Angela Lathem's Home Page

How Toriphiles Kept Up With Plugged '98 Tour Info

In addition to checking the Dent and the various links from this page, there were other ways people kept up with the Plugged '98 tour. Some of these sources are still valuable even with the tour over...

2 Important Mailing Lists.

Other Web Sites

Ticketmaster Canada

Tori Did Not Tour Again In Australia

Tori did not make it to Australia during the Dew Drop Inn tour in 1996, and many Australian Toriphiles were hoping to see her down under on this tour. Tori stated that she would haved liked to tour Australia this time, but it sadly did not happen during the Plugged '98 tour either.

The Plugged '98 Tour Book / Concert Program

How U.K. Fans Can Order It!

Updated June 6

Starting with the May 30th Nottingham, U.K. show, fans could buy a concert program at the concerts. Lianne Macdonald reports on her web page, Collecting Tori, that the tour program was delayed to so that it could include photos from the first few shows of the current UK tour. Lianne says "the programme feautures an introduction from Tori and a piece from Neil Gaiman's "Stardust". There are lots of exclusive photographs in it, including pictures from rehearsals, the recording studio and Tori getting ready for her wedding." You can see scans of some of the photos on the Collecting Tori web site.

Toriphiles Jason Terry and Stuart Ellershaw sent me the following information on how U.K. fans can purchase this program through the mail if they were unable to buy it at their shows:

All you have to do is send a cheque for 7 pounds (The programme costs 6 pounds, and p&p is 1 pound) to the following address, made payable to Bravado International Group Ltd, along with a covering letter containing your name, address and phone number.

Bravado International Group Ltd - Big Tours
12 Deer Park Road
London
SW19 3SB
(or SW19 3FB. I have received both numbers and I am not sure which is correct...)

Tel: 0181 540 8211

The Raspberry Swirl Girl Necklace

Many people have been asking about the Raspberry Swirl Girl necklace, which was on sale during the recent North Amercian club tour (and likely will continue to be sold during the main tour.) You can see 2 excellent photos of this item below that were scanned for me by Kim H.

Tori's Rising Popularity & The Issue Of Arena Concerts

Added May 12

If you subscribed to any of the Tori mailing lists you may have noticed some discussion of the fact that Tori played some really large arenas during her Plugged '98 tour in North America. Some fans were disturbed by this, while others saw it as a natural progression. It generated lots of interesting discussion and viewpoints. I created a special section in my Thoughts Section that gathered some thoughts on this subject from myself and others in the Toriphile Community.

Updated May 4

Tori's club show on Thursday, April 30, 1998 in Chicago, IL was webcast live over the net via JAMtv's Virual Venue, and was also aired as part of an Album Network syndicated radio special in the U.S. I did not take part in the webcast since I was at the show in person, but I received some reports from others. In addition to airing the first 5 songs of the concert, they also aired a Tori interview from backstage and played cuts from Tori's new album, "from the choirgirl hotel." Read more about the radio special and webcast, including a fairly complete transcript of the interview, on my Chicago Webcast Page.

Tori Was Not Part Of The Lilith Fair

Despite all the rumors and the fact that the people who organized Lilith Fair wanted Tori, she was not part of that tour in 1998. If you check the Official Lilith Fair web site, there is no mention of Tori being part of Lilith. In an online chat with Tori that took place at Yahoo on April 13, 1998, Tori herself said that she would not be part of the Lilith Tour because of her own tour.

Tori's Band Included Guitarist Steve Caton, Drummer Matt Chamberlain & Bass Player Jon Evans

This is the first tour where Tori had the backing of a full band. Her friend & guitarist Steve Caton, who toured with Tori during the 1996 Dew Drop Inn tour, was on the road with her once again. Matt Chamberlain, the drummer for Critters Buggin and ex-drummer for Pearl Jam, who recorded on Tori's new album, was the drummer for the tour. The bass player on this tour was Jon Evans.

Find out more about the musicians that toured with Tori, including info on some of their own projects and albums you can enjoy.

The New Album: "From The Choirgirl Hotel"

Tori's 1998 tour supported her new studio album, which was released in the U.S. and the U.K. on May 4/5, 1998. You can read all the latest news about this new album on my Choirgirl Pages.

The 1996 Dew Drop Inn Tour

The Dent fully documented Tori's previous concert tour, the 1996 Dew Drop Inn tour. I have set lists and reviews from nearly every show, some photos, special reports, newspaper reviews, and more on my Dew Drop Inn Tour Page. It should help satisfy your appetite while we wait for more news about the 1998 tour.

Tori At The Cafe In San Francisco

Here is something important I forgot to mention after Tori's San Francisco club show on May 5, 1998. After the show, Tori made an appearance at a gay bar in San Francisco called The Cafe. They were having a Tori album release party at the time. I have a report on this from Mark Folkman and a photo of Tori at the club that was sent to me by a Toriphile named I Heart 59.

See the photo and read The Cafe report.

Updated June 11

On Thursday morning, May 7th at 8:00 a.m. Pacific, Tori performed live from the parking lot of the Palace Theater in Los Angeles, CA as part of a KROQ LA "Breakfast with Tori" special broadcast. During the hour-long show, Tori talked with KROQ DJ's Kevin and Bean, as well as taking questions from the audience. She also performed 5 songs live:

Black Dove (January)
Spark
The Waitress
She's Your Cocaine
Cornflake Girl

I have a report from the scene and a few screen shots from the webcast and photos taken by fans who were there. See them in my TV/Radio section.

Vanilla: A Tori Amos Web Page

North American Tour; My Experiences & Other Highlights

Updated December 18

During this tour I was able to see 20 shows, bringing the total number of shows I have seen in my lifetime to 35. (I saw 10 during the DDI tour.) I have seen Tori at least once during each of her 4 world tours, and this one was definitely one of the most exciting. Below you can see which shows I attended in 1998, ranked (roughly) in the order that I enjoyed them and with links to my reviews of the shows, along with those of others Toriphiles. The Knoxville show was my favorite and the first Nashville show my least favorite. To keep that in perpective, I still think that Nashville show was excellent, I just liked the others more for various reasons!

1. Knoxville, TN - Aug 15 - Civic Auditorium
2. Columbus, OH - Nov 29 -Palace
3. Indianapolis, IN - Nov 30 - Murat
4. Memphis, TN - Oct 7 - Orpheum Theatre
5. Birmingham, AL - Aug 14 - BJCC Concert Hall
6. West Lafayette, IN - Oct 31 - Elliot Hall Of Music
7. Detroit, MI - July 23 - Palace
8. Louisville, KY - Oct 28 - Louisville Gardens
9. Nashville, TN - Oct 21 - Vanderbilt Memorial Gym
10. East Lansing, MI - Dec 3 - Breslin Events Center
11. Chicago, IL - July 19 - Rosemont Horizon
12. Cleveland, OH - July 22 - CSU Convocation Ctr.
13. Dayton, OH - Oct 27 - Hara Arena
14. Grand Rapids, MI - Dec 2 - Van Andel Arena
15. Cincinnati, OH - July 21 - Crown
16. Evanston, IL - Oct 29 - Welsh Ryan Arena
17. Chicago, IL - April 30 - Park West
18. Atlanta, GA - Aug 17 - Chastain Park Amph.
19. Akron, OH - Nov 28 - Rodes Arena
20. Nashville, TN - Aug 25 - Grand Ole Opry

The Halloween Show

Tori gave a really exciting and fun concert in West Lafayette, IN on October 31, 1998 (Halloween) at the Elliot Hall Of Music at Purdue University. Read the set list and latest reviews. I am so grateful to have been at this show, because it featured the debut of Beulah Land and Ode To The Banana King! Tori and the band even dressed up for Halloween and the show also featured a really intriguing improv that Tori sung as she introduced the band. The photo to the right is from the Halloween concert and shows Tori performing in her mask. Click on the photo to see it larger. Thanks to J'ason for sending it to me.

My Second Nashville Show
As many of you know, my beloved friend Stacey Russell passed away in October 1998. She was a dear friend who shared many Tori shows with me. When I saw my second Nashville, TN show on October 21, 1998, I did not realize that she was going to die that day. (I still hoped that she would make it in the hospital...) I met Tori at the pre-show meet & greet because I wanted to tell her about Stacey, Tori and her bodyguard Joel were very understanding that day, and Tori even played Stacey's favorite song during the show. You can read more about this in my Nashville review for October 21.

Memphis: The Devlin's Last Show
I have returned from my fun and exciting trip to Memphis, TN on October 7 to see my 10th Tori show this year at the Orpheum Theatre! It was a beautiful and powerful show; One of my favorites for the year. It also turned out to be The Devlins last show of the tour, and that resulted in some unique and humorous events during their opening set. Read the set list and reviews for Memphis, including my review..

Mikewhy's Favorite Tour Experiences In The South

I saw Tori in concert in Nashville, TN on August 25th. When Tori saw me at the meet & greet she told me she heard my site was down! Read all about that, and the great show (Tori performed Sweet Dreams!) on the Nashville Reviews Page.

I saw my best Tori show ever in Knoxville, TN on August 15th. You can read my review on the Knoxville Reviews Page. I wish I had the words to express just how great this show was. If anyone was there please send me a review so I can get as many Knoxville reviews as possible.

Birmingham, AL on August 14th was incredible! Tori played "Purple People" for the first time! You can see the set list now on the Birmingham page. Also, I had the incredible honor of meeting Tori backstage after the show. While respect for her privacy prevents me from saying exactly what happened, I can say that Tori is every bit as wonderful and gracious as she seems.

Plugged '98 Concert Photos From NY; Tori Forced To Use A Yamaha
Erin O'Neill has kindly sent me several wonderful photos from the Plugged '98 tour. All the onstage photos are from the Binghamton, NY concert on November 10, 1998 except for the one you see to the right, which shows Tori performing Precious Things in Ithaca, NY on November 8, 1998. The interesting thing about this photo is the fact that Tori's Bosey was sick and she had to use a rented Yamaha. You can see where she or her crew taped South Park dolls to the piano to hide the offensive logo! ;) Go to my Ears With Feet Photo Album to see all the great photos from Erin, including this one much larger.

Stacy Lukasavitz Dedicated To Documenting Tour
The State News, a newspaper at Michigan State University, reported on November 30, 1998 about student Stacy Lukasavitz and her plans to write a book documenting her experiences on the Plugged '98 Tour. Read this in my Articles Archive.

Tori Autographed Bench For Literacy Coalition
The State News, a newspaper at Michigan State University, reported on December 3, 1998 that Tori autographed a Steinway piano bench that was auctioned off in Lansing/East Lansing that morning for The Capital Area Literacy Coalition. A local radio station was at the auction and giving away tickets and backstage passed for the final show of the Plugged '98 Tour later that day. Read the article in my Article Archives. There was also a mention of this in the Lansing State Journal on December 2, 1998. (Thanks Cheryl LaFountain.)

Michael Heiker's American Tour Experiences
German Toriphile Michael Heiker made it to the states toward the end of the Plugged '98 tour and described his touring experiences in a post to the Tori News mailing list. You can read his experiences here as well.

The American Experience...Through The Eyes Of A German Toriphile
Eric (with a 'c') Thelen posted to various mailing lists a great review of his experience seeing Tori in the United States, including Springfield, MA. Eric lives in Germany and came over to the U.S. with several other Europeans to see some concerts. Eric described his American experiences and how the tour in the U.S. differed from the European tours. "Merman" in Springfield was actually played for Eric and the other dedicated European Ears With Feet!

European Tour

Updated July 18

Tori completed 31 concerts during the European leg of her Plugged '98 tour, including her final appearances at several large music festivals. You can access set lists and reviews for all these shows on my Tour Dates page.

For a real treat go to Toriphile Uli's web page and listen to the many RealAudio sound clips from Tori's June 15, 1998 concert in Vienna, Austria, including Raspberry Swirl, which sounds really fun live!

Tori Completes The European Leg Of The Plugged '98 Tour In Belgium
Tori ended her European Tour by playing the Torhout & Werchter Festival in Belgium on July 4th & 5th. I have reports and set lists for both the July 4 Torhout performance and the July 5 Werchter performance. Tori performed 9 songs both nights. In Torhout, Tori played Crucify, She's Your Cocaine and Space Dog, while in Werchter her set included Little Amsterdam, God, and Spark. Also in Werchter Tori extended Raspberry Swirl to included a short part from the Armand Van Helden remix of Professional Widow. As usual for festivals, Tori stuck to the upbeat songs, and her performance was received very well by the crowd.

Future Clarifications For The Roskilde & Glastonbury Festivals
I just added a few more reviews and an accurate set list to the reviews page for the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. It turns out that Tori did not start her set with Black-Dove (or even play it.) She started her performance with Precious Things. As for the Glastonbury Ferstival, I now have an accurate set list for performance.

I also have photos from Glastonbury from the ABC Independence Day concert that was aired in the U.S. on July 4, 1998.

Mike Gray meeting Tori in Wolverhampton, U.K. during the meet & greet on May 25, 1998.

As Tori performed on her North American sneak preview '98 club tour, Tori's official web site at www.tori.com uploaded several photos of each concert on the web site.

Various Toriphiles have also been sending me some photos or links to photos:

North American "Sneak Preview" Club Tour Ends In Los Angeles

Updated May 7

Tori has now completed her Sneak Preview Plugged '98 Tour. You can find reviews and set lists for all shows on my Reviews and Set Lists Page. I have reviews from various Toriphiles and some reviews from local newspapers as well. Please feel free to contribute more reviews at any time!

Robyn Wandzell has added info and photos on her web page about her experience buying tickets for the San Francisco club show at the Fillmore.

I (Mikewhy) returned from my trip to Chicago to see Tori in concert at the Park West. I was deeply moved by the show, and you can now read my review and several others from that April 30, 1998 concert on my Chicago Reviews page. We were the first audience to hear "Cornflake Girl" this year. Tori was jamming hard and the show was incredibly powerful. Tori also got the entire audience to sing about masturbation and had to dodge a barrage of lip gloss during this memorable show. You can see photos from the Chicago meet and greet on Amber's All The White Horses web site. Amber also presented Tori with a card signed by a bunch of us on the net and which included a large donation to RAINN, a gesture that not only touched Tori, but hopefully shed some positive light on her net following, which sometimes gets negative press. You can read more about the card and see it at the All The White Horses web site.

The North American club tour ran from Saturday, April 18th until Wednesday, May 6th. Tori's official site at www.tori.com followed Tori on the club tour and has reports with photos, sound clips and video clips.

Tickets for all of the cities sold out quickly. To read some ticket buying experiences, including my own, go here. The experience of waiting for tickets was for some people inspiring and for some heartbreaking. The site of so many people waiting in line for Tori really contrasted with my first Tori concert in 1992, when few people know who she was. You can find on the Dent a few photos of the ticket buying line at the Greek in Los Angeles on April 4, 1998. You can also see photos of Toriphiles standing in line in Philadelphia at the Electric Factory Concerts Newspage. The club tour is over now, but I don't think we will ever forget it!