You can now see the set list and reviews for the Las Vegas, NV concert. Tori's show included Professional Widow, Father Lucifer, Mary, Tombigbee, I'm On Fire (solo), Don't Make Me Come To Vegas, and In The Springtime Of His Voodoo. 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 Las Vegas, NV on Thursday, July 31, 2003 at the The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel. Tori's special guest was Ben Folds and the show started at 7:30PM.

Set List

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


Wampum Prayer
a sorta fairytale
Professional Widow
Father Lucifer
Cornflake Girl
Horses
Mary
Tombigbee
Wednesday

Band Leaves

I'm On Fire
Crazy
Marianne

Band returns

Bells For Her
Concertina
God
Don't Make Me Come To Vegas
Take To The Sky
I Can't See New York
Precious Things

1st Encore

Space Dog
Rattlesnakes

2nd Encore

In The Springtime Of His Voodoo
Lust

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:

Vegas got a solid show with a set list somewhat similar to ones earlier on this tour. There was a dark but beautiful improv before 'Crazy', and Tori told a story before 'I'm On Fire' about Tash in the Hard Rock Hotel and something about blue play-doh on the floor. If anyone has a transcript of what Tori said on stage, please email it to The Dent.



From Kari:

Hi Mike, I just got back from the show, so I better send this in fresh.

Ben Folds is a really funny guy, and loosens the crowd up well. I really urge people to go a little early and see him. Even if you aren't into his stuff, he's very entertaining.

Tori'sshow overall was just spot on. Everything went as beautiful and perfect as you can imagine. One major thing, though, thatwe mused about on the ride home was why she didn't play any songs from Choirgirl and played mostly songs from Pele and Pink. Not sure if it was deliberate or it just happened that way, but it was nice to hear mostly older stuff. And she didn't play anything from the "request list" at toriamos.com, either.

She wore a sparkly dress with sheer material of different colors floating down her back from the shoulders with jeans underneath it-- I just kept thinking she looked very bird-like.

The story she told about Tash was funny-- it was about how the Hard Rock must have so much stuff on the carpet, and how girls, when they take their heels off, get that squishy feeling when there's so much crap on the floor. Now, the Hard Rock has blue PlayDoh on the carpet-- bet they never had that before.

The version of Horses on this tour is just amazing. I love how she's evolved into something different fromher original form-- something darker and more subtle..

Tombigbee was so well put togethershe almost sounds like a cover.

In the middle there was an improv about "you and me and baby makes three," and she was playing a progression similar to Never Seen Blue, which most people around me thought she was going to play. Marianne was a very nice surprise, and fit in perfectly in the middle of the set.

Concertina also has had a nice transformation with the band.

Other than that, solid is the best word to describe the show. The audience, for the most part, was very well behaved, and there were smiles all around after the show. Very laid back and just, well, nice.



From Laurie M.:

Ok, I wanted to give you a couple of details about the Las Vegas show.

First, since I was right in the front, I had a great view and her outfit was really prettya sequined wrap dress (or kimono?) in a pattern of white, pink, brown and red, over a pair of capri jeans. The jeans had slits on the side. The kimono had flowy sleeveswhite, pink and dark brown. She also had a dark brown tank top on under the kimono. She had a red ribbon in her hair, and really great shoeshigh heeled patent leather with an ankle strap and a pink leather strap across the top. She looked great, smiling a lot, and dancing to the guys' playing.

As far as her story, she was saying how the carpets in the Hard Rock Hotel (where the Joint is) have seen everything, and when she took off her high heels, the carpet felt squidgy (or smooshy or something). The security lady confirmed that everything imaginable has been on the carpets, and Tori asked her "yes, but has there ever been blue play-doh?". It was cute. She also mentioned that in addition to Tash, she had her nieces and nephews with her. This was the only story she told.

She stuck to the set list exactly. During Take to the Sky, she added the usual "I feel the earth move under my feet", but just after that line she added "all the way to the White House". She also messed up a little during Cornflake Girl, and said "oops!" but she didn't miss a beat. I also think she added or changed some of the lines in Lust.

It was a great show, with a couple of cool surprises (I'm on Fire). Definitely one of the best I've seen in Vegas.



From bee:

first off, i have to say this is TORI AT HER BEST!!! this is by far the best tori show i've ever seen..& i've seen her on every tour except the strange little tour.

she was having so much fun today!! and every song, she was fully&completely in that moment..like nothing else mattered.. it was like tori clipped a bunch of dying stars to her hair & they kept exploding and giving her huge mouthfuls of energy. her voice was HUGE tonight..she kept hitting those notes like she was a tornado just taking them into her.

i'll let you guys know what she played:

Wampum Prayer - the minute this came on i was in complete tears. i'm such a sappy little thing..but just knowing that all of us would be sharing time with tori really got to me.

a sorta fairytale - very pretty! but a typical performance of this song!

Professional Widow - OH MY! this is wear my heart stopped beating and my chest turned into a big flower...just fantastic. tori sounded so alive during this song, like it was a long-time friend that she really missed and she wanted to show her a really good time around town. prof. widow sounds AWESOME with the band!! it really was one of my favorites.

Father Lucifer - such a cute performance!! tori kept smiling during the entire song & it was lovely throughout.

Cornflake Girl - THIS IS THE BEST VERSION OF CORNFLAKE I'VE HEARD IN YEARS!!! it didn't sound typically dead like it has sounded in the past three tours, it was spunky and tori was having the best time with it! she kept standing up during the song & doing little hand-dances.

Horses - such a pretty version!! it was quiet & full of heart-stuff. during the "off with superfly" part tori would look at the crowd and make little cute faces!

Mary - WOW!!! i've never heard this song live..at this point i was just amazed at the whole night & how it made me feel all tingly in my skin.

Tombigbee -- i don't even know what to say. i wasn't a fan of this b-side til tonight. now i love it. tori played it & was dancing to it the whole time.

Wednesday - always a fun song & i like looking around at the crowd during this song to see little bouncing heads everywhere!

*roadside cafe* (no sign on this tour)

I'm On Fire - such a surprise!!! & tori's voice was so perfect during this song that every little hair on my body was sticking straight up.

Crazy - tori's version of crazy tonight was beautiful!!! i am not really a big fan of this song..but it sounded perfect.

Marianne - this is my third favorite of the night. it was so warm like a big night sky over an open fire. . . .and tori was beautiful during this song..really glowing and really singing it from the very reddest part of her big heart.

(end roadside cafe)

Bells For Her - with the band & beautiful sounding. the band really complimented tori tonight...the basslines behind her voice during bells for her was genius.

Concertina - yay! finally a venus song! & she played concertina like she was wearing a very comfy pair of shoes....just nice & familiar.

God - haha, the guy sitting next to me freaked out when she started in on god so i think it was very nice indeed, since it made him so happy.

Don't Make Me Come To Vegas - the crowd here in vegas had fun with this song & sang along like they did on the scarlet's walk tour!! i don't think she'll be able to return here and not play this song.

Take To The Sky - BEST SONG OF THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tori was like a big waterfall when she played this song..it just washed over you with big power & a feeling that everything was in its right place. i started crying when she went into I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE portion of the song!!!!! she included it at the end & was such a little firegirl..exploding with little jumps at her piano and being totally into every note of this song. my favorite performance.

I Can't See New York - i know not a lot of people like this song, but i think that when it is played live with the blue lights & the band, it sounds really lovely.

Precious Things - perfect ending to the set. tori played it from the gut and everyone felt it.

1st Encore

Space Dog - YAY!! a song that i just love & performed with tons of love.

Rattlesnakes - just when i thought it could not get better, tori plays RATTLESNAKES!!!!!!!!!! my second favorite performance..i didn't attend the strange little tour so i've never heard these songs played live in peson...it was completely beautiful..i think tori really feels for the girl in the song...because when she sings "and her neverborn child haunts her now as she speeds down the freeway" she looks so sad & quite...and her voice sounds brilliant.

2nd Encore

In The Springtime Of His Voodoo - i didn't have time to recover!!! from rattlesnakes straight into voodoo!!! i just cried..i'm not even sure if the performance was that great or not cuz i was busy sobbing.

Lust - to me lust is a weird song to end the show with but at this point she could have just played one song on the second encore and i would have been happy. lust sounded really pretty.

the whole show was just IT for me. i was a crying, sweaty mess when it was good and done with...& but it was the best reminder of why we all love tori so much.



From Lynn Robertson:

I was not at the Vegas concert, but I requested I'm on Fire and/or Fire on the Side at the meet and greet in Redmond, WA. I am so happy to see that Tori came through with I'm on Fire on this tour even if I was not there to enjoy it. Lucky Vegas fans. I can't be too jealous because the Marymoor set was amazing. I was as far from disappointed as I could get!

Thank you sweet angel(angle;). This EWF misses you already!



From Brandy:

Just wanted to add my two cents about the vegas show. It was my birthday and the whole reason I went to see her in vegas (and its my only show cause I spent so much to get there...). I was presently surprised by the venue, it was so small and so intimate and I had really great seats. The set list was wonderful and I was so hoping she would feel my energy and play Talula but I cant complain because she played so much pele. I was also secretly hoping she would play Mary and I was so shocked and happy when she played it that I cried through most of it. Anyhow her voice was beautiful and the set list was one of the best I've heard since she started the scarlets walk tour. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday! :)


From warriormomof3:

i confess i'm not a normal tori fan. i went to the vegas show with my wife. it was our vacation, i recently returned from the middle east after the war. i told her to pick were she wanted and she really wanted to go to vegas to see tori. and the best part was that her best friend brandy was coming to see the show.  her boyfriend steve took her for her birthday and it was a blast. the night of the concert the girls were very much excited, it was going to be a great night.
i admit i've only seen her once before, a long time ago when she opened for alanis morissette. but something happened when i was away from my beautiful wife kristin and i was at war. i was driving in the desert of kuwait. out of nowhere on a local kuwait radio station i heard tori singing taxi ride. at this time it had been over three months since i had seen my wife and this song made me feel like kristin was sitting next to me while i was driving. since then thats been a very special song and memory to me. anyway, the show was great but the best part was our drive back from vegas. kristin had me listen to more tori than i ever had before. and the best part was i started to understand why tori and her music means so much to her. i never have felt so close to my wife and this will always be the most special concert that i will ever attend. thank you tori, for bringing me closer to my wife.


From Michael Zwirn:

They say Vegas is for the lucky, but mere luck can scarcely be credited for the fact that I arrived obliviously in Las Vegas on July 31st for a 10-day camping trip in the National Parks, and my dad greeted me by asking if I would be interested in seeing a Tori Amos concert that very night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

I'm quite sure that my father had no idea whom Tori Amos WAS - I caught him referring to Tori as "him" once in the first confused sentences - but he must have had a vague idea that I liked Tori's music, because there's no other way that he could have suggested the concert other than a blind skim through the listings of Cirque du Soleil, Siegfried and Roy and Celine in the Vegas entertainment guides.

So, blinking in the Vegas sun and dashing through 8-lane urban highways, we walked to the Hard Rock and found out that there were tickets available - $50 standing-room only general admission or $65 3rd row center. My father is ignorant about music but knows a good deal about paying a bit more for quality. So one hour and $130 after I arrived in downtown Las Vegas, we were set for 3rd row center seats for Tori Amos, with Ben Folds opening, at the Hard Rock. Seeing a show in Las Vegas is different from a show in St. Paul or Washington or Athens. People in Vegas are on vacation, throwing money away like hamburger wrappers, and "seeing a show" is so much a part of the Vegas experience that vacationers don't really care what they see, so long as they spend good money on it. So $65 is a bargain-basement gig in the land of sold-out $120 tickets for O or Zumanity, and the crowd is notably both ignorant and gigglingly oblivious to the fact.

Ben Folds took the stage promptly and earnestly, pounding the keys, singing ballads too sensitive to have been delivered by the lounge lizard jazz singers down the Strip, and standing on his piano to direct the crowd in wordless gospel harmonizing. I'm not a huge fan, although I like the guy - we spent ten minutes chatting once in a Noah's Bagels in Indianapolis - but I was impressed. He did some of the better known BF5 tunes, and a host of newer solo material that I hadn't heard, including a lovely and empathetic tune about a man who climbs a tree during a party, spends the night, and comes down a born-again Christian. Of course, he also exchanged juvenile sex jokes with the audience and behaved like an overall goofball about half the time.

My dad's verdict: Talented, but hits the keys too hard.

Tori took the stage dressed in some heinous brown-pink frilly thing with sparkles that she had evidently lifted from the wardrobe of Stevie Nick's kid sister. Her song mix was heavy on material from Under the Pink, Boys for Pele and Scarlet's Walk, along with some unusual cover material: Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire," Lloyd Cole's sublime "Rattlesnakes" from her covers album, and Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move" interpolated with her own b-side, "Take to the Sky." Her own piano and vocals, when freed from the heavy chains of her rhythm section, were lovely - particularly on the piano solo for "Cornflake Girl," and on an extended and meandering solo session. But the rhythm section, featuring the drumming of longtime musical colleague Matt Chamberlain, was far too high in the mix. Tori's songs are carried melodically almost entirely by piano and vocals, and at times the bass and drums drowned the melody lines out entirely. This wasn't necessarily a problem on some intriguing acid-jazz deconstructions of some older Boys for Pele material, like "Springtime of His Voodoo," but posed serious obstacles to the more conventional melodies.

Scarlet's Walk was represented by the desert-road song epic "A Sorta Fairytale," which opened the set paired with "Wampum Prayer," the topical "Don't Make Me Come to Vegas," as well as "Wednesday" and "I Can't See New York." The Vegas theme returned in a thrilling (to me, at least) performance of the Little Earthquakes-era b-side "Mary," one of my very favorite Tori b-sides. In addition to the BfP and Scarlet's Walk material, Tori paid at least lip service to some of the other records, but the bulk of her repertoire is just too great now to offer a sampling in each concert. Still, the setlist was peculiar, and didn't flow particularly well at times.

I have seen better Tori Amos concerts, but any Tori concert is a memorable one in its way. This was distinguished by the setting and the coincidence of me arriving in Vegas on the one night of her appearance.

My dad's verdict: She has a lot of talent, but needs to showcase her voice and piano more and tone down the rhythm section. Also, he found the "sexual aggressiveness" of her gestures off-putting and distracting from the music.