North American Plugged '98 Tour
Providence, RI
October 25, 1998
Updated November 4, 1998
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North American Plugged '98 Tour
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Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page Tori performed in Providence, RI on October 25, 1998 at the Providence Performing Arts Center during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.  Set ListTori performed Never Seen Blue, Baker Baker, Graveyard and Landslide solo. Thanks to Richard Handal who called me on the phone after the show with the set list. Mike Pastore, Christ & Sara, Mike, and Natalie Emma were the first to email the set list to me. Precious Things 1st Encore: 2nd Encore: |
ReviewsThe most recently added reviews are first. From Colette AlexanderNovember 4, 1998 - meet and greet had quite a few people at it, but the number system seemed to work, and I hope we got some good pictures of tori (my friends and i were numbers 44-46)...she seemed to hurry off though, about 11-15 people seemed to actually get to talk to her. what an amazing concert...I fell in love with Jon Evans, too. We seemed to connect for some reason during parts of each song. I had amazing seats, 5th row (which actually ended up being like 3rd row because the first two rows were in the orchestra pit, and lowered a bit).....I didn't believe he could actually *see* me until Space Dog when I made a little face and he almost started laughing while playing....so yeah, he rocks. :) Precious Things- so much more improv throughout the concert than in the first length of the tour....more crotch grabs (i think 2 instead of the usual one...and even those were more dramatic and played out)...and she seemed to start a theme for each of the songs..her voice sounded different tonight.....younger. She's Your Cocaine- talk about surprise! usually an encore....or at least towards the end of the main set. it fit well though, and she seemed to really be into this one. the black sabbath bars before "and is it true..." and the real crazy breathing on the last note climaxed with her knocking the mic (on the kurzweil) off of it's stand. heh. "this is a spacy place. that's not bad, but it's just a space place" or something to that extent... the guys are hangeded over :) heh. Space Dog- the tech guy fixes the Kurzweil mic, but I wasn't really paying attention...I love this song live. she gets to jazz it up a bit. the guys seemed to be having a lot of fun. Caught A Lite Sneeze- a highlight of the show for me...segued into 'Hurt' quite a bit of improv vocals after that too....just beautiful. very passionate. Horses- another surprise...usually a later-in-the-show staple....but I liked it here...and the lights were amazing. such a distinctive intro to this now...maybe that's cause she's played it so much at the shows I've been to. iieee- wow. always intense and impressive....I love the improv that goes on just before the ending. the guys seem to really like this one too... secret time.... she didn't have the best time taping Storytellers I guess....hmm....it should be interesting to see the finished product when it comes out. Never Seen Blue- I was hoping for Flying Dutchman, since I had requested it, but I'm so glad I was able to hear this live. so beautiful. I'm jealous of the people who got to hear 'Beulah Land' though...I'm kind of partial to it. Baker Baker- I know the person who requested this....just beautiful. Purple People-!!!!! yay!!!!! I was so excited. Jon almost laughed at me again at "breakfast, every hour, it could save the world"...heh. Hotel- I couldn't tell what this was at first. I'm glad I got to see this live though....hmm....sounded different, more organic with the band as opposed to just with a programmer. Graveyard- the guys seemed kind of taken aback by this, as though it wasn't on the set list....but I guess it was. just beautiful. Tear in Your Hand- I felt this coming...I was thinking about the set list before the show and I told Julia "you know, I feel Tear In your hand coming tonight"...heh. Matt looks like what he's doing is so easy, but when you just look at his arms...how does he do it?? Waitress- fun. as usual I guess...hmm...not much else to say... Talula-!!!!another highlight. I love this live...just beautiful. the guys seemed to be trying to say something to each other for this one...the lighting is beautiful, once again. Raspberry Swirl- I don't think i've ever seen Tori have as much fun as she had...I was dancing away, too...she really enjoys playing the Kurzweil and the Bose at the same time :) the little antennae were on matt too.... Landslide- wow...her mascara was running and she was crying really hard for awhile during this.... for some reason, this always shows up at the concerts I attend....in Ann Arbor 96, Detroit club 98, and now this....but I'm not complaining... Pandora- wow....I love this live. I hadn't seen it before this...very accurate, very ethereal. all together, a wonderful show...I'm so happy I was able to get there (thanks to all who replied....Tom, Victor....)...the EWF community is just so supportive. thanks so much. From Lucien and ElaineOctober 31, 1998 - Hi everybody!I'd like to share my view on Tori's concert at Providence Performing Arts.First I'd like to mention that Providence is a beutiful city.Roger williams Park has something for everyone to enjoy.They've done a lot to improve the riverside which we passed coming down from the Brown University area where we had some Mexican at Montana's.Being a Sunday we were able to park on the street for FREE!As we walked to the concert we crossed a couple of cobblestone intersections done in different patterns and colors.We passed a magnificent old cathedral(iieee!)with a very tall steeple surrounded by even taller buildings.The Performing Arts Center is agreat place for a concert. As you enter you are greeted by chandeliers and soft carpetting throughout.The walls inside are beutifully decorated with multi colored wallpaper,draperies,columns and lots of gold trim.The ceiling has a huge lit dome sphere.(By the way the Providence Capital has one of the largest marble domes in the world).Ticketmaster SUCKS!After spending close to an hour to get tickets,I'm told there is only one left.The next day I called the box office and got some great seats at center, lower balcony.The opening band was dull.The lead singer stood at the same spot through the whole set.Finally The Show begins.Precious Things is dynamite:the sound,the lights and the wailing cries.Tori is wearing a black stretch body suit with a shiny pink apron with lots of glitter.The outfit looks especially lovely when she is playing both keyboards facing the audience with the apron hanging straight between her spread legs,showing off her knee-high white boots.The Bosendorfer looked unusually large.THe front was open and is lit inside,like a big treasure chest full of gold.I love watching Tori with binoculars.Her heart and soul pour out through her facial expressions.Her hair tonight is just as beutiful as my favorite picture of her on the biography cover.I like the way a few strands cover her face,how she flips her hair over to one side and how she tilts her head back,hair dangling, with her eyes closed as she pounds the keyboards.(no,I don't have a red hair fetish).Tori does this thing with her right arm where she brings it down brushing her thigh and extends it straight back.I'm thinking she should continue the motion around over her head like a windmill.I like the way she raises her left hand high up in the air to put an exclamation on certain parts of songs.She's Your Cocaine borders on eccentic.My wife loves this song.She says I'm her cocaine.At the end Tori gets flustered and confused knocking over the mike stand.(Great theatrics!}I often listen to Space Dog on the end of side A,then Yes,Anastasia then back to space dog and so on.Iwas elated to hear it live,sounded great!I really like the part where she's banging on the synthesizer doing the up tempo part and quikly turns to the piano to do the mellow piano section.Would you believe Caught A Lite Sneeze was the first Tori song I ever heard,right here in Providence on WBRU.Iwas hooked,now I'm addicted but it sure beats drinking and drugging.Tori's my cocaine.Tonight I'm missing the Harpsichord.(sigh!)I donT care for this Horses version,though the lights and ending are amazing Next Tori is playing iieee in that old cathedral that we passed. Everything is wonderful but something is going wrong. Dark and evil set in. There's got to be a sacrifice. Tori crosses her fisted hands against her stomach. I stop day dreaming.I'm suprized that Tori didn't enjoy doing Storytellers.During The Dew Drop Inn Tour she did alot of talking and it gave the show a much more personal feel. The B-side Nerve Seen Blue and Purple People are nice but not sensational. Baker Baker was the emotional hit of the night. It left lots of us mesmerized and teary eyed. What I love about Hotel are the hauntingly high notes Tori reaches singing"give me more".Geaveyard proves that Tori does acapella better than anyone.Tear in your Hand set some more tears flowing. It's one of my favorites.(What am I saying, most of Tori's songs are my favorites.)The Waitress is always very powerful. The lighting was great and Tori hardly sat through the whole song. Someone shouted "Waitress must die" which somehow seemed appropriate.At the end Tori runs out to the front of the stage, both hands held high, with the biggest smile you'll ever see to shake some hands. Talula is great as the first encore. Rasberry Swirl gets people dancing. Tori revs up to a higher energy level likes she's fantasizing about driving an Indy car. She introduced the band as ghosts earlier in this spooky place.The visuals on this song are spectacular and could easily be seen as a Halloween Jam. The lighting is awesome. Caton is dressed all in black with an Odd Job hat on. Only his face is lit in bright white. (eerrie!)If he was all in white he would fit right in with the gang in Clockwork Orange. Jon has his head tilted down shaking his hair back and forth completely covering his face. (Cousin It). Matt has a plastic hard hat on with 2 eyeballs bobbing around on springs (hysterical!).And of course Shumaker driving the piano. I like Tori's cover of Landslide but I would much rather hear one of her own songs like Northern Lad or Hey Jupiter in this spot.I find Pandora's Aquarium to be very sensual.I like the way Tori constantly changes her tone from high to low. I love the ripples part.(How many times have I said love now?)The four mirror balls are sending white spots everwhere.( I miss the bubbles alot!)This was a very high energy show. I'm amazed that Tori and company can keep this pace night after night in such good spirits.My only disappointment is that Tori didn't play any of the few songs I have yet to hear live. Actually the big disappointment is when the show ended. ( Give me more!) Thanks to all who had a hand in passing my CD up to Tori and back so I could set her autograph . See you all soon in Amherst!!!!!! From JILLSK8TES@aol.comOctober 31, 1998 - I don' t know what else I can add to these reviews! It was my first Tori concert ever, and I was not disappointed :) Let me tell you all about it: I left for PPAC with my good friend (who is also my ice skating coach), and her husband, around 7 p.m. We were pretty excited, as we had 9th row (I know I was siked!) When we arrived, we went right in, and found our seats, which were just as good as I had imagined. Afterwards, I purchased a program, and a Raspberry Swirl Girl necklace, and we walked around. The Unimaginable Truth, as the opening act, were alright. They played very mellow songs when all I wanted to do was get rid of the energy that was building up inside of me! The were like a bland Radiohead kind of band. But they weren't BAD! More walking around (halfway through the opening act). It seemed like forever between the time the opening act ended, and the time Tori came on. But it was so awesome when the time came! Tori came out in a white, sparkly apron over a black, shoulderless, body suit. She also had on shiny, white boots which nearly went up to her knees--very cool! Everyone was now on thier feet, and would stay just like that for most of the show. She did her little waves, knelt down on the stage, and then took to the piano. As usual, as I have read she opened up with Precious Things. It makes the perfect opener, as many of you already know. As soon as she began to sing, I could not even BELIEVE the wonderful quality of her voice. It blew me away! I found myself singing along with her, almost in a trance. She's Your Cocaine -- I wasn't expecting this one, but it was awesome. It's so funny, because I have taken a great liking to this song in just the past week or so! At the end, she grabbed the microphone, as she wails a few notes. I think that she may have knocked it off! Space Dog -- It was so cool to have to audience charged up with these rockin' songs right in the beginning of the concert. It sounded great when the band and Tori worked back and forth in this song. Caught a Lite Sneeze -- I wanted to hear this song so badly, as this was the very first song that I had heard by Tori, and I still love the song. I didn't even recognize it at first, for it sounds so different with the piano opposed to the harpsichord. I still thought that this was a beautiful version, and I enjoyed it very much. Almost toward the end, she threw in the NIN's "Hurt" which was AWESOME. I really loved this song. :D Tori then introduced the band. She was telling us that they were in a spacy mood, for PPAC was a spacy place, telling us "not that that's a bad thing!" She made little "oOoOoO" sounds like a ghost. She also mentioned that they were hung over from the previous night. Horses -- I was hoping to hear this song ever since I found out that there was a new version that she was doing during this tour. This ong holds a special place in my heart. I have heard the song throught the net, and it sounded just like that version. It was absolutely gorgeous, complete with four disco balls lighting up the theater. I also loved the little cries she made at the end--it was very touching. I think that this is when I stopped singing--I didn't want to ruin the experience for anyone due to my singing, heehee. :) i i e e e -- Powerful song. It was performed very well, and was full of the energy that the song needs. "And then the boys go away..." The guys left, and Tori told us that if we were ever asked to do VH1 Storyteller's to make sure that we kill ourselves first! She said told us that in the show she had to talk about her songs, and that if she wanted to talk about what she had written, she wouldn't have had to write them in the first place! She then said that she was playing the next song for a guy who had heard part of it at a New England show years ago when the song was not yet finished. She thought that he might have been there tonight. Never Seen Blue (solo) -- I was very happy to hear this one! I have always thought that this song was gorgeous, and it was played so perfectly (very close to the recorded version). It also provided a nice break up in the set list. Tori said that she was playing the next song for the had not played it much, and had been recieving requests for it. Baker Baker (solo)-- another beautiful, beautiful song. What can I say! The boys come back. Purple People -- This song also has some special meaning to me, and I don't think that I was expecting this one. An awesome treat! Hotel -- Wow, wow, wow. This was SPECTACULAR! I loved it! I have always liked this song, but I have a new found appreciation for it. The vocals on this song were incredible, and I was amaxed at how well she had pulled this one off live. Go Tori and the guys! Graveyard (acapella) -- Short, but sweet, as you can imagine. A nice time for everyone to catch their breath! Tear in Your Hand -- Now here's another one that I have really come to LOVE recently. Very nice, and was done well with the band. The Waitress -- Now I have been waiting to hear this song since I have heard so much about it. It was breathtaking! The amount of energy put into this song was amazing! It was complete with the "hang ten, honey, I am gonna go where she goes," etc. This was the last song of the main set list. Tori and the guys then hugged, Tori shook a few hands, and galloped off the stage. 1st Encore : Talula -- I admit that it took me awhile to figure this one out. Purple and green lights were flashing around as we sat there dumbfounded until Tori sang the first notes. I do miss the harpsichord with this song, but it was nice, nevertheless. :) Raspberry Swirl -- I knew it would be coming as soon as Matt put on his deeley boppers! I wanted to hear this one, and it was so cool... swirl, swirl, swirl... I AM the Raspberry Swirl Girl (though the song does not in any way relate to what is going on in my life :) 2nd Encore: Landslide (solo) -- man, oh, man... I have always loved this song, and hearing Tori sing this one live brought tears to my eyes, and a couple made their way down my face. It was so enchanting, and beautiful... :*) Pandora's Aquarium -- Tori's voice in this song, was just phenominal (just like she had been all night--amazing, amazing, amazing!!) I fell right into this song. This was a great way to end this wonderful night. My friends and me then hung around for a few minutes as the theater emptied out, and the Raspberry Swirl remixes played. We then went out the back door, and went to the after-the-show meet and greet, to see what we could see. But the place was absolutely mobbed, and we decided to leave after a long wait. It was the perfect concert that I had imagined, and I am still buzzing two days later! The lighting, Tori's voice, the band, the sound, and the audience could not have been better! Now that is something that I will not soon forget. :) From NicoleOctober 31, 1998 - i waited in line w/ a red #24 on my hand for seven hours at the ppac sunday i got to see her & got my fav. single ("god",i love the piano suite)signed and gave her my little present.this was an overwhelming experience for me(ask the kids who went to the m&g abt the grl who was sobbing and cryng w/ one shoe in her hand and an autographed cd in the other hand--that was me,i lost it) i couldnt under stand why everyone wasnt crying like me.ever since sunday i have been walking in a tori-cloud i just keep thinking abt selling everything i own so i can go to the last two area shows in my area(i saw at the fleet on august 1st,i have tix 4 lowell,but i wanna go to amherst & durham)as a toriphile i need to know--how do you function in society when you live on planet Tori? i think im just gonna say screw society andmove permanent to toriland.but i keep 4getting things like..uh...the purpose in life?????everyone thinks im nuts.do you or any one get where im coming from??? From Jacqueline StarrOctober 27, 1998 - i should have written this last night but i got lazy. hehe. the providence show was my second tori experience on this tour and ever. i was *not* disapointed! the meet and greet was chaotic. my friend and i got there on the late side and there looked to be aproximately 130-150 people. i did see some people with red numbers on their hands but the whole numbering system seemed to fall apart...per usual so it seems. (hi to the fellow RDT list member from right near the venue that i met at the m & g :) i never caught your name. nice to meet someone familiar with what's been going on on the list!) *Precious Things*- What can i saw about this song that hasn't been said a thousand times over? the friend i went with (a tori concert virgin) turned to me after this song and said "This is the best show i've ever been to." (she's seen Rush, Barenaked Ladies, Lollapalooza '93...among others) this just amused the hell out of me. hehe. *She's Your Cocaine*- I wasn't expecting to hear this song, for some reason. It's never really been a favorite of mine but live...it was amazing. *Space Dog*- my friend in i were talking about this song in the car! i really like this one with the band. the breaks sound great. *Caught a Lite Sneeze*- i miss the harpischord on this one. granted, i would never turn my back on the band playing it, but the harpischord is just...it belongs with it! *Horses*- again...everything that could describe this has already been said. *iieee*- i'm glad i got to see this one again. it wasn't as long as the one at the Fleet in August, but i think i prefered it that way. *Never Seen Blue (solo)*- she talked for a bit before this one. it was a nice change from the last show where she said next to nothing. she mentioned how a guy had mentioned to her that she played part of this at some New England show years ago before it was finished so she wanted to play it for him. i really liked it. *nods* *Baker Baker (solo)*- i was so glad to hear this one! it was beautifully done and she seemed to be really immersed in it. *Purple People*- yay!! this and Upside Down are my favorite bsides. when i heard the intro i just about died. hehe. it was wonderful! *Hotel*- i've just recently begun to appreciate the studio version of this song. this will definately help me along. the lights were fun and the end was amazing. *Graveyard (acapella)*- this one seemed to come out of right field. it took me a sec to figure out what it was. her voice sounded perfect. i dare anyone who says she doesn't have a voice to listen to her sing this one. *Tear In Your Hand*- not a song i was really expecting to hear. (you ever just get your mind set of what you think you're gonna hear and then when it's something else, it just throws you off?...) *Waitress*- was glad to see this one come up. (though it usually does...) i really enjoyed this song at the fleet and i wanted my friend to experience it. :) i love the way the crowd seems to get so absorbed into it. *Talula*- yay! another one from boy for pele! this song was fun with the band. it's so much better than it was with the canned music it had on the ddi tour. *Raspberry Swirl*- it's all already been said. although, the other i went to, i was sitting next to the stage and i didn't really experience the lights as i should have been. all i can say is wow. they were kick ass during this song. i loved the raspberry/green lights bouncing rythmically all over the place... *Landslide(solo)*- ahh...perfect. when i saw her walking on stage alone, i was secretly hoping she'd do this song. her version of it is great and i just wanted to see this one. it was everything i hoped it would be. *nods to herself* *Pandora's Aquarium*- a wonderful way to draw the evening to a close. she seemed to be holding on to this one in the end...drawing the notes out beautifully... overall, i was extremely pleased with the entire show. the crowd seemed very well behaved (taking into consideration some of the stories i've heard!), the sound was good, and everything seemed to fall into place. tori seemed much more animated than she was in Boston. she talked much more and seemed to be having a great time. the after show meet and greet was PACKED. my friend and i drove by it and half the audience looked to be out there. the place was a mob scene. *shrugs* i guess that's about it from here. happy concert going! From The Providence JournalOctober 27, 1998 - This review from the October 26, 1998 edition of The Providence Journal was sent to me by John Mullaney. You can also read this review at The Providence Journal web site Tori Amos at PPAC: a powerful, varied sound More power to her.
Tori Amos has augmented her solo piano (and occasional harpsichord)
with a full-bore rock band on her current tour. Her sold-out show at the
Providence Performing Arts Center was not as intimate as it was the last
time Amos came to town, but overall the bigger, more varied sound
benefitted the performance.
In case there was any doubt about Amos's commitment to her new
approach, she dispelled it in a hurry on her opener, a powerful ``Precious
Things,'' featuring massive pounding rhythms from drummer Matt
Chamberlain, while smoke billowed from behind the musicians and
flashing lights played on the crowd.
Amos, who has built a deeply devoted following over the years, is not a
``less is more'' kinda gal. A gifted pianist, she'll throw in knotty, atonal
solos; her vocals range from banshee highs to gutteral lows to barely
audible whispers.
When Amos had to carry an evening by herself, she tried so hard to sell all
the drama of her songs -- deeply personal, if not always logical,
meditations on sex and spirit -- that she felt compelled to use every trick
in her formidable book. Which could get very wearing.
With a band, though, Amos has partners to work with on stage, and the
result is a more balanced and satisfying show.
Guitarist Steve Caton put the guitar edge on ``She's Your Cocaine,'' from
Amos's current album, from the choirgirl hotel , while Amos stood between
a grand piano on one side and an electronic keyboard on the other,
playing them simultaneously. Amos hasn't exactly retreated into a shell
just because she's hired herself a band.
``Space Dog'' got a funky bottom end, courtesy of the band's rhythm
section, with interludes of solo piano from Amos.
``We're in a spacy mood tonight . . . this is a spacy place,'' Amos said.
Shafts of light splintered by four mirror balls illuminated the ominous
``Horses,'' with her keening, wordless cries ending the song.
On ``iieee,'' the band used electronically processed rhythms and a blast of
guitar noise from Caton. ``Tear in Your Hand,'' however, got a relatively
straightforward treatment, with Amos driving the song via big rhythmic
chords.
Amos's solo turns at piano actually came as refreshing interludes,
particularly since she no longer felt the need to show us everything she
can do.
She sang a lovely ``Never Seen Blue'' followed by an effective ``Baker
Baker'' that ended with a whispery breath just this side of audible.
Opening act was a band called Unbelievable Truth, which sounded rather
pallid, particularly compared to Amos & Co. From Alison RosenOctober 27, 1998 - I showed up for the meet and greet at Providence Performing Arts Center at about 2:00. Of course, I was dubbed #99--I did not realize how crazy these meet and greets have become. it made me nostalgic for the old days when only about 15 people showed up and we all got to chat with Tori, and for longer periods of time. My number became completely irrelevant (as always)...I did not get to come even remotely close almost 2 1/2 hrs later when tori finally showed up. Its really quite frustrating when she's right there but everyone just wants a hug or a signature...oh well. just another consequence of the new tori mania I suppose. so, after a nice dinner at a cute restaurant in town, my friend and I took our seats in the not so good Dress Circle 1 row J. PPAC is so much more formal-feeling than Fleet Center (my other show on this particular tour.) and at the Fleet show, I was in the equivalent of the 12th row on the floor, so this was a real change. I was surrounded by people I wanted to hit, though--I happened to overhear the couple in front of me saying to their friend, "so, who is this Tori Amos woman?" the friend replies, "oh, she plays the piano." first woman says, "oh, there's going to be piano?" my friend had to practically restrain me. I was so annoyed with my high balcony seating at that point...I knew I belonged on the floor with the other devoteds. :-) But we won't get into my frustrating ticket stories now. After the opening act (very Radiohead wannabe-ish, but boring to me) Tori come on at almost 9:30. Precious Things was explosive and joygasmic! :-) I couldn't sit still. I noticed that everyone down in the orchestra were standing, but no one in the balconies were! this was quite distressing, I cannot SIT at times like Precious Things! the most upsetting thing to me was that when people tried to stand, ushers came and made them sit! I wanted to scream. especially during Raspberry Swirl!!! but that's later in the story. Next was Cocaine, still rocking, and Space Dog was next...I was screaming and clawing onto my friend so much because I was overjoyed to hear this one live!!! Caught a Lite Sneeze was great, keeping the energy up. Horses was next (I happen not to like this version nearly as much as the album version, I like the mood of the latter better.) but I love the lights and still enjoy it because it's tori! After Horses came one of my favorites, Iieee! another one with me wildly hitting my friend. I'm always moved by the way Tori holds her tummy "gotta be a sacrifice" on this one. :-( The song is so amazing, lights and all. I just sit and watch tori and think wow. look what she has become! such an amazing performer, there aren't even words for it. Next was Never Seen Blue(solo) which I have never heard before, but I did buy the Jackie's Strength single only a few hours before the concert and I recognized the title in the song. very pretty. When tori broke out with Baker Baker next I completely lost it. now, I have never outright cried at a tori concert before--I have come very close, been very teary eyed, but I was sobbing at this one. this song has a lot of history with me and a situation with a good friend that ended badly, so I was just unprepared and blown away by this one. Absolutely beautiful. After Baker Baker, though, the concert sort of went into a valley for me. She did Purple People, a song that I enjoy but not one that I love. Hotel was a surprise, and it was well done, but also not a spiritual Tori song I crave to hear live or anything. Graveyard was nice--acapella tori is always enjoyable. Tear in Your Hand brought me back up again--another more emotional one for me. Not to the point of Baker Baker, but I definitely felt all sorts of emotions during this one. As a side note, this is what I love about Tori so much-- the way that her music is so personal and that we all bring to it our own experiences that intermingle with Tori's. Waitress was explosive--it really brings the main set full circle. I absolutely love the use of lighting to complement the music on this tour. Its fabulous! As Tori went off the stage, I really was rooting for Spark as an encore. She came back with Talula (another surprise for me) which was cool but not as good w/o the harpsichord--one thing I miss from the Dew Drop Inn tour. Raspberry Swirl ROCKED--and this was when I was really having problems staying in my seat, and was outraged at the evil ushers keeping us all orderly in the balconies. grr! one girl just kept popping up no matter how much the ushers told her to sit. I was proud of her! Tori left again, and came back for a less than satisfying 2nd encore (for me.) I know I sound like I am complaining too much, and I am sorry, but I was still energized and hopin' for some SPARK! she played Landslide which really is beautiful. I thought the concert was over, but the band came back for Pandora's Aquarium. this was not exciting for me at all and ended the concert on a somewhat icky note--I have never connected with this song in any way, and of course I will admit I was disappointed not to hear Spark. But overall the concert was great, of course. Seeing Tori definitely puts me in a state of euphoria that is incomprable to any other! I am eagerly awaiting her show here at my school, UMASS, on November 15th! From babcock2October 27, 1998 - Saw Tori in Providence last night and as the tour is winding down, this most likely will be my last show on this tour. I was able to see four of them, one being in Frankfurt. One of the great things about this site is being able to read the reactions of others at the show. So I'd like to give my thoughts on last night and then go to a top 10 format to summarize my Tori tour experience. Providence was probably my least favorite of all the shows. I look on the Website everyday to see the set list and it seems my favorites only seem to be played when I'm not there. The set list in Providence wasn't spectacular (my opinion). I really was hoping that I'd hear Siren and Cooling - they have both been played so much lately. No such luck. I'd really like to know what Torii's 10 favorite songs are because her choices in the set list are sometimes interesting and different than what I think she would play. Tori however, was spectacular as always. She is really the ultimate raw talent. It is a joy to see her work that piano and share the gifts that she has been given with all of us. I'm pretty sure she was playing piano last night. You couldn't hear it over the guitar and drums, but I've pretty much accepted that fact since the beginning. Maybe tonight they'll give the roadies a break and just leave it in the truck. The band drowns it out anyway 75% of the time. Just let her sing. Now to sum up the '98 Tori experience; My top ten lists: Generally - My Top Ten Favorite Songs: 1. Icicle - simply the best display of Tori's total talent. Didn't hear it There they are. As everyone has different taste, I'm sure this list is different than most people. It is hard to pick only 10. So many great songs can't make the list. However, it is a TOP 10 list so there can only be 10 (or sometimes 11). Top Ten Highlights of the Plugged 98 Tour 1. China (solo) - not on my top ten favorites, but beautiful played live Top Ten Disappointments of the Plugged '98 Tour 1. No Icicle - not for me at least You didn't really think there would be 10 disappointments. Did you? All in all, Tori is an incredible artist, a beautiful woman, an exciting performer and worth the wait until the next tour. Tour rating 9 out of 10. Had I been lucky enough to hear some more of my faves and turn down the amps and it gets a 10. From BirkFaerie@aol.comOctober 27, 1998 - "No matter what it takes, she promises, promises a show" were Tori's words last nite during Purple People. Nothing could have been closer to the truth!! The concert, Tori, everything was just amazing--there are no words to describe it, as I'm sure almost everyone feels after one of her concerts. We got the the PPAC too late for the meet and greet because of uncontrollable circumstances (next time Tori, next time!). There was a huge group of people out front--the security and the ushers were really taking their time letting people in. The PPAC is so beautiful, the whole place has carpet everywhere even on the walls. We heard The Unbelievable Truth--I liked them, but, of course, we all wanted Tori. The crew was teasing the audience, slowly the lights went out, ushers were telling us to be quiet....and still, there was a long wait. The guys came out and started up Precious Things. Tori made quite the entrance. She was so happy! Her signiture waves were so cute. Tori was dressed in a tight black off the shoulder shirt, black pants, knee high white boots, and a sparkly apron. As soon as she started to sing Precious, one of my first thoughts was I'm so glad she's feeling well. I saw her a few times over the summer when she was sick. I didn't realize how bad she must have been feeling until tonite, when I heard the grrrrrl, and the wails during the song. It was incredible. And, of course, the crotch grab made an appearance. Then, I think, She's Your Cocaine was next. Tori and the band went wild! She was stomping her feet, it was nuts! At the end when she was making all these noises into the microphone, she slammed it, and the mike fell off the stand. A crew guy came out to fix it. Next was either Caught a Lite Sneeze or Space Dog. I'd never heard Space Dog live before, the lights were so in tune with her singing. After those was Horses. At the other shows, she played this girl as an encore, so I was surprised to hear it at the beginning. I love the wails at the end of this one, too. So spooky. Iieee, was great as always. Tori sang 'screaming catherdrals, why can't I be beautiful' with this look on her face that was so emotional and sincere. Oh yeah, she commented on the ghost-like the theatre was. She then introduced her boys as "ghosts", and gave Caton the nickname that sounds like "Kates". Tori also said that everyone was hungover. She told about the taping of VH1 storytellers and told about how it was such a long day, and it was so hard to do. She said something like, "I have to do this Storytellers thing, and tell about the songs....what they mean. I hate talking about them. Thats why I write them, because I can't talk." (This isn't word for word) At secret time she said this next was a request and she hopes the guy is here tonite. Before playing, Tori said there was another time in New England a while ago, when she played a part of this song, but it wasn't finished. Then, she launched into Never Seen Blue. I couldn't believe it. NSB is one of my favorite songs, it means so much to me. The live version is so high and sweet, she sounded like an angel. For the next one, she commented this was also a request and she hadn't played it in long time. Baker, baker started and the whole audience was in shock. There wasn't any yelling, we were in awe. Tori is so powerful, I didn't take my eyes off her the entire show. Baker was so beautiful, I can't believe I heard it live. The boys came back and started Purple People, which I at first mistook for playboy mommy. She was giving the cutest smiles and giggles during it, I loved it. It was so eerie and haunting, even more so than on the single. Hotel was next, this was one I really wanted to hear. Her screams, wails, howls, whatever you want to call them, at the end were so chilling. I still can't get them out of my head. I think Graveyard was next. I expected this one, I think she'll be playing this at the rest of her shows in memory of Matthew. She didn't play the piano, she just sang and her face looked so sad. Tear In Your Hand came out, and I was so happy. This is an all time favorite, and I probably would have requested it at the next show if she didn't play it tonite. It was even better than I ever could have imagined. During The Waitress, Tori hardly sat down. It was great, like usual. They all left, then came back (obviously) for the encores. I didn't recognize this next one at first. I called it the Mystery Song. When the first word, talula, came out the song spoke for itself. I loved Talula, it's so much fun. I love the Tori head shakes that she does all throughout the songs. After Talula, I could see Matt's light up boppers, I knew Raspberry Swirl was coming. Utter craziness--enough said. They left agaid, la la la, and Tori comes back all alone. We were in for a solo treat. I heard the notes of Landslide, and my jaw dropped. This song, especially having Tori sing it, has a ton of impact in my life. I heard Landslide before in Springfield, but this was so much better. It was like listening to a story between friends, she seems to be telling the audience something private. I feel that during all of her songs, but especially this version. She was so sicere. She hit all the high notes, let her voice drop to a whisper, lingered a couple words--so mesmorizing. Back come the boys, and they play the sweet Pandora's Aquarium. Tori let her voice go all throughout the scales in this one. She'd start off really high then linger down to low and throaty, hitting every note in between. Tori got up, grabbed a couple hands, reached down for hugs and flowers from the front row and left with Matt, Caton, and Jon. Their arms were wrapped around each other. This cocert was so emotional and powerful. I felt the connection between Tori and us EWF so much stronger here than at the previous shows I was at. How she pulls this this feeling up out of her six nights a week is beyond me. You'd think by now, she'd have been run dry and be a cold hearted person. But she's nothing even close to that which shows just how special Tori really is. From Megan S.October 27, 1998 - Hi! I'm currently writing this off of 2 hours of sleep but my fatigue is worth it, for I saw Tori last night at the Providence Performing Arts Center. It was my 3rd Tori show (on this tour) and a great show it was - however, I didn't find it as intimate as the Springfield show (8/2/98). Unfortunately, I didn't make the meet-n-greet because my friends aren't as motivated as I but we did get there early enough to see all the EWF hanging out outside the theater - I saw a lot of familiar faces...none that I knew personally, but ones I've seen around at shows. Anyway, the opening act started at 8. They were OK but I personally didn't really care for them. Finally Tori came out wearing a long white-ish sparkly apron number with the black outfit underneath and really high white boots (almost knee-high but not quite!). Precious was spectacular as always and I was surprised to hear She's Your Cocaine for the second song! It was funny, at the end of the song she sort of pushed the microphone away and I think she may have knocked it down because as she was starting the next song, some guy came out to fix it - it just goes to show you how she really gets into her songs. When she introduced "the brothers," she was saying something about ghosts but I couldn't quite make out what she was saying amidst all the cheers. I did hear her make some cute little ghost noise (ooOOOoo). She also talked about the taping of VH-1 Storytellers and how if they ever ask you to be on it, kill yourself because they asked her to talk about her songs and she was like, "what do you think I write the songs for?" During secret time, I swear she was reading my friends' and my minds. In the car on the way up we were talking about songs of hers that we love. One of my friends said she loved Never Seen Blue and it was one of her favorites. My other friend said her 2nd fav. song was Baker Baker and then I said how I *love* Purple People and that's one of my favs. And THEN I said how I wanted to hear what they've done with Hotel and she played ALL of those songs RIGHT in a row!! I was so excited! Never Seen Blue & Baker Baker were requests she said. She said something like, "this is another request, I haven't played this one in a while...here ya go." Oh, and when she was telling one of her sToris, someone must've yelled "I love you" or something because she did a semi sarcastic kissing noise back at that person. And during Raspberry Swirl, Matt had his crazy hat on. The show ended a little after 11pm...it really was an awesome show and I can't wait for Lowell!! From MikeOctober 27, 1998 - Providence was my fourth Plugged '98 show and it was the best yet. Tori was in great voice and I really enjoyed the setlist (though I was hoping to hear Muhammed, Father Lucifer, Girl, and Past the Mission). My five friends and I got there around 7 (four of them had never seen Tori before, and the other girl had seen her twice, with me). When we went to pick up our tickets I saw Brian, the line organizer, who I hadn't seen since the club show in April (Brian, if you read this, it was good to see you again, email me at greenrein@aol.com if you feel like getting together sometime). We had a brief, but nice talk,and then we went inside to get our seats. The opening act was rather dull, so we went and hung out in the lobby. Then around 9:15, the lights went down again, and there was that incredible energy surge because we all knew we were in for a treat She of course opened with Precious Things, which was fabulous, as always. Then I was quite surprised that for song two, she went into She's Your Cocaine. This was the best performance of this song that I've seen. She really got into some parts, and she made a small change that was a first for me. In the middle part where it gets soft and slow, instead of singing the whole thing through as normal, in between "...I could lie to you" and "Is it true..." the band cranked up again for a few measures of hard rocking. Really unexpected - blew me away. She was dancing like I've never seen and looked so cute in her white go-go boots. Next came Spacedog which I have always wanted to hear her do, and have never experienced on this or any other tour. I knew from the first second with that beat that she was doing my song. I got so excited and was simply mesmerized for the whole thing. Beautiful. Then she introduced the band after commenting on the amount of ghosts floating around the PPAC. - Caught a Lite Sneeze - put me in a trance. Got lost and went somewhere else during that one. - Horses: I couldn't decide what I wanted to hear more for an encore. She played Horses at all of the other shows, so I thought it would be cool to hear Pandora, but I love Horses so much! So it was such a cool surprise when the disco balls started going and she did Horses right in the middle. Such a beautiful song. - iieee: new intro, it started with a brief snippet of keyboard produced vocal, then went right into the groove, without the usual buildup. It was fabulous, best I've heard it. Next, after shooing off the boys, she commented that she had just done VH1 Storytellers and if any of us were ever asked to do it to just shoot ourselves. Very funny. She said how wierd it was when people ask her to talk about her songs "That's why I write them" she said. Then she told the story about the guy who asked her on that show about hearing Never Seen Blue a few years ago. That led into a beautiful rendtion of that song. Followed by Baker Baker, one of my least favorite songs (sorry) The boys came out for Purple people. One of the greatest Tori b-sides. It sounded so smooth and luscious. Great tune! Next was Hotel. I think the sound was messed up. It seemed quite muffled and didnt come off with nearly the grandeur or energy I expected from the song. But Tori's vocals were great, and I was still really thrilled to finally hear this song. - Graveyard - I never heard this one before, very cute, which led into: - Tear in Your Hand : I don't know why, but this song always gets me deep down inside. No bubbles this time. - Waitress : This song keeps evolving. There was this frenetic buildup near the end where they kept playing the vamp faster and faster and Tori did the "I believe you're the devil bitch" which sounded incredible. Can't believe how hard they work this one! - Talula: The lights were green and purple at the beginning so I thought it wa sRaspberry Swirl, but they weren't moving. It took a sec, but then I recognized the song as talula. I was so thrilled. Another one of those songs she doesn't play too much that I was dying to hear. Sounded great. - Raspberry Swirl - always so much fun. You can't help but feel good when you hear this song. Each time I have seen this song she changes the way she does the ending. last night was this sort of high wail that escalated through the scales. But it was subtle than most of her wails and sounded wonderful. Wish I could hear that again. - I knew there were two songs left, and she had already done Cocaine, so I figured it was going to be God and then pandora. But I was wrong. She came out alone for her second encore and played Landslide, which is my favorite Tori cover. So beautiful and so magical. Until this woman directly to my left takes out her cell phone and makes a call right in the middle of the song. I was so upset and dumbfounded that she could do that. The nerve of some people! - And she closed with Pandora. Hated this song when I first got the CD, but it has grown on me to the point where I really loved hearing it last night. Nice way to end a wonderful evening. I only have two more Tori shows left this year, can't wait! From Jessica MaxwellOctober 27, 1998 - I was at the show last night, and let me tell you... nothing this amazing has ever happened. Joel is an angel!!!! Ok, we got there at like noon and got in line for the meet and greet, brian gave us numbers i was 58 and my two friends kt, and barb were 57 and 56... anyways... so we waited forever.. then tori came out and yeah i saw her and she signed my evian label, its been my dream like for a year to get that thing signed and i finally did. So then we waited for the show. We saw Joel, her boyguard, right-hand man, guy outside, so we got talking to him. Oh yeah, I had given tori a present at the M&G that was poprocks, a spice girl lollipop, coconut cake lip balm, and a pink glow stick bracelet. Yes she wore the bracelet on stage, I totally died when i saw it! but anyways. during she's your cocaine, Joel came up and found me and my friends and told us to go with him now, so we did and he brought us right up to the stage. so i sat on the stairs leading up to the stage right nesxt to joel's feet for the rest of the show! it was amazing. then tori played graveyard, which kt and i had raved and begged her to play in our letters, when i told joel to thank tori for playing that he was like yeah... i think he told her too :) So this was absolutely the best tori show that will ever exist for me, i am the most happiest girl in the whole world. If you or anyopne else ever meet joel, tell him that he is an angel, cause he truly is!!!! From Laurie SawinOctober 27, 1998 - well I thought I would share my thoughts on my third Tori concert this year. My first was at the Avalon in Boston...second was at the fleet center. She was so amazing as usual.."raspberry swirl" was definitely one of my favorites but I thought "tear in your hand" and "Baker Baker" were tops.... I have to have to say I really thought the acoustics in RI were awful. I found it very difficult to understand what Tori was saying and people around me were having the same problem,at one point I thought she said something like the band was all hung over from last night but I am not positive exactly. After the concert I was able to get a glimps of Tori as she was getting on her bus,,,she signed a few autographs and even saw her hugging a few fans. She is really tiny...I never noticed that. I am looking forward to seeing her again in Lowell Mass From marlaOctober 27, 1998 - Last night I was too tired, so here's my little review of the Providence show. I skipped the meet and greet and instead spent the day with my boyfriend exploring Providence. I love that city. If you only saw downtown, you don't know the half of it! :) We went to the park, rode the carousel, saw the "music temple", went to the zoo and saw the baby polar bear, then bummed around the Brown campus. I really thought Tori would have loved the park, but I found out later that they drove straight from NYC. I won't go song by song, but Caught a Lite Sneeze segued into Hurt (NIN) and my mouth dropped wide open. This was part of the song, band and all, and very different from the acapella intro from the DDI tour. If you blinked you missed it. (Can ears blink?) Second mouth on the floor moment - Graveyard. It was absolutely stunning - acapella. And she sang one line that went something like "I feel you here with me Poppa." Ahhh. Raspberry Swirl seemed to last forever. Very cool. Her stories were cute - she said everyone was "hangaded over" and that she was in a spacey mood (and that the PPAC was spacey - yeah, the security people were EVIL!) and she also said some nasty stuff about VH1 StoryTellers (although after reading Bethey's synopsis, I understand why!). I was able to meet Jon Evans backstage, and he is just the nicest guy ever (next to my boyfriend of course!). For those of you who met/saw me before but not after the show, no, I didn't meet Tori. Last comment - I was extremely excited to hear Hotel, but I realized that it lacks...something that the album version has. Probably the programmed drums, etc. (ha!) It doesn't quite work live, IMHO. But Purple People does, and Talula with the band is ALMOST as good as Talula with the harpischord. What would they do with Blood Roses? I wish I knew... From The Nutmeg ZebraOctober 27, 1998 - This is my recollection of a show I attended in Providence. You can borrow it if you want, but I have to warn you that everyone back home thinks that I'm crazy, and now I'm not sure I saw anything at all... P.S. What's iambic octameter?
The microphoned illusion that illumined me has eyes to flee
Hued pink and black, her tatting tunes laced stitches of epiphany
I could have sworn she lured my soul to places long forgotten me;
Like fire fanning wider did her Bosey strew felicity
A sudden blast. The cool air froze a million goosebumps icily,
Tis Afterday, and anyway, that time is spent. The past is free From vanessa (posted to the Precious-Things mailing list)October 27, 1998 - hot damn. this show was fucking incredible. i'm going to bed now, but... (a) she played space dog, iieee, landslide, baker baker, precious things, waitress, talula, raspberry swirl, graveyard (!) ... i can't remember the rest... i'm sure a soul more diligent than i will post the setlist. (b) she made a comment about how if any of us ever got the chance to do a storytellers show (the vh1 thing), she told us to kill ourselves first. :p she also said that the band and she had a bit of a hangover. :p (c) the venue was amazing. acoustics were incredible, tori was incredible, the lights were incredible... are you picking up on a theme here? ahhhhhh. :) it 'twas good. From Laura (posted to the Precious-Things mailing list)October 27, 1998 - I would like to publicly thank Tori's Joel, because I am not sure quite how to reach him. After the meetngreet i ran up to him hysterically, because during the meetngreet I had passed up a birthday card for my friend i wanted her to sign...she thought it was for her and went backstage with it. He looked skeptical but said he could 'do what he could." Well, he not only took time out while the show was going on, but he got her to sign it, and actually came out and looked for me during the stage. If only i had stayed in my seats! After the show i went to him, and he went backstage AGAIN and searched for along time, but he thinks some people packed it up backstage again.. and that he would give it to me in Lowell. I felt terrible that i caused so much trouble for him. This is the only way i know how to say... Thank you Joel. For all that you did for me. From LesleyOctober 26, 1998 - I'm still riding high on my 5th Tori experience. But I would have to say that the experience was slightly disappointing. Don't get me wrong, Tori was wonderful as always. I would just like to send a shout out to the 7 people that I bought tickets for that decided to bag on me for one reason or another. To Jason and Kristina, thanks for coming with me at the VERY last minute. I did manage to recoup on 4 out of the 5 tickets, and one very lucky person got to see Tori for free! I do believe that her music is something to be shared and I hope that that person enjoyed the show. As usual, Tori was phenomonal. I was a little surprised to here "iiiee" in the middle of her set as opposed to an encore as she did at the Fleet Center. I didn't seem as long or intricate as she improvised after the first go-round of the song was done. Her "Precious Things" continues to blow doors as a set opener (also same opener at Fleet) and brings an entralling, almost tribal pace as Tori manically pounds upon the keyboard. She uses her quick breaths as a rhytmic language that seems to embody the mental anguish of the lyrics. Ok, I'm gonna go off on a personal note about this song. This happens to be one of my favorites, as it reminds me of when I was in high school. I had a mad crush on a white boy whom was brought up as a strict Protestant (I think that was the religion) and told me that he would never ever date me because I'm black. When I listened to this song, it was almost as if she'd been there and knew what happened. As if, she had acknowledged that it was wrong, and that it was ok for me to feel sad, or angry, or happy that I didn't need him anyhow. Nothing else that I've ever heard has ever touched that dark part of my life, and I'm sure nothing ever will. I'd personally like to thank Tori one of these days for taking me there, and helping me to face my problem and deal with it. "Baker Baker" brought quite a few tears to a lot of people surrounding me. "Horses" got a new pair of shoes again....I wish Tori would release that version on CD soon. Very sexy. Tori managed to bring me one step closer to the heavens again as she hit her high A-flats and G's. God, the higher she goes, the easier it is for her to make me cry. It's amazing to me how she can bring so much honesty and emotion to one simple note. We danced like mad during her first encore, "Raspberry Swirl" then took off for the meeting place outside after that. It was already packed with Toriphiles awaiting her. I unfortunately was a little too far back in line and only caught a 2 second glimpse of her eyes, then she was gone. I did get to chat with Brian "the line guy" for a little bit. I guess he's off to Illinois to catch the Evanston show. Hopefully I will see him at the Lowell show. There were some other friendly faces from the ticket line at the Orpheum and the Fleet Center show. Hope to see you all next time in Massachusetts! From Richard HandalOctober 26, 1998 - Richard called me on the phone to give me the set list for this introspective show. Tori was on stage from 9:27PM until 11:03. The main set ended at 10:38. After Hotel, bass player Jon Evans must have been reading ahead on the set list, because he started playing the first few notes of The Waitress by accident. From Mike PastoreOctober 26, 1998 - One thing I'm afraid I'll forget is how Tori talked about taping VH1 Storytellers last night. Apparently it wasn't a pleasant experience because ( I can't remember her exact words) she said if anyone ever asked you to do that show "I swear to christ, kill yourself." She was talking about how she didn't like talking a bout the songs because that is why she WRITES SONGS, because she can't talk (or she thinks she's bad at it). (Her words, not mine. I think she talks just fine.) |
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