with a new one – Did you know that the man who invented the remote control died?  They buried him between two couch cushions! She had gotten that one from her nail lady earlier in the day – Suzy's always finding us new anecdotes.

Matraca's next piece was a lovely melody called "Back When we were Beautiful." It generated a high level of applause, after which Suzy stated that she was going to follow that with another Matraca song.  She told us that this song had spurred the making of the whole Swing album. Gretchen commented that Suzy was a jazz singer; Suzy and the audience agreed. Matraca asked if she could tell a story, and relayed how she had tried to enter the venue tonight through the side door.  Someone in line told her that the singers were going around and through the front door, and Matraca said that she was trying to get in this door. The person told her, "Well, SUZY BOGGUSS went that way!" Suzy joked that all three of them were people who *really* followed other people, which the audience appreciated.  Suzy asked Matraca to sing the second verse and the sexy line at the end of her song. When Matraca didn't seem certain, Gretchen leaned over and whispered the "sexy line," the women laughed, and "Eat at Joe's" began.  At the first chorus, they had to remind the crowd of our line, and then most participated in the sing-along. 

Gretchen picked up the pace a bit with "Independence Day." As she began, Suzy commented that this song bought Martina a recording studio.  Afterwards, we learned that Gretchen had written it after she quit smoking, because she was "really pissed off!"  Matraca relayed that she had just quit smoking, and as a result, her husband was laying really low and she was cleaning every closet in the house.  She then told us she was going to do a song based on a real-life experience on her Grandpa Elmer Berg's dairy farm from one year when she met a boy. This was her hit song "Strawberry Wine."

At this point, Wine, Women, and Song shifted a bit as Matraca introduced us to her husband, Jeff Hanna, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. She invited him to the stage and he took Gretchen's spot as she moved over beside Suzy. As he strummed a few chords, he talked about being a "roadie" for the girls on tour and commented that it was not Wine, WOMEN, and Song anymore, and called Barry to get onto the stage.  Suzy kidded, "If you guys need any instruments, just ask the audience – they've got 'em with them!"  Jeff teased with one line from "Freebird" before he played us "Mr. Bojangles."  As he played, Matraca gestured to someone in the audience. A young man came up on stage and took her seat and guitar and began to play with Jeff.  Between verses, Jeff said this was his son, Jaime.  Look him up on MySpace –he's good!  The audience sang the final choruses of the classic tune and as the applause died, Suzy announced, "It's Wine, Women, and Song, and we LOVE MEN!"

This served as a segue for Suzy to introduce her next piece. She said she was going to play a song about a woman who isn't so happy with her man, and gave us "Outbound Plane." At the end, Gretchen thanked everyone and stated that this was the only US date for Wine, Women, and Song, and that they were going to finish with a song by Richard Thompson.  This was a piece I had personally never heard, but it was very beautiful as the women took turns singing verses and harmonizing on the chorus.  The song was "Dimming of the Day."

The audience was not ready for the end and yelled and cheered as the women headed for the stairwell beside the stage. Repeated "Encore"s could be heard throughout the crowd.  They only reached the first few stairs before they heeded the calls and returned to their seats. Suzy and Gretchen drank a bit more wine and told brief stories. Suzy mentioned how Gretchen is the most "on top of it" person she knows and that she always returns all calls and emails in about 30 seconds.  Gretchen responded that she was also completely uncool to be on time. Suzy continued by saying she was extremely uncool because she had bought the wine for tonight and when it was called "Menage a troi," she thought it was perfect for the three of them, but then realized that wasn't right! 

Matraca began to play a few chords on her guitar and remarked that now she got to yell again.  "This is my cowgirl song," she advised.  After a little story from early in her career about how this song was born from an experience at a rodeo in Albuquerque, she played her "biggest hit ever," the zany "Back in the Saddle." The crowd loved it, and Suzy commented that after THAT song, we had to go to church now. "That was BAD!" she said.

The finale was a slow, beautiful "Farther Along."  Suzy sang the first verse, then Matraca, then Gretchen, and their voices joined for the lovely choruses. Our show concluded at 11:10 pm and was followed by a very casual interaction with the women – not a formal meet and greet but more of a gathering inside the venue, which had a little more light after the show.

It was a wonderful performance by three very talented singer-songwriters.  The camaraderie between them throughout the entire show was wonderful to see, and it was an experience very different than a regular concert. Suzy always has a warm and friendly stage persona, but the three of them together provided a rare and memorable treat that was well worth the trip to Nashville! Thanks for taking the time to read my review, and I'll see you in Davenport!!!

Janelle

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