Still My Favorite

Autumn is my favorite season. Spring is pretty good, too, especially after a harsh winter, but it's a long time until the excitement of the first green shoots pushing their way up through the frozen ground to seek the warmth of sunlight. The trees are a burst of sunset colors themselves right now, and the primal satisfaction of kicking through fallen leaves has stuck with me.

A Curmudgeonly Question:

Suzanne Vega has a voice as cool and soothing as a Tom Collins on a dog day in August, so why does the sound guy turn up the volume on the band's instruments until it's nearly impossible to hear her?

Undoubtedly her finest moment on stage at the Barrymore tonight was when her band faded from the stage, leaving her alone with a six-string to sing Gypsy. I liked all the songs she did tonight (except for the DNA remix of Tom's Diner; I've never gotten used to that), but I found myself most liking the songs that featured her voice more than her band.