April 19, 2003
MOVIE OF MY LIFE
(Title Credit: Susan Werner / Time Between Trains / 1998)
Susan Werner was trying out a new format for her concerts last night at the Tin Angel. When we saw her before at the Common Ground in Bryn Athyn, most of the show was acoustic guitar, folksy, singer/songwriter stuff with a splash of her piano-based lounge-singer, jazzy stuff. Last night it was the other way around. I think there were only two or three guitar songs – the last of which was her encore, an interesting version of "Imagine" by John Lennon. It was a shame that we didn’t get to really listen to that song because we were all very busy watching the woman standing just behind the stage – next to the curtains – lighting matches and waving them in the air. Apparently, after she went through two matches, she realized that she had a lighter and decided to light that and wave it in the air. The more she was inspired by the song, the more her excitement built and the greater the arc of the wave became. Closer and closer she swayed toward the heavy curtains behind the stage. It was mesmerizing, comical and frightening all at the same time. Visions of a nightclub in Rhode Island filled my head. Have you been to the Tin Angel? If there was a fire in that place, I would not make it out alive. So, that’s what I was thinking about when I looked over at our friend, John (we went to the concert with him and his wife, Laurie), and he was sitting with his hand over his mouth trying hard not to burst out laughing at this woman. It was a ludicrous scene, let me tell you.
Anyway, there will always be people to watch at concerts or wherever you go. Life is funny if you just look around you. Susan Werner was great – the atmosphere created by her choice of music was really, really nice. Go see her if you get the chance. Oh – and she’s really funny, too!
np – Petaluma Afternoons – Susan Werner
from the album “Time Between Trains”
