A couple Toriphiles have emailed me about a small, private performance Tori did for radio station Star 98.7 in Hollywood, CA at the Roosevelt Hotel on April 25, 2005. This was obviously earlier in the day before her show that night in Los Angeles. Click for details about this small performance and a link to some photos.

More Details

Tori performed the following songs live and solo at the piano:

Leather
Like A Prayer (Madonna cover)
Sweet The Sting
Father Figure (George Michael cover)

You can find photos from this event from Julienne in my EWF Photo Album.

Here are some reports of the event from people who were there:

From Julienne:

t was held in the tiny, lovely Cinegrill in the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood and Highland--fantastic venue. I was lucky enough to sit dead center, front row about 8 feet from her.

She played 4 and a half songs!

1) LEATHER--she began with her head down and played that famous note for over a minute, then launched into an awesome version of it, piano riff and all.

2) LIKE A PRAYER--this was preceeded by stories of drunken men and old women requesting "Memory" in bars and how she would sneak this one in. It was quite good.

3) A LITTLE INTERLUDE--not All the Girls Hate Her but something similar that lasted about 45 seconds.

4) SWEET THE STING--a pretty good rendition. The highlight was the spittle she produced during this one (just like SF's show). She drooled all over the mike, her pants, and had strings dribbling down to the floor. Beautiful!

5) FATHER FIGURE--a favorite during her piano bar this tour. It was racked with emotion.

We each got a free drink, book, signed poster, and cd. She signed a few individual items as well. We took pictures in groups. T did her best to shake hands and speak briefly with everyone. Her hand was nice and clammy :)

It was thrilling to be on the stage with her, touching the Bosendorfer. Only a seat in her lap would have been better than the ones this venue had to offer.

In summary, she was in great spirits, animated, and very talkative (she also told a Tash story, among others). See photos for details on the typically-Tori outfit.

On Monday, April 25th, Tori played a special performance for a group of about thirty people at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Tickets were available only from radio stations Kelly 95.3 and Star 98.7. I myself acquired tickets though Kelly 95.3 but only after bribing the DJ with Cheesecake. In any case, the fans were brought through the hotel lobby down a hallway to a special lounge at around 12pm yesterday where drinks were served and booths/tables were aranged. I sat in the front row to the far left, which unfortunately provided a lovely view of Tori's back once she came out, but which was only about 8 feet from her piano. With a brief introduction she trotted out from behind the small stage and bent herself over the piano, and began to strum out the familiar opening note for "Leather". After that she talked about her early lounge and bar playing days, joking about the numerous requests she used to get for "Memory" from cats, and did a funny immitation of the "warbler" woman with drink in hand. She thanked us for allowing her to play in this way, that playing in a lounge like this one was much classier than her pervious days in the bars. Then she really wowed the audience by playing Madonna's "Like a Prayer", gave another short speech about Tash's request to go to Princess School, and then played "Sweet the Sting". For her final song she played George Michael's "Father Figure", another fantastic treat. This was followed by photos with Tori in groups of 10 and then signed "Beekeeper" posters on the way out the door. The whole experience was just amazing... sitting so close to her piano and having her feel so warm and comfy. She really played to the audience and the environment perfectly.