Tori Fans Dew Drop Inn - June 1996

Last Updated: January 12, 1999

Below, you see stuff that fans have written about the concerts they have seen during June 1996, from most recent to oldest. Thank you again for supporting my web site :)

Putting The Tori On

On Sunday, June 30, at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, Tori Amos
took her fans to the sky. Literally, at one point she pointed out the
night's full moon and burst into an impromptu rendition of the classic song,
"Blue Moon". As I sit in my high balcony seat, I felt as if I, myself, was
being transported to another planet. Yes, Tori did all this and more.

As she strut out to the sounds of Son of a Preacher man, she was
welcomed to the loud cheers of the numerous fans waiting for her. Tori
quickly sat down and rushed into the ever impressive opening of Beauty Queen
and Horses. Tori seemed to breeze through the distractions of the young
girls calling out their love to her and brought the song off with a quiet
elegance. This was my first time seeing Tori and I had no idea of the
intensity in which she would play. In the next hour, she flew through such
awesome renditions of songs like, Take to the Sky(my favorite, which she cut
short), Caught a Lite Sneeze, which was too good for words, and Icicle, which
had a bit of "Onward Christian Soldier" in it. Only Tori.

The thing that amazed me most was how rapid Tori was able to play.
She would pound out a heart wrenching performance of Little Earthquakes,
which to me, is an entire concert in itself, and then in a matter of seconds,
rush into a ravishing Butterfly, with remarkable ease. It is so incredible
how we, as an audience, never know where she is going. The audience was
surprised by a quick "This Old Man", which literally melted into Putting The
Damage On. There was no heart left cold after that moment.

For some reason, Tori left the harpsicord untouched most of the
night. It was used to its full potential in a phenomenol performance of Talul
a, which took full advantage of every instrument on stage. It was definitely
a highlight of the show due to its nonstop energy. Another highlight was of
a song I am not too fond of, which is Bells For Her, but on the harpsicord,
it had a whimsical charm to it.

After the awesome Talula performance, Tori sat still in the center
of the stage and belted out Me and a Gun. No doubt, every person was
mesmerized by her during those few minutes. Sitting up top, I realized the
power of this song. I looked around and saw the intensity hiding behind
people's faces. The beautiful thing about Tori is that she is something
different and special to everyone. The tears that were heard silently during
that song seemed to unite the entire theater in a way I had never seen at a
concert. Afetr the song, Tori walked off in the dark and left us to catch
our breath. She obviously needed a moment too, but soon re-entered to wow
the audience with Twinkle and probably the best moment of the night, the
gorgeous China, which to me, is one of those songs you don't think you need
to hear until you do. So beautiful.

Tori's final encores were of the funky In the Springtime of His
Voodoo, which is always a fun song, Song For Eric, which brought chills to
me, and a final organ played performance of the Prince classic, Purple Rain,
in which the stage was drenched in purple light.

Tori Amos' closing show at the Greek was hauntingly beautiful, as
every Tori Amos album comes to be. Sadly, we missed out on such songs as Sile
nt All These Years and Pretty Good Year. I personally was dying to hear Baker
Baker, but you can't have it all. However, through the excellent and
dramatic lighting and slight images projected behind her, the music was never
lost. Tori allowed her voice to fly high above into the open air and give
Los Angeles a little beauty. At one point of the night, Tori sang, "Can't
stop what is coming, can't stop what is on its way.." I hope for all her
fan's sake, the beauty that is Tori never stops

Set List
(not too sure on the order, but positive on the songs)

Beauty Queen/Horses
Yes, Anastasia
Take to the Sky
Blue Moon
Caught a Lite Sneeze
Cornflake Girl
Little Earthquakes
Butterfly
Icicle
This Old Man/Putting The Damage On
Bells For Her
Precious Things
Not The Red Baron
Talula
Me and a Gun
Twinkle
China
In the Springtime of His Voodoo
Song For Eric
Purple Rain

Note: This story actually describes a little about all 3 nights at the Greek, but most of it is about the final night, June 30th.

Hello Mike. I went to all three show at the Greek this weekend, starting in the B section on Friday, A on Saturday, and in the Orchestra Pit on Sunday night. The Friday crowd was more sedate overall, except for the jerks who yelled out during MAAG. I had a 1986 Sebastiani bottle of chardonnay with a very special custom label that I designed on the computer (I'm an art director) with a message from my heart for Tori and luckily smuggled it into the Greek. When it was time for people to give her their gifts before the first encore, I didn't know it was happening until it was too late...it was okay, as I had alternate plans. I waited after the show and a mob of people were there. I caught a glimpse a few times of her and tried to give her my bottle to no avail...that's okay, I had alternate plans. So needless to say, the concert was FABULOUS!

So, Saturday, I just went to relax and have a good time. And I did. I was so pleased that I didn't need to use my binoculars much. She was very cute. The music was even better that nite. Sunday was my big night to try and make a connection with Tori. With Pit tickets in hand, I was determined to give her my bottle of wine! The show was absolutely wonderful and I felt many times that she was singing right to me as my seats were perfectly situated for her to stare right at me while she sang. I could see her every expression. Unbelievable pianist and provacative performer! Okay...it was time...I ran up to the stage along with about 30 other fans bearing gifts and unfortunately trampled feet and belongings of the first row people..."Sorry"...I just screamed that I was coming thru with a gift for Tori, and MOVE IT! She came back out and started to fill up her arms with gifts. I shamelessly screamed Tori (like everyone else) I became alarmed that she would start back to her piano and yelled "Chardonnay"...but to no avail. I continued to show her the bottle with the label side to her and she came over and studied it for a few seconds (I think the picture of her on on the label grabbed her first), and I said "Just for you Tori" and then she looked up from it and then at me and with total eye contact mouthed the words "Thank You", with the warmest smile and the kindest most present eyes.She took the wine from me and gave it to the blond stage guy in the wings, I hope for safe keeping to drink later. She made her way back to the piano and I was on cloud 10. My boyfriend saw it all 15 feet away and wished he had a camera, as the moment was perfect with the lights and everything.

I waited after the show and when she came out my boyfriend fork lifted me up over the crowd and she looked at me and I said "Enjoy the wine" and she blew me a kiss. Okay I was deep on Cloud 11 about then. Wow. What a huge Tori weekend. I had a blast. Oh, I put my e-mail address on the label, in case she wants to reach me. I'll let you know if it actually happens. Crazier things have happened.

I would like to begin by saying that I loved the show except for the fact that once again I was in back of two girls that would not shut up or stop laughing. I finally asked them nicely to be quiet, which in turn almost led to a confrontation. I had no problem with that except for the fact I di not want to get thrown out of the show. I was hear to hear Tori not listen to juveniles blab. I know these people would never read this, but why copme to a show if you are going to talk. You want to talk? GO TO A PRESS CONFERENCE!!!!!!! Anyway, enough of that. Here is the set list for the most part I missed a song or two while telling these girls to hush up.

This was my first Tori concert, so I have very little to compare it to. Without a doubt, this was the best concert I have ever been to. My seats were decent, but not great. There was a jerk sitting beside of me that I had to get thrown out. Considering all this, it was still the best.

I was hoping she would play "Silent All These Years", 'cause that's my favorite, but she didn't. I'm sorry I don't have a set list. When she played "Take To The Sky," I wanted to fly. When she played "Me And A Gun", the audience was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I cried. Then I cried again when she did "Purple Rain." Tori had very little to say. She said "hi" to all of us when she came out. She made the joke about the Mormons (from the SLC show), and at one moment someone said "Tori We Love You." She responded with a "I love you, too."

I forget which song--it was toward the end, but she messed up and said something like "I fucked up," then she continued with the song.

I just saw Tori on MTV Unplugged, and I thought her performance there was amazing. I had no idea how erotic it would be to see her live. She took my breath away time and time again. I laughed, I cried, and when I left, I was exhausted from the host of emotions I felt.

She seemed to go from song to song, only to stop long enough to take a drink of water. I was a little let down that she didn't have much to say. It was her third night in L.A., so maybe she was tired of us. Or just tired in general. Despite all of this, it was a most outstanding show. Oh yes, and I think even the chicks got wood when she performed "Icicle."

You guys have to understand..what i am about to say is not because this was a show that *I* was at. I know enough to know that this is the BEST SHOW that tori has EVER DONE!!!!!!!!!!!! It was her goodbye to LA (with my 4th row seast..and my BOOTLEG!)

You guys will die

Omigod..we all agree..it was the BEST!!!!!! After words...we were ALL breaathless..and screaming and crying..omigod...

Okay..we get there early and i met tori, again. But this time was better. She signed my UTP..and she remembered me today!!!!!! (i recorded yes) i gave her my little thing tht played yesterday...and a letter which she said thank you too! and i thanked her for playing Cloud and she said "absolutley" and we hugged..and it was great. But there was something more speial. When i was telling a girl about it, i started crying ..i dont know why.

Back To The Main Dew Drop Inn Index

Back to the Main Tori Amos Page

I am here to give a review of the Saturday show in Los Angeles. No one has yet to give a review so I thought I would do it. Here is the set list first:

The show itself was excellent my friend Patrick and I arrived early but there were so many people by the buses, we knew it would be almost impossible to get material signed. The Greek is an outdoor venue for those who do not know the area. The highlight of the show was a man playing a trumpet in the mountain behind the theatre whom Tori was trying to talk to. She said, "oh, okay I have a guest tonight, You play a note then I will play a note". It was sooooo cute. Other highlights were "Lovesong" which was so intense. I was pleased to see that the some odd six thousand capacity audience was very polite during MAAG. It was silent. Also Tori started the show off by speaking on those who have the internet know my friend up here got fleas in Austin. In addition she looked around the stage and said, "I know you guys can't see but there are lots of little critters up here whom I'm trying not to squish". The only downside for me was the fact that I was hoping she would perform the b-side, none other than honey. I knew I would cry if she did. I am attending the show tonight as well, so hopefully I may get lucky. For those who have yet to see the show, you are all in for a magical evening.

My fiance and I were going to be seeing Tori at the Greek in L.A. on June 29th. He had purchased the tickets months ago and the date was finally near. I think it was the Wednesday night before that Tori was on MTV Unplugged... I'm not sure. But it really got us excited about seeing her in concert again. It just so happens that June 30th is my fiance's birthday (we're married now by the way). I had been a bit strapped for money and did not know what to do for his birthday... he already had the Tori tickets. We always try to surprise each other with something special each year. Anyway, after watching Tori interact with the audience on MTV Unplugged, a thought suddenly popped into my head... wouldn't it be great if Tori would play a song for him for his birthday. Well, I pushed the thought out of my head ( are you crazy ). The next day I was talking to a girl I work with that knows about our birthday surprises and our love of Tori, so I told her about my "thought". She turned around and said "Go For It, if anyone can pull it off you can". That motivated me enough to start planning how I was going to pull this off. I wrote Tori a letter explaining how my fiance was the one that introduced me to her music with "Little Earthquakes", he surprised me with tickets to see her at UCLA for our anniverary and we buy anything on CD we can get our hands on. I told her how special he is to me and abouth our birthday surprises and how this would be the best possible gift I could ever give him if she would play "Hey Jupiter" for him. I then faxed the letter to a girl I talked to at the Greek Theater (she said she would try to give Tori the fax) and I faxed one to Atlantic Records (I can't remember anymore who they told me to fax it to). I asked a bunch of people if they knew anyone that could help, but I think that everyone thought I was a little out of my mind and a little to old to be doing the obsesive fan thing.

Now all I had to do was wait until the day of the concert. I battled with myself over if I should tell my fiance or not, after all it was supposed to be a surprise. My insides were churning with the possiblity of it all. I put copies of the letter and faxes in my bag so I could show him, regardless of what happened. We got to the Greek and found our seats, pretty good. The concert was great, as Tori always is. Then she begins her encores... disappointment begins to set in. "What was I thinking anyway... she's got so many fans that must request things all the time." I remember asking my fiance how many encores does she usually do, but he was too engrossed in the music to answer. She started doing "Father Lucifer" and as she was playing some of her crew came on stage, moved the harpsicord of stage and brought out the pump organ. She finished "Father Lucifer", turned to the pump organ (as the crowd is cheering) and starts to say " I got a letter from a girl who asked me to play this for someone special. You know who you are." and begins to play "Hey Jupiter" To this day I can not explain what I was feeling at that moment. My heart felt like it would burst through my chest. Someone in the crowd shouted "Thank You" and Tori said "Your welcome Val (my fiance's name)" I squeezed his hand and said "Did you hear that - she's playing this for you." Well he just looked at me like I was crazy and told me to shush. Oh no, since I didn't say anything to him, he didn't understand what was happening. Well she ended the concert on that song. We get up to leave and I say to him (I'm shaking all over from being so overwelmed with emotion) " Do you realize what just happened in there." and he says " What are you talking about?" I dig in my bag and pull out all my letters and say " She played "Hey Jupiter" for you for your birthday - here's a copy of my letter I sent her. He couldn't believe his eyes or his ears for that matter. He was so overwelmed that he had to sit down - by now we were outside and found our way to a bench. I don't think I have ever seen him so speechless. He decides he wants to say thank you to Tori so we try to go back inside to see her but she's too busy with the press people etc. So we go around to the bus departure area, along with a good number of fans that have already been waiting about 30 minutes. Finally she comes out and starts talking to the people at the front of the barricades. It was impossible to get through, so I told him shout " Thank you Tori for playing "Hey Jupiter" for me" when it gets quite for a moment. Which he did, to which Tori responded " Is that you Val" and my fiance say " Yes, it is". She waves her hands for everyone to move from infront of her so she can see him. She then wishes him a happy birthday, to which he says thank you. Everyone began to crowd in again and as we turn to walk away Tori calls out " Val, you have a very special lady" to which he answers "Thank you - I know". What a night, we never slept a wink.

Hey guys..just got home. Today wasnt as fun, but it was still great. A
whole bunch of us (most from the House of blues..) and had a circle till
she came...and then we lined up..more people today so we could have a pix
OR an autograph..i got a pix...im listening to it! I booted the show but i
dont think i came up. Anyways i met tori and hugged her and gave her my
letter..and i asked her to play cloud on my tongue..she looks up
surprised? Tonight? Im like yep..

yada yada yada..it was me nick (who hit someone!) and Dor.
anyways..we traded up our seats 9 rows..so we wre a little better..i didnt
write down the set list..so ill try and recall...(she didnt talk as much)
BQ
Horses
Leather
Little Amsterdam]
BLood Roses
umm...little earthquakes
sneeze
im not remembering
Precious Things.. (i sobbed, again..big time)
Baron
Amazing Grace
Love song (she sai...i used to listen to this down highway 101 and we
screamed! she started we were yelling..no one else..about 2 min later
everyone else figured out what it was...)
MAAG
I DONT REMEMBER!!!!
Encore 1:
Famous Blue Raincoat
.....CLOUD ON MY TOUNGE!!!!!!!!! I was (as nick says) in
hysteria..omigod..i was happy and sad and sobbing and crying and
screaming..she played a song for me
Encore 2:
Father Lucifer
Jupiter

very lovely..but i was a crying nite.

Blood and tears are streaming off the stage. Tori laying herself bare: emotions and sentiments poignant and powerful as if a trail of blood and tears ran down off the stage, split into a thousand rivulets and touched each enraptured member of the audience. An audience thoroughly in the grip of this songstress, this goddess of lyric and ivory keys.

It's Saturday night, the second evening of a two-night Tori weekend (for me, that is, unable as I am to catch her third performance on Sunday). Greek Theatre, Los Angeles. Captivated, captured, swept up in a torrent of raw emotion. During "Horses," her eyes seem to glisten, and I wonder if she really is crying, feeling the song as if for the first time. No matter, the effect is the same. Feelings that whomp me in the chest like a sheet of steel...

...Before Saturday night's show, Lisa mentioned that Friday night people at the KROQ van were giving away seats to the sold-out performance. And, that they were letting some with tickets trade up for better seats. So we had our hopes up just a little, but no KROQ tickets. So, again, we had a picnic in the hills. Lots of leftover picnic goodies, and Pete's Wicked Summer Brew. I met a photographer and we agreed to later arrange a trade of boots for pics. Then, on the way into the venue, a man asked us if we needed tickets. "How are the seats," Lisa asked, and he said they were pretty good: seventh row above the pit. Lisa wanted to trade up our tickets: he asked for twenty each, Lisa countered with fifteen. I told him, "Look, I'd like to, but I can't afford more than ten each. That's it." Our seats weren't great, not bad, so it would be nice to trade, but... He agreed: ten each. Coolness.

So the seats were great. Close enough, that when she knocked on the piano during "Little Earthquakes" and again during "Caught a Lite Sneeze" I could hear it direct, unmiked. Close enough that at times she appeared to look directly at me. Close enough to lose myself completely into her music, drift off under the spell of the wiccan. Fitting that we got those seats: I've been friends with Lisa for over sixteen years, we're both major Tori-fans (TM), and it was our third time to see her together. Tonight I'm mainly hoping to see some different material, sure she won't play all the same songs. The only question: how many will differ? Up close is an added bonus.

She's playful, spunk, irreverent during "Leather," teasing, daring, playing one-finger rolls on the Bosendorfer. Again, "Doughnut Song" hits me in the gut. During a brief pause, introducing the next song- "... I used to listen to this song speeding down the 101, and I never got caught"- suddenly, the sound of a solitary trumpet drifts over the summer breeze. She stops, looks up: "who is that, playing that little trumpet... what key are you in, Mr. Trumpet Man?" She wants to play along. "I'm not too smart, but any ding-a-ling can tell you that I've got a little more horsepower than you. You play, I'll answer..." No answer, so she softly starts a verse of "Amazing Grace." The trumpet is heard here and there, and toward the end a soprano stands in the audience, and joins as well in the magical moment.

I wonder if she'll play the mysterious song, and probably will still be wondering what it was, except she plays it now, the Cure's "Love Song." I perform this song at times myself, but needless to say I can't, nor can the Cure, match her tremulous, poignant rendition. Within the song, ears prick up, what?!!, she plays a few tantalizing bars and lyrics of "Running Up That Hill." Arriving on the music scene, Tori was first, perhaps naturally, compared to Kate Bush. Many fans, self included, are major listeners and/or collectors of both. 'Course, we'll never get to see her Kate-ness live. I wonder, has Tori ever performed the entire song? But it's gone as fast as offered, a nugget for the followers, for the muse, for the nearly full moon overhead, guardian of the night.

Another chestnut, the rarely-performed "Tear in Your Hand," one of my favorites. Caton picks along with a melodious acoustic guitar. After "Caught a Lite Sneeze," tonight's "Me & A Gun" is uninterrupted by clueless morons (this time they're quiet) but still it doesn't quite capture the pain and power of last night's rendition. She encores first with Leonard Cohen's moving "Famous Blue Raincoat," her own "Cloud on My Tongue" (one of my favorites from _Under the Pink_) and returns with a second encore of "Father Lucifer" and, after the stage hands wheel out the unusual (and unintroduced) harmonium, "Hey Jupiter." Another evening of masterpieces. Musical VanGogh, though she has yet to cut off an ear. The moon knows, overhead.

This ain't no sippin' review...

I drove to the Greek Theatre here in LA early Saturday in the hopes of meeting Tori when she arrived for her soundcheck. I spent two hours sitting in the grass, making the acquaintance of two darling young women named Joanna and Miriam and their friend Kevin. Steve Caton came by, and I got his autograph to give to our very own Abby the PeleGrrl, who seems to have developed a crush on him.

By the time Tori showed up there were 30 of us ("We got a great big convoy..."), and she was also running late, so initially we were told by security that she wouldn't be able to sign anything. Then out she popped from the limo accompanied by Agent Orange (the stories are true, he really IS orange!), and he announced she would sign ONE thing for each person, OR pose for a photograph. Take your choice.

Cast your minds back to Friday, when Debbie from Florida (you know her as Myra Ellen here on RDT) called me at nine in the morning (which is the middle of the night for me) to ask me to shout out Dear Prudence during the concert so Tori would play it. I told her I wasn't the shouting type, so she asked me to at least concentrate on the title so Tori would get the vibes.

So I got up to Tori and, after hugging her (!), told her that my friend would like her to play Dear Prudence, but I knew it was a long shot, so could she at least sign an autograph to "Debbie" and write "Dear Prudence" on it? She obliged, and I hope dear Debbie's eyes pop out of her head when she gets it in the mail. (Which is why, incidentally, I'm delaying sending this to RDT, so as not to ruin the surprise for Debbie and Abby.)

So I didn't get an autograph for myself, nor a picture. But I had met her once before and got both that time, so that was OK. And I did get the bona fide, patented Tori hug... : )

Anyway, moving on...

For me, half the fun of a concert, nay, two-thirds, is the people and atmosphere surrounding the event. (Also important is the music played before the headliner; Tori played a mix of older Zeppelin, including the tasty Tangerine.) I like milling around and seeing all the different kinds of people, I try to take in the attitudes and emotions of the people around me, to absorb the whole experience. And unlike certain heavy metal concerts where I have genuinely feared for my safety (I'll skip rap entirely, thank you), the people at Tori's concert Saturday provided me with an endless source of quiet contemplation.

There was a Bjork look-alike, a Joan Osborne, a Sinead O'Connor, even a Clare Danes, lots of dyed hair and sparkle makeup, streams upon streams of adorable high school sophomorettes with their bare bellies and tiny backpacks, and let's not forget the boyfriends being dragged along. There was a woman covered in shiny black vinyl, another wearing an "I (heart) Box" T-shirt who was cute enough that I briefly wished I had one to offer her, a third and fourth wearing 19th-century-style ruffled dresses. (The latter being the couple seated next to me.) Oh, and that guy who caused a stir at the House of Blues earlier this year when he showed Tori his tattoos of HER face. He was walking around the concert with faery wings on his back. Yes indeed, a crowd to remember.

The concert itself, alas, sucked. Tori played so poorly ... I'm kidding! C'mon, you believed me? She was amazing as always (and it was kind of cool knowing I'd talked to her just a few hours earlier). She didn't play SATY, alas, or Frog on My Toe, but that was OK because she did play Tear In Your Hand -- which I missed part of because half of the Victorian couple to my left was in constant tears, so I dashed downstairs to requisition some napkins for her from the back entrance to the by-then-closed snack bar. I'm such a softie for women in tears...

There was a really cute moment when someone in the distance (the Greek Theatre is outdoors and surrounded by a park and rich folks' homes) began playing trumpet. Tori could hear the trumpet on stage, so she started trying to play along with the tune, asking everyone to be quiet so she could listen and be in the right key. But the trumpet stopped after about a minute, its owner probably completely unaware that he/she had been accompaying a pianist being listened to by the entire audience of the Greek Theatre.

Then she sang Amazing Grace, and asked everyone to join in so maybe the trumpet player wouldn't feel so shy. No one took her up on the offer, but then after a few minutes of the song there WAS a voice, a woman in the audience was harmonizing with Tori, and it was stunning and beautiful. But I don't think Tori even heard her.

Now I don't know what concerts you guys have been going to, but there wasn't a single "rude concertgoer" moment in the whole show. Wait, I take that back: Some guy shouted "Do me" during the Beauty Queen/Horses opener, but that was it. 10,000 people (or is it more at the Greek?) were surprisingly quiet during every song. Me and a Gun went flawlessly.

And about that song: I am a diehard Little Earthquakes fan, I call it her "initial supernova" as an artist, and nothing else could ever match that intensity. (Similarly, listen to John Lennon's first solo album.) SATY, Winter, China, Tear In Your Hand -- those aren't songs, they're gifts from the gods. However, I have never much cared for Me and a Gun -- it simply bored me. Call me callous, but I just couldn't get into it like I could the rest of the album -- it was long, repetitive, and about an experience I'd never had. I've never been raped, molested, attacked or sexually abused. There's a big difference between sympathy and empathy, and like a lot of men, I "just didn't get it."

Now we get to the "About that song." When she sang it Saturday, when 10,000 people fell dead silent and 6,000-7,000 women's hearts zeroed in on that one woman up there telling their story, most of them undoubtedly in tears, I felt something happen inside me, and *I* began crying. And I kept crying, during the entire song. It was like, even though I couldn't empathize with the song, I could empathize with the crowd, I was surrounded by people who were empathizing with Tori at that moment, and somehow all that emotion found its way inside me. I finally felt the weight of the words, I understood the magnitude of what it means, its incredible reservoir of healing power. And like 10,000 other people, I was speechless in its presence.

Maybe I'll go back Sunday and try to meet her again...

Back To The Main Dew Drop Inn Index

Back to the Main Tori Amos Page

EXCUSE ME WHILE I GUSH!! Okay, I've been waiting forever to see Tori live.
Tonight was the night! I got there early with the other groupies and got
to meet her! She signed my limited "Pretty Good Year" and took a picture
with me. Needless to say she is awesome. Since the Greek is an outdoor
venue, we could hear soundcheck. She did a long kind of impromptu thing
with some cool wailing. She then did parts of Yes, Anastasia, Little
Earthquakes, Talula, and Cornflake Girl. The press went in and she did
Marianne. My hopes were pretty high for the show, and Tori was 200%
better than I expected. She topped Unplugged, she topped any of my
bootlegs, she topped my video bootleg of the Orlando '96 show...I was in
awe. Here's what she did, sort of in order.

Beauty Queen/Horses(I wasn't expecting the Leslie to be on the stage,
cool!)\
Silent All These Years
Blood Roses(introduced harpsichord)
Little Amsterdam
Cornflake Girl(Introduced Caton, told about YKTR and writing LE over the
hill in LA)
Muhummad My Friend(told the usual story)
Doughnut Song
Winter(wow!)
Precious Things(awesomeGRRRL, went off on the "wash me clean" stuff)
Not the Red Baron
Space Dog(the guitar adds a lot to it)
Caught A Lite Sneeze
-Had a bug on the keys and didn't want to smush it, talked for
awhile(early on in show)
Talula(awesome)
Me and A Gun(Moron in the back making screeching sounds)

1st encore
Let it Be(!!!)
Marianne

2nd encore
Pretty Good Year(I love it!)
Black Swan(Steve was all set to do Hey Jupiter, but she said this one was
coming)

I thought the lights and everything were amazing. Everything complemented
the songs without taking away from Tori. I probably forgot something...so
somebody correct me. Unfortunately, I had a freakish 40 year Old groupie
sitting next to me who insisted on singing most of the songs in a high
pitched nasaly way off-key voice. Needless to say he was drunk and didn't
pay attention to my suggestions that he SHUT UP! But Tori was just so
amazing that nothing could really spoil it. I'm going on Saturday and
Sunday too! If it's even possible, tonight Tori made me even more of a
fan.

I have to make a comment, that no one seemed to pick up on..during toris sound check on the 28th, she sang bjork's hyperballad..i have it taped from the outside..so you can HARDLy hear it..but we freaked when we realized what she was playing :)

Amos' Ferocious Intensity Rises Above Convention

By SARA SCRIBNER, Special to The Times

Tori Amos believes in faeries, sings about sacrificing boys to the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele and plays a 200-year-old harpsichord. Given all that, you might expect her to sashay onto a stage like an out-of-time wood nymph. But opening a three-night run at the Greek Theatre on Friday, the singer wore casual jeans and T-shirt and greeted the crowd as if she were playing a recital in a friend's living room. And she is much more than a unicorn-embracing anachronism. Her songs carried the urgency of the most timely post-punk. The Methodist minister's daughter from Maryland was embraced by a cult-like following when she released the intensely personal album "Little Earthquakes" in 1992. In concert, she gained notice for her highly sensual, bench-straddling approach to the piano. With 1994's "Under the Pink," she gained the respect of the Alternative Nation, even though she brought classical know-how to Beatles-esque pop. On Friday, it was her unresolved childhood, and not her unusual hybrid of Bach and rock, that generated the raw brutality and transcendental quality of her work. Lyrically, Amos focused on a strange feminism centered on a perpetual struggle to be free from a stringent family. She walked onto the stage to a recording of Aretha Franklin's "Son of a Preacher Man" and told a story about going to church with her family and, disturbed by the "nasally Methodist singing," refused to sing to those "snotty angels." To battle her demons, Amos called on a slew of ferocious, womanly muses for vocal inspiration, from Billie Holiday's sensual clutch to Sinead O'Connor's banshee yowl, from PJ Harvey's bluesy cry to the supernatural drama of Kate Bush. The muses were in effect for "Cornflake Girl"--inspired by a Toni Morrison book on female genital mutilation, though you'd never know it from its veiled lyrics--and "God," both from 1993's "Under the Pink."

In contrast, the music on the current "Boys for Pele" is much denser and more interesting. Amos (playing virtually solo, with occasional support from a guitarist) delivered it with so much strange passion that she crumbled into dissonance, lingered a little too long on pauses and turned her coo into a "grrrr." The discomfort was all part of the act. "Caught a Lite Sneeze" and the slow, bluesy "Little Amsterdam" more closely resembled disturbing operettas than easily digestible pop songs. "Pele" material aside, the highlight of the evening was a gut-wrenching, a cappella version of "Me and a Gun," a chronicle of her real-life rape, re-imagined with Amos in charge. This unconventional artist refused to fit into any of her quick media portrayals. The goofy Wiccan was a centered performer, the writhing vixen didn't offer a single gratuitous gesture. When she is at her best, as she was during this economical show, Amos brings the ferocity of the best blues and rock to her music. The transcendent thrall of Led Zeppelin and the fiery melodiousness of Kurt Cobain's guitar resonated from the keyboards of her Bosendorfer piano and her ancient harpsichord.

The Greek Theatre is tucked away in the hills of Hollywood, among the vast expanse of Griffith Park. Nestled in the trees, an open-air theatre where every seat has a certain intimacy, the Greek is one of LA's best venues. Traffic and parking are minor hassles, especially on Friday evening as we braved rush-hour LA traffic to arrive on time. My friend Kassie, my daughter Sandra, and myself; Kassie's friend David met us inside. Sandra, soon-to-be-six, had already seen Tori once, during the '94 tour. She loves Tori's music, proudly proclaims her favorites as Tori Amos and Peter Gabriel (used to be Tori Amos and Barney... she's moved up a notch), and was eagerly anticipating the show. Thursday, I'd reminded her that the show was the next day. "What?!!" she'd replied. OHMYGOSH. I thought it was going to be when I was BIG." What, like ten? (Some of you may remember: in '94, the day before Tori's birthday and a few days after Sandra's, we bought candles and cupcakes and Sandra ended up going on stage before the encore at San Diego Symphony Hall to hand Tori a cupcake and receive a kiss.) Tonight, Kassie was excited as well, she's a Tori-fan (TM) but this was her first chance for the live experience.

Earlier, I'd stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some picnic goodies and some wine. Olive bread, dips, cheeses, olives (Kassie is Greek and has a penchant for olives), French merlot. At the check out I spied some picnic baskets behind the counter and asked how much they cost, though I figured they'd be beyond my meager concert budget. Surprise! Thirteen dollars for a fairly large, gingham-lined picnic basket with four plastic plates, cups and utensils. Perfect for our picnic outside the theatre.

Despite LA's mega-traffic we somehow arrived just before the sounds of opening act Willy Porter wafted through the oak trees. We parked and set up for a quick meal at a picnic table near my car but away from the dust of parking concert-goers. Tough to rush in such a setting, but it would be a major sin to arrive late for Tori. Bad enough to miss the opener. Nourished and vin-fortified, we packed our things back in the car and got to our seats with a few songs remaining in Porter's set. Frankly, what with anticipating Tori, getting Sandra settled, and meeting David, I hardly noticed. After a brief intermission, the goddess herself arrived on stage and settled behind her giant Bosendorfer piano.

Amid generous applause and many whoops and hollers (which continued throughout the night, often at inappropriate moments) she launched into a short piano preamble, followed by the repeating, single-note intro to the opening piece from _Boys for Pele_, "Beauty Queen" which in turn led directly into "Horses." Our seats were on the South Terrace, facing the side of the stage, elevated, and back somewhat (though I was fifth in line for the tickets at Tower Records-- ugh!-- but that's another story). I didn't mind so much, but it would've really been better for Sandra if we'd been closer. There's so much more immediacy in close. Anyway, Sandra watched most of the concert through my Nikon binoculars. One problem with being high and to the side, I realized, was how much the audience noise carried up from below; at times it was quite annoying.

She introduced a moving, crowd-pleasing "Silent All These Years," by mentioning that she wrote that and the material from _Little Earthquakes_ just over the hill from the theatre. Before the next song, "Blood Roses," she moved to her 200-year-old, dual-keyboard harpsichord and started talking about how her new little friend (the harpsichord) really likes margaritas. One of Tori's endearing qualities is the dualism inherent in the raw, palpable emotion of her songs, and her natural, irreverent, playfulness. Her frolicsome nature comes out often, as she "grabs" air, imaginary rope, audience attention, what?, during the intro to "Cornflake Girl," a gesture she repeated both nights as Steve Caton strummed his acoustic guitar. Again it appeared as she talked about her "critters," such as the "rather large critter" who was hanging out on her F# key. Of course, this is the side of her that often gets her pegged as a loony, "unicorn embracing anachronism" by the press. Her true fans could care less, it only adds to her mystique.

Guitarist Caton (once a member of Tori's glam-rock misfire _Y KANT TORI READ_) first appeared during a moving, bluesy "Little Amsterdam," adding subtle, dissonant flourishes on electric guitar that only added to the songs intensity. His guitar playing, sparingly utilized by Tori, nicely embellished her essentially solo act. The opening strains of "Cornflake Girl" received enthusiastic applause, no doubt by many of the casual fans in attendance glad to hear something familiar. This rousing rendition (sans the drum track used during '94s "Under the Pink" tour) was followed by a searingly beautiful "Doughnut Song." This track's power had largely escaped me through repeated listens to Boys for Pele, but as performed both nights (especially the second) it was one of the highlights. Alternately tender and wrenching, it was a microcosm of the emotions revealed.

"Winter," with it's beautiful refrain "... all the white horses..." is one of Sandra's-- and dad's-- favorites, so I was pleased she played it Friday. My attitude, in general, and especially with Tori, is to not have expectations or hopes for particular songs. Tori has such a wealth of material, after three albums and dozens of equally-powerful B-sides, that she could play a three or four night stand and not repeat a single song (a la Grateful Dead) should she please (and perhaps someday she will). I will confess, however, that I held a steadfast hope, not to be realized, that she would play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" during one of the two nights' performances.

Another favorite is "Precious Things," and though I've heard her perform the song many times it never fails to amaze me. She drew out the song's trademark "grrrrrrrrrrrrlll" to frenzied applause. She attacked the piano. "Caught a Lite Sneeze" and "Talulah" (the latter with the only use of drum track backing the two nights) were both nicely performed, but these were followed by "Me & A Gun." Of course, nearly every time she plays this song (every concert?) she pours herself into it. If one song is performed with emotion, this a cappella masterpiece is. But Friday it seemed beyond, inside each and every one of us, inside our cells. Unfortunately, many clueless (mostly male) spectators fail to get it, I heard a few whoops from the crowd, even, horribly, a guy who yelled "baby" between "I wore a slinky red thing" and "does that mean I should spread." But it made me spellbound, nevertheless, and then she was gone.

Like a sprite she was back for the first encore: "Let it Be." She performed the Lennon/McCartney classic as her own, as she does all her covers, in all there variety. This was followed by "Marianne," one of my favorites from the new album. Sandrinha made her first, soft protestations of "let's go." It was a warm night, and she had a windbreaker; I assured her the concert would soon be over. By the time Tori finished her second encore, "Pretty Good Year" and the luscious rarity "Black Swan," Sandra had fallen asleep on my lap. Last Tori-nugget of the night: just before "Black Swan", and for the first time, people were yelling out favorites for Tori to play, and the red-haired enchantress answered, "oh, they're all out having margaritas. This one's having a margarita too." Southern California, margaritas on the brain.

With a bit of luck...

Willy Porter played until 8:35, amusing the not-too-sparse crowd with an improv song about a woman named laura who went to venus on a mule because she was leaving her boyfriend because he had a penis. it was quite funny. soon enough, the lights were dimmed, and Son of a Preacher Man was blasting. tori walked out, sat down, and did a little piano improv, before starting into this setlist:

What an amazing concert this was! A pretty much respectful and non annoying audience, except for some idiot who screamed as she sang "yes i wore a slinky red thing" during MaaG. I was really happy that she played Winter, because i hadn't yet heard that live. She performed a particularly emotional version of Precious Things, in fact, she got more into it than i'd ever seen her, especially at the end. Let it Be was GREAT (did ANYONE tape this?????), and Black Swan was quite touching, because she appeared to be quite emotional, especially as she saing "did eric call by the way?" wow. amazing concert.

Back To The Main Dew Drop Inn Index

Back to the Main Tori Amos Page

I saw Tori last night here in San Diego and thought I would share some moments with you. Right before she sang "Frog on My Toe" she told the story of how she wrote the song after drinking Margaritas and finding a piano, then she played a few bars, laughed and said, "No, no, that's not how the song goes." Laughing even harder she said that the story about the margaritas was a lie. She said, "This whole tour I have been telling people this story, and its not true. I made it up. I just thought I would tell all of you the truth, I don't know why." Then she did an endearing little shoulder shrug, threw her hands up in the air, and continued playing.

Another endearing moment is when she "introduced" her harpsicord. An audiance member asked if she had a name and Tori said that she didn't, but that she had just gotten over having fleas, and that she had picked them up in Austin, TX. Tori caller her a "poor little thing" and then said that the instrument was feeling much better now because they had "given her some Margaitas" and that "she had 5 men to look after her". Tori then said that the Mormons had loved that line, 5 men to look after her! and then Tori said " I told them, that's right girls, that's what your future could be like. Think about it!"

I was too busy enjoying the concert to remember any sort of real order to the playlist (sorry!), but here are most of the songs she played:

Back To The Main Dew Drop Inn Index

Back to the Main Tori Amos Page

I just got back from LA. Saw her from row DD at the Greek, and from row V at the Aladdin. I can now see what happened -- the Vegas crowd was cold as ice, compared to what she was used to. I guess Wayne Newton must have been sold out, so a bunch of clueless people came to the Tori show at the Aladdin and diluted the effect of the _real_ fans. I talked to her tour manager about it -- he called it a "really tough room", and said that he felt bad for the real Tori fans, but "if nobody's cheering, you don't come out and do encores, now do you?"

I found the Vegas experience at the Aladdin show to be very disappointing -- Tori feeds off the energy of the the audience, but there was none to be had. Some worthless motherfuckers next to me kept talking through the show, so I gave them directions to the Liberace Museum and asked them to get lost, which they did, probably out of concern for their personal safety.

One unique thing about concerts in Las Vegas -- unlike a normal city, where the audience goes out of their way to go to Ticketbastard and buy a ticket, in Vegas lots of the tickets are given away to high rollers in the Casino (who might, for instance, be Japanese businessmen or Arabs or whatever), and many other people who are staying in the hotel simply buy a ticket for whatever happens to be playing at the hotel (can't wait to see if the Sex Pistols are going to play Circus Circus). Sometimes they are rather shocked at what the show is about.

In the highly unlikely event that Tori comes back to Las Vegas, I hope that they put her in one of the theatres at UNLV, so we can avoid the casino crowd.

Tori left because she was hurt and upset. It wasn't really the audience being rude, it was just a handful of people in the front row that won tickets in the metallica-beer-chugging-contest or some other ridiculous promotion... People that weren't there to enjoy such a talented musician, but to demonstrate their superior skill of obnoxiousness in public. Truthfully, the show was the best I have EVER seen her perform. Yes, I agree it is sad what Tori has to put up with!

Hi there! Me and my friend flew from Reno to see Tori's show. I was really excited because this was the first time I was able to make one of her concerts. I read what people had to say from the concert and I fully agree with what they said. When she walked off the stage I had a feeling she wouldn't be back but she had sung a lot of songs but it ticks me off to think that those drunken idiots screwed things up. There were people flowing up and down the aisles for beer, it was ridiculous! My boyfriend and I will be seeing her in San Jose and I'm hoping that crowd is more respectful and FANS!...

I have a few quotes from the Vegas show. She began by talking about all the letters she gets from boys and how they all talk about how badly the girls treat them to which she said,"fancy that" and laughed.(She said she wrote Pretty Good Year for all the nerds.)

Someone in the crowd yelled that she looked beautiful and she said thank you. I guess the person said nice pants and she replied,"they're not pants babe it's a jumpsuit!" It struck me pretty funny maybe it's just me!

This is the set list for the Aladdin Theater, Las Vegas, June 24, 1996:

SOUNDCHECK
Sister Janet
Pretty Good Year

FIRST SET
Beauty Queen/Horses
Angie
Blood Roses
Frog on My Toe
Cornflake Girl
Pretty Good Year
Precious Things
Not the Red Baron
Leather
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Me and a Gun

This is as much as I can remember...The order's probably screwed too.
Tori didn't come back out for any encores. If you ask me, it was because
of the dorks in the crowd that were actually screaming "Whoo-hoo!" as
Tori started singing Me and a Gun, and after she ended. Tori looked like
she was in tears. But other than that, it was very cool. At the
beginning, Tori was brushing something off of her harpsichord. Then she
joked that it probably looked really sexual, but sorry...It was just that
someone had spilled something on her earlier. Very cool concert,
although it did end a bit abruptly. Even the security guards were
baffled. They said they were expecting two encores as well...

...I don't think there is any way that it was supposed to end like that. I guess you too shared my embarrassment with those "dorks," ...I like Vegas for the most part but things like this really piss me off. Sometimes people are downright inappropriate, she was singing "Me and a Gun" and people were walking up and down the isles like it was a football game at halftime. And even though there are appropriate times to cheer at a Tori Amos concert, this was definitely not one of those times at least not the types of cheers I heard. I think few people in the crowd understood her music, ...or at least the ones that did were outnumbered.

Beauty Queen
Horses
Angie
Blood Roses
Amsterdam
Cornflake Girl
Doughnut Song
Pretty Good Year
Leather
Frog on my toe
Damage
Preciuos Things (she drooled lots)
not the red baron
CALS
Talula
me and a gun

She left abrubtly..so im told. My friend thinks she was upset with the
crowd..lots of people bought tickets at the door.
My friend also got the set list and tori was to play

Encore 1
Rainbow
China

Encore 2
Spacedog
tear in your hand
Jupiter

But she didnt play those..i wonder why?

Back To The Main Dew Drop Inn Index

Back to the Main Tori Amos Page

so. i waited for her before the show, around 3:30, hoping to catch her
before the sound check. I didn't have to wait long. A man came and said
not to be disappointed if she didn't come. Then a few minutes later he
talked into his walkie talkie saying there were 3 people (me and two others)
waiting to see her. He told us she would come and sign something, only one
thing, on the way up, but not to detain her because she's on a tight
schedule. When the bus came up, Joel was at the front looking out at us.
He had white lipgloss on and orangey skin. Then I saw Tori walk out of the
bus. She must have said hi or something. I can't remember. I was looking
at her shoes. She had cute light brown clogs on. She was also wearing a
faded black dress and a light blue pinstriped t-shirt tied around at the
front. She had her hair tied back, but she also had a red and green plaid
scrunchie around her wrist that didn't match.

The girl on my left got to talk to her first. Then it was my turn. I
really didn't know what to do. That's when I realized I was nervous. I
just gave her my cornflake girl single and my pen and she asked my name. I
told her and then said I was a little nervous. She said, "a little
nervous?" and giggled a little because it was apparent that i was more than
a little nervous. I told her how to spell my name. And then I said that I
would really really appreciate it if she could play Honey and she looked me
right in the eye, smiled, and said sure. She wrote it down on her hand.
Then I gave her the poem I wrote about what I would do if I could spend a
day with her, maybe if she were 80 (she smiled at that), and she said,
"that's really sweet of you Ursula." Then I asked if we could take a
picture, and we got a picture together. I hope it turns out. i was so
nervous I didn't think about which way to face for the best lighting. Ok.
onto the concert:

Tori had her hair back and was wearing a light, bright purple unitard that
was kind of shiny and a little tight around her stomach. Over that, she had
a dark purple ribbed short sleeve shirt that also reflected light a little
bit. I couldn't see her shoes.

The setlist:
Beauty Queen/Horses
Crucify
Blood Roses
Little Amsterdam
Cornflake Girl
Doughnut Song
Little Earthquakes
Frog on My Toe
Silent All These Years
Precious Things
Not the Red Baron
Caught a Lite Sneeze
Talula
Me and A Gun

Marianne
A Case of You

Pretty Good Year
Honey (!!!)
Purple Rain

As she sat down to the harpsichord to start Blood Roses, she said that she
had a really good day today and that she loved this town. Someone from the
audience shouted, "move here" and she said she was thinking about it but she
wasn't sure. Then she said, "my nose is red. everything is red but my ass
and I love it" and began to play.

She told the margarita story before Frog On My Toe. She played a neat
little thing before Doughnut Song when she was telling how the song came in
Ireland that went, "She's a torturer" because she was saying how she worked
her crew and then woke them up in the middle of the night because she wasn't
done yet.

Before Silent All These Years, she said something like (sorry, i can't
remember word for word), "i hope the girl out there gets this, wherever she
is", as if she felt a girl in the audience who really needed the song.

When she introduced Caton before Cornflake Girl, she said they were in YKTR
together and someone shouted out, "I have the CD" and she said, "yeah?
where were you in 1988?" and then said, "Caton's gonna play now" and he
played while she did her little dance to begin Cornflake Girl. She started
to sing the "she's gone to the other side with my encyclopedia" verse twice
and then sang another little verse that said she didn't know what she was
doing because she already sang this verse and right after that the "this is
not really happening. you bet your life it is" part came in and it was very
funny.

Precious Things was awesome, not just because of the Grrrrll (which i am not
even trying to type out with accuracy, btw), but because at the end, she
went off. She was just screaming out "wash me clean" for a really long
time. That's when I cried. It really surprised me, because i had expected
to cry for something else, like MaaG or Doughnut Song. But it was then. It
was like she was begging to herself to be washed clean and the precious
things were really doing it. I could feel all the energy there in the
purple lights just raining down on her as she was washing herself and I so
much wanted to be washed too. It became my own plead. My heart was
screaming as loud as her voice was to be washed clean. I wanted her to stop
because I was crying and I really didn't want to be. But she went on and I
decided I would just accept it and experience it and It was so magical and
wonderful that all she would have to play would be that song and nothing
else and I would be ok.

So, the Grrrllll was much longer than I expected. I mean, everyone has been
saying that it's long, but I thought they were exaggerating. She started
doing it and it lasted for a long time even before she reached for her legs.
So now I do believe you all who say the Grrrlll is amazing.

In the middle of Frog on My Toe, she sang "yes i'm sure" over and over
really loud and sat there on one note forever. Whenever she did something
that I knew was going to last a long time, it would last longer than I expected.

When she was doing the percussion in CALS on her piano, it was like she was
affectionately patting her piano, like they were dancing together.

Before Honey, she said, "this is my favorite song on Under the Pink, only
she didn't make it on Under the Pink because... I'm an idiot"

Everyone was quiet during Me and A Gun, but a few people were walking around
at the beginning. In the middle, someone was talking loudly for a brief
moment. For the first time, i could picture the experience because of the
way she sang it. Toward the middle, where her voice started fading and it
looked like she was just trying to get through it, I started feeling pissed
off. Tori looked helpless, as if it was happening to her right then. And
the only thing she could do to stay sane was sing the song.

Before Marianne she said how her mom came in and told her Marianne killed
herself and she said, "fuck you mom" and she also said Marianne was like an
angel and "Angels don't kill themselves", then began to play.

Some thoughts on last night's show in Santa Barbara. I'm afraid I didn't make a set list but I'll try to mention as many songs as I can remember. I'm actually not a regular reader of this group but I rely on other people to do this sort of thing for r.m.dylan so I thought I'd do my bit.

I haven't seen Tori since her 1992 (?) show in Santa Barbara (at a club called the Anaconda, although it has now changed names). Last night's show was in the ~4000 seat county bowl, which wasn't sold out (as of Sunday afternoon) but by showtime it looked pretty full.

If you are going to a show, I'd reccomend getting there in time to catch the current opening act - Willie Porter. Went down very well in SB, especially his Jackson five cover.

OK, on to Tori. In my opinion the standout songs were: