shine with all the untold

So after some debate about timing, I did go to the Vienna Teng concert last night. It was... I hardly know. Extraordinary. More than extraordinary. I don't really have words for what it was like, so I'll just tell you more or less what happened.

I booked it out of class the minute we finished (we were having a Best Designed Book judging day--everybody brought in the book they’d written their design paper on-- and I maintain mine only lost out on a top three spot because nobody else in the room had actually read it.)

I guess the Red Sox were playing, because there were lots of red-jacketed people standing around the T stop. But luckily not going inbound. I made it to Davis Square by 7:21 (although seriously, who has a concert at 7:30 on a weeknight? I mean, really. This was partly explained when I looked at my cell phone on the way home and discovered it was after 11. Loooooong concert!)

Of the first two acts, I enjoyed The Paper Raincoats. They sang about New York, which I appreciated. Although possibly not the smartest move when playing in Boston on a Red Sox game night. I’m just sayin’.

The next guy played cello interestingly and sang incredibly annoying songs with lots of “ooooohhhh, baby”s. I sat back and longed for Crooked Still’s version of percussive cello.

Had a conversation with my neighbor about My So-Called Life, once I could no longer politely ignore him, and then he monologued about South Park for a while.

And at last there was Vienna Teng, and it was worth everything.

I’d never seen her in concert before. It was an incredibly emotional experience. What a voice. She started with “Whatever You Want”, did a new arrangement of “Gravity”, and then moved into songs from the new album. Several of them had much more of a rock sound than her previous work. All of them, every song she sang, had incredible emotional punch. At one point I was struggling not to burst into tears. For the encore she did a Simon & Garfunkel cover. And then lastly “City Hall”, pointed and triumphant.

And then it was over and it was eleven o’clock. How did that happen? I didn’t stick around to buy the new album because it was crowded and I wanted to catch the T, but I will be buying it soon.

*shivers*

shine with all the untold

So after some debate about timing, I did go to the Vienna Teng concert last night. It was... I hardly know. Extraordinary. More than extraordinary. I don't really have words for what it was like, so I'll just tell you more or less what happened.

I booked it out of class the minute we finished (we were having a Best Designed Book judging day--everybody brought in the book they’d written their design paper on-- and I maintain mine only lost out on a top three spot because nobody else in the room had actually read it.)

I guess the Red Sox were playing, because there were lots of red-jacketed people standing around the T stop. But luckily not going inbound. I made it to Davis Square by 7:21 (although seriously, who has a concert at 7:30 on a weeknight? I mean, really. This was partly explained when I looked at my cell phone on the way home and discovered it was after 11. Loooooong concert!)

Of the first two acts, I enjoyed The Paper Raincoats. They sang about New York, which I appreciated. Although possibly not the smartest move when playing in Boston on a Red Sox game night. I’m just sayin’.

The next guy played cello interestingly and sang incredibly annoying songs with lots of “ooooohhhh, baby”s. I sat back and longed for Crooked Still’s version of percussive cello.

Had a conversation with my neighbor about My So-Called Life, once I could no longer politely ignore him, and then he monologued about South Park for a while.

And at last there was Vienna Teng, and it was worth everything.

I’d never seen her in concert before. It was an incredibly emotional experience. What a voice. She started with “Whatever You Want”, did a new arrangement of “Gravity”, and then moved into songs from the new album. Several of them had much more of a rock sound than her previous work. All of them, every song she sang, had incredible emotional punch. At one point I was struggling not to burst into tears. For the encore she did a Simon & Garfunkel cover. And then lastly “City Hall”, pointed and triumphant.

And then it was over and it was eleven o’clock. How did that happen? I didn’t stick around to buy the new album because it was crowded and I wanted to catch the T, but I will be buying it soon.

*shivers*