Vienna Teng in Ann Arbor

Boon and I had Greek food for an early dinner, and we still weren't the first in line to The Ark where Vienna Teng was to perform. Well, we weren't too far behind either so things weren't so bad. It was very cold though. I'm glad I came prepared with my thick winter coat.

When the doors opened into the little cosy theater, I found Boon and myself some decent seats near the stage. I took the aisle seat for myself since I had my camera with me, which, for the first time, failed me! It usually does night shots without the flash rather well, but this time, Vienna's lovely face eluded it, and the only decent shot I have is this blurred one. Well, stylized, if you will.

In any case, Shane Nicholson from Sydney, Australia opened the show with four songs. He was pretty good and I enjoyed his guitar work and smooth vocals.

Finally, Vienna came on stage with the rest of her trio, Marika Hughes on cello and Alan Lin on violin. After reading reviews about their performances in other cities, I couldn't help but feel a little star-struck that Vienna, Marika and Alan were really here in tiny Ann Arbor. However, they were all casually dressed, the room was small and intimate and there was the air of a warm get-together between friends. Vienna is no diva, but you can really feel her talent, and how bright and tremendous her spirit is. No fancy clothes, no seriously-styled hair (I imagine she simply put a hairbrush to it), just some nice sandals and a wide smile for her audience.

She performed 14 songs (no break!) and 2 encores. The first bars of "My Medea" opened the show, and then she explained how she wrote the piece with the frightening Greek figure, Medea, in mind. I'm pleased to say she played all my favorite pieces. "Mission Street," "Unwritten Letter #1," "Homecoming"... maybe I'll just list all the songs she did. In terms of order, I can only remember the first two songs and the last one, the rest of the songs are jumbled in my list.

1. My Medea
2. Hope On Fire
3. Shasta
4. Homecoming
5. Mission Street
6. Eric's Song
7. Drought
8. Anna rose
9. Gravity
10. The Tower
11. 1000 Oceans (by Tori Amos)
12. Unwritten Letter #1
13. Feather Moon
14. Harbor

Encore #1: Soon Love Soon
Encore #2: Green Island Serenade/L?dao Xiaoyequ

The best things about live performances are that the singer plays songs which aren't on the albums, improvises the songs which are, and makes the audience feel as if they have something special during the show. Vienna asked if we'd mind her playing a cover. Since so many comparisons have been made, she thought she might as well do a Tori Amos song. And the very one that I like - 1000 Oceans.

I can safely say that she played every one of the pieces with incredible emotion and truly enjoyed singing for us. The same goes for Marika and Alan. The three played and sang wonderfully, Marika and Alan doing backup vocals occasionally. A piano, violin and cello make a beautiful acoustic performance. Unadorned; no showy production elements; just pure sound from the instruments. I was smiling like a fool through most of the show. I was so happy to be there. I only wish you were all there to experience it too, such a terrific performance that this post can't describe vividly enough.

Vienna involved the audience too, getting us to sing when she did "Soon Love Soon" as her first encore. Her second piece was the lovely traditional tune which most of us know - L?dao Xiaoyequ. You may not recognize the title, but you will the tune. She explained a little about its meaning - someone mourning the loss of affection from a person or a place. Her parents sang it to her as a child, and now she sings it with them in mind. The song could be interpreted as a political, patriotic tune, given the current political climate in Taiwan, but she sees it more as symbolizing the loss her parents embraced in order to gain a new life when they left Taiwan for the US; that their children would grow up as Americans and not Taiwanese. Vienna confessed to dropping out of Chinese class at 5th grade and apologized if her Chinese pronunciation faltered during the song. But she sang it beautifully and I was swept back to my own memories of childhood. Lost times indeed.

After the show, Vienna stood in a corner signing CDs - she's left-handed! And she's certainly prettier than in the pictures. Very lovely features - large eyes, smooth skin. She said she was happy to be so warmly welcomed in Ann Arbor and I told her she's always welcome here. *hint - come back soon!*

Posted by Monoceros at April 12, 2004 11:15 PM