Suzanne Vega delivers

Suzanne Vega delivers 32 years of songwriting in set opening three-night stand at the Dakota
by Britt Robson

Suzanne Vega isn’t going away anytime soon. Not physically, not artistically, not commercially. Looking lithe and preternaturally young for someone who turned 50 in July, Vega showcased 19 of her songs — written over a 32-year span — with an equal mixture of unforced charm and sophistication to a sold-out, increasingly appreciative audience to open a three-night engagement at the Dakota on Monday.

Vega in concert eschews the sort of antic behavior, melodrama, or even unpredictability that might foster jaw-dropping amazement from her audience. Opting for quality control over the risks of excitement, her songs, performed with the strong but spare backing from bass and guitar, hew closely to their recorded versions. But there is also a refreshing lack of pandering and dumbing down. To the extent Vega has a performing persona, it is to shed a little light on the tunes and their context, then let them finish the stories themselves.

Yet there were some choice moments…

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