You can now see the set list and reviews for the Philadelphia, PA concert at the Kimmel Center. Tori set list included Snow Cherries From France, Mother Revolution, Space Dog, Baker Baker, Etienne. Toast and the covers Streets Of Philadelphia and Landslide during Tori's "Piano Bar" segment of the concert. 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 post your review of the show on The Dent's Original Sinsuality Tour Forum. It would be nice to get as many different viewpoints about this show as possible!

More Details

Tori performed in Philadelphia, PA on Monday, April 11, 2005 at the Kimmel Center. Tori's special guest was Matt Nathanson and the show started at 8:00PM.

Set List

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

Original Sinsuality
Yes, Anastasia
Parasol
Marianne
Happy Phantom
Snow Cherries From France
Rattlesnakes

Streets Of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Landslide (Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac cover)

The Power Of Orange Knickers
Winter
Mother Revolution
Space Dog
The Beekeeper

1st Encore

Tear In Your Hand
Baker Baker

2nd Encore

Etienne
Toast

Reviews

The latest reviews are at the bottom of this page. 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 Original Sinsuality Concert Review Forum and post about your experiences as well, or read additional reviews.


From Matt Page:

Tonight's show was amazingly beautiful. The venue was one of the most beautiful ones Tori has ever played, and it really seemed to have an effect on her. The venue was very adult and artistic, and the songs chosen for tonight reflected that. Tori was dead-on on all the songs, and really stepped up to the musicianship in reaction to the classy atmosphere. It was a world class show for a world class venue. Tonight's version of Space Dog was one of the best, and Toast made a really powerful ending.

Tori cut the show short by one song according to her official set list. She was supposed to perform Toast during the main set and then end the show with Cooling. But instead she cut Cooling and ended the show with Toast.

Early in the show Tori greeted the audience and said the place was very grown-up that they were in, and that it was good to be grown up sometimes. She then lifted her dress to reveal her shorts underneath, saying something to the effect that when she goes to Australia this time, there will be something down under, referring again to the notorious live photo of her from 1994. She also talked some before the Streets Of Philadelphia, although I am not sure of all she said. It had to do with drinks and the lemonade with ginger that she had with her.


From Shannon:

Tonight's show was amazing. I have never been to this venue before but was impressed by the acoustics and overall layout of the building-very classy and intimate. I would love for Tori to play there again.

I had seats in the orchestra level-third row just slightly left of center. Being that close, I could see all of Tori's facial expressions which were priceless. She was doing alot of grinning tonight and as always making eye contact with the audience. She seemed happy and into the show and really looked like she was enjoying herself.

The set list was wonderful. This was the first time I got to hear Space Dog live and it was well worth the wait. I wish she would have kept Cooling on the set list but I think she got a slightly later start tonight.

I know my thoughts are really jumbled. I just wanted to get as much down as possible while it was still fresh in my mind. Of course everyone likes to know what she is wearing. Tonight, she had on a dress with shards of different colors-earthy colors if I remember correctly. She was wearing red bands around her wrists, bright red shoes (gotta love them) and of course shorts under the dress. No more Tori down under as she said.

The crowd was into the show and there was no one that ruined it for everybody else. I have mixed feelings about the rushing the stage part. Tonight it was done in an orderly fashion but with this particular venue, there's not much breathing room once everyone comes up. It was a little too close for comfort.

I think that's all for now. I may add more once I have time to process everything.


From Karen:

Tori spoke about "growing up" and "change" a number of times during tonight's concert. The actual venue, Verizon Hall, is a serious concert hall and I believe that Tori was playing a concert hall concert. Some people were saying that she was "low energy" or "sick" but I honestly believe that she is performing a concert as a pianist where the beauty of her music is mesmerizing. Tori really was asking us to enjoy the refinement of her craft! I watch George Winston when he comes to play in Philadelphia and Tori's music tonight was of the same caliber... not low energy.... refined and sophisticated! Concert hall concert! and I happen to LOVE it!


From matt richards:

Tonight's concert was good. I wouldn't call it low energy, but I would call it mellow. At times, I found myslef drifting a bit and I found that she played some of her less familar tunes to the audience (such as Yes, Anastacia; Marianne; etc.). Being a big Tori fan myself, I found that I still didn't recognize a few tracks.

However-- that said-- Tori's voice was in fine form tonight. She sounds 100 X better live than she does recorded & that is saying something! Also, her piano playing is absolutely stunning. The sounds that she can make come out of that thing are amazing.

The organ, on the other hand, felt kind of awkward and out of place. To me, it made songs like "The Beekeeper" and "Mother Revolution" less perfect.

Some highlights of the evening (and then i'm off to bed):

* Tori lifting her skirt (which revealed shorts) and telling the audience "tell the Australian photographers Tori's got nothing on the down under."

* Tori telling us that she is doing 'streets of philadelphia' for the first time ever tonight, so she might fuck it up.

* Original Sinsuality (such a beautiful opener)

* Toast (such a beautiful, beautiful closer)

* Tear In Your Hand (although the drums are missed a tiny bit)

* Winter (omg the scenery during this song was so beautiful... like trees popping out of the hexagon screen).

* Happy Phantom-- during the song, she stared at the audience when she said "bitch" and put her hand over her mouth when she said "Sin."

* Parasol-- so cool to see her play the organ AND the piano at once.

* Snow Cherries From France (though i think this is more interesting w/ the band arrangement)

All in all a good concert. And the meet and greet was nice and calm, as there were only about 40-50 people there. I was one of the first to meet Tori (even though she was behind a gate so big she couldn't even hug us!). She grabbed my hand, asked me my name, and i said Matt, and she said, "is that M-A-double T?" and i was like "yes." And then I'm like thank you (cuz she signed my CD). And she goes, thank you for coming. AwWwwwwwwww... Tori.

So, yeah, all in all... good evening.


From Mike:

What atreat, too, since she playedsomanysongs from "Earthquakes" and "Pink." I was delighted to hear Winter. Matt's right, the venue at the Kimmel Center really suited her. I requested Landslide on her Beekeeper site. OK, I'm sure I wasn't the only one. But it's way more fun to think she played a song I picked. Philadelphia was a little on the nose. But you can't beat the Boss. And you can't beat Tori and her Bos.


From peter marinari:

Tori Amos's show at Philadelphia's stunning Kimmel Center started out strongly - an impish take on Original Sinsuality (marked by beautifully fluid left-hand crossovers) followed by a driving Yes, Anastasia seemed to bode well for the night. However, Tori immediately lost her steam on Parasol and never truly regained it, rendering the concert-going experience simply "dull" for both myself and my company.

Parasol deflated her momentum not just because it's a dull song, but because the presumed intricacy of her right-hand work on the organ was inaudible - from our seats on the floor (about halfway back to the soundboard) it was impossible to hear the organ's attack, rendering an impenetrable muddle of sound while Tori nimbly worked with her other hand back at the piano. The same problem affected Mother Revolution, which didn't hold together nearly as well as it's slinky album version.

Both of the organ songs, as well as Happy Phantom, were also plagued by tempo problems that seemed beyond the normal Tori pausing on significant words - the arrangement of keyboard switching on Parasol obviously hasn't gelled yet, and she seemed to vamp the pre-chorus on Happy Phantom just to wind up for the high notes (my girlfriend disagrees on the latter point - either way, it was quite good). However, her voice *was* in terrific shape - even the challenging highs on Space Dog (preceded by a cute "she's in the navy" intro) were beautiful and clear.

Marianne was the true stunner of the night, a grounded emotional performance that seemed to be connected to its subject - as was eventual closer Toast. Also, a solo turn on Snow Cherries turned out to be much more beautiful than i would have suspected - it captured almost all of the complicated multi-instrumental album take.

By contrast, Rattlesnakes was practically in invitation to make a trip to the restroom, it's deft keyboard work rendered mute by the organ/wurly it was played on and Tori mumbling the lyrics in accompaniment. The Beekeeper was just as lamentable - Tori stayed in the same piercing mid-range of her fourth keyboard (the only one with audible attack) for the entire duration of the song, offering hardly any of the highs of the densely mix of the album version. Finally, on the last verse, she used a single foot pedal for some low end to offer a welcome contrast, but at that point it was too late - it seemed to me that, as enraptured as half the audience was, the other half was looking around at the architecture wishing she was closing with something coherent.

The less said about the piano bar, the better (boring block chords on the Springsteen; a shrill and perfunctory Fleetwood Mac). Afterwards, The Power of Orange Knickers was solid and catchy, far outshining its album duet, though dotted with more weird tempo changes. During that, and all of the rest of the set, Tori's massive new bodyguard was fully visible, often under a spotlight, and could not stop chewing gum, wavering from side to side, and rubbing his chin with his hand. He was especially riveting for the entirety of Winter. Also of note, the special projection effects were absolutely hideous, and the gobos distracting. Otherwise, we theatre-geeks liked the lighting.

While we're on the topic of special guests on-stage, Matt Nathanson was adorable and hilarious - everything an opener should be. I would advise you all to come early enough to catch him, but be forewarned: the house took forever to fill up, making the wait for Tori slightly long.

The wonderful four song encore was impossible to appreciate because of the rush of fan(atics)s to the front. This wasn't the only annoyance, but it was certainly the worst: I couldn't see Tori at all, sometimes couldn't hear her over chatter ("Do you want to sit on my shoulders," "Wait, what single is Etienne on?") and couldn't concentrate past one of the more obnoxious concert goers i've ever had the displeasure to be in the proximity of, who spent the entire time leaning into my space from her newfound "seat" in the aisle, breathing on me, crinkling her massive notepad as she furiously scribbled down the names of songs, and dropping something on me and then crawling around looking for it (i was sorely tempted to kick her). In there somewhere was a playful Etienne ("maybe *you're* a witch," she accused) and a seemingly perfect Baker Baker. I did my best to enjoy them with my eyes pressed firmly shut, but in retrospect they were completely lost on me.

I was especially sad to miss out on the encore because otherwise, even in the concert's best moments, Tori brought nothing riveting to her performance (other than, perhaps, Marianne). The body of the concert often felt rote, something I never expected to say about her after a stunning solo turn on the SLG tour. Aside from the organs her playing and singing was masterful, but the show was lacking a spark (not to mention lacking all of choirgirl, TVAB, her B-Sides, and, most disappointingly, the phenomenal Scarlet's Walk).

I shed a few tears during Tear In Your Hand, because a) i never liked it until i saw it live, and she's played it every time since, and, b) as Tori sang that it was time to say goodbye i knew that in a way it really was - i seem to have outgrown the need to analyze each peculiarity of her live spectacle - no longer as arresting as it once seemed to be. And, i can no longer tolerate it's self-serving, self-centered audience.


From Bryan Kane:

Tonight's show in Philly was absolutely beautiful. The venue was itself nearly perfect, with no bad seats on ground level. Every song tonight was performed without a flaw and with absolutely professionalism. She talked to the audience a few times, about Duncan's lemonade, about the Kimmel center and 'Tori Down Under.' As other people have said she is in top notch vocal shape. The show:

Original Sinsuality : Much like the album version, but with an improv in the beginning.

Yes, Anastasia: I don't like the album version much so the live version didn't do much for me either. The piano was beautiful nonetheless.

Parasol: The live version is wonderful. She plays both the organ and piano at the same time and sort of creates a beat so you don't even miss the drums from the studio version.

Marianne: A really powerful version. Tori more than makes up for the lack of strings with a really 'full' sounding piano arrangement and powerful singing. Terrific.

Happy Phantom: A lot like album version but with a different rhythm to it. It's kind of starting/stopping type deal.

Snow Cherries From France: A lot better than the album version. This version seemed longer and more beautiful. Her awesome vocals made the song a lot less subdued than the ToaL version.

Rattlesnakes: No one seemed to care for this song when she started to play this, which I thought was weird. It sounded a lot like the Strange Little Tour version, less of a rhythm but beautiful on the Rhodes.

Streets of Philadelphia: It took Tori a while to get the feel of this song, but once she did she really nailed it. She said she had never done it before and that she might fuck it up. She made it sound maybe less sad than Springsteen's version, but it was still really beautiful (for lack of a better word.)

Landslide: The usual Tori Landslide cover on piano, awesome.

The Power of Orange Knickers: As the show may seem mellow, a lot of the songs she performed that are mellow on record are really a lot more powerful and even faster live. This song was one of those. It's less droning sounding than on the album , it's more flowing, and simply, better.

Winter: This was done in a similar fashion as Happy Phantom. It sounded a lot like the album version and other live versions, but the rhythm of the song was a lot different than usual. It's hard to explain, but you probably know what I mean anyway. She sort of 'dances' around the song live, instead of just playing right through it.

Mother Revolution: I really like this song's album version, but I LOVE the live version. She plays really low and dark on the piano and then combines it with this light organ and it's just wonderful. A definite highlight.

Space Dog: She started out with this great improv and then launched into this and I thought I was going to die. Never having heard it live and solo before, this version is fantastic. The piano is low and dark just like Mother Revolution, with the beautiful 'thought we were on to something' part being just as powerful and goosebumpy as on the album.

The Beekeeper: This song manages to be a lot different and stay very similar to the album version at the same time. It is less dark with the electronic sounding beats in the background, and the organ is definitely less eerie live. Still, she sings this version with hauntingly droning vocals that are amazing. Definitely longer than the album version and definitely a highlight.

Tear In Your Hand: I somehow expected her to sing this song due to the Salvador Dali art exhibit, but in hindsight that expectation doesn't really make sense. Anyway, she obviously did sing this song and it was great. I think it's one of the best songs to close a show with, but even as a non-ending encore it's just a classic Tori song that always works.

Baker Baker: Exactly like on Under the Pink, except maybe with better vocals since her voice is in such amazing shape!

Etienne: So surprised! And so excited. This song is definitely the best song from Y Kant Tori Read, and including it as an encore was amazing. She extended the awesome main piano for a little bit at the end, which really got the point across that this is one amazing song.

Toast: A much better closer than Twinkle or Putting the Damage On, this song ends a show being soft and slow, but not sad and depressing like the other songs. This version was a lot like on the Beekeeper, and even played the same kind of role since that song ends a mega 19-track album and here it was ending an 18 song set. Anyway, it's a really great song in any form and it ended a wondrous set in Philly.

Those of us in Philly were truly blessed with a nearly flawless setlist and definitely flawless performance. Even though the songs would seem to set a mellow mood, the mood of the concert was really powerful and mainly focused on being beautiful. The echo/reverb effects of Tori's vocals added to the sheer beauty of the performance. The lighting effects were also amazing.

On a side note, I was sitting in almost arms' reach of Tori's husband, and no one besides me seemed to care. After the concert people were bumping into him and not even acknowledging him. Am I insane and that really wasn't her husband? He is her sound engineer after all, and who else aside from he and Marcel would be at the soundboards? Anyway I am insanely tired and probably didn't even make sense through most of my review. Tori will probably do Siren in Boston tomorrow night when I'm not there oh well.


From noah:

just wanted to let you know that it wasn't an improv tori sang before "space dog" (as many people are saying in their reviews of the show) but rather the "navy girls" lyrics from the end of the song that she often plays as an intro to the song.


From Terri Carr

THE VENUE: First off, let me say that the Kimmel Center is beautiful and the sound is just immaculate. Never more should Tori play at the Tower theatre! She did make mention that the Kimmel Center is a "grown up place" and I tend to agree with her. As we first sat down (second tier, middle seats), I was concerned that it wasn't as good a view as I remember getting at the Tower with similar seats. It turns out though that almost every seat in the Kimmel is a great one! J

THE SONGS: While Tori was in top notch form (I took my husband who said she sounded just like on her albums; I replied yes, she's really that good!) and her vocals didn't waver, I would truly have preferred a more diverse set list. I'm grateful to have heard Happy Phantom, and the roar when she played it was impressive. Also another great surprise, Spacedog, a song I would only listen to half the time from UTP, got my full attention and it was amazing live. Snow Cherries again got my attention in the same way. Marianne also, was another highlight of the night. Mother Revolution was stunning on both the organ and the piano, even though at times, Tori didn't seem completely comfortable playing both at once. However, I was rather shocked that Scarlet's Walk, >From the Choirgirl Hotel, and To Venus and Back didn't at least make some kind of appearance. (I would have killed to hear Taxi Ride, Sweet Dreams, Talula, or Muhammad My Friend.) All in all, her song choices, with the exception of Happy Phantom of course, didn't seem like particularly engaging choices for her audience, and the set list seemed, as another reviewer said, like she had picked songs less known to her fan base. It didn't seem as if she played many "fun" songs, and the mood of the whole night was just so serious! Maybe I would have been happy had she played another hour. J To be honest though, The Beekeeper and Rattlesnakes were utterly... boring. It might seem a harsh word for it but Rattlesnakes didn't have the oomph it usually has before, and the Beekeeper just didn't end. It's a shame the electronic noises from the album couldn't have been played, because hearing what Tori is actually playing on the organ (the same 5 notes pretty much) really ruined the song, for me at least.

THE COVERS: Ok, these covers to me, were personally truly disappointing. Having seen Tori on her Strange Little Tour, about a month after the 9/11 attacks, she played "Philadelphia" by Neil Young for us and it brought me to tears. Hearing her play "Streets of Philadelphia" last night however, just mildly ticked me off. It wasn't inspiring, and honestly felt slightly like a cop-out by picking another song with Philadelphia in the title. True, she couldn't play those songs anywhere else most likely, but... what's next year, Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom"? "Landslide" was another disappointment. While I had built up a high anticipation of covers played at other shows ("Like a Prayer", "Rocket Man", "My Favorite Things"- all you lucky people!), I was disappointed to hear a song that she's played many times everywhere else. Even in Atlanta where she also played "Landslide", they still got two distinct covers. Alas, I sound like a whiner!

THE AUDIENCE: Thankfully, the audience here at the Kimmel was a decent one, and Matt Nathanson, Tori's opener, interacted well with us. He truly is a quick wit, and I can see why he and Tori would get along well. The audience was mostly quiet when they needed to be, except for the encore. I had the misfortune of being next to the guy who had to yell, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" during every encore song. Even "Baker, Baker".

TO SUM IT UP: Tori's voice and playing were in top notch form, but by far, this was the most "distant" show I've seen yet. Her interaction and chattiness seemed very subdued from the Tori I'm used to seeing. Many people have said that in her DC and NY show she seemed tired, and while that wasn't particularly the case tonight, she did seem... slightly out of it. (I think she fell asleep during parts of "The Beekeeper" and "Rattlesnakes".) I hope she's not getting tired of providing us with the music we love so much, which partially crossed my mind. I will continue to keep seeing her every year though as always until she does decide to do that!


From Nester:

OK, so - it was really beautiful last night. The Kimmel Center is by far the most incredible theater around. It's shaped like a giant guitar and everything is made of wood, so you literally feel as though you are inside the body of an enormous instrument. It is also very small - smaller than the Tower Theater (if you've ever been there before). I really enjoyed the show, although I had some complaints, which I willexplain... Tori played Yes, Anastasia 2nd on the list and it was phenomenal. I have only ever seen it live once before and this performance last night was far more powerful than I had ever imagined. Parasol followed pathetically.Tori was just not transitioning well between the organ and the piano, it was choppy and all around no good. A shame, because I enjoy that song on the album. Marianne was incredible, as was the Beekeeper. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Space Dog (first time for me, live) and also so happy that she chose not to play a single commercial song (no Cornflake Girl, no Crucify, no Silent All These Years, no Precious Things) - let's face it, when you are a die hard fan you get a bit exhausted hearing those at EVERY concert. I loved that she played Mother Revolution because it's probably my favorite song from the new album. She ended with Toast, which just seemed appropriate. Only thing that would have made my night perfect would have been if she'd have played Little Amsterdam. Hopefully someone will share their pictures of the night with the Dent; I certainly had to deal with enough camera flashes in my eyes (as I am sure Tori did also) that hopefully people will post them for us all to enjoy... Overall, I wish I could put the night on repeat and watch it over and over again.


From Tom P.:

Tori was Tori and she made my night like she typically does. I saw her in New York, February 24 and never seen her as beautiful as that night, but I have no complains about tonight. My daughter, who took me to the Tori and Alanis tour in 1999, to see Alanis, came with me last night. I, at that time never heard of Tori. Now I have a hard time taking someone from my family to see Tori for some reason, but Julie promised and I got the tickets. The good news is she did like the show very much and now sees what I observe in Tori's music ability, she marveled at her piano playing and octaves of her voice. My grandson Erich, 20 months old, already has a piano, and Jul has spoken to a piano teacher already to start him on his way. Maybe someday we'll be seeing the male version of Tori.

Tori's music was gratifying and motivating; there isn't a song that she sings that I don't like. We had fantastic seats in the First Tier Box and we could look directly down while she was playing. At the encore it appeared she looked in a straight line up to our box and smiled, put her head down and looked and smiled at us again. I know that's not possible due to the lights she's looking through, but my mind said, "she's smiling at you dude"!

I loved the venue and would go back there anytime, wonderful acoustics and ambiance of the Kimmel Center. I was glad to hear the new Beekeeper songs, although I would have liked hearing "Little Earthquakes". Unfortunately I have never heard Tori sing that live, but I'm working on it. Planning on seeing a few more shows late summer on the next US leg of her tour.

Passing this on to all her fans, as well as John, who will be seeing her tonight in Boston. Keep out of that New York snow.


From Valerie:

The Kimmel Center is an awesome venue! Wonderful accoustics! This was a powerful show for me, finally getting to hear songs I've never heard her play live--don't get me wrong cornflake girl and precious things are great songs, but Tori has written other songs too! I brought a first timer with me(my little boyfriend from Jersey)and he said that Tori was Phenomenal! It wasgreat show, wonderful vibe.

I loved her story about the Ginger drink, and that her crew likes to put something in it from Russia.

I wish she would have done cooling, that was my ultimate wish to hear played live---but I will definetly settle for hearing Marianne, which I have never heard! Brought a tear (ok many a tear) to my eye! Etienne is always a pleasure to hear, as well as Baker Baker. But Streets of Philadelphia was a welcomed surprise! As much as I love Landslide, and I trully love Tori playing Landslide live, I wish she would have played another song during her Piano Bar section. Although a breathtakingly wonderful version!!Yes, Anastasia and Space Dog were DEFINETLY well worth the wait songs.... just wow!

I wish I had a better vocabulary todescribe the show- but I'm lacking in that department today! Just take my word for it---- the perfect night and perfect place for Tori!


From Regina:

The show last night was fabulous. She played Etienne!!!! I couldn't believe it when she started it. My friend and I looked at each other in awe and disbelief. We had just been talking about it too on the way there.

The venue was amazing. Definitely made for a pianist as Xine previously mentioned. The sound was impeccable. I have no real qualms with the audience...everyone behaved themselves, no inappropriate screamers. I could have done without the rushing of the stage bit during Etienne (the song before the closer, which was Toast), because then people started standing up and we stood for the last encore, but it was fine. The Kimmel Center really doesn't have the room up front for stage rushing.

She started with Original Sin, then went into Yes, Anastasia. She made a comment after that about what a grown up place this is, and how it's nice to be grown up sometimes. After that she did Parasol with the organ and the piano. I'm really glad she stuck with the piano only most of the night--not that I don't like the other instruments, it just suited the venue more. She only used the one organ with the piano during Parasol, she used the keyboard during rattlesnakes, and she used the other organ opposite the keyboards for Beekeeper. She did a fair amount of Under the Pink--besides Yes, Anastasia she did Space Dog and Baker Baker. My only complaint of the night is after hearing Yes Anastasia and Space Dog I wanted to hear Icicle. It really was a fabulous show in a fabulous venue. She covered Bruce Springsteen's Streets of Philadelphia, which was fantastic and she really caught the feel of the song. Before she started it she said to bear with her, as it was her first time playing the song and she could really fuck it up. After that she did Landslide. My friend requested it, and I'm sure a number of others did as well. She also showed the shorts she had on under her dress, making a comment to tell Australia there will be no more Tori down under...I had no idea what this was in reference to until my friend told me on the way home. (1994 tabloid photo shot in Oz). Marianne was really beautiful, as was Tear in Your Hand, and I'm so glad she did Snow Cherries from France! The Beekeeper was really haunting. She really brings out the beauty of the song live. Everything she did was great. I could not have asked for a better show. I would absolutely love it if she made the Kimmel Center her staple performance center every time she came to the area. Even the line for souveniers was orderly!


From Katie:

Tori talked about a ginger-lemon tea last night, it's actually been posted on Neil Gaiman's journal and I make it when i have a sort throat!

http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2002/03/okay.asp

There are enough other reviews, i just wanted to share that information.


From Theresa A. Romaldini:

Please add to the Philadelphia set list that 'Navy Girl' was played as an intro to Space Dog.  Thanks!


From A. Bilal:

This is my fourth show of the tour so far, and honestly, it was my least favorite of the four, not saying it wasn't good, just saying it wasn't impressive by any means. It was just good. Whereas, I'd rate the DC show 4 1/2 out of 5, NYC and Hartford were both 4 out of 5, Philly was really just 3 1/2 out of five for me (and that's a stretch).

Original Sinsuality was one of my favorites for the night (as always, this is the best choice for an opening song she's ever had. Ever.)

Yes, Anastasia was okay. I was glad to hear it, because I like the song so much, but it didn't pack the punch that it had in the DC show. (or even NY)

Parasol...was expected.

Marianne was a highlight for me, too, because of the emotional intensity in the room. I dont think anyone expected her to play this tonight, and it was really inspiring.

Happy Phantom...at this point I said, okay, "What is this Clearwater redux night?" I really wanted to hear something special for Philly tonight, I wanted something else to debut, I was thinking she'd pull from her catalog of songs past what she'd already played. (Hey, at least she didn't play Leather, again.)

Snow Cherries From France...see my comment for Yes, Anastacia. GLAD TO SEE IT PLAYED THOUGH!

Rattlesnakes...made me sleepy.

Streets Of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen cover)...DEFINITE HIGHLIGHT OF THE EVENING!

Landslide (Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac cover)...Why was this played? I mean, like, why was it in Piano Bar time? She ALWAYS plays Landslide? I wanted to hear something new or exciting, I mean, I was really crossing my fingers for Sarah McLachlan's "Possession", but, eh...you win some...

The Power Of Orange Knickers...is always welcome at any show of mine! Love the orange lights! I dont think people were expecting it, though.

Winter...was DEFINITELY a highlight, because it was just...so remarkable. I was still expecting something like "Northern Lad" or even "Bliss" solo. Would've been a better show. Loved the tree on the lighting though...best lighting of the evening.

Mother Revolution...is an awesome song, and really takes off live. Now, I think this was on par with her DC performance of the song, and I was glad to hear it again.

Space Dog...LOVED THE IMPROV BEFOREHAND! She looked like she had fun on this one. I was staring at her shoes during this one...they were these strappy red heels. Really sexy looking. Glad to see Tori doing it up!

The Beekeeper...will never grow tired in my book. Something about that line, "I will comb myself into chains in between the tap dance clan and your ballerina gang". I just get really quiet and introspective.

1st Encore

Tear In Your Hand...not a fan of this song at all. But the live version was well recieved. I think it would've sounded fuller with Matt and Jon though.

Baker Baker...well this was one of MY favorites of the evening. I thought she made up for a somewhat "bland" setlist with her encores. Still expecting a Scarlet or Choirgirl something at this point...

2nd Encore

Etienne...I LOVED how she did this one! People had been waiting for YEARS to see Tori do Etienne solo live! And it works so well...I am glad she's revisiting the YKTR songs that worked...lol

Toast...perfect song to close this evening, and it was certainly one of my favorites of the evening. I LOVE this song, in all its glory, but I was so disappointed at the end of this show. I felt like Philly almost got cheated out of what could've been an EXCELLENT set.

The original setlist (which my friend Kimmy GLADLY got from the sound guys!...Kimmy you rock!) had Cooling at the end, which would've made me sooo much happier, plus it seemed like the show ended early (just like Hartford). She could've fit Cooling in there.

Overall my reaction...could've helped to have some Venus, Choirgirl, or Scarlet show up somewhere in there. It really made me appreciate Hartford, I'll tell ya that much...


Jen Lightfoot:

The show was absolutely amazing and Tori seemed very talkative and energetic. I was in the Orchestra 3rd Row Center and was able to see everything!... from Tori drooling
to the constant eye contact that she made with the audience! She looked beautiful in a rasberry colored knit top and white skirt (It looked like a dress),
dark tight shorts underneath, and red sparkly wrist bands.

Tori got onto the stage at 9:15 and opened with OS! (beautiful!)

Then she jumped into Yes, Anastasia, which I was not expecting so early in the set... after hearing this I knew the show was going to be amazing! She talked a bit about how we were in a grown up venue and how it's fun to be grown up sometimes!

She then went on to perform Parasol (which is stunning on organ and piano!), Marianne, Happy Phantom, Snow Cherries From France, and Rattlesnakes (on rhodes). I had seen her perform Rattlesnakes before but it felt much more emotional tonight. Actually... I felt as though tonight's performance focused a lot around Micheal and relationships with others.

The piano bar started off with "In the Streets of Philadelphia" (by Bruce Springsteen) (on piano) in which she explained first that she had never performed this song before! It was stunning and Tori did a beautiful rendition of it! She then performed "Landslide". I felt as though she were singing about herself growing older and changing and how she had built her life around the audience and what they wanted... I interpreted it as her saying that we must accept her even though she's changing.

TPOOK shocked the hell out of me hearing it so early (but in a good way!).

Ok... earlier in the day I had asked someone I met on a forum to give Tori a drawing that I made of her... and I was told later before the show that she did in fact recieve it... I had mentioned three songs on the back of the artwork in a letter ("Winter" , "Toast", and "Hey Jupiter") she performed "Winter and " Toast"!!!! I was in heaven ... I was also very emotional at these parts of the show!!!!

And... "Space Dog' was the best version I've ever heard (with a very long improv/intro)! The lighting was beautiful during this song too... brilliant greens and pinks... lovely

The encore's were brilliant! Baker Baker was beautiful... AND ETIENNE!!!!!! The first YKTR song of the tour! And "Toast was PERFECT to close with!

Side note: Because Tori got onstage late she changed the setlist a bit. On the original setlist "Cooling" was supposed to close the show... and "Toast" was supposed to be before the first enore and after the piano bar. Instead she cut out "Cooling" and put "Toast" last... still an amazing show tho!


From Kelly (modern*magdalene):

Everyone has already posted a lot of info on this concert, so I won't dissect each song. The show started at 9:10 and ended about 10:40. Although it was short, I can say is it's one of the best venues I've ever seen her perform in, and I was extremely impressed with the sound on every song. Also, her voice was always on target tonight!

Before the meet and greet, her bodyguard Smitty came out and asked everyone to PLEASE wait until the end of "The Beekeeper" before coming up to the stage. I know you mentioned it on 4/10, but I think it's worth repeating since even her bodyguard is requesting that we "preach the word". All Toriphiles: please respect the goddess and wait until she stands up after singing this song!


From brian hubert:

The show tonight was great. I've seen tori many times before with the band, but I was expecting a different kind of show, being solo. Although amazing, at times she just seemed sort of dragging along. Her voice and piano playing were excellent, but I expected a lot more emotion or strength, maybe even belting out in the singing. Maybe this is part of what she meant by growing up...sort of subdued. Happy Phantom was amusing when she paused and emphasized the word bitch. Winter and Marianne were both beautiful and surprising but not as surprising as it was to hear Etienne from YKTR. (maybe I'm a witch...) The piano bar portion, again well done, but I was disappointed to hear Landslide, hoping for something we haven't heard before--but maybe it went with the theme of the show, which seemed to be about loss and change. (winter, tear, happy, baker, Marianne, landslide, snow cherries, beekeeper, toast...) Streets of Philadelphia was a bit bland with the two chord change verses, but there was something very tori about the "i yi yi yi"s. I was hoping to hear Here In My Head, but the seven hour drive from buffalo ny was still definitely worth it.

Side note: at the meet and greet, which was done through a tall black gate...(which sucked), I noticed a piece of artwork done by jen lightfoot, there was a letter on the back that I noticed in the few hours we waited outside, and I just wanted her to know tori did receive it and it was beautiful. Also my friends and I met tony--the most hysterical stranger I may know who one lived in Batavia, near where we live--if you see this, IM me at clumsybriN101. tori also looked very beautiful and interested in each fan, those eyes fix on you.... and after being told by her very nice new guard, told me I was the last one (with a tilt of the head) and took a photo with me outside the gate, which I was so excited about and this encounter with her made the trip totally worth it, she was so sweet. Hope to see her again soon.

From t.:

So....

before i start, i read Terrys review and i would like to say if i was the obnoxious jerk (which i might not have been, so i am going out on a limb here, but if i was, i am dreadfully sorry... but i dont think she is talking about me, but i feel the extreme need to clear my conscience).

Kimmel is the most beautiful theatre i think i have ever seen. It was, in a word, maybe more, Majestic?? yes, thats the word. but lets skip to the good stuff... tori.

Now, i was at the meet and greet, where i met brian, who i am flattered thinks i am a hysterical stranger and i thank him for the compliment... (i had an issue with the liberty bell before the meet and greet-- ugh... try to get a little culture...)

Yes, there was a gate, and as my new friend mike mentioned, it was like visiting tori at a zoo. but, i have to say, tori was wonderful despite the gate. She was of course beautiful as always, and gracious. Even when i kinda snuck in a "good show in Conn. have a great show tonite." she smiled and i ran away with a thumbs up to her... call me cheesy.

Moving right along to the show itself... blah blah blah Original Sinsuality... love it, heard it the day before, so i knew it was coming... but i believe it's possible a "what?" came out of my mouth when she busted into that Yes, Anastasia. Pure crazy excitement. Because, friends you have to understand, i never thought i would ever hear that song. BUT ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO PATIENT LITTLE BOYS... right? right.

then the lovely redhead whom we all just dig like crazy sang Parasol... heard that in conn too but i dig it so i was like "yay". and this is where i started thinking about storylines and plots of the set list so far... cause now its like a guessing game... the theme and everything... so when she putted into Marianne and then HAPPY PHANTOM... i was like OMG this is so inspiring--

i am gonna skip to my personal highlights... STREETS OF PHILLY... i had told my friend Jeff, because he thought she was gonna play PHILLY FREEDOM and i was like "no son, she's gonna play a springsteen cover" and who had the kismit connection... your's truly (ending my own arrogant streak there.) so that was an amazing treat.

now, when i met tori at the B&N signing in NY i told her how much Mother Revolution meant to me, and she was wonderful and we talked about my brother-in-law in Iraq and what not... so when she played that i think, well i forgot i was in Kimmel and it really fealt like we were in my living room having an intimate moment, and i thank her for that... but not as much as i need to thank her for playing SPACEDOG, which i have waited 10 years to hear live... okay maybe not 10 but 8 tori shows... my fave song ever and i think i don't know... i was a small mess after that. My poor friend Jeff got the goodness beat out of him by me because i was so excited.

Toast ended the show where cooling was supposed to, and toast should have been after spacedog... but thats cool. I think Spacedog into the beekeeper made sense, at least for me, and btw, Beekeeper is the most incredible song ever live...

too all my friends that i met at the tori show in Philly, Angela, Step-on-me, Lauren, Brandy, Mike, Cute-ass- Adam, the girl sitting behind me, Brian and the buffalo kids, Berry... thank you all for making the show so much more then just an average tori show... i hope to see you all this summer for the band tour, and my apologies for such a long, twisted review... the show was bloody awesome.


Read a press review of this show from The Philadelphia Inquirer.


From MikeG:

Well, much of what I was going to say has already been said. I thought the show was absolutely amazing. This was my first ever Tori show and it was great! She played all of my old favorites (Winter, Happy Phantom, Snow Cherries, Baker Baker) and my new favorites from The Beekeeper.

The Meet andGreet was fun. I met a lot of cool people like Kelly and her sis Bryanne. It was nice having people I could relate to at the M&G to talk to, making the time roll by a lot faster. Although Tori was behinda lame gate instead of the waist-high barricade that is usually put up,the wait was still worth it. She signed my Beekeeper 'To Mike, Crew DUDE Tori Amos' because I told her how appreciated the section of Piece by Piece about the importance of a good crewto her made me feel. She was so sweet, I can't wait for thesummer tour to meet her again, and get together again with new friends [But hopefully that won't have to wait for anotherM&G haha] If you were at the Meet and Greet and I talked to you, you can email me at meecus@comcast.net to tell me what you thought of the concert, or just to get in touch again!


From Piper:

The Power of Tori Amos

Tori was dynamic and powerful, much like those orange knickers they were selling in the lobby. This was the best show I've ever seen. The Kimmel Center was truely an amazing venue it was all "grown up" and you felt grown up being there.The set list was absolutely perfect (for me). I went to the show hoping she would play Spacedog, Rattlesnakes, Etienne and Parasol, lucky for me she did. It was a very mellow quiet crowd ( No sing-a-longs), I guess I'm used to the New York crowd. The Acoustics in that hall were great, she sounded magnificent. This was my boyfriend's first Tori concert and he can't wait to see her again in the Fall, neither can I.


From Tom M.:

Here's my $0.02 on the Philadelphia show. The venue was excellent and this audience might have been the most respectful audience I've had the privilege of being a part of. I sat near two Tori fans that were at the first show. One was probably in her late '50's! At the end, she said it was wonderful and gave me the high-five.

The set with my brief comments:

Original Sinsuality---beautiful, long piano intro.

Yes, Anastasia---Started at the 1919 part. Hit the high notes and just wailed at the end.

Tori said hello and said it was great to be in a grown-up place and good to be a grown up. Then she showed her short under her dress calling them "exhibit A." Then she said there'd be no "Tori down under' this time.

Parasol---played piano and organ. Cool magenta lights (which may have been on Marianne; I can't remember).

Marianne---excellent. Long piano intro.

Happy Phantom---slower than LE version. She did many playful flourishes and crossed and uncrossed her legs a lot.

Snow Cherries from France---screen showed ocean waves and moving water. I was thrilled to hear this one.

Rattlesnakes---moves over to the Rhodes. As in the last tour, there were propeller silhouettes on the floor. Slower then other versions, and I missed the piano break.

Tori talks about the ginger lemonade and how the crew puts something Russian in theirs. Then says this is the first time she's ever played this song so she could fuck it up.

Streets of Philadelphia--slow, unadorned.

Landslide---pretty as always.

Power of Orange Knickers---orange lighting and peach tones on screen.

Winter---cold blue lighting. Bare tree branches on screen. Very heartfelt performance.

Mother Revolution---organ and piano. Clunky and not as smooth as album. Beginning piano sounded like Playboy Mommy.

Space Dog---started with the backing vocal in the bridge first, andthen moved into the normal song. Bass was very powerful. Crazy green lighting on the back wall.

The Beekeeper---moves over to other organ. Slow and creepy. Draws out the end and the intensity builds. Ring of fire on screen.

Encore #1:

Tear in Your Hand---perfect version. The propeller silhouettes came back

Baker Baker---starts with nice piano intro but is otherwise standard.

Encore #2:

Etienne---repeats first line several times. Beautiful. Stage was lit mainly in yellows.

Toast---very emotional. Great ending.

The Kimmel Center had perfect acoustics and it seemed every seat had a great view. I hope Tori can play there again. This was a great show. Tori seemed spot on with what I wanted to hear, and she even played songs (Snow Cherries, Space Dog) I didn't even know I wanted to hear. If I had one complaint it was that the covers weren't very interesting. Another would be that I'm kinda sick of hearing Baker Baker live. However, out of the nine times I've seen Tori, I'd rank this show in the top three. It was that damn good.


From Mary Jo:

Just a note here about the Kimmel Center.  It was built in the shape of a cello NOT a guitar.