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# Loving the ‘Luka’: Vega rocked reader’s world
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/loving-the-luka-vega-rocked-readers-world-editor/
- Published: 2005-08-04T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:32:51.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Pier, #archive-import

*By Ivan Smason Santa Monica*

Too often of late, I have felt reasonably compelled to address negative phenomena, such as governmental corruption, resurgent bigotry and gross inequity, that increasingly plague our lives in these rather dark days. For this reason, it is with great pleasure and some much needed relief that I feel compelled to share the joy I experienced attending last week’s Thursday Twilight Dance Series concert on the Santa Monica Pier that featured the enchanting and poetic Suzanne Vega.

Ms. Vega truly held court, mesmerizing a large and seemingly warm crowd of admiring fans and music lovers. The subsequent SMDP weekend edition’s front-page color photo of Ms. Vega is an excellent still picture that perfectly captures the artist’s presence and that evening’s intimate ethereal quality.

She cast a pacifying spell alongside a breathtaking west coast sunset and made a picturesque evening into a truly sublime one. There was also some poetry and symmetry to be found in learning that the New York-based singer-songwriter is in fact a Santa Monica native who was born here at St. John’s Hospital. The trying times being what they are, this was a special treat, and I for one hope that our community can have more such opportunities to come together for similarly inspirational events.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 4, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080405.pdf?ref=smdp.com)