You can now see the set list and reviews for the Los Angeles, CA concert. The set included Abraham, Martin and John (solo), Seaside (solo), Putting The Damage On, Upside Down (with band), and Professional Widow. If you were at this show and want to send The Dent a review, please email Mikewhy at mikewhy@iglou.com with your comments. You can also post about your concert experience at the Concert Reviews Forum. It would be nice to get as many different viewpoints about the show as possible.

More Details

Tori performed in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, August 1, 2003 at the Greek Theatre. Tori's special guest was Ben Folds and the show started at 7:00PM.

Set List

Special thanks to Matt Page for calling me with the set list after the show!


Wampum Prayer
a sorta fairytale
Bliss
Sweet Sangria
God
Bells For Her
Sweet Dreams
Black-Dove (January)
Wednesday

Band Leaves

Jackie's Strength
Abraham, Martin and John
Seaside

Band returns

Putting The Damage On
Upside Down
Cornflake Girl
Amber Waves
Hotel
I Can't See New York
Precious Things

1st Encore

Professional Widow
Rattlesnakes

2nd Encore

Take To The Sky
Horses

Reviews

The latest reviews are at the bottom of this page, and I am adding reviews all the time. If you were at this show and want to send The Dent a review, please email Mikewhy at mikewhy@iglou.com with your review or comments.

You can also go to the Concert Reviews Forum and post about your experiences as well, or read additional reviews.


From Matt Page:

Another good show, although it once again had similarities in content with Concord. The first three songs were really rocking! The solo songs were beautiful.

Before Jackie's Strength, Tori told one of her longest stories in a long time. I need for someone who was there to send me more details about what Tori said. It had something to do with Ben Folds and Tori being told by a driver that he got hit by a semi! Then Tori asked Ben about it. That is all I know, but I would love to hear more. (Ben Folds is fine by the way!) Matt and I had bad reception on the phone and got cut off before Matt could finish telling me about this.


From Vixie1316:

I remember some of the story. Tori was talking about Tash and how she was watching Shrek at 6:30 in the morning and all she could hear was the donkey on the tv. Then how they got a call that Ben Folds was hit. Tori asked "With what?" "You know, it could be anything". The driver said it was a semi. Tori wanted to know how Mrs. Ben Folds was. She said that Ben Folds bus was 40 minutes behind her and that the crew was 27 m behind the Ben Fold's bus. "I'll be testing you..." she joked to the crowd. Later Tori asked Ben how he was. He said he was doing ok. She said "well how is your bus" He said, why? She said.."You were hit with a semi!" He replied "I was?" Then he said that he had been sleeping in bed with his wife.



From Damon Intrabartolo:

Tori continues to outdo herself for the Los Angeles crowds. This performance was so elevated largely because of the venue - which Tori called "one of her favorite places to play in the whole world". As usual, Tori acknowledged that "some of her best friends" were in the crowd tonight. The energy in the first pre-Roadside Cafe half was non-stop. "Roadside" was unreal. The story Matt Page described was uncharacterisically long. She desccribed how she was in the world of micro-managing and proceeded to talk about how 48 hours ago her bus driver said "Miss T, we have a problem ... Ben Folds has been hit by a semi". Tori was of course worried and ordered everyone to "pull into the fucking Arco station" off the road to take tally of everyone and make sure that Ben & Mrs. Folds were all right. Long story short, Ben Folds had no idea he had been hit by a semi - he told Tori backstage tonight that he was asleep with his wife! Tori added a billion anecdotes about Tash wanting to drive the bus and how she is obsessed with watching "Shrek" at sunrise while everyone else is trying to sleep. "Seaside" was surreal and daunting. The second half was amazingly intense as well. Interesting note: Tori performed all of the "Winter" B-sides except for "The Pool" at this concert. The new "Upside Down" arrangement with the band increases the tempo as well as the potency of the lyrics. Tori made a great mistake during "Professional Widow" where she skipped a beat and caught Matt's eye who grinned and slammed his drumstick hard as if to get Tori back into the right meter. "Rattlesnakes" was faster than the SLG recording and had tons of ethereal energy. She's also really changed up the ranges in the "Cornflake Girl" and "Precious Things" signature piano figures - both remain in a high register as opposed to going lower half through the intro. One more final musical note: Jon's detuning during "Bliss" got out of hand (too low) and Tori made a face during "what it means to be...". Jon looked over to Matt who also made a "what's that note?" expression with his eyebrows. Jon muted himself quickly and got back into it after a minor fix. The pedal work he does is amazing. I asked Mark Hawley at the end of the show what kind of gear Jon is using and Mark scratched his head and said, "I dunno...some piece of shit Roland thing from the 80s, but he makes it work". The crowd was exceptionally gracious and enthusiastic - this show could very well be Tori's most breathtaking with a band in Los Angeles, period.


From Queensiefaerie:

I just Arrived home from one of the best shows Ive seen... I have very fond memories of the Greek Theatre ( I saw my First Tori concert there 6/30/96, When I was 16!) all I have to say is that the show was amazing..... I was very excited to see Ben, I've been a fan of his music but never seen him live... He was very silly.... Tori Looked Gorgeous, she wore this striped purple and yellow dress like out fit over capri jeans and some really cute stilettos that had some stringy rhinestones.... It was great......Im sooo happy to see her live even though It will be a while till I see her live again. There was no Meet and Greet, but Joel ( Such a Sweetie) did come out and asked for " Gifts, letters and all that good stuff"


From Nimueheart:

This was my first Tori concert ever and now I can honestly say I have been to the land of faery. Every song seemed to spiral into forever but then the whole show seemed to go by so fast that it was over almost before she began to sing. In Tori's own words the place was "Magic". And Tori was the mistress of it all. As such she dressed appropriately, wearing cute jeans that had snaps at the calves that she had left open and a "witchy" flowing top that hung past her knees and was striped goldish-yellow and purple with a purple under shirt. She looked her usual earthy-surreal. The highlights of the night for me were "I can't see New York" and "Professional Widow". When Tori sang New York she definately seemed to be tapping into something; you could see it in her far-away eyes, imbued with otherworldliness. And "Professional Widow" was awesome, the place was like one big house party with everybody dancing and singing along. This was absolutely the best concert I have ever attended. In fact I loved it so much, I got online and bought tickets to her San Diego concert on Sat. No way am I gonna miss out on another opportunity to see Tori.


From Melissa:

My 7th Tori show, I went alone...AND IT WAS AMAZING It was kinda hard getting used to being in Section B, way off to the right when the first time I went to a show at the Greek to see the Cure on their Dreamtour, I was in the 3 row ugh - but any seat there is a good seat, I'll tell ya that, it ain't no joke

First

BEN: Wow, he is so super talented and charming and funny. It's really psycho with what he can do with his fingers and the piano, it's like the piano is his slave. Like how he "spanks" it every once in a while. I very much enjoyed his stories about the songs and I want to see him live again really soon. It was my first time seeing him live and one of the big reasons why I decided to sell a lot of my stuff to get that darn ticket. I'm not disappointed at all.

On to TORI:

I usually have bad luck when I see her alone (all by myself), bad seats, bad mood, rude people, weird vibe This time everything was perfect. Or, I was in such a good mood that everything seemed perfect. Although I did have a terrible headache the entire time, which was easy for me to ignore with all the energy, magick and excitment that was happening.

Every song I heard tonight was the best version ever! There were two new ones for me - yay! I love first time songs!!! Abraham, Martin and John (oh my, so beautiful...soooo soo beautiful and touching) and Seaside...which I HAD been playing the mp3 over and over for the last couple of months, I've become obsessed with that song and the lovely woman played it! I'm very happy about that.

And Jackie's strength, solo was so delicate and gorgeous, I've heard this song solo 2 or 3 times live before and this was the loveliest

Ok, I'll try to stop saying lovely.

Horses was a real treat for me, one of my very favorite songs from BFP and I have to sound like a broken record here, but Upside Down with the band ROCKS! It is so surpising and FUNKY! I loved it

Take to the sky really took me to the sky tonight, had me dancing like a weirdo I was very happy she did Bells for Her, I think that's a first for me too, if it isn't, then I don't quite recall the other time I heard it, which means, this performance of it was special

So about the tear factor...I usually cry on one or two songs, shaking and sobbing like a little girl, a little far into the show... But this time, I cried straight from the gate, as she sang A Sorta Fairytale, tears streaming down thinking about the guy I lost and that I want back...and how I'm...(singing) sooo sad

And I kept thinking before the show started, please don't play Bliss, please, please...I adore the song, but it reminds me of my father, who's birthday is today, he would have been 54 Sob, sob, shake, shake, *tears uncontrollably flow* But if she played 1000 oceans, I would have crawled into the fetal position and might not have recovered. thank god.

When she told that long, crazy story about Ben and the semi...it reminded me (only the length and detail) of the story she told us at my first Tori show and my very first concert ever...Anaheim 98 - something about getting flea bites and puss eew, but this one wasn't gross, it was cute.

now, I am sad - cause if I don't find a way to get to Florida for her last show I will have to wait but it will be worth all the waiting I could ever do

Tori Amos the most beautiful, talented piano player on the face of the earth amazing show, amazing crowd (except for the insane whistlers), amazing woman (and her band) hehe, I didn't forget Matt and John *mwah*

oh yeah, another first timer for me was Sweet Dreams! How could I forget that? and it was...sweeeet

And Rattlesnakes as the first encore put a huge smile on my face, it's just so nice and mellow and Tori's voice is perfect for that song, sometimes I forget she didn't write it. She really makes every song hers wow.


From Trevin Pinto:

I read the reviews of the shows and I was under the impression that when she told the story about Ben Folds that she was saying that he was "sleeping" with his wife, like fucking her, that's why he didn't feel the truck hitting them... She said "sleeping" to be polite, which obviously erased the impact of the story. That was my impression anyway...


From Demetri:

Well, we arrived purposely late. Not that we didn't want to see Ben Folds, but when you're going to see Tori, well, it really is all about Tori, is it not? I don't think I've ever seen an opening act for her for which I actually CARED. Interesting.

The set opened much as expected with the Wampum Prayer/a sorta fairytale combination. As soon as she played Bliss, I knew it would be a show of "hits." Which is fine. But, the show didn't really take off for me until Bells For Her. Something happened. Tori kicked it into gear, and it was one of the BEST versions of that song that I'd heard. Mind you, vocally, she was really ON last night. There were only very minor mistakes with music throughout the evening. And, I love that she played Black-Dove (January) in the opening set, one of my all time favorites from Choirgirl.

Truly one of the BEST parts of the evening was Roadside Cafe. Opening with Jackie's Strength was perfect and it was an absolutely stunning rendition. But when Tori launched into Abraham, Martin & John - which I hadn't ever heard - I just started BAWLING! The lyrics are so sad alone, but, to add to it, Tori's amazing arrangement and soft, sweet vocals made me lose it. I couldn't stop crying. I must have that song! I hope she records a version for us. Following up with Seaside - also which I hadn't heard - was great. I was calling it the Jingle Jangle song, and I'm glad to know that I can download it now from the website. Bringing the band back for Putting the Damage On was great - and, I'm not sure that anyone else noticed, but the Roadside sign was still down for this one. Beautiful, just beautiful.

Other highlights of the show were I Can't See New York (and, again, she had me in tears) and the Winter Bsides - Take To The Sky, Sweet Dreams, and Upside Down. All of them were uniquely powerful, gracious, and penetrating. Lots of people were feeling Precious Things but I guess I wasn't in the right mood for it - you know how that is, right?

The first encore set that included Professional Widow BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE. I couldn't agree more. And, to end with Horses was perfect and timeless.

The fact that The Greek Theater is "one of [my] favorite places to play," according to Tori - outdoors and all - (and maybe the fact that she had many friends in the audience) made the evening that much more magical and special. The evening was PERFECT (with the one minor exception of the five sorority girls three rows in front of us who INSISTED on standing the entire time, swaying back and forth, and pissing off all of the Toriphiles).

P.S. GREAT crowd of fans, too! Lots of hardcore fans who knew all the songs and were respectful. And LOTS of hot gay boys too, I was happy. Cheers!


From Hedieh:

everyone has said what i experienced at this concert and more, so i won't repeat all that. i just have to say i thought her Anaheim concert in April was the best show i had seen, but i realize i was wrong. last night's show at the Greek Theater was her best show to date for me. Tori had such an energy about her, she seemed very happy to be there (the Greek Theater being one of her favourite places in the world to perform at), and it all showed in the intensity of her performance. she did a little improv about "magic, the coffee is magic...." in L.A. (i may be wrong, so someone has to correct me), but that was a cute thing she did.

my impression of the end of the Ben Folds story was also the same as Trevin Pinto's, i thought she was trying to be polite when she said he was *sleeping* with his wife when their tour bus got hit by the semi. :-) i had never heard "Abraham, Martin and John", and "Seaside", they both blew me away. also the b-sides to Winter were great (well, The Pool was not there, but the other three were),and each song sounded terrific. she really rocks when she sings "Take to the Sky", i love that one!!

anyway, i can go on and on, but i won't. i am just so grateful that i got to see her in this fabulous performance at a great venue. the fans were all great, they were very well behaved where i was sitting (minus the few who kept getting up to buy beer), met some nice people and truly enjoyed seeing Tori at the Greek Theater.

there is no one like her, no one who can literally take all my troubles and cares and give me comfort and solace like she does. so heres to another magical evening (under the stars) with Tori!


From Jessica Auck:

well, the show was in LA, and so celebrity sightings DO happen....but I thought it might be interesting to add that I spotted Brett Butler (Southern Comedienne who used to have a sit-com) at the show...

I've seen Tori 3 times at the Greek over the years, last nights show was definately my favorite of the 3.


From Sarah:

It was a great concert! Ben Folds was a very entertaining opening act. He seems to really like audience participation, and had us sing parts of songs. He also tells really funny stories. At the end of his set he stood on his piano, and I knew that somewhere a classical pianist was crying :o)

And of course, Tori was absolutely amazing.

Wampum Prayer--Beautiful how it seemed to vibrate off of the trees, and echo in the air. It has way more impact at an outdoor venue.

a sorta fairytale--This was the best live version I've heard of this song so far. So much better than when she played this at the Universal in December.

Bliss--One of my favorites, was a great one to start off with.

Sweet Sangria-- Not one of my faves, but good nonetheless.

She talked about how glad she was to be in LA, after being in the "fucking Midwest", and how the Greek was one of her favorite venues. Then she did an improv, singing, "My coffee is magic...my coffee is magic, I say..." I think she likes her coffee Californian :o)

God--First time I've ever heard it live, and it was awesome.

Bells For Her--Very pretty...and it was the first time that I ever noticed that Jon plays an upright bass.

Sweet Dreams--Very energenic, looked like she was having a lot of fun.

Black-Dove (January)--Beautiful. Loved how she played the electric and the Bosendorfer at the same time.

Wednesday--One of my favorite cheer-me-up songs. Good way to end off for the Roadside Cafe.

Then she told the Ben Folds story, and I also got the impression that she was talking about him having sex with his wife. I love when she talked about Tash: "Then Tash say, 'When can I drive the bus?' 'You're only 2 and half, quiet.'"

Jackie's Strength--Absolutely gorgeous. I've heard it once before, but this time it was positively moving. And there was some weird noise in the middle of it, but I don't know what that was about.

Abraham, Martin and John--I freaked out when she started to play this one. It has stolen the place of my favorite Tori cover. Closest I've ever come to crying at a concert

Seaside--Words cannot describe how incredible this was. Just incredible.

Band returns

Putting The Damage On--I also noticed that the Roadside Cafe sign was down. Probably technnical difficulties. Beautiful.

Upside Down--This has always been one of my favorite b-sides, and I was glad to hear it live, but I just don't like it as much with the band.

Cornflake Girl--The purr; God do I love the purr. Fun to hear, but I would've preferred to hear something more rare, especially when most of the song was made up of hits.

Amber Waves--Never particularly liked this one, but it was much better live.

Hotel--Never could stand this song, but I loved it live. Soooo much better live. Her voice really shined in this one.

I Can't See New York--Very eery, very touching.

Precious Things--Boy, did this one get the girls moving. I think half of the audience took it as their theme song, and with good reason, because it was awesome. She was smiling, and really getting into it...like she was exorcising some demons, and felt free.

1st Encore

Professional Widow--Kicked major ass. This is another that had all of us girls dancing. At one point she took the mic out of the stand, and moved back and forth with it. I won't go into detail of what it made me think she doing, but...damn she's cheeky. Wonderful, and a real treat to hear.

Rattlesnakes--Also nice to hear live. I was mostly just crossing my fingers for "Siren" at this point, so I didn't pay quite as much attention to it.

2nd Encore

Take To The Sky--Everybody stood up and danced, which I thought was ironic because the lyrics are, after all, "Have a seat while I take to the sky." I paid attention and stayed sitting down, unfortunately, I missed watching most of it then.

Horses--Tied with "Seaside" as my favorite for the evening. Positively stunning, incredible, and all other amazed adjectives. Incredible ending to the night.

All in all, it was an amazing concert. It was a great, very respectful audience to be a part of. My only complaint was that she played a lot of the same songs that she play at the Universal in December, just in a different order. I was hoping for a more varied setlist other than the hits, but hey, it was great nonetheless.


From Jessie (AKA DaturaRabbit):

So can I just say what a great night it was? I missed the first half of Ben Folds, but from what I saw of him, it was a great opening. He played like a man possessed, and many many times reminded me of Tori in the early years of her carreer. The straddle, the fierce energy, the balance of grace, humor, and the word "fuck". He was great. Definitely having to check out some more of his stuff later.

So the venue was great, as everyone has said, and under the stars was a perfect setting for this meeting. (I'm going to get gooey and metaphorical, so forgive me, but I'm an artist, so there you have it.) It truly felt wonderful to be seeing Tori again, and my best hetero friend Norman went along with me to experience the magic that is a Tori concert. I have to say, it's so much more fun going with a person than going by yourself.

The lights went down and Wampum Prayer began, and I felt chills. The stars, the sounds, it felt like we were being invited to gather around a campfire by an old friend, so this was going to be a special show, no doubt.

A SORTA FAIRYTALE;
Just a funky beat provided by Matt and John, who have all my respect in the world. It was truly amazing, reminded me of the 101 Remix of the song on the asf single. She came strolling out in her cute little outfit, very goddess in a toga, reminded me of the outfits she used to wear for the plugged tour, only with really long cool sleeves. From the first notes of this song, and the smell of very good pot wafting through the air, I knew we were in for a hell of a show tonight.

BLISS;
One of my favorites from Venus, and possibly one of my favorite songs ever, Bliss would have ripped the roof of the Greek if it had one. Jon's bass was a little funky for some parts, and Tori caught him at one point with a "what the hell was that look" but it was great. For little mistakes like that during her shows, I liken it to having a conversation with a friend, and they burp, and you both catch it, but have to laugh at it all the same. A great version!

SWEET SANGRIA;
A huge fave of mine from Scarlet's Walk, and probably the next piece I will choreograph into a dance soon. She really laid this one out solid. I loved her work from the Rhodes to the Bosey. Norman gave her props for that one. I was thinking a lot of the fans who caught the Anahiem show would be disappointed in the fact she played half the same setlist tonight. I had a feeling she would. Then again, she could open the phone book and start singing out of that, and I'd stay for 3 hours just to listen.

SHE SAYS HELLO;
and this was very cute. She started by telling us that she loved us all and that "this is my most favorite place to perform" meaning either the Greek, or L.A. Tori also said she loved it cause "so many of my friends are here tonight!" and hugged herself and smiled real big. Norman did point out to me that Fran Drescher (TV's "The Nanny") was walking in next to us, so does anyone know about that? Fran never struck me as a Tori fan, but the gal's got taste if she is. Tori also did this great improv telling us about her "Magic coffee", which is about all it was, for a minute or two. She introdued Jon and Matt, who are getting a welcome almost as big as Tori's these days. The lights went out, and Matt began playing:

GOD;
I knew, absolutely knew she would play this one. There must be something about us that makes her bring it out and rock it every time she comes our way. God kicked major butt tonight, and has gone from being one of my least favorite songs to a well liked one. She was really on this one as well, and her notes were clear on the highs. This version sounds so much better (forgive me!) without Caton, because you can really hear Tori and the Bosey alot better. Caton is wonderful, but sometimes I think he eclipses a lot of the natural beauty of just the Bosey. Somewhere, the second round of pot tokes happened. The security was running around trying to find where it was coming from.

BELLS FOR HER;
I know this sounds cheesy, but I kinda got this little *snap* in my head as she was ending "God" saying "Bells For Her is next." And she went into it. Another flawless version. It sounds so much better plugged. It was gorgeous, and I think there was a slight flub in it, cause she sang the bridge and the last verse right next to each other, like she forgot which one was going to come next. Maybe it was just me. It made for a unique version and sound of the song.

SWEET DREAMS;
So when she started playing this I about jumped out of my skin. A Favorite B-Side of mine for a very long time, I hoped and prayed she'd play this one, and when she did, the whole place lit up. A lot of fans were happy this one came out to play, and she treated us to the full version complete with a great piano bridge and tons of energy.

BLACK DOVE (JANUARY);
I actually was hoping she'd play this song, because I never really cared for it. Let me explain: Everytime someone likes a song, and I don't get it, I'm wondering what I'm missing. Some song I only care for live, some I only care for recorded. Few I enjoy both. This one never spoke to me at all, until I heard it tonight. There's something about being in the space and watching her work a song until it falls to the floor. Black Dove moved up for me tonight. I think this was also a song where she played the Rhodes and Wurley for a bit before hitting the Bosey, which would make it the only song of the night that got the treatment on all three. Truly a revelation when she sang "on the other side of the galaxy" and I happened to be looking up....gotta love an outdoor venue.

WEDNESDAY;
So this is like a guilty pleasure of mine, and I got to admit, I miss the chicken scratch guitar that's on the album version. I really want to hear it live with that...so that said, a great version, but the real show was going on just seven feet from me, where these girls, who were dressed up something a crossed between frat girls and hookers (nothing wrong with that, but they were in their 30s and I'm gay, so that does nothing for me), were getting into a shouting match with these guys who were a row behind me. They had been standing up the whole show, blocking they view of people behind them for the whole show. This guy started yelling at them to "Sit the fuck down!" to which they got all pissy about and the lead ho who was spokeswoman for them yelled back "I paid good money for these seats, so I'm gonna stand and do what I want!" to which the guy said "You're at a Tori concert, have some courtesy to the other people." to which she replied "I know I'm at a Tori concert, so fuck you" and blah blah blah between them. Eventually she sat her skanky butt down where it stayed for most of the second half (thanks man in the back row!)

SO SHE TELLS THIS STORY;
and I thought it was great, because this was like the first time in a long time I've heard a story this funny. Everyone has rehashed most of it, and I'm HOPING a bootleg of this show surfaces, (and I saw THREE people recoding it, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to find one, so let all share people!) so you can all hear it. For the record, the reason he didn't feel the semi hit was because he was having marital relations with Mrs. Folds, (talk about feeling the earth move!) and I think it was cute she used the term "sleeping with my wife" because the look she had on her face was vintage Tori cute. With the Roadside Cafe sign down, she began an EXCELLENT set:

JACKIE'S STRENGTH;
So I'm not a really big fan of this song either. Tonight however I came to the realization why. I think the song is gorgeous just by itself. No band, no extras, no orchestra, just her and the Bosey. Again, a song that is so much more beautiful when you're in the room with her.

ABRAHAM, MARTIN & JOHN;
And now for a song that is both haunting and gorgeous all at the same time. I sat transfixed at this gorgeous rendition, and I'm not entirely sure, but on the big screen projection, I caught the sight of papers on the Bosey and the Wurley, and I think Tori may have been reading for AM&J. Her voice and her expression were so sincere, and so moving. I saw many people wiping tears away. Truly a magical moment, but of course she doesn't stop there...

SEASIDE;
I have had the privilege of attending a really intimate performance, and two band concerts of hers, but I always think that she saves the really great stuff for other places. Tonight, she hit me with Abe, Marty & John, and Seaside! A version that was so perfect I thought breathing would break the spell! It really was an ethereal moment in the show. Lots of people were pleased, and I dont blame em' one bit.

PUTTING THE DAMAGE ON;
I had to fight really hard not to cry on this one. It was clear and perfect, and made me ache inside with such emotion. I had to say goodbye to a lot of people I loved recently over the past year, and so this song gave me a sense of closure, and I remembered lots of good things, and lots of bad things. Such is the power of one of her songs. This one especially was poignant at this part of my life, and so I was thrilled to hear it.

UPSIDE DOWN;
The woman threw me some serious curves in the show tonight! I thought that this was Liquid Diamonds, cause of the drum/bass combo, and Tori let them play at it for a while, while she moved her booty to the beat. Then it sounded like Concertina, so I was happy, but again, she blew me away with Upside Down! This was the very first Tori song I heard ever, and so it was a nice surprise, kind of like seeing an old friend after they got a new haircut. It was a great version, but now I can't decide which I like better, the plugged or the solo version!

CORNFLAKE GIRL;
Again, I knew this one would pop up, just a matter of when. Again, she made me love this song. She really let the seams out of this one, and played it with such energy, I thought she would knock herself out. Fantastic!!! Somewhere in the crowd, the second bowl is lit, and the pot passing beings. I'm getting kinda hungry now...

AMBER WAVES;
I'm one of six people who love this song. The live version is great. I love the opening chords she sets it up with. She seemed to play this one really comfortably. I LOVE the bridge, "you said he's got a healing machine, that glows in the dark, glows in the dark" and I think it really stands out on its own, though I know a lot of people are blah on the song. I loved it, it was fantastic.

HOTEL;
Again, the little *snap* at the end of "Amber Waves" said "You know, you've wanted to hear "Hotel", so she's going to do it" And boy, did she! I think the most amazing thing outside of watching her play this is the fact is has like 5 measure changes, and goes back and forth like all hell is breaking loose. Her diction and pitch were absolute perfection in this song. Not a wasted note, not a wasted breath. Truly mesmerizing, and powerful.

I CAN'T SEE NEW YORK;
I get such chills listening to this on the album, and live it nearly pops me out of my skin. The lights are great, but the cloud gobo on the right was a little out of focus. It was still a damn great version of the song. I have to agree with another reviewer in saying she seemed to pull something awfully magical out of her hat tonight. ICSNY was absolutely stunning, and her facial expressions were genuine. I am reminded of the main quote on the Dent homepage, about how she feels about the song when she sings it now. She did it great justice this time.

PRECIOUS THINGS;
I think she will play this at every concert until she retires the boards. There is no way she could not love the reaction it gets from the crowd members. They went absolutely psycho with glee at the piano intro. Again, something very magical tonight.

PROFESSIONAL WIDOW;
I like this song so much better live, off the harpsichord. She nailed this song like no other tonight. She obviously felt the love in the place, and gave us one of the strongest versions of this song I've EVER heard. (and I was there! YAY!) She did this great thing at the end of one of the "hey-yey-yey-yey" parts where she just went psycho and did that about 10 times, each time the crowd cheered louder and louder, and then she broke back into the song. Again, if the Greek had a roof, it would be GONE!!

RATTLESNAKES;
Beautiful as always. I was listening to this in the car on the way over. I think it's one of the best covers she's done. (And that's saying something!) It really went to another level tonight. Gotta love that woman.

TAKE TO THE SKY;
When I saw her run out with the guys for the second encore, I thought "what the hell?" cause she always gets played in. She practically vaulted onto the Bosey and hit "Take To The Sky". The audience was thrilled. I was practically pissing myself. This completed the "Winter B-Sides" (I really don't count "The Pool") collection. She did Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move" section, which brought a cheer from the crowd. I knew there was only one song left, so I was a little saddened.

HORSES;
But I felt a lot better hearing "Horses". I LOVE this version of it, because the parts are so perfect on piano. The bridge is great, and I know she really altered it on the 98/99 tours, so I think this is the quintessential version. It really wrapped up what was an AMAZING show that had only three flaws for me; #1, no "Voodoo", I'd been dying to hear that live. #2, no "Datura", obviously :) #3, the fact that there were lots of cute boys cuddling with their girlfriends (no fair), lots of cute boys cuddling with their daddys (no fair, I'm cuter and younger than most of them), and that I sat behind two lesbians who kept making out the whole night really depressing me. It sucks being single. Blah. Oh well.

So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! TORI ROCKS! and I really really really want to get a copy of that show.

See you all on the other side (hum) from the other side.....



From Kasia:

About the story Tori told, she didn't say that Ben Folds said he was "sleeping" with his wife, what she said was "i was having sex with my wife". really. that's what was said, because i was like, whoa, she said that! and i hung on every word she said...so yeah, that's what was said.

seeing as how i didn't really write before about the concert, i shall now. i was so elated to see Tori and all the energy she put out. she was absolutely glowing! this was my 2nd Tori show ever, my first being at the universal ampetheatre only 8 months prior. the best song had to be Professional Widow...she rawked the greek so hard during that song...i had to jump up and start dancing. i didn't care who was behind me! and i still maintain that Tori, during the cute lil story, told us when she asked Ben how he was he said "fine." she said "you're fine?" and he said "yeah, i'm great!" then she asked how the bus was and he replied "it's fine" and she said "but you were hit by a semi!!!" and to that he replied "i was?"....she got everyone together in the hotel room in Vegas and told them all "he got hit by a semi!!!" and everyone nodded, but then Ben told her the truth, and the truth was "i was having sex with my wife"...there was no semi...people who listened knew that part :) so yeah, i wanted to make sure people caught that. i was surprised Tori didn't play Cooling...it's such a beautiful song...and i was REALLY hoping to hear Siren...my favorite song of hers....the concert before us got it, the concert after us got it. one day she'll sing it for me :) well, thanks again!


From mistysummer:

last night was my first tori concert, is it normal to feel so tired and down afterward?

from where i was sitting north terrace section C i saw a great looking david beckham type blond guy sitting directly across from her piano, who was this guy? her husband?

yes i got the feeling that she meant that ben folds was otherwise preoccupied with his wife as to not notice a semi hitting his bus...

From alan:

i was lucky enough to be visiting my sister on the west coast, checking a setlist from new york the night before i left & seeing that she was playing in L.A. when i was going there - what a fun lucky coincidence! - and i have to say the show was great. somehow managed to snag a 10th-row-but-off-to-the-left seat the night before on the ticketmaster website, apparently they'd released a slew of tickets that day as everyone i was sitting with had also gotten their tickets the day before the show (another fun lucky coincidence!). tori had great energy, was clearly happy to be in L.A. where "some of [her] best friends are" - between "sweet sangria" and "god" she told us this, said "so when we're in the FUCKING midwest you'll remember us!" and sang a cute improv about how this was magic, & how in her coffee that morning there was magic. i found that i liked the new backdrop - some strange circular pattern w/ some trippy looking eagles' heads, as opposed to just the Scarlet cartoon. some highlights fo r me:

-BELLS FOR HER. hadn't heard this since the plugged tour - love the upright bass and how the band arrangement gives the song a rhythmic logic.

-SWEET DREAMS. had never heard this live before and boy oh boy was it sassy, although i think brought down a step in key from the studio version. the first "come along now" came with a badass gesture & smiles, & the "land of liberty we're run by a constipated man" came with a cheer from the audience!

-the story before JACKIE'S STRENGTH, as everyone has talked about, was truly remarkable, i've never heard tori talk at such length on stage before. what made it great for me was the 15 funny voices she used, including the precocious british tash imitation ("two-and-three-QUARters!").

-ABRAHAM, MARTIN & JOHN, which she used in combination with JACKIE'S STRENGTH at the second Radio City show last spring, is just so damn beautiful, as is SEASIDE.

-the new band version of UPSIDE DOWN is killer, a sort of reggae/house/rock rhythmic sense to it, she did some sort of gesture with "i loved a black boy" like stroking the piano or herself or something spicy.

-AMBER WAVES felt very appropriate, as L.A. is the beginning of Scarlet's journey.

-HOTEL was really great to hear.......she drags out "i'm still alive" in such a powerful way.

-PRECIOUS THINGS was INCREDIBLE, i think an amazing way to end the set as she singes one's eyebrows off with the grrrrrrrrrrl growl and the vocal histrionics.

-PROFESSIONAL WIDOW - DAMN. that was nasty!

-TAKE TO THE SKY got everyone dancing.
all in all a really energetic and well-executed show, i'm very excited to see her back east later this month!


From bobby:

i'm not a registered toriphile here, but i was at the greek show, which i agree...the best tori show i've ever seen in la. and tori did not quote ben as saying "i was having sex with my wife"...she definately said "i was sleeping with my wife". vixie1316 got pretty much every detail of the story correct...she made me remember shit about it that i had already forget (shrek and the distance the two other buses were behind her and all that).

professional widow rocked the fuckin hizzy, by the way. abraham martin & john was completely new to me but i'm gonna download a version of it from hereinmyhead.com right now. and there were more than a few people that i talked to that were honestly expecting a siren.

you're doing a bang up job, mikewhy, keep up the good work.


From Jamiane:

Hi! Just saw Tori's amazing performance at the Greek. I was in the front of the second section and pleasantly suprised how close they were. Then to make it even better, the venue has the big screens on both sides, so Tori's face was huge by the trees and the stars. Every tour Tori suprises me and is even more energetic and "on it". Tori really rocked it tonight. She was writhing on the stool excessively the whole time and her head bobs were out of control. I loved it. "God" was perfect. She talked more tonight than usual, using the "f" word a lot! It was great. She made the absolute cutest hugest grin ever when she said her very best friends were here. The best part of "Black Dove" is when she puts her nose to the keys and plays those 2 chords. I had never seen Amber Waves live, and it was great. As everyone had said, Professional Widow was undescribable, the climax to my favorite show of all time (so far). =)


From Erin:

**Elation** A hand full of days have already passed since Tori at the Greek and I am still buzzing in the afterglow. After the show I needed a cigarette. Tori bloomed under the star littered LA sky. I was seated next to the cutest little boy named Evan who was seeing Tori for the first time so that only added to my insatiable energy and ebullience. I had to hold the tears back on P.T.D.O, I surprisingly didn't cry at all this show- I felt very strong rather than overwhelmed- probably because Tori conveyed much more strength and confidence in the open night air. Upside down followed by Cornflake girl (and the little growl/purr) had me fighting myself to stay in my seat, finally compromising and dancing while still seated. But Precious things had me up and pressed against the railing, chilly night air in my face, loudly proclaiming every lyric. The best song of the night had to be Professional Widow. I had been wishing and hoping for it after reading the reviews from Eugene and was not disappointed at all. You could feel the yearning tension of the song building and throbbing barely contained yet completely controlled by Tori's dominant voice. The entire place was up and rockin, it got mighty hot in there, I had to remove a layer of clothing. Take to the sky was flippin awe-inspiring! The story we got was way cute and felt very intimate, minor clarification I am pretty sure Tori did quote Ben as saying "I was having sex with my wife" cause my Kasia and I looked at each other minorly shocked and majorly excited, and I think thats about the only time my eyes left Tori. LOL


From Melissa Thorn:

I was at this show and noticed that the set list did not include Sweet Dreams which she performed that night.