Beth Nielsen Chapman is, to my shame as I soon discovered, new to me. She has visited The Fire Station before and I somehow missed her. As soon as I entered the bar, I ran into an old friend who I had not seen for years. He told me that he was a huge fan and had been to see Beth in Manchester.
“How did you get into her?” I enquired. “I listen to Bob Harris on the radio, and he often plays her music” he explained. I had not met my friend since before my accident and he was quite surprised to see me in a wheelchair. We were soon chatting about old times and our mutual admiration of Alex Harvey, which just shows you how long we have been friends! After a quick Guinness it was time to go into the auditorium which was full.
Having read all her accomplishments and accolades I am not surprised how popular she is to those “in the know”. The Fire Station website proclaims her return to the venue thus: “Beth Nielsen Chapman is an artist with many accolades to her name: mega-hit ‘This Kiss’, sung by Faith Hill, was ASCAP’s 1999 Song of The Year, garnered a Grammy nomination and Nashville NAMMY’s 1999 Songwriter of the Year. Beth was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame; one she considers to be the highest honour she’s ever received. In 2019 Beth was invited to become an Ambassador for the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation.”
“Beth’s collaboration with her friend the late, great Olivia Newton John was included on Olivia – Just The Two of Us – a special collection released to celebrate Olivia’s career. Their song ‘Stone In My Pocket’, which originally appeared on 2016’s ‘Liv On’ – Olivia’s album with Beth and Amy Sky – is part of 17-track album celebrating Olivia’s duets. Other artists featured include Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Barry Gibb, John Travolta, Sir Cliff Richard and more. Her most recent album CrazyTown, charted at Number One on the Official UK Country Chart. Following the album’s release, Beth embarked on a 22-date tour of the UK including to Sunderland.”
Beth was accompanied by Ruth Trimble, who also had been the opening act, on keyboards and another lady on bass and drums. Beth stood centre stage singing songs and accompanying herself on guitar and grand piano. Her songs, all of which were new to me, had a country feel to them. But her repertoire was much broader than that and difficult to categorise. I saw glimpses of Joni Mitchell and Carole King circa Tapestry in her performance. One of the songs “Carrickfergus” was preceded by “My Lagan love” and was sung a cappella. Another “Kiss” had become a big hit for Faith Hill.
Musicians who have performed with Chapman on her albums include: Amy Grant; Bonnie Raitt; Emmylou Harris; John Prine; Michael McDonald; Paul Carrack; Pat Benatar; and Sheryl Crow. Chapman’s songwriting collaborators include Judie Tzuke. This demonstrates the calibre of the lady and some of her influences. She certainly does cross and blend genres.
The introduction of The Fire Station into Sunderland has opened up many new possibilities for me. It allows me to see unfamiliar artists for the first time, artists who I probably would not travel to see. This tempts me to experiment with new genres of music and draws me in to new sounds and performers, many of whom are very pleasant surprises. Beth Nielsen Chapman certainly falls into that category. I purchased an album which Beth and Ruth kindly signed for me (see image). I would certainly go and see her again.
Many thanks to Chris for coming along with me to the concert, taking the photos and navigating the site.
Setlist: (Something like) The Color of Roses; All Around the World; Put a Woman in Charge; 4LeafClover; Sand and Water; All I Have; Walk My Way; All Comes Down to Love; My Lagan Love / Carrickfergus; Epitaph for Love; Cool Kind of Love; How We Love; The Edge; This Kiss; Everywhere We Go; Walk You to Heaven
Suzanne Vega
The song “Luka” rings round in my head as the concert grows nearer. I listen to her music on my friendly intelligent assistant, Alexa, and find that I know quite a few of her songs, which surprises me a little. Suzanne Vega emerged from the folk scene of Greenwich Village, New York, in the early 1980s; with her pure voice, a clutch of songs and an acoustic guitar. Her songs drew from storytelling each one weaving its own picture and enticing the listener to think about the content. She released her self-titled, highly acclaimed debut album in 1985. From the Sage website: “Known for performances that convey deep emotion, Vega’s distinctive, “clear, unwavering voice” (Rolling Stone) has been described as “a cool, dry sandpaper-brushed near-whisper” by The Washington Post, with NPR Music noting that she “has been making vital, inventive music” throughout the course of her decades-long career.…….[she]………“observes the world with a clinically poetic eye” (The New York Times), Vega’s songs have tended to focus on city life, ordinary people and real-world subjects. Notably succinct and understated, her work is immediately recognizable—as utterly distinct and thoughtful as it was when her voice was first heard on the radio over 30 years ago.”
Like her songs, the stage set is minimal and she’s accompanied by a single, excellent, electric guitarist. She starts, well, at the start (where else to start?) with “Marlene on the Wall” and moves through a mixture of old and new tunes each one telling its own story. She is not afraid of bearing her soul, telling us of a teenage love affair at summer camp, initiated through a mutual admiration of Leonard Cohen and his music. She told the guy not to contact her again, and wrote a song to mark the affair. But he reappeared via a note and a bunch of flowers at a concert in Liverpool one night. This sparked another song and a lifelong friendship. They meet for lunch regularly. Her set, like her songs, is full of similarly quite personal stories. She alternates between her acoustic guitar, a lovely dapper top hat and a quirky little finger clicking dance. Wonderful. (Note to myself. One day I must summon up the courage to wear the battered old top hat I bought some time ago on eBay. Or maybe not: perhaps I will silly or too eccentric, unlike Vega).
Do we like Blondie or Lou Reed? The Lou Reed vote wins (and includes Vega’s own vote) so we are treated to “Walk on the Wild Side”. I recognise many more songs than I expect. “Tom’s Diner” gets into my head and sticks there. “Da da da da…….” Not a bad way to end an evening.
Setlist: Marlene on the Wall; Small Blue Thing; Caramel; Gypsy; In Liverpool; The Queen And The Soldier; When Heroes Go Down / Lipstick Vogue; Rock in This Pocket (Song of David); Last Train from Mariupol; Solitude Standing; Left Of Center; I Never Wear White; Some Journey; Luka; Tom’s Diner;
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