Suzanne Vega about live shows: If I wanted applause I had to talk to the audience

"When I was young and did a set at a jazz club called the Tin Palace, there was a bass player named Richard Davis who saw me singing, and he told me, 'You have to talk to your audience, people like to be talked to'. And I think he's right" - Suzanne Vega explained to AllMusic her latest live release, 'An Evening of New York Songs and Stories', which brings together 15 songs with Vega explaining the stories behind many of the songs. "Imagine a setlist full of songs like 'Cracking' and 'Luka' and 'Gypsy' with no stories and no explanations, it would feel really weird. The shows that I've done where I don't speak, it quickly has a weird atmosphere" - Vega explains, adding - "I had so much weirdness that I thought, if I wanted applause at the end of the show, you've got to talk to your audience".