North American Club Tour
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
April 18, 1998
Updated April 27, 1998
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North American Club Tour
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Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page 
Tori performed her first concert of 1998 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on April 18, 1998 at the Chili Pepper. It was also the first show of the North American club tour. Even though I already have some reviews below, feel free to send me some more if you like. I appreciate having reviews from many Toriphiles to get a clearer picture of the show. The photo you see to the right is actually from this Ft. Lauderdale concert. It and many others like it can be seen much larger at Tori's Official site Set ListThe photo to the right shows Tori singing "Spark" from this show. It was taken from a RealVideo clip available at www.tori.com
Black-Dove (January) 1st Encore: She's Your Cocaine 2nd Encore: Northern Lad ReviewsFrom SoFla.com web siteApril 27, 1998 - The following review appeared online at the SoFla.com web site For a while you should be able to read this review online at this URL Scene and Heard It's hard to find fault in a performer so engrossed by her music that she drools while singing. Well, maybe it's not that hard. But on a night dominated by spectacular lighting schemes and amazing acoustics, it somehow seemed that Tori Amos should have been better. Amos played for almost two hours to a packed house at the Chili Pepper in Fort Lauderdale. The performance was the first stop on a promotional tour for her newest release, From the Choirgirl Hotel. As such, it would have been understandable if the show had encountered any opening-night snags. It didn't. Technically, the concert was amazing. The microphones caught every sigh, whisper, and groan that Amos could muster. The sounds were clearer and sharper than any live performance has a right to be. Streams of multi-colored light washed over the audience like leftovers from a psychedelic show of the past. The production was impeccable, and obviously well thought-out. Amos was presented to her fans as an angel, bathed in the bright lights of Heaven and plopped on a stage where proper homage could be paid. The crowd, dominated by women, and largely by those under-21, played along, throwing roses onstage and cheering every song. Not that they didn't have reason to cheer. Amos's voice and piano playing were phenomenal. She glided smoothly from note to note, displaying her range and power again and again. Her considerable talents, which include an extremely expressive face and the courage to use it, were all in evidence. Still, the band had no trouble keeping up with her. The bass, drums, and guitar stayed tight while providing the background for Amos's piano and vocals. They jumped in right on cue at the end of each brief solo, as if it was all planned. Which was symptomatic of the show's problem. Everything was too good. The production values were too impressive. It felt like someone had put on a CD and added some crowd noise to the background. The best moments came when Amos stopped singing and let herself go on the piano. But for the most part, she shied away from improvising and played the songs as written. The variety of songs was impressive, and Amos sprinkled a few of the as-yet unreleased From the Choirgirl Hotel songs into the evening. From "Winter" and "The Waitress" to "Cloud on my Tongue," she covered the material that her fans wanted to hear. From every angle, this show had it all. But for some reason, that's what made it seem so empty. From Andre SommaApril 24, 1998 - The following is The Ft. Laurderdale Tori show through my eyes. (This is very long, I just needed to get it all out because the experience was so great) The anticipation for the show was killing me from when we bought the voucher to the day of the show, good thing we only had to wait two weeks. To keep our minds off the waiting my buddy and I decided to do something special to commemorate the show. So we decided to make voucher T-shirts. I want to thank all the "ears with feet" who complimented us on the shirts, it made the effort making them, worth it. Anyway, about the show, My friend and I left West Palm at 1:00 and arrived at the Chilly Pepper at around 2:00; there were quite a few people already there when we arrived. We soon noticed that the people waiting all had numbers on their hands. We inquired about the numbers and found out that they were for position in line for entry. We were told to find the girl with the mickey mouse hat to get a number, this time we got there early enough to get a number close to the beginning of the line ( #110 and 110g). It was a good idea even though people still cut in line.(you know who you are) I WANT TO THANK KIMMIE (MICKEY MOUSE HAT GIRL I THINK) AND MAT(AGENT ORANGE) FOR STARTING THE NUMBER SYSTEM. After we got our number we headed back to the side of the Chilly Pepper where Tori was to arrive. After a while, the moment we were currently waiting for, was upon us. The big blue bus came around the corner and once it "docked", SHE exited. Tori was welcomed by hundreds of screaming fans. I tried to get into the crowd to meet her, but it was impossible, so i snapped as many pictures as i could. After the frenzy, Tori ducked away into the Chilly Pepper to start her sound check (which we all could hear from outside which only added to the excitement). At that point the lining up was well under way. We were directed by Kimmie( I hope that's the mickey mouse hat girl) and Mat where to line up and wait to get in. The waiting was the only unpleasant part, because it was hot and some people felt that it was alright to smoke cigarettes while standing in a crowd. ( i hate that; how rude). Once the people who work for the chilly pepper got their act together, they started to let people in (late). I didn't know why they had to walk through the line checking vouchers, why not just check them at the door before we went in? Once we got in, we scopped the place out for a good view, first we tried up stairs but decide to get a spot in the pit in front of the stage.( Great Choice Joe) As more people filled in, the place was packed to the rafters. And then the waiting continued, as we listened to the same techno songs over and over again. Fortunately, this was a great time to meet so other toriphiles (What a great group of people, especially the cute girl who handed out the sweet tarts). At 7:00, the opening act came on, not too many people seemed interested due to all the talking going on. Then the moment we were waiting for (for 2 weeks) was here. TORI and the band came on stage and played an amazing set, i wont go into how great it was because you can read all about it in the other entries to the dent, it was every bit as spiritual as they say. Any way, I am very excited about the new album, the songs played at the show from it sound awesome. ( I really love Jackie's strength, with its beautiful cellos, i plan to listen to that song first when i pick up the album.) After the amazing set was over (seemed to fly by), we dashed out to see if we could meet tori (forgetting to buy a t-shirt unfortunately) but everyone else had the same idea(go figure). We got a spot right by the barriers separating Tori's bus from the crowd We were almost positive that we would meet her this time; but before Tori came out, Joel her body guard, came out to tell us that tori would only be able to stay near her bus because of the crew loading the equipment.(that is also when he told us that Tori would be back in florida in august but in west palm this time) unfortunately we were at the wrong end and didn't get to meet her, when she finally did come out (to a shower of rose petals courtesy of the tori fans watching from above). So after some more hugs and autographs, Tori graciously waved goodbye to her adoring fans and got back on her bus to leave.(So Sad) There was one last thing that made the night complete.As the bus was about to depart, taking tori away, the crew corralled the crowd behind the barriers clearing the street for the bus. The cool thing was that my friend and I made it out of the crowd before the crew blocked it off. We ended up basically in the path of the bus. Which was cool because as the bus was heading for us we saw Tori sitting near the front. So we frantically waved to get her attention to say goodbye, and she gave us a big smile and waved back. We thought that was pretty cool! A perfect ending to a perfect night. Thanks for letting me share it with you. See you at the show in august. From JessApril 23, 1998 - A couple of tidbits for you-God was on the setlist for the Chili Pepper but not played. We think but don't know for certain that it was cut for time-the Chili Pepper was due to open as a club at 10:00. While waiting to get into the Roxy, we talked to a fan that had been there since 5 or 6 am and she had a copy of the set list that the crew had given her. From Gina ReinertApril 21, 1998 - Well I know this is late, but I took a long time getting home from Ft.Lauderdale. Anyway, I must say that Tori sounded better than ever. Her voice was much stronger than in the past. My favorite of all songs that she did besides the unbelievable version of The Waitress was iiiee. It was amazing. Also I am truly shocked by the fight in Atlanta. I think that is rediculous and those people deserve to get thrown out. When Tori began to play Upside Down at Ft.Lauderdale there were two girls about to start fighting so through the song all I heard was "Your a fuckin bitch" back and forth and I could feel alot of pushing and shoving. I am glad they calmed down, and Tori never knew about it. Atleast most people were respectful through the show. From Anastasia DebeckApril 21, 1998 - The first show of the Tori Amos Plugged, '98 preview tour was, as her shows always are, unbelievably brilliant. The tour, along with the album it is promoting, From the Choir Girl Hotel, is a turn from the norm for Tori, a professed soloist with an occasional accompanyist on guitar. Does this deviation work? Yes, and amazingly well! The crowd conditions at the Fort Lauderdale show where, well, what you would expect at the first concert of a limited Tori tour promoting a yet unreleased album. People began getting in line at the wee hours of the morning anticipating the opening of the club doors at 5:30 pm. They once again tried to start the number system used at the voucher sales in order to maintain fairness in the line to get in. It worked well until about 4:00, and number 400, when people just started randomly breaking into the line wherever they felt they deserved to be. At 3:00 Tori had a brief meet and greet but could in no possible way satisfy the hord of fans that had gathered around to get a glimpse at their idol. She then went inside for the sound check. The crowd slowly moved into the club, beginning at around 6:00, leaking into the Chili Pepper, a huge globule of Tori addicts. The opening act, David Poe, entered the stage to a tough crowd chanting for Tori. He handled the pressure with a little bit of humor and a lot of sinuous vocals accompanied by a very monotonous guitar. He tried his best, but fell short of comparing to other openers that I¼ve seen tour with Tori. It was hard to understand the lyrics, which is unfortunate, because the few that got across were pretty catchy and got a good reaction from the listeners. At about 8:15, Tori walked on to the stage, greeted by ecstatic shrieks and protestations of love and adoration from the crowd. She returned the compliments, set right in by introducing Caton and her new friends on stage. Tori looked radiant. She had an air of the strongest inner peace. You could almost sense the changes she¼s evolved through with the pregnancy and the marriage. The play list was truly surprising and inspired. The songs from the new album have a new life, part of her new life and a life of their ownãa life belonging to they're individual "choir girls," perhaps. The presence of her father, I am sure, was enough to throw the concert into a whole new dimension for Tori, personally. She shared that new dimension with the audience through her powerful renditions of favorites like Horses, Upside Down, and the most surprising and amazing inclusion of Waitress. She played some of her classics during "our secret time" in the intimate group of herself, her "best friend" (the piano) and the 2000 fans, and played other with a new twist from the band members, adding a harder edge to her mesmerizing vocals. She dedicated an eye-welling version of Winter to her father that even got her so choked up she forgot the words to the third verse and had to get help from the unhesitating fans. All the while; however, she was the essential Tori, making love to her music like no one else has the power or passion to do. We were graced with three encore performances before The Goddess of Music said her goodbyes for the night and retired to her bus. The concert was a truly unique experience, even for the most dedicated followers of Tori tours and will not be paralleled easily. I feel blessed to have been a part of this new beginning and I wish Tori the best and most beautiful guidance on the rest of the tour. From colleen bucoloApril 21, 1998 - I just want to tell you about the concert. Well we arrived at 4:00 pm and met up with other friends who allready had numbers on their hands. We got in line and were given numbers 236 and 237. We waited untill about 6:00 to get in. We heard that the numbers weren't being used so we went to the front and beat our friends in who were numbers 123... So when we got in the place was half full, we knew we wouldn't be able to see well on the floor (2 of my friends are really short) so we went to the balcony. We had good spots on the railing. We waited untill about 7:00 untill David Poe came on. He was allright, but all his stuff sounded the same. When tori came on the place got so crowded, we couldn't even move. There were people up our ass at the beginning trying to push their way to the rail. We were like no we got here first. Anyway at one point this old man got up behind my friend and was looking over the railing. We thought it was just an old Tori fan. But the girl next to us said that it was her dad, and we didn't believe her untill Tori played winter and told everyone that her dad was there tonight. We were like cool we saw Tori's dad. Well when Tori started playing, it was all worth the wait and uncomfort of standing for so long. She sounded Beautiful all her new stuff was so good. I loved when she played horsed with the band, it sounded so beautiful. The lighting effects were excellent. She came out for 2 oncores. It was a great show, well worth the money and time. I heard that shes comming back in August to Ftlauderdale, but it wont be in a club. Tori looked so beautiful and was so nice and happy to be playing for us. During Winter she forget a line so she asked everyone in the audience to sing it for her. We all sang like four lines of the song. It sounded so cool. Anyways when we were leaving they were doing a video for her, to see how her first show went. I got to go on the camera and tell her how good she was and how I loved when she played precious things. I hope she really gets to see it. Anyways I snuck in a camera and took tons of pictures, so when I get them developed I send some to you. Anyways I love your web page and if it wasn't for you updating it all the time, I would have never found out about tickets so early and been able to get them. so thanks for making my dream to see tori possible. From A Review That Appeared In The Miami Herald NewspaperApril 21, 1998 - Many thanks to XXXPandora and Is It Rite for sending this to me. Amos, with spirits, soars in sneak tour It has been reported that pop singer/songwriter Tori Amos believes fairies or other-worldly spirits guide her as she composes her personal songs. It's one reason she titled her forthcoming CD - the one she and a three piece band launched with a sneak preview club tour opener at Fort Lauderdale's The Chili Pepper Saturday night - from the choirgirl hotel. "I'm calling this record (that) because I felt like I was sending dispatches from it or I'm part of their troupe and they let me sing alto with them sometimes. But the choir girls were incredibly comforting to me," she told Spin magazine recently. Is this a serious artist? You betcha. Aside from hotel's first single, the intense and tempo-shifting spark, few of her fans saturday could have known any of Amos' other new songs. The CD won't be in stores until May 5 and her 100-minute set was devoted heavily to its material. Yet fans who packed every inch of space at the sold-out show responded as if these were old favorites. The closing Northern Lad boasts one of Amos' prettiest melodies and drew a strong response. But so did the sexy bass-heavy iieee and funky She's your cocaine. On the latter, Amos had the concentration to not only simultaneously play a grand piano to her right and a synthesizer to her left but to straddle a bench in-between, face the crowd, and sing the song's lengthy stream of lyrics without missing a beat. She'd do this trick many times Saturday. Perhaps fans respond because Amos looks them in the eye as she performs, instead of hiding behind her instrument. Amos also inhabits her songs fully, rarely repeating the hooks with CD-like precision but rather modulating them with feeling. Only on one of the familiar songs, a reinvented Horses; did she miss the mark, meandering away from the melody. But she quickly found her spot immediately after on the lovely ballad Winter, the oldest song in the set and the one she dedicated to her father, who was in the audience. Winter, Amos explained, is about a time long ago when the two walked in the snow and she looked to him for warmth. "It was the first time we got connected, so I wrote this for him." To her surprise, Amos forgot the lyrics to a verse and, smiling broadly, turned to her audience for support. "So what happens then?" she asked. A chorus of voices - her real life fairies, :) if you will - floated to greet her from around the club, filling in the missing parts. It was a spontaneous moment, elevating an already enjoyable evening that much higher. From Terry EastApril 21, 1998 - On Saturday, April 18, I attended my third Tori Amos show. The other two shows were from the Dew Drop Inn tour (Gainesville-Spring '96, Clearwater-Fall '96). This third show was definitely the best of the three surpassing the Clearwater show as much as that show surpassed the Gainesville show. The band added an element to the show that even I was not ready for on this eagerly awaited opening night. I did not arrive at the Chili Pepper until after six o'clock because I was hanging out with some of my college friends who live in the area. While they did not go this show, I hope to get them to go on future dates of the tour. Once I got inside, David Poe was already performing. The performance was not earthshattering by any stretch of the imagination. However, I hope he gets a second chance later in the tour. While the fans were polite, I think most of us were looking ahead to Tori. I tried to form a setlist early on in the show but I decided to let that go due to the fact that I was not familiar enough with the new material. Besides, I know that at least one person would produce that setlist. I wanted to focus more attention to the show itself. I was a little uneasy during the early part of the show. I have been to many club shows but I can rarely prepare for the heat that come with that many people in one place or trying to see when even at 5'10" I happen to be in a straight line with people who are taller than myself. The band was a great addition to Tori's live show. Outside a couple of missteps (most notably on the time signature during a couple of brief parts in Precious Things), the band was superb. The interaction between Tori and the band was encouraging. I was really amazed with Caton. While I was obviously familiar with his work with her on the Dew Drop Inn tour, his guitar work was amazing (especially on iiiee). When I added his mannerisms and style to the mix, I was reminded of David Gilmour from Pink Floyd. I hope that his live work translates to the new record. My personal favorites from the show were iiiee (my current favorite amongst the new songs), The Waitress and Winter. iiiee and The Waitress absolutely rocked. The Waitress in particular justified the idea of Tori going to the band format in my opinion. As everyone else has seemed to comment already, it was great when Tori let the audience sing the verse of Winter that she managed to forget. I think what helped to make this show the best of the three was Tori's mood. The first show in Gainesville, she mentioned that she felt tired. The second show in Clearwater, she really went her own way. I don't mean that in a bad way. I only mean it in the way that she seemed to disappoint some fans that night when she didn't play her "hits." However, I would have to say that Tori was definitely happy on this night. She actually milked the audience for applause at one point. I think the reason why she might have done this club tour was that she may not have felt confident in pulling off the "band" thing after YTKR. Going the club tour route would allow her to work out any bugs live rather than in rehearsal. She would be facing those who would be the most supportive yet honest of her work. She seemed honestly surprised to see how well the crowd thought of her new endeavor. In closing, I would like to bring up some of the darker side of the night's events. These were isolated incidents so many at the show may not have even noticed but I thought I would bring them up because I hope that I don't read about events like these at the remaining shows of the tour. First, during Winter, the crowd near the bar and the bar itself would not keep quite during what is obviously a quiet song. Conversations continued. I even heard a register clicking off like they were closing for the night. The talking got so bad that a number of those attending had to quiet the offending voices. It was a bad point in a otherwise perfect concert. After the show, many of the fans including myself waited outside in hopes of getting a moment with Tori. I resolved that if I had my moment I wanted to get either my copy of UTP autographed or a photo with her, wish her well on the rest of the tour, and tell her how great the show was. However, it was decided that only those in front of the bus would get their moments with Tori. I was fine with that. I have learned my lesson about meeting her. It would appear that it is best to come before the show. However, what was to happen before the evening was a surprise to me. While waiting for Tori to move on down the railing, several fans got on top of a car to get a better view of Tori. It was such a Beatles fans mob moment. When one of the roadie caught eye of this, he totally lost his cool. He yelled that it was his car and that he wanted them off of it immediately. He then singled out one of the offending individuals and proceeded to spout obscenties in her directions. I was going to quote those obscenties but I figure I will leave it at that. The crowd that was not actively trying see Tori fell to a complete hush. Now, I'm not trying to say that the fans were right in this incident. They were clearly wrong for getting on the car. However, I question that the car was even the roadie's simply due to his demeanor and attitude toward the fans only minutes earlier. Second, even if the car was his, resorting to profanity while easy (I know myself) it is definitely the wrong way to handle the situation. I guess what I'm trying to say to everybody involved in this club tour is to use some common sense. For the Tori fans who got their vouchers, this may be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Between getting the tickets and going to the show, I spent nearly sixteen hours on the road for this wonderful night. This is a night I don't intend to forget for quite a while. However, fans should be sensible and considerate of others. Also, if anyone connected to the tour (whether the clubs or management) is reading this, I ask that you take the extra step to make sure that even minor incidents such as the ones above do not happen on the remaining dates of the tour. With that, I close and wish everyone safe journey on the trips (whether short or long) to see Tori on the rest of the club tour. From JulieApril 20, 1998 - Just wanted to give my short review of Saturday's show....got there late..the opening guy was performing.....all you could see was people..and I am short (5 5)..so even on my tip toes I couldnt see anything..finally went upstairs to hope for a better view no such luck..this club sucks for shows..they had HUGE speakers righ in fron of the balcony..couldnt see anything..I saw her about half of the show....the only time I could see her, I was crouched on the floor with my knees up to my chin looking between peoples legs...("well i can see her hands..lol)..Anyway..the lighting I thought was incredible and the sound was good too...Tori was absolutley stunning..she was very passionate and intense and I just sat there with my mouth open going "oh my god"..she did autographs after the show for quite a while..I was suprised at that...It was well worth it, however I dont think I will be going back to that club for any shows..(2 jack and $12.50).....breathtakingly beautiful..i think that is the only way to describe her. From ~Jason/FlynDchmnApril 20, 1998 - So i left sunny and cool San Diego CA to come to humid and hot Florida for the first show. My friend Cindy in Clearwater was able to get a voucher. So we left Clearwater a little after 8am, and got to Ft Laud at about 1:30pm, where we signed in to hold a place in line (this was a fan-driven sign-in)and we were numbers 63. Everyone was pretty much by the stage entrance waiting, where barricades were already set up and people started to slowly migrate over there, me and Cindy met up with JENNERS and her friend Kathryn and *hovered* over by the barricades. So i went to KFC and got me some biscuits and mac&cheese....too bad KFC was nice and air-conditioned and i didnt want to leave, but i did. So then while everyone had gathered by the barricades i started to see numbers on ppl's hands in the 100's, the highest i saw was 139, which you have to double because the person and their guest got the same number, which means there was easily 300 people there. It was about 3:30, then security tells us everyone needs to move away from the barricades so they can load *heavy equiment*, so everyone who had been sitting/standing in the heat reluctantly moved to the other side of the street, and we waited a few minutes and then a tour bus was seen (nice and powder blue)and everyone made a mad dash for the railing. So the bus pulled up to pretty much the half mark of the whole barricades (too bad i was on the half facing the bus at this point). So a huge crowd had gathered at the other opened half, cameras ready, pens flying. And then she came out and it was a zoo. She took her time amid Joels rushing, as he always does (he cut his hair!). But she only went down maybe a third of the whole barricade, and then took off for the soundcheck, which you could easily hear from just about any point around the club (i heard iiiee and spark being rehearsed and i heard someone heard Caught a Lite Sneeze). So then everyone had started forming the line to get in the club. Most people followed the fan-driven numbering system but others sneaked in line (i was starting to see some pretty high numbers now). Waiting in line was crazy, everyone was smooshed together, everyone was sweating like a pig in the desert, and then this guy for the Chili Pepper says we need to make a clear path down the middle of the line so they can hand out wristbands to get in. After they realized this wasnt going to happen since we were all squished in there they just started doing it. All they really did was look at your ID/Voucher, check you off and give you a wristband to get in...you got to keep the voucher, so there were pretty much no tickets, just wristbands. So after about 2 hours of waiting in line (by this point my arms were showing signs of severe sunburn, and i could feel it in my face) they FINALLY started to let people in. Me and Cindy had already agreed the floor was going to be crazy, so we opted for the balcony, where we were the first ones up there so we got a prime spot. I then went back to look at the merchandise (a black *sneak preview* T, with the back photo copier picture on the front, and on the back the same picture, only tinted blue, broken up in 4 blocks and the sneak preview cities listed, a white baby-doll T that said plugged and then had an eletric cord around it, and then a Raspberry Swirl necklace) i got a black T. And then i headed back up to the balcony where a few more people had converged. I thought "what a great time to sit down" and sat down only to have security walk by every 15 minutes telling us we could NOT sit. The theatre was nice and air conditioned and was a basic club - a dance floor that could hold probably 500, a higher section to walk on that was about the same heigth as the stage and a balcony/catwalk around the floor. All the instruments were set up already (at first it didnt look like a Bosey was out, the piano was a little smaller, but when lights shined it had the Bosendorfer name on it, a baby bosey i suppose). The opening act, David Poe kinda bored me...or maybe that was exhaustion talking. And by this time the club was full....with people smoking too, which sucked for me because then i couldnt breathe, and there was no source of ventilation anywhere, so the smoke just hovered, blech. So then the crowd was getting antsy. Chanting "tori! tori!" every now and then, and then she came out, and the crowd cheered/screamed/clapped so loud, one of the loudest crowds i've heard (and i heard the 6000 filled Universal at the KROQ show). ...... She opens with a song 'm not familiar with but recognize the words, Black Dove (January), which was a sweet song, but showed how the band was gonna rock tonight. And then Cruel, and Tori rocked out! She then said hi, and "you guys will recognize this" and it was Tear in Your Hand, with a full band! It was so good, and showed that the band was a great addition for some of the older songs. Then Liquid Diamonds, but i hadn't memorized the words so i couldn't understand a lot of it, and then this guy with a video camera like a news crew, just barges right infront of Cindy and tapes for about half a minute and leaves without apologizing. hi, courtesy much? Then the band is playing their thing and Tori starts to play Precious Things!! with a band!! my jaw dropped...it sounded great, and the audience went wild. There were parts when all the stage lights were white and bright as could be. She didnt do the whole "wash me clean daddy" part at the end but she did draw it out a bit longer than what is on the CD. Jackie's Strength was the next one which was great to hear, there was an upright bass which sounded like an orchestra...but you could hear people talking in the back of the club near the bar. The next song started out with a twang and i knew it was Playboy Mommy. (Tori was doing many hand gestures throughout the show, when she wasn't playing, and sometimes she would be playing both the keyboard AND the Bosey at once!) So the band went away and Tori said "it's out secret time" and then "you all know the b-sides" and she played Upside Down, and then Cloud On My Tongue. The band came back, and she started Putting the Damage On, it sounded very much like the Twilight Mix only a little more heavy on the band, but the "high, high, high" part was pretty much like the choral of the Mix. Then was the song from the new album everyone knew, Spark. It sounded so much better than Letterman. It was more drawn out, and her voice was much improved. For the next song, there were already a few short loops programmed into the keyboard and Tori would just have to hit a key to play them (there were two keys marked, one with a red sticker below it, the other a green) and the song she started next was iiiee, which sounds like the Professional Widow of this album, its very VERY band heavy, but theres moments where it was just Tori and the keyboard. The intro to the next song sounded soooooo familiar, but it was just the band playing for awhile, and Tori began to sing "So i want to kill this Waitress" and i was dumb-struck, this was one song i could not wait to hear with a band, and it was so good, probably one of the 2 highlights of the show. It was more drawn out and she added a stanza which she kept repeating, i only understood the line "if she goes i go". And then after the Waitress she left, no Me and a Gun. She came back with the band and played She's Your Cocaine, which Tori enjoyed very much. And next the band started this jazzy blue-grass tune, and Tori again said "i think you'll know this one" and for awhile she just played this really slow almost melancholy tune..and then the first line "so i got me some horses..." wow..it wasnt the whole song as known on BFP, just some stanzas, which were repeated over. Then the other highlight of the night. She starts playing Winter, Tori exclaims that her dad is in the audience, and is talking about this one walk they went on in the woods, and then she starts singing, but then forgets the words, at which point she asks the audience how it goes, to MANY screams, so she says "ill sing and then you sing" so she played the part again, sang up until the part she forget and let the whole audience take over till the end of that stanza, where she picked it up again, it was great, not everyone was singing, but more then enough. Then tori improvs a little something to her dad, all i remember is the end of it "...just between you and me, you said, "when you gonna make up your mind". She then thanks everyone and leaves again, but before she can leave i see her take a package from the audience, which was Jenny!! she was right up front! Tori comes out for the last encore which was Northern Lad and then she's gone. I high-tailed it out of the club where there were probably already 50 people waiting, this time i thought i's stick with the side that she went to before the show. People said she was already in the bus, and Joel told us she was only going out to the other side for a short while...which means i got royally screwed out of meeting her again twice! SO i gave Joel a letter i had written her, and Cindy's too, and he said he would give them to her...(now, the chance of Joel giving her something is usually unlikely, but he made his way to the bus with them, and when he came off he didnt have them, so im taking that as a good sign). So she came out from the bus, went to the other side *grumble* where there was a camera crew and she was signing things (which i have never seen her sign after a show coincidentally). There were easily 500-600 people outside trying to get a glimpse of her, it was crazy, and then she waved to everyone and she was off. And soon after that so were me and Cindy, who got back to Clearwater at 4am.......sleep...... ~Jason/FlynDchmn P.S. Jenny...i think it was during Winter she said that, also i tried looking for you to say good-bye but they were moving everyone, so i couldnt find you :/ From BUTTER4FLYApril 20, 1998 - I first would like to say that standing shows are no fun... actually brutal...... Tori Finally came out wearing Khaki Cargo pants with a black tank top and sandals.. this seemed like a new style for her...kind of a tough but not so tough girly look. I am probably going to be the only one to say this... but I really do like Tori alone without a band for the old songs atleast. Her voice is amazing and beautiful but I felt that all of the background instruments took away from her mesmerizing voice. I could clearly see the difference when she was alone on stage versus being with the band.. I LOVE TORI. The band needs to get an image.. get a look to them...... to me it seemed that the guys were a little nervous.. and I think that's what was wrong with David POE.. He was Sooooo Nervous. I liked him, but couldn't hear the lyrics because everyone was talking while he was playing. I was lucky enough to have the 4 song sampler and PlayBoy Mommy is my favorite song. It was for me the most magical song of the evening. I witnessed what happened at the miami show and I felt for Tori. Last night she sang Playboy Mommy as if she was singing it directly to her lost baby... "Don't judge me so harsh little girl" She looked up several times during this song as if she was singing up to her baby in heaven. Of course the second most beautiful moment of the evening was learning the meaning of Winter and having her dedicate it to her father. "You've got to learn to stand up, for yourself cause I can't always be around...." Tears were in my eyes especially as I thought of my father..... From Roger BranstetterApril 20, 1998 - I just got home from the show and it was too wonderful for words. I've seen tori 7 times now and this show was by far the best I've EVER seen. I don't have a setlist unfortunately but here's a rundown on the songs I do remember her playing - Jackie's Strength* * - played with band I'm probably missing a few and that is definitely not the order they were performed in. She openned with Cruel and the band was really awesome and a welcome addition in my opinion to her sound. The new songs were very powerful and she played a few oldies with new band twists. Horses was totally different with a nice sparing piano melody. Waitress was totally rocking the club as she screamed "I believe in peace, bitch" over and over again. The song lasted for at least 7 minutes I think. Putting the damage on also had a slight twist with the band adding some light elements including a cello (or that may have been Jackie's Strength, I forget now) Some songs were finally done justice live in my opinion starting with Precious Things. It was pretty faithful to the album version with a few improvisations which only tori can do that made it so much better, including drawing out the Grrrrrrrrl for more than normal (although *I* really couldn't hear it much over the band). I'll add Waitress to it too. The addition of drums and bass really add another element to the song. Let me also point out that she DID NOT play Me and a Gun. I wasn't aware of this until my friend Mollie pointed it out to me. For those who were wondering about when to get to the venue, me and my guest camped for our spot since about 10am and we were the 16th voucher on the list that was kept. Also the venue really didn't honor the number system but they did manage the vouchers as described. You had to present your ID and the voucher for entrance for you and a guest. The guest didn't requre any ID unless they wanted to get alcohol and were over 21. Mollie and I had front row in the pit area which meant we had to put up with much pushing and shoving which lasted all throughout the doors openning, the opening act (which was good but I'm not going to rush out and buy his cd). Thankfully, with tired legs and back from the trying to hold our position, everyone settled down when Tori came out. She was radiant and looked so happy to me. She talked quite a few times telling a story for Winter, about her father taking her for a walk in the snow and the two of them really connecting and then she wrote the song for him, and then there was "our little secret time" when then band walked off and she said "You guys know the b-sides right?" Then she played a wonderful Upside down. She forget the words to Winter halfway through and actually stopped and asked us to continue for her. She started playing again singing what she remembered and then the crowd came through with every voice singing in unison as she played. I never thought I'd be singing one of Tori's songs to Tori herself. She threw in an improvised lyric for her father towards the end. "So did you meet tori?" I know you're asking. Well the doors were scheduled to open at 5:30 (but was actually 5:50) and she was late for her sound check arriving at about 4pm. There were already about 200 people there I estimate and there was no way she could do a normal meet and greet as in past shows. She touched the lives of a few people who managed to get to the front of the railings and then went inside. That's when we started to line up, most people by their numbers, and some time later strains of Precious Things, Spark, and Waitress could be heard through the front doors of the Chili Pepper. After the show was exactly the same thing except it wasn't as hot (it was a scorcher of a day and was even worse in line with all the people packed so tightly). She signed a few autographs and that's when I left with my 3 rolls of tori film. To those of you with vouchers, you're going to have the greatest time of your life. To those who don't, if you're in distance to a show I'd say go anyway because there a few people who didn't have vouchers here and got tickets because some people didn't show. Let me finish with saying she played 2 encores and was on stage for about 2 hours. From Nadyne & Jess (rec.music.tori-amos newsgroup post)April 19, 1998 - (This is Nadyne, pretending to be Jess. :) And this is Jess pretending to be literate :-) A little Tori moment from me first. I've known I was coming to this show for weeks, and Friday I was racing around getting ready. As I was sitting on the airplane from Little Rock to Atlanta, as I was eating the little sandwich they gave me, I suddenly looked up and the fact that I was on my way to see Tori became overpowering-and I felt tears running down my face. It's amazing the way Tori affects us. Attendees: Jess, Rich, Nadyne, Rosser, Chris, and Natasha. Impressions from all of us interspersed in with the setlist. As Jess says, read the whole damn thing if you want to figure out the full setlist. Ticket stuff: If you have a voucher for someone and they can't show, you're toast. If you lose your voucher, you're toast. Some guy showed up with his fiancee's voucher, and we couldn't do a damned thing for him -- we talked to the venue, the promoter, we even talked to Joel. Rich and Rosser were trying to get that voucher for their usage {they didn't have tickets when we got there}, but failed -miserably- on that regard. If you don't have a ticket, though, you -might- be able to find someone there whose guest didn't show or whatever. Rosser got a ticket that way. Rich got his ticket 'cause one guy had a voucher and didn't want to go to the show, and the venue agreed to let Rich in on the other guy's voucher. Note that the guy was physically there with his ID, that's the only way it worked -- and it might not work at another venue, so don't count on it. Translation: don't show up with someone else's voucher and expect to get in. It -might- work, but it's pretty doubtful. If you have the voucher you must have the matching ID _Period_. But if you don't have a ticket, don't give up hope either, because there were enough people at the Ft Lauderdale show trying to sell their extra ticket. Venue notes: Standing room only just absolutely sucks. For those of us under 6'6" {IE all of us}, seeing the stage is damned hard. Rich got to see Tori about 80% of the time, Rosser got 40-50%, Nadyne got less than 20%. Jess got to see about 90%. Chris got hipchecked by some overzealous wench, who then got bitchslapped by some high school girl. {Maybe there is justice in the universe.} Oh, and some girls were leaning over the railing on the balcony to the point that their breasts fell out of their loose shirts, giving the guys in the audience headaches as they kept on looking from Tori to tits to Tori to tits. *grin* No food at the venue {beyond the aforementioned breastmeat}, just overly expensive watered-down Cokes, expensive cheap beer, and some mixed drinks. If you're planning on getting in line early to get good "seats", bring a picnic lunch! Merchandise available: * A white babydoll t-shirt (one size fits tiny) with a pink coiled electric cable surrounding "Tori Amos" in script letters. * A black t-shirt (large or X-large) with the cover picture from FtCgH on the front and "Tori Amos" on the side of the pic, back is the same picture but broken up, "Sneak Preview Tour 1998" and a listing of the cities. * A necklace, washer on a chain. {Not a washer like a dishwasher or a clotheswasher!} One side of the washer reads "Raspberry Swirl Girl", the other reads "Tori Amos Plugged 1998". * David Poe CDs. No review available, see below. Jess has the CD from his famous Chicago trip last week, but is unimpressed. No programs, no postcards, nothing else. The black t-shirt is definitely a club tour thing only, but the rest look like they'll be available on the "regular" tour. Notes on David Poe: General consensus amongst the six of us was: "bleh". Been there, done that at every other Tori show we've been to, except it wasn't as much fun this time. For whatever reason, Tori always seems to go for the guy'n'guitar for her opener. Usually, they at least have some semblance of personality. Willy Porter knew how to interact with the crowd, but David Poe lacked all that. Jess says that Poe reminds him of Josh Clayton Felt {long fucking name :P }. David Poe will -not- have to worry about being bootlegged anytime soon. ;) No more "Son of a Preacher Man". The music before she came on consisted of a mix, including some Bowie {"Changes"} and other stuff. None of us can name a recognizable tune that she came out to. Main Set: Started at 8:09pm Black Dove (January) Good song to start the whole set off with. Gave a good idea of how Tori would interact with the band and the audience. I have to say that I hope she doesn't do what she did on the DDI tour -- it got too, well, predictable to have her start every bloody show with Beauty Queen and Horses. Cruel [Tori] Hi, how are you doing. Then she into'd the band Tear in Your Hand Absolutely incredible with a full band. Rosser, Nadyne, and natasha were all in tears. The emotion in this song takes over when you hear the piano backed by the band. ? (Demon?) Precious Things Opened with a fill on the toms. The drummer very definitely got a workout during this song. Rosser: "When the piano came in and I realised what the song was, my heart skipped like six beats." During "grrrrrrrrrrrl", the band kept jamming along. Very interesting to hear the interplay of that growl with the band {esp the bass} doing its thing. On the last tour, during the refrain where "these precious things" hit all the high notes, she would drop an octave; none of that here -- she hit all of them dead on and didn't miss a beat. (story) Jackie's Strength This song consisted of Tori on the piano, Matt on the drums, and the bassist playing a big ole double bass. Sad slow song. The song had a groove, but was wistful at the same time. Rich thinks it's reminiscent of the original "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John. Playboy Mommy (story) * Upside Down This song has a -whole- new meaning now. Wow. It's painful to listen to, esp "I'm okay when everything is not okay" and "still coming out of your mothers upside down". * Cloud on My Tongue Very good to hear, esp after not seeing it all that often on the DDI tour. Somewhat slower than what we're used to, but no notable changes. Just a good song, no matter how you cut it. Putting the Damage On (Twilight Mix!!!) If you've heard the Twilight mix of PtDo {only available on the promo "RAINN Retrospective"}, just imagine it live. Incredible. If you haven't heard it, it starts out kind of sparse {Tori, piano, some drums}, and adds more instrumentation as it goes along. The vocals on the bridges are different. INHO [1], the Twilight Mix of PtDo is the absolute best remix I've ever heard, and seeing it live just reinforces that. It's almost military march in it's drum backing-really adds a mournful character to the song. Spark Tori played the keyboard with one hand and the piano with the other. How the hell does she do that?! It was amazing to watch her keep both instruments fully under her control, not to mention giving cues to the band and singing and keeping the audience fully captivated. I think this version was a lot better than the version she just did on Letterman. iieee (or is it spelled "iiiee"?) The Waitress Very bluesy intro and bridge. This song sits you down and just kicks your ass repeatedly. "Thank you, sir, may I have another?" Some new lyrics and improvs were inserted, and the band kept up admirably. {More detail about the band stuff later, 'cause they deserve their own section. Suffice it to say for now that all of us were impressed.} First Encore: ? ("bring your sister" repeated several times) Horses This song bears almost -no- resemblance to the Horses that opened every show on the last tour. In-fucking-credible. At the beginning of the song, we all assumed it was a new song, but as she launched into the lyrics, each one of us turned to the closest other rmta'er and mouthed "what the fuck?!" It's a lot slower, full instrumentation. Rich: "It sounded like a club mix, with lots of single lines repeated, but at 1/3 to 1/2 speed." This one has to be heard to be believed. * Winter Dr. and Mrs. Amos were in attendance that night {toting a video camera, no less}, and Tori called it "her father's song" and dedicated it to him. The song became a sing-along by the second verse, as Tori "conveniently" forgot some lyrics. You could tell, even from our not-always-good vantage points, that Tori was -really- touched by the sing-along. She changed some lyrics in the song as well to make them more specific to her father that night. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end of this song. Second Encore: ? ("don't show much these days", "if you could see me now", "I fear" repeated several times) Show ended at 9:50pm. * -- this indicates solo piano Note the missing MaaG, as predicted by some of y'all. Whether or not this is a permanent omission, or just for the club tour, or if it'll pop up occasionally remains to be seen. Band notes: They did an absolutely incredible job of keeping up with her. Some of y'all have seen the Letterman {or was it Leno?} appearance where the band tried to play Crucify with her, and it failed miserably. Definitely not so here. The band never noticably fell behind or got lost, and they didn't overpower her. A very good mix of drums, guitar, bass, and Tori. They did leave stage at one point, when Tori did Upside Down and CoMT alone {and again for Winter in the encore} -- so those of you "purists" out there won't have to put up with them all the time. ;) The band seemed to follow Caton more than they did Tori -- Caton is, after all, the one who's most used to working with her. On Spark especially, though, they looked to Tori for cues {ending the bridge, etc}. They're still ironing out some bugs, but overall an excellent job for their virgin appearance. You could also really see Steve and Tori interacting with each other-smiling, pointing, making faces. Just fun to watch. Tori notes: She looks good; she looks happy. Black sleeveless v-neck blouse, jeans or khakis, black sandals. Several times in the show, she played the keyboard with one hand and the piano with the other, which just strikes all of us as an amazing technical feat. The band was arranged about like the Letterman appearance-Steve was more forward on the right side of the stage where he and Tori could see each other better. Lights were much more simple than last tour-a few scanning, adjustable spots and little else. No video projection. No Bosey, but there just wasn't room on the stage of the club to fit it in there -- the stage was pretty cramped between her piano, keyboard, and the band. Hopefully we will see the Bosey on the full tour, though. Her voice is a lot stronger, and she was able to hit some notes that we haven't heard her get to before.. She was sipping ginger root, lemon, and honey during the whole show -- which reinforces the idea that she's working hard to ensure that her voice will last as long as she wants. [1] INHO: In Nadyne's Humble Opinion :P CR's Opinion: OK. Let me say that this was a great day. Well, I should say it was better then a great day, it's been a great fucking week in Southern Florida. I got into florida the easier method on Thursday afternoon, Natasha got hold of me, and we of course, got to go see a fantastic show! Well, let me first comment on the Chili Pepper... this was one of the smallest settings for a Tori show I've seen since the LE tour, and while it was small ala LE, it was NOT equatable. Now, Natasha & I seperated from the rest of the folks and went up to the balcony area and watched, looking down directly at tori.. and let me say: what a show! We were able to get a great view while hearing the music play. Now, when the Opening Act came on, let's call him Chad Sladbody, I sat and went "what?" Now, remember, this is coming from a guy who liked Dog's Eye View and listened through and bought the CD for Willy Porter. But this wasn't the same. The excitement factor just wasn't there for me, and I felt like I was standing there for about 25 minutes doing nothing, and then another thirty waiting for Tori to hit the stage. I know that this isn't the coolest way to start off a look at a show, it's just the way I feel; and others can disagree, that's fine. I told Natasha as he was performing that I would love to see Tori have an opening act like Maggie Estep or another WOMAN poet or player. I mean, come on, there are lots of talented women out there who could fill this spot.. while coming across a darling is fine, it is really bothersome that we let people who I get puzzled about hop on stage. Well, now that my negatives are gone, I'm going to start in on my look at the show. I argued early on that I believed that BfP was Tori's _Pet Sounds_ or _Sgt. Peppers_ well, if you accept that contention, then Tori's new sound is like a fine polish on the idea; like a maturation into a _White Album_ etc.. this is a beautiful retuning of performance.. while many have felt, and said, that the power of Tori's performance was the girl and the piano; and that there was a power with that, Tori's new sound seems to say, "I've not only got a piano, I've got a mob, and your going to listen, damnit!" The new interpretations of songs changed the way I evaluated some of the numbers. I'm sitting here listening to _Precious Things_ and am just stunned remembering how powerful it was in person.. it came off not so much, "this is my opinion" which has a fantastic power to itself, but it seems to express, "this is not just my opinion, here are my minions, and they go in with me!" There was a huge chill that ran through the room at moments that seemed to express the way it was.. but it was the moments in it that stood out that made me say "whoa!" The one thing that really caught me with that idea was listening to standbies that had a new feeling, a new sense of purpose with a band... _Waitress_ took on a life of it's own when performed with the band into what virged on industrial with a hard hitting, riff ridden drive performance that just seemed to say, "WTF are you doing just standing there???" The performances rotated back and forth between quick rockers to subtle ballets, with numbers like Jackie's Strength really delivering punch when delivered. If you think of the upcoming performancing like a new area for Tori, like Phil Spector brought into the beatles, you can just feel the touch of excitement, of change of purpose & interpretation.. while a lot here were shocked at the abscence of MAAG, I wasn't surprised at all, because as things progressed, you realized that, at least for the small shows, it's probably not going to be a commonplace performance as it was expected in UTP & BfP (this is all MHO) I walked out of the Tori show and just felt alive for the performance. I saw the DDI tour 7 times. UTP 4. LE 2. But outside of the LE shows, and ONE UTP show, I have _never_ walked out of a show as excited about the new sound as I was when I walked out of the Chili Pepper. Watching the band was a special thing in itself; as tori improvised the band played catchup; with even Caton motioning "what?" as _Waitress_ progressed; but the band took their cues and played along. This is good stuff folks, damn good stuff. Pick up the album. Talk to folks about getting tickets if you can. You _want_ to catch this one, even if it means flying from Kansas to Florida :) :) :) :) But, before I close, I want to say something about the audience. I will say this was, for as great a show as it was, the only tori show I have ever walked out of hobbling. For those that know, I have a wee bit of a problem with my knees, so standing room only, while a gripe, was comfortable. But Natasha and I ran into one of the crappiest audience members I have ever seen; as this girl continually bumped into people, demanded to squeeze in front of people, argued, bribed, and finally started pounding into people. When I got kneed during Jackie's Strength my knee was nice enough to pop out and you could hear a big "pop" from right around me; and while I _loved_ the rest of the show, if you couldn't tell (and it was FANTASTIC) I cannot help I would have loved it even more if I wouldn't have been in pain. :) :) I moved away from Natasha to try and pop my knee back in, and this girl started like beating on her! So, I went back by her, and given another couple songs, the girl bitched, then bopped me over, almost knocking me completely down, but definetely agitating me. I will say this.. while it's pretty obvious that I'm all head over heels; I've got to give _much_ credit for natasha for helping me pop my knee back in after the show, because everyone else, sqeamish, just were nice onlookers.. (though /nad thought it was pretty cool) anyway, helped a lot. Now, let me say: I don't believe in violence. I've never hit a soul. Been beat up a few times, but never hit anyone. And while hitting a woman is reprehensible, damnit, had things been different, and had this chick done this again, I would have fucking shook the shit out her to quote Chris Rock. It was _agravating_ but it was soon healed with a fantastic rendition of Winter in which the audience sang along; which was absolutely beautiful to hear that many voices sing.. it was fantastic! After the show, Natasha & I went down the wrong exit, and so we walked right behind Dr. & Mrs. Amos (Tori's parents) and I actually got to take her mom's hand briefly while she tried to go down the stairs until they coached her to go the other direction (backstage) and then snapped at us that we needed to go the other direction and we were in an area we weren't supposed to be. I will say this: her dad was the ultimate bootlegger! cool, soft focus digital camcorder, and two flash cameras. You know he got some good family stuff! Well, Natasha and I are getting ready to head off to sleep (seriously! sleep! stop giving us crap!) long day, but oh, it was so worth it :) Ok, she just needed to read over what I wrote so it was OK :) I have to say, after three days in miami, how did I ever get this lucky this early in life :) Total contentment from me :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) From SashaApril 19, 1998 - First off, this was the very first time I've ever seen Tori in concert (I missed her at the Tampa Theater in `94) and I've got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my virgin Tori experience. I get there kinda late (4 or so) but get to hear Tori belting out some songs thru the door of the club. The sun beats down like a cruel rain (Warning: Invest in some water and/or a mini fan. Trust me, this is a good thing.) I ask if I can take pictures and they say no so I leave my camera in the car and wait till about 5:30 or so when they open the doors and start redeeming vouchers. When I get in, the floor is already a breakwall at least 5 people thick. I opt for the balcony instead. I find m'self a nice bit of space on the balcony with a view that later makes me wish to whatever God that exists that I had my Nikon with zoom. After a couple of hours more, (7ish) David Poe opens for about a half-hour. Respectable, but the natives are getting restless. At 8:10, the rhythmic chanting of the natives is rewarded as the Goddess descends to the stage and ascends Her throne between Her baby-grand and keyboard. The wave of love passing to Tori probably hasn't been seen since Christ first preached. My view is perfect; there are no obstructions and I can make out every nuance in her face (even when she turns away to play the other set of keys; thank God [or Tori, which is redundant now that I think of it] that she plays towards the crowd). A true showman (-girl? -person? damn this PC shit) she plays to the crowd and the crowd loves her for it. The band starts playing and Tori begins, switching keyboards and occasionally playing both at the same time, one hand on each. I am again amazed at her talent, a true prodigy. She begins her set and the crowd roars with love. When she begins "Precious Things", I'm reminded how at a goth/industrial night at the Castle in Ybor City, how popular the song is. The band detracts not at all from Miss Amos. They've obviously worked their arses off together and know each other's groove. The band takes a breather as Tori announces it's "our secret time." The fans go wild. Someone next to me asks her what she's drinking. Tori: "This isn't too exciting; I'm drinking ginger root and honey with some lemon". (To alleviate/prevent a raw throat I decide.) Two songs with just her and the band comes back. I notice that she flashes an "I Love You" sign frequently off-stage left and I wonder why until it dawns -- she's signalling her hubby. (Awwww. Ain't newlyweds sweet?) She ends her set and, with a multitude of "Tori, we love you!"'s she bows and exits stage right. The din does not dampen. She returns for her encore. After a few songs, the band leaves. She tells the audience that her father is there. We cheer. She relates "I remember he took me for this walk . . . in the mountains, and it was snowing . . . and [in a childlike cutesy voice] it got inside of my bwoots and made my fweet cold." [Laughter from the crowd] "But I'll never forget it because it was the first time in a long time that we had connected. I wrote this for him." She starts playing "Winter." The crowd cheers and when she stops midway "That's what happens when you don't tour in such a long time," she says "Or play this song in such a long time. You kinda forget some of the lines. " We laugh. She asks what the next bit is. The crowd leaps to help her. We end up doing chorus for the song. It's one of those bonding moments. I become a true believer. She gets up to leave. I toss her the single rose I got for her. I lands unnoticed on stage and won't be picked up until the show is over. I sigh. Tori returns to do one last song. She bows and leaves. We love her. When I walk downstairs, I notice an elderly man with a camcorder and a priest's collar. A moment, then I suddenly realize who he is. I thank him for giving us his wonderful daughter. Dr. Amos thanks me and says that the true beauty is Tori and her piano. He heads off. I curse myself for not asking him I could interview him. I head outside and retrieve my camera. Along with at least a thousand others, I wait for Tori. She walks to us and the crowd comes together like a fist. I try to take some pictures. I hope I am successful. I don't get to touch or speak to her. Nor do I get to give her my other gift: a bottle of homemade perfume. She climbs back onto the bus. Security pushes us away so the bus can leave. I notice that Joe has a doll that someone made to give to Tori. I ask him if he would give Tori my perfume and business card. He says he will. I thank him and I tell him to keep up the good work. He tells me that Tori will be back in Florida in August. I make plans. I go home and prepare to dream dreams. I hope it is of a snowy mountain where a talented and beautiful redhead sings to me on her piano. From Paul SmithApril 19, 1998 - I have to start by saying that I have been to hundreds of concerts and this one was the absolute best I have ever been to. Everyone seems to have covered the setlist... I would like to clarify a statement in one of the letters already posted: MARC wrote: "intimate venue -- holds like 2000 there were like 8000 shoved in there" I know it seemed like an awful lot... but only 760 vouchers were sold (Vouchers for one person and a guest)... so only 1,520 people were actually there. The venues capacity, officially but not realistically 1,800, was at its max though. Before the show there wasn't much for me to tell... I came a little late (only 2 hours before doors opened) so I missed the pre-show appearance. However, my friend Val got a hug and I heard that it was really cool. A couple hours of standing in the hot sun and my anxiety really killed the opening act for me. Davis Poe, a one-man-show acoustical guitarist and singer did a great job... but he really didn't seem in his place. I think coffee-houses would suit him better. Not really crowd music. Most of the cheers after his last song were really people excited about Tori being next. There was a ridiculously long prep time (polishing the piano etc.) like 45 min. So, about the show... the sound was superb and the lighting guy did an amazing job with the lights effects. I am only going to point out what I feel were the most touching moments. Tori sang "snow" during the first encore and dedicated it to her father who was in attendance at the show (video taping in the sound booth I believe). There was definitely a lot of emotion throughout the whole song. Tori seemed very ecstatic about the crowd... we were all very into it and there were a lot of "I love you Tori!!" screams amongst raging storms of whistles and clapping. Tori, who I have never known to interact during a song with a crowd that much, had a girl in the front help her with some either intentionally or unintentionally missed lyrics (I am not sure). After that she encouraged the whole crowd to sing the next lines. She also responded in a soft whisper to one of the "I love you" screams. Tori has a habit of choosing a fan from the crowd and looking at them for a bit during songs. Even though I was in the overcrowded pit... I was in a relatively open area and was the target of her gaze during Precious Things, people ask me why Tori is considered a goddess, well let me say that anyone that can look at you and smile and cause you to lose control of your whole body, your eyes tear up, and give you chills down your whole body has got to be either a goddess or something damn close. I know too many people who have had the same feeling. At the post-show met and greet Tori signed an autograph for my friend Chuck... although he was relatively cool ... as soon as their eyes met and she smiled, he lost it. All-in-all it was a great show and I am still euphoric 6 hours later. Tori seemed very pleased at the crowd and their energy. She must have given us a dozen thank yous. Surprisingly, this is the first show I know of where she did not play Me and a Gun. Lastly, Roger Branstetter... If you went off with three rolls of film, I will pay you for some of the prints. I am going to ask Michael Whitehead to forward this section to you (I assume he knows your e-mail address) as well as to post my e-mail address with this letter. Paul Smith From KarenApril 19, 1998 - Ok....Let me start from the beginning. I got there at 11:00 am and they were doing this number system. So we just hung out and talked to some cool people. I made friends with the maneger of the chilli pepper he was very nice to be putting up with me and my friend asking him for drinks. I was at the front of the barricades right next to the bus. She arrived a bit later than 3:30. She got off the bus and I freaked!!!! I was taking pictures and just smiling at her god shes beautiful!!!!! She came up to me and I gave her a kiss and left lipstick on her cheek hehe. I was like right in her face everyone wanted to get there things signed and there were so many people there! She moved right along until finally she had to leave. When she was leaving I was waving for her to come back she was just waving and saying bye with this face like she pittyed me. 5:00 just standing in line forever!! It was so hot my feet were hurting. I heard tori's soundcheck. At 6:00 they let us in and I ran got to the front next to two very nice people. 7:00 something David Poe came on he was sort of boring but very nice we just wanted to see our goddess so we clapped and stuff. Finally around 8 something Tori comes on!! She looked so happy and so cute. I'm not gonna go into the songs she played because it's been posted. Tori was drinking something I was looking at her and decided to scream can I have some she said "you wouldn't like this" i was like but your drinking it I want some. She explained what it was ginger root, honey, and lemon. I was so happy when she played my fad song Precious sings. It sounded it great. Spark was done beautiful it sounded it so good. Tori was amazing! She looked at me a wholemess of times since I was in the front. I enjoyed watching Tori drool :) I was so sad when she finished playing I didn't want her to go. After the show I ran to get a shirt and then to line up again by the barricades. There were alot of people there I got a spot but she didn't come over to my side. I got some more pictures as she got into her bus. Oh yeah I saw Tori's parents. They look like such nice people her mom was waving. That concludes my Tori day which was just simply amazing and it was well worth the standing and waiting. From Jason Childs "Spinnyboy"April 19, 1998 - What can I say? Absolutely amazing. I was lucky enough to see Tori last night at the Chili Pepper. Let me tell you about the day: I arrived at the Chili Pepper at about 12:15pm. When I got there, two girls walked up and they had a clipboard. They said they were tryin' to organize a line for when the door open. I was #47, my guest was #47g. The organizer's name was Amy, I believe. Kudos to her for organizing this. Everyone followed Amy's numbering system, making it easy for those who arrived at, say, 8am, so they could leave after meet-and-greet without having to lose their place in line. Tori arrived at about 3:30ish. The bus pulled in in a way that many of the people lined up against the bike racks (barricades) would not get the chance to say hello. Unfortunately, I was one of those people. I also tried to make myself noticable by wearing my "Porn Star" Tshirt. =o) Anyways, when Tori arrived there were about 200 people waiting for her, which made things hectic. Many screaming people yelling Tori's name. I thought it was a little silly, IMHO. Anyways, after meet and greet, many people started lining up at the door, still hornoring Amy's numbering system. I slipped in the #47 spot about 20 mins before doors open.... I can't tell you how good that felt to feel no pressure. After the numbering system got up to over 200, they stopped with it. There were people lined up AROUND THE WHOLE BLOCK to get it. The line was absolutely horribly hot and sweaty, like packed sardines. When we got in, about 6:00, being #47 got me CLOSE to the stage, maybe 10-15 feet TOPS. No spot was a bad spot. David Poe, the opening act, came on at 7:00. He was pretty good, but people weren't being too respectful. He played until 7:35. At about 8:10, lights dimmed, and the placed ROARED. Tori came out with her hair in a ponytail, black muscle shirt, and dark khaki loose-fitting pants. Being so close, you could see EVERY facial expression. She seemed EXTREMELY happy to be back on stage. With her was a baby grand Bosey and a keyboard, VERY close to one another. She sat down and began: BLACK DOVE (JANUARY) - Beautiful!! "In the woods... in the woods... in the woods" stands out in my mind. Since this is a new song, I was rather unfamiliar with it. The band rocked. CRUEL - Very deep and haunting. Much of this song Tori played NOTHING. Just kinda danced on her bench. I was amazed that Tori was using one hand to play the piano and one hand to play the keyboard. True talent. paraphrasing, Tori says: "Hi guys. This is our first show of many shows. Thank for coming out here, I always love you guys. As you know, this is Caton here on guitar, (then intro'd the other two, Matt and ?). I think you guys might know this one." TEAR IN YOUR HAND -- Holy cow! Imagine this song with drums, bass, and guitar! It was amazing. Much more of a groove than even the LP. LIQUID DIAMONDS -- Since this is a new one, I can't form an opinion, but it was beautiful nonetheless. PRECIOUS THINGS -- I about FLIPPED. I couldn't believe I was hearing it the way I was. FAST. ANGRY. HARD. It was AWESOME. When the chorus would come, the stage would be lit BRIGHT, illuminating the WHOLE place in a white light. She has taken this classic, and made it better than any version she has EVER done. Just so ya know, the "grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl" is still there =o) Tori: This is a new song off the album called "Jackie's Strength" JACKIE'S STRENGTH -- What a beautiful song. The cello was played, Caton lightly used electric guitar. Just one beaming white light on Tori. So sad. PLAYBOY MOMMY -- I LOVED this song. It was groovy, but it got the point across that Tori is very much hurt by the loss of her unborn baby. The band walks off stage. Tori: Okay, now it's secret time. I'm drinking this ginger root, honey tea. You guys wouldn't want any of this. Hey, you know some B-sides?" UPSIDE DOWN - Tori solo on the baby grand. Just like we're used to. She seemed to be aware of the crowd singing along, but for the first time in my concert life, everyone was actually singing BEAUTIFULLY with the song. It was actually kinda nice. CLOUD ON MY TONGUE - Again, Tori doing solo. Beautiful. Band comes back out. PUTTING THE DAMAGE ON - With the full band groovin' slow, this was probably my favorite in terms of arrangement. Stunning. For the hell of it, I yell "Spark!" SPARK - 100 times better live! "You thought that you were the bomb, yeah well so did I" is my favorite line. She jams!!!! IIIEE - Wailing and more wailing. I just love it when she gets all freaky and drools. She got INTO this one. THE WAITRESS -- WHOA. MY FAVORITE. She gave it the most unique intro I had every heard, with the bass going. This song lasted about 7 or 8 minutes, with the end going something like "Hang 10, gonna get me one" over and over. Encore 1: Tori come out, teary-eyed and happy. ???? - I don't know this song... Probably new. Something about "bring your sister". Tori: Ha. Guess what this one is? HORSES - HOLY SHIT. You had NO idea what it was until you heard "I got me.... some horses". Very VERY slow, very pretty, with full band. Tori started playing some VERY familiar keys, while talking about her father, something like "We finally connected that one day in Virginia. I wrote this for him." WINTER - Everyone cheered. Into the second verse, Tori is singing "Boys get discovered as winter melts/flowers competing for the sun/Years go by and I'm here still waiting/" and she forgets the next line. She asks for help, and she lets the AUDIENCE sing the second verse, and then asks us to sing the rest of the song with her (with the hand motion "sing along"). The middle of the song "Hair is gray and the fires are burning..." was replaced with a new verse, kinda putting a finish to the song. ENCORE II: ??? - Could have been a new song or a cover I don't know. I didn't hear this one too well, since I was at the front door trying to beat the crowd. In all, the show was INCREDIBLE. I was so glad to have so a view of Tori the whole time, seeing her so happy. After the show, she did meet and greet with only a small confined space, which sucked. Overall, it was the best concert I've ever been to. From anastasia (Torinews post)April 19, 1998 - well on merchandise....there were two t-shirts being offered...the first was with the picture from the first Q article with her on the photocopier... if you dont remember check mikewhy's site for the pic...it is in the center and on the side it says tori amos...on the back it has the same pic yet it is blue and split into four sections......on the top left section it says sneak preview tour 1998 (going vertically)... and on the bottom right section there are the cities of the tour...all the lettering on the shirt is in white :) the second is a baby tee and says tori amos and has a pink plug wrapped around it...the lettering is red and script and has a star between tori and amos... both tshirts are $25 there was also a necklace offered that is a ring that says rasberry swirl girl on one side and tori amos unplugged 98 on the other i believe..that was $10 im not positive whether or not those items sold out or not..yet i would get them right when i come in if i were you to be safe and sure all in all....a beautiful concert i shan't forget... From brette (Torinews post)April 19, 1998 - there were two t-shirts. one was black and it had the photocopy pic of tori on it, with the cities listed on the back. the other t-shirt was a white one size fits all baby tee that says tori amos with a pink spark plug. it's very cute. they also had a silver necklace that was a circle... on one side it said "raspberry swirl girl" and on the other side it said "tori amos plugged 1998" meet and greets... well i got to the venue about 10am, and tori showed up about 3:30-4:00 maybe? the bus was very fenced off, and she did slowly make her way around, but unfortunately not to where i was standing. she did the same after the show too. hope everyone has fun!!! i know i did, and i met alot of great new friends yesterday too. :o) From JENNERSApril 19, 1998 - So me and Kathryn got there at like 10:45/11:00 and we were number 15. (yay) So some girls came by and said first that she would meet people at 3:30 and then a while after another girl said 4:30. So I was sitting around with Kathryn for a while and for some reason I was like 'I hope she does Black Dove (January) first'. I don't know why. So then we moved from where we were to the area where the crew was setting up..where the bus would be pulling in. And so I spot this guy that I thought had to be Jason and yep. Him and Cindy were walking in. (Kenna it was Cindy who I thought I saw that time buying tickets...heh) And then they showed me how to hover. And Jason bought some good biscuits. And we picked the side of the barricades which we thought would be where she would come to. But it wasn't :(. So I see her get off the bus and I FREAK out. I completely lost it. I felt so dizzy and I was crying a lot. I saw her feet with these black strappy sandals (which was all I could see of her for a while) and man her feet are so little and cute. And she was wearing overalls and a shortsleeved flowered teeshirt. Everyone was like "Pass this to Tori to sign it" and I was thinking "Just let me get in...i only want to touch her" i wanted to touch her so badly. God she is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. So then I'm like, "Uh what do I do now?" and I took a minute to breath, stop crying and stuff. And I'm like "yeah i'm okay now" whew. And there were these annoying girls like screaming "I WORSHIP YOU TORI!" Lots of that..::sigh::..Okay so then we go to this pub place and this nice guy David who we met buying tickets gets us a coke (Jason and Cindy weren't with us now). And then we come back and everyone is lined up so we're like "Okay we got our numbers on our hands and on the list". So the guy says "You're number 15? Wow go all the way to the front" so we squeeze in there. UGGGGhhhh I thought I was going to die. And these girls standing next to us ....I looked at their hands and their numbers were in the hundreds. I was pissed because like some people got there so much earlier than them...anyway so then I look at the one girl and I say "What number are you?" (not in a bitchy way at all) and she goes "WE aren't going by numbers" and I said in a really satisfyingly obnoxious voice, "Oh YOU aren't going by numbers? Well isn't that lovely." So I was like alright alright, maybe this girl is so set on going and so set on being up there that she has disregarded everything else. Rude, disgusting, but understandable. But then I hear her say something about not really liking Tori. "I mean she has a great personality but..." and I'm like This whore is in front of me and she doesn't even like Tori that much. Damn her. its a good thing i believe in peace bitch. ;) The guy that worked there tells us NOW that we aren't allowed to bring in any bags that are big so I was like "SHIT!!" but then this really nice lady who was a tattoo artist (she had a tattoo of tori like on the hey jupiter ep on her back) said i could put my bag in her car so like we scruffled out of the line and i threw it in the trunk. So then some guy is interviewing some people yeah but I was turned the other way to make sure I got my wristband. Okay so they open the doors then. Around 6:00. Even though the voucher said 5:30 and being cramped next to im-not-going-by-numbers-assmonkey, every second counted. (Also the fact that I was incredibly anxious) OH by the way, we could hear the soundcheck but no one would shut up! I heard her do a bit of "Spark" and "Precious Things". If people had been quiet we would have been able to hear it so well. Damn them. Onward kids... We run inside and there was a the stage raised, then a space, then this bar where I flung myself up against. I was on the left side. All the places in the middle were already occupied. :( didn't matter ;p. So it was standing and let me tell you...whats up with THAT!? These assbitches behind me were like shoving their hands in places of mine they really shouldn't have been. We were so close and they wouldn't stop pushing. My leg was KILLING me. I was in so much pain. The guy next to me was nice and normal thank god. He kept pulling my hair by accident with his arm and there were lots of "sorries" and then finally hes like "Do you have a hairtie?" and I said I left it in my bag and then I was like "Damn I don't have my pen to write the setlist in order!" well, okay so i'm okay anyway. So we waited for a while for the opening act, David Poe. I heard one of his songs on my sampler CMJ CD. Pretty good. So he came on and he was wearing a cute suit and basically this guy's personality made him good. The songs weren't great but he was quite the people's person..sort of...maybe...he was funny ok? ;p Alright, then David Bowie comes on after David Poe (the album, not the live person ;) and all kinds of people are running around the stage. Some platinum blonde german looking guy was playing the piano, Joel was running around and so was John Witherspoon. So I'm like having a crisis here. I'm freaking. And then, I see her. She's got on a black sleeveless v-neck shirt and pants. And then I start again. Man I'm the loser. I was crying so hard. I just couldn't believe there she was. Okay, songs. . . . . i'll try as hard as i can to get them in their right order... 1) Black Dove (January)!!...i was like..this is so creepy...thats what i wanted her to play first...its soooooo lovely. oh my god...when she says "but i have to get to TEXAS" AHHHHHH and I think the part where she said "you dont' need a space ship" she pointed out to the audience. I'm crying A LOT. The security guard was looking at me like I was a freak. Fuck You Man In Blue. 2) Cruel...wowowowowowow...this is a really different song. Its not really about the piano on this one. I LOVE how she says the first line "so don't give me respect don't give me a piece of your preciousness"....this song is fabulous...i honestly think Caton was looking at me cause I was crying so hard. every time i would calm down 3) tori says something like "I think you might recognize this one" and its Tear In Your Hand :)...with the band.. hehe...great great... when she said "hanging out with the dream king" she like slapped her ass..heeeeee...at one point....i thought she was looking at me, (afterwards kathryn said she was definitely looking at us..hmm) because me and kathryn were sobbing (lol...i promise we aren't these "tori is our fairie goddess" types)...i couldn't help it..i'm dying here...and then when tori looked at us..she pointed at us, crossing two of her fingers together. OH MY GOD. even if it wasn't for us, i think it was and i'm happy :) so at this point, 4) next song...i didn't recognize until the chorus...then she says "I guess I'm an underwater thing" and I'm like Liquid Diamonds! The way she says this..its so brilliant...i couldn't really understand much of what she was saying...but...i love it i love it love it...and how she screams "LIQUID DIAMONDS!!!!!!!!!" AHHHHHHHHHH this song pumped me up so much.... 5) okay, get ready for this...Precious Things with the band! It was soooo weird....amazing though..however I think I prefer it without. It just seems more right. so the part where she says "all those beautiful boys...all those christian boys" she repeats this about 4 times and I'm grinning INSANELY. DAMN THE CHRISTIAN BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! hehehehe... after "I remember" she said some tiny little murmurings i couldn't get before "in my peach party dress"..."tucked inside the heart of every nice" was fast...the "girl" was a nice one...she went a little higher at the end...such a rush....geez... 6) "this is off of the new record".....the band is cooled down in the back..Jon Evans is putting together his cello (thats what it was right?) and then.."ahh ahh Jackie ahh ahh ahh Jackie ahhhhh" Jackie's Strength..this is SO beautiful live...wow...before she said something like "You guys are being great...thank you so much..i really appreciate it" and they were...suprisingly a good audience...i'm impressed...weird considering most of them were really loud and obnoxious..i have no idea why but when she said "feeling old by 21" I burst out crying...oh my god i'm sorry if i sound like a weirdo...but...who the hell cares?! she made a really cute face when she said "my bridesmaids are getting laid"...i love when she says "you said we weRE THE REal thing" my god...when she said "virgins always get backstage" the crowd cheered really loud..i love this line "If you love enough you lie a lot" and then "I pray I pray I pray for Jackie's Strength" the ending...beautiful..gorgeous 7) Playboy Mommy...these lyrics...man they kill me every time..i was like "what am i gonna do when i hear her sing this live?" and wow...now i'm crying a lot...when she says "those angels can't ever take my place" and she waves her hand over her head..it kinda looked like a halo..."i'm coming here...to take you in my arms" instead of home...that is what it says right..on the album one? "I'm coming home"? well she said "here". I kept thinking how amazing a mother she is going to be...some day... the band leaves the stage "Okay this is secret time for us now" someone asks whats she's drinking and she's like "you dont want any of this" its "ginger root, honey and lemon" (its kinda funny cause when i saw her drinking it since the beginning i was like 'give me some of that goodness' but then when i heard what it was..i lost some of the thirst ;) "You guys know the b-sides right?" .......... 8) "god i love to turn my little blue world Upside down" ahhhhhhhhh...wow...when she said "you always find my faults..faster then you find your own" got a big audience response..interesting..the "i found the secret to life" was heartwrenching. Even assface security guard was paying attention. 9) "someone's knockin on my kitchen door" oh my god. Cloud on My Tongue...so lovely...so....when she says "It won't be fair if I hate her" she got a BIG cheer, made a cute face a little tongue out of mouth action and then "if i ate her"..during the "the girls in circles and circles again" she looked at someone in the middle on the lower level and then smiled and said "the boys in circles and circles" :) :) :) 10) Putting The Damage On..."glue..." wow...ow....jesus...."i'm trying not to move its just your ghost passing through" stab me with a knife in the heart why don't you tori? and when she says "I got a ticket to your late show" I got sooo pumped and I like smiled so big. 11) someone in the audience yells "Spark" like a second before the song starts..it was pretty cool...tori looked sad at some parts of the song..understandably..god how emotional can this get...the "how many fates.." bridge part was of course amazing...and sooo beautiful... 12) iiieee...this song is soooo bizarre and sooo beautiful...she drooled a lot on this one...it was adorable..hehe "sweet saliva" (coincidence? I think not :) she was really into this one...and "with your E's and your ease" ahhhhh soo nice....what can you do? "WHY DOES THERE GOTTA BE A SACRIFICE" 13) she starts playing and i'm like..what is this?........the LAST thing I expected it to be was The Waitress but indeed it was. Such an amazing version of this...such such such....okay this was one of my high moments...the "I believe in peace Bitch!"...when she sang this..these amazing white lights flashed...and they were so perfect...if you could have seen my face..i wasn't aware my smile could get that large..i felt like jumping up in the air and flying...it was soooooooooooooooo powerful...ahhhhhh....and then I saw these people hanging over the balcony and they looked so happy and it made me happy so now I'm grinning MORE. oh man...wow...i loved this.... she left the stage and i tried to give my package to the security guard to hand to her but the asshole just shrugged like "nothing i can do about it" ENCORE 1 14) She's Your Cocaine....SOOOOOOO WONDERFUL...wooooooooooooooow...."bring your sistAH..bring your sistAH"my favorite was "then she says you don't control it then she says your're controlling the way she makes you crawl" god this was so loud and fabulous... 15) Tori again says "I think you'll recognize this one" and then she is playing for a long time...really melancholy like....and kinda funny cause everyone is probably thinking in their head "uh I don't recognize it" and then Horses..its Horses "I got meay some horses" and its like POW! NO WAY ! 16) okay now here we go..this was my ultimate...so Winter right? its a beautiful song we all love it but..this was the most amazing thing...she plays a few notes and says "My dad is here tonight...one day me and my father were walking in the snow in Virginia and I got snow all in mah boots and it got my feet cold...so..this was the first time we had connected in a long time...and then i wrote this song for him"...instead of saying "drifts get deeper" she sings "snow gets deeper"....then "boys get discovered as winter melts..flowers competing for the sun.." then she forgets the words..CUTEST FACES EVER I TELL YOU RIGHT HERE..."whats the line?" everyone shouts out "years go by....!" she goes "one person" and still lots of people yell it..she goes "I'll start you off..then you sing.." then we sing for a LONG time...she picks up and starts improving..OH...MY...GOD...I completely lost it at this point. I felt like she was talking right to her father and we were listening to some really personal conversation between them. It was amazing..I can't wait to hear a boot...what she said...i dont remember..in the improv..it was amazing though...wow...people all clap before the "never change" and i love that and i wanted to hear her say it..i couldn't hear it very well though...but yesss "neeeevah chayange"...ahhh okay here is my moment...i know i have to give her this package now..so she is leaving the stage and she is turning but I'm waving my package in the air and crying and she sees me and she turns around and comes to grab the package...and i can't reach..and she makes this face like she's straining and kathryn helps me to stretch out and i reached her! So she got my package!!! Oh my god..that was so special....i almost died... ENCORE 2 17) Northern Lad...this song is so beautiful...soooo lovely...my god...the absolute most amazing part is"girls you've got to know it's time to turn the page when you're only wet because of the rain"...i thought this was a strange ending but a beautiful one nevertheless. Everyone was telling me she had already gotten in her bus so I was like, ill go buy some stuff at the merchandise booth (what?). I got a Sneak Preview shirt and an ugly necklace that says "Raspberry Swirl Girl". So then we walk out and everyone is crowded around the bus and the barricades are set up and I go up to Cindy and Jason and then we hear Joel say that Tori will be coming on the side WHERE WE AREN'T. of course. SUCK. So Jason gave Joel his and Cindy's letters to give to Tori. And then I tried to go down to the other side when she came out and I almost got killed. I couldn't breathe. All these people were on top of me. And everyone was trying to get something signed and I was just trying to reach my hand in cause I wanted to see what she felt like. But I couldn't. I wasn't terribly upset as I thought though. I was on too much of a high from the show. I was COMPLELTELY floating. I still feel like this is a dream. Pinch me kids. and then you see the bus driving away down the road and I cried...(surprise! i've really got to work this overemotional thing out). And it was so fabulous......ahhhhhh...........................i dont know how to function anymore... QUESTION: Cindy and Jason, do you remember which song she sang "you my magic friends" and spread her arms to the audience? That was wow....sorry i forgot guys... ~c & j..you guys were so nice..thanks~ From Dbowstar5April 19, 1998 - Okay, this was my first Tori Amos concert tonight at the ChiliPepper. First of all let me give you a brief summary of what happened before the concert. I got there around 3:30pm and there were ton of people already waiting. One girl told me they were doing the same number system that was used to get the vouchers. So I got my number..and the BLUE bus comes driving by...and of course Tori pops out...before she even faced her hundreds of fans that were eagerly waiting her..I could see this huge smile on her face as she got of the bus and simultaneously hearing the cheers from the crowds. She shook hands..gave hugs..sign autographs..even though I have never met her nor did I get the chance to touch her...it seemed liked I just saw a long lost friend. So she went back into the ChiliPepper and we waited...and waited....and waited...finally doors opened at 6:15pm. Now here is David Poe...to be honest I was probably very auxious to see Tori that I really wasn't listening to him...but the people were so nice...they clapped and cheered him on...even though I know they all didn't care if it was David Poe or David Bowie...they wanted to see their Goddess. 8:10pm. The Goddess has appeared. OH MY GOD SHE IS BEAUTIFUL..SO REAL..SO SEXY...SO TALENTED..SO LOVELY...she busts out with a new song from Choirgirl..but I don't recognize it..then the next song is Cruel I think..and then Precious Things...but this song was amazing with the full band...she destroyed my expectations...now the rest gets foggy...she plays a couple of songs from Under the Pink..and then introduces us to Jackie's Strength..and then the band leaves and she, herself, plays for us. She plays two songs from the b-sides..again..I am sorry..it is getting foggy....then the band comes back and they play some more..then they bust out for Spark..But the best part of the night was when she played Winter...why was this so special? Well, our little goddess..couldn't remember the lyrics for the life of her. She started laughing but kept playing ..then she stopped and yelled for us to help her..so she started the verse..and we finished it for her...she was like a little kid forgetting to do a silly thing..it was great!!! She finished and came back 3 times..and then she finished with Horses..a slower, more beautiful (if you can imagine) version. Then she was gone...destroying my expectations...leaving me in tears...but leaving an impression I will always cherish...This is Tori Amos....This is Our Goddess... From VersusMollApril 19, 1998 - what can i say? miss tori was amazing as usual! i'd definitely advise you get there early so you can get a good spot. unfortunately because of a previous engagement we were unable to get there until around 7pm when david poe was already onstage so we were kinda squished in back of people and didn't have a great view but it did get a little better as the nite wore on. here is the setlist, some commentary from me, and quotes from tori.. Black-Dove (January) Precious Things - awesome!! sounds great with the band "thanx for being so great on our first nite..you guys are great" Jackie's Strength - beautiful at this point i looked up and noticed her parents in the balcony, they're so cute! her dad was videotaping parts of it. Playboy Mommy Upside Down The Waitress - totally amazing version!! she added an improv something like "and in 19 honey, i'm gonna go where she goes" something like, if anyone knows exactly please clarify 1st encore: She's Your Cocaine Horses - totally different groovy version, very cool! "my father's here tonite. i remember he took me for this walk..in the mountains, and it was snowing..and [and she says in little toodles voice] it got inside of my boots and made my feet cold. but i'll never forget it because it was the first time in a long time that we had connected. i wrote this for him." Winter - as soon as she started singing i just started crying. it was just tori and the piano, so beautiful. and all of a sudden the whole club was singing along. usually it annoys me when people sing along but this sounded so sweet, like we were singing for tori. and then right after "flowers competing for the sun" she forgot the lyrics! and she's like "what is it?" and people in the audience start telling her and she's like "you sing it okay, i'll sing the first part" and everyone was singing along and she'd sing a little and then let us sing and she was beaming. it was so awesome!! then she changed some of the lyrics around "hair is gray and oh dad's still here and sometimes i fear sometimes i'm not, between you and me" something like that, it was so neat like a love song for her dad 2nd encore: "i just want to say you have been so wonderful" Northern Lad - i really like this song! it was so great. if anyone was there and took good pictures or taped it and it turned out good i'd really love to trade (i taped but it came out icky) well, this show was awesome and i can't wait to hear more reviews of other shows from the tour! From MARCApril 19, 1998 - SETLIST: HERES THE INFO: David Poe opened -- Im not too hot on him -- acoustic guitar -- played 7 songs -- crowd didnt really like him -- everyone was talking -- he kinda sounds like Elliott Smith/Simon and Garfunkel, only worse. HEHE. Then a half hour later -- wow it was SO worth the wait --- the girl and her three band friends come out -- someone told me her name is Tori. HEHE. Oh yeah -- notice that this is the first time Ive ever heard the new studfff (i have the lyrics) GOD I WAS IMPRESSED) OK -- setup -- Matt (drummer ) is top right on a platform --- two guitarists, and Tori in middle on a bench --- to her right is a keyboard and left is a Bosendorfer piano -- big black one...... like the setup on LETTERMAN 1) Black-Dove - Nice lights, loud chorus, opens with bass drum ---- sweet song --- she started getting into it -- the CROWD WAS WILD WHEN SHE CAME ON -- AND SHE LIKE WAVED AND BOWED 2) Cruel -- WOW --- love that song No piano--- it started as all guitar and then half way through she started playing on the keyboard. The crowd was really receptive to the new songs -- yellign and cheering -- considering most of us have never heard the new songs yet.... Oh yeah -- her hair was in a ponytail -- no gliter on her eyes -- I was like 30 feet away --- 3) Tear In Your Hand -- "maybe you guys will recognize this" says TORI -- GREAT -- the guitars and drums make the song better -- so GOOD! 4) Liquid Diamonds -- piano --- it was basicallyl her solo and then just an accompaniyng snare/bass drum ... couldnt really hear the words clearly on this one -- barely make out liquid diamonds -- maybe thats how it is siupposed to sound -- I dont know... 5) Precious Things --- crowd goes wild --- bass and snare introduction -- really long piano intro and then the famous chords --- during the high nots of tori's piano chords -- humm the rhythym to yourself -- on all the high notes -- a guitar sturm accompanied it -- you have to hear it for youerself -- itr sounded SO GOOD --- Tori was telling the guitaristes what to do by nodding her head and talking to them -0- --- you could tell they made a lot of alterations and have really good chemistry -- 6) Jackie's Strength -- GREAT -- Tori on the piano and then bass guitarist brought out a BASS -- like the orchestra instrument -- njot a guitar --- Tori says "I apprecitae you guys so MUCH -- you are making thi a great first night" The drummer used mallets and that fan thingy to hit the symbols --- it sounded great -- sad song. Changed guitars for next song 7) Playboy Mommy -- LONG INTRO -- like 2 minutes -- drum background -- the crowd was really moving to this one -- she reached oput to the audience and waved to people -- great eye contact and stage presciense ... bassist using one of those oak guitars like a banjo -- something a country female singer would use -- like Reba. Sounded good -- she used the keyboard a lot -- and there was a 15 second guitar solo that sounded really good -p lead guitar 8) Upside Down --- great -- oj this is what happened -- the band left the stage : TORI says "Now its secret time for us -- aperson from the crowd yells -- what are you drinking? she replys "you wouldnt like it -- Im eating it actually -0- its ginger root, honey, and lemon --- obviously for her throat "Im gonna play the next few by myself --- you guys are great -- I think you guys knoiw the b-sides -- right?" And she goes into it --- A few people are singing along and she looks at them -- like YOU GUYS ROCK FOR KNOWING THESE LYRICS -- I didnt know em :( 9) Still solo -- she goes into CLOUD ON MY TONGUE -- I love that song! Major sing along -- three girls in back of me wont shut up -- but thats ok -- cause hey -- ITS TORI! BAND COMES BACK 10) Putting The Damage ON --- GREAT -- very different from album version -- bass returns -- the orchestra bass -- GREAT!!!! She was really into this song -- jerking and the whole 9 yards! 11) SPARK -- GREAT! The vocals arent distorted -- as they were on letterman --- sounded clear as day -- and great --- I have only heard the letterman SPark version -- so parts that sounded different to me were after the second chorus the band stopped playing and alone on the piano she did quietly and slowly "HOW MANY FATES ...." and then the band joins in and they repeat the same part again -- heavy and all -- like the LETTER MAN -- she is REALLY INTO THIS SONG .... 12) iiiee --- dark TORI --- dark lighting and dark song - this is unlike anything Ive heard from her ... distorted piano -- she was jerking around and doing stuff with her hands --- weird guiar riffs AND HEAVY GUITAR! 13) Waitress -- siong along -- eveyrone was going nuts -- its dark in the place and shes singing softly and then STROBE LIGHTS AND EVERYTHING IS WHITE AND LIT UP when she goes "WHOOOOHOOOOOOOOO I believe in ....." She spazzed at the end jerking around and jumping on the bench -- but she was REALLY into it -- so was the crowd! END OF REGULAR SET ENCORE 1 14) Shes Your Cocaine -- great Heavy chorus but really good 15) Ok -- so its a weird bass drum and Tori is playing something nobody knows on piano and then she goes "I got me some horses ... and launches into HORSES -- but totally different than Ive ever heard it -- its a psychadelic version -- slow beat and she used the keyboard a lot -- there was somebodsy playing the tambourine -- its likea dark "horses" but REALLY GOOD.... BAND LEAVES STAGE 16) WINTER -- oh my god just Tori -- she explains before she plays -- "I wrote this song about my dad -- (or did she say old boyfriend 0--= Im not sure -- people were yelling) and she says "I wrote it for him when I was in VIRGINIA and we would walk in the snow and it would get in our boots and make my socks wet and mt FWEET cold -- she said it really cutesy and the crowd went "AHHH" like adoring her. SO shes int othe song and everyone is singing along really quietly -- paying respects to TORI and her voice -- and then the start of teh second verse she starts "SNOW CAN WAIT I FORGOT MY NANA NANA GA GA GA LALA LA LA LA LA LA ..." anmd then she pauses -- she forgot the words in the middle -- she starts laughing and the crowd is going nuts -- and she says "Thats what happens when you dont tour in such a long time -- or play this song in such a long time -- you kinda forget some of the lines " everyone is still laughing .. so she says -- how does it go --- and eveyrone yells the next line and shes like "WHOAH!! one at a time" and then one girlk says the next line and she starts plaing the piano and she says "YOU GUYS SING IT -- so we finish out the verse and she syas "THANK YOU SO MUCH" and then goes into the chorus -- (she starts singing again" -- it was really memorbale -- I cant believe she forget the words -- it was so cool though ---- and then she saysd THANK YOU and walks around and shakes hands with fans -- goes offstage 2nd ENCORE 17) She comes bakc with the band -- they oput the white lkights on the stage -- everyone bows -- they play one last song --- NORTHERN LAD -- great song -- everyone psyched -- she thanks everyone again and then leaves -- there were like 400 people waiitng for her after at her tourbus but I had to leave and nowe Im really tired -- so that was my concert experience -- more to come tomorrow -- but I GOTTA CATCH SOME SLEEP -- later fellow Tori fans -- I hope I have been accepted into the folder ---- HEHE ---- later! 17 songs -- wow -- she was SO GOOD!!!!!!! From Fiona M.April 19, 1998 - I can't believe it's already over! The following is my review of the show tonight along with my best guess at the playlist. I'm not sure about one of the encores, but the rest should be pretty accurate. I realized too late that I could have looked on the computer screen at the sound station (which I was standing near) for the list but found that out after the show was over!! First of all, the show was wonderful and amazing! Seeing Tori in such an intimate setting is phenomenal. Her voice is in top form and the band is tight and sounds great. She looks very relaxed and happy. Her rings are flashing in the lights as she plays. My mind is a bit jumbled at the moment so I'll try to give you relevant details as best I can. My best advice for anyone going to these shows is to WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!! You will be standing for hours on end. First to get into the club and then throughout the whole show. If the rest of the venues follow suit they will line you up and give out bracelets (for those who want or are of age to drink). The doors were supposed to open at 5:30 but there seemed to be a little bit of a delay. Just before entering the club you are asked to show your voucher and they put a different bracelet around your wrist and check you off on the list. Many people complained about how tightly these wristbands were put on (cutting off circulation, etc.) The edges where they cut the excess off also were very sharp and others were easily scratched by them when standing in such close proximity to others. Anyway -- you get to keep your voucher; you don't actually get a "ticket". The line moved pretty quickly and once inside everyone made a beeline for the best spot possible and pretty much planted themselves there for the night. I was on the left side of the club on the left hand side of the sound board that was at the back of the dance floor. I got a bird's eye view of Tori's husband as he worked the controls. He seems very shy. I had a direct line view of Tori the entire show (I was thrilled!). David Poe started playing at 7 p.m. for approx. 1/2 hour. The audience was polite to him (clapping at the end of each song) but you could hear the buzzing of voices as we waited for Tori to appear. Chanting ensued as David ended his set (Tori, Tori, Tori) Tori started playing at 8:30 and played on until 10:00. Needless to say, the crowd went absolutely wild when she set foot on the stage. She opened the show with Black Dove (After this song Tori said, "Thanks for being so kind to us on our first night") Playboy Mommy Solo set by Tori and her piano (no band) "This isn't too exciting (holding up her drink); I'm drinking ginger root and honey with some lemon". "You guys know the B-sides, right?" Upside Down (audience sing-a-long) Spark (At this point Tori was dancing while sitting on her piano bench) iiiee (This is a most spectacular song!! esp. guitar work (a song you could mosh to!) Waitress (phenomenal version and light show; started off slow and sultry and built to a crescendo) ENCORES ? I think maybe it was She's your Cocaine but I'm not sure Horses (very slow and arranged differently than BFP version) Winter (during this Tori told the story behind the song and announced that her dad was there [I had seen him earlier in the night getting his video camera from Mark] (everyone was singing along and Tori forgot the words -- so she stopped playing and asked for help from a woman near the front and we all sang a verse on our own which was fun; Tori was smiling and laughing) "Thanks for being so wonderful" Northern Lad (God was on the set list too at this point but I think Tori was really tired and so ended the show here). For the fashion police, Tori was wearing what looked to be a silk, black vee neck tank top with cargo pants (of course she had on to die for shoes). At first she had her hair tied back with a scrunchie but it soon came loose and stayed that way the rest of the show. The tee shirts have the photo of Tori's back (on the photocopier) on them and they say "Sneak preview tour" and have the dates listed. They are $25. They only have black ones. It was really amazing to watch Tori play the keyboard and the piano at the same time many times during the show. This new material is very rhythmic and brings a whole new dimension of listening pleasure!! I can't wait to get the new cd. The release date coincides with my birthday, an extra added bonus!! On the whole, the crowd was well behaved. We were in very close quarters and I had to laugh because the person behind me when clapping kept clapping my hair too! I did get pissed (along with others near me) when people on the terrace above us decided it was funny to pour some beer on our heads. I guess they must be fans of Trainspotting. I didn't stay for the after show meet and greet. I'm sure you will get that scoop from elsewhere. There were too many people and I just wanted to SIT DOWN. Now I can start looking forward to the summer tour! ;-) From AdamApril 19, 1998 - so are you ready for the details? I wrote down the songs on my arm. I knew what they all were because I memorized the lyrics last week so I could indentify them. - Black Dove (January) - though this was the weakest (in my opinion) of the new material, it was a nice beginning. I was expecting this to be slower, but it's perfect as is. - Cruel - When I heard the keywords "Havana" and "cigarettes" I knew what this was. VERY INTENSE. Before beginning the next song she introduced the band and thanked us for coming, AS IF. Then she said that we would "recognize this next song" . . . - Tear in Your Hand - I have never been so excited in my life! I burst into hysterics. No need to elaborate on what a pleasant surprise this one was. - Liquid Diamonds - I didn't know what this was until I got in my car and figured out which song had lyrics about "underwater". . . . Then came the amazing tribal beat and I don't think anyone had any idea what they were about to hear next. When the (baby)Bosey kicked in, the crowd went ballistic . . . - Precious Things - !!! She did the growl, but the band was tearing off the roof while she was doing it. This song was amazing (well duh). After I saw her perform this at RAINN, I was sure I would never see it again live. It felt like she was closing some kind of door with all the "Watch me bleed Daddy" improv stuff. Thank god she proved me wrong! - Jackie's Strength - This is the only song that is driven mostly by the piano. The band just sorta adds to it, instead of being 1/4 of a piece of a puzzle. Can't explain really. You had to be there. She kept looking at a girl in the front and smiling during this song. I wonder who Jackie is? . . . - Playboy Mommy - The subject matter of this song made me assume it would be kinda sad but it's very upbeat. I was pleasantly surprised. After this, The band boys left after Tori said she wanted to be alone with us for a couple of songs!!! - Upside Down - One of the best performances I've ever heard of this, probably cause I was only a few feet from the speakers. - Cloud on My Tongue - She performed this and UD alone. This was definitely the best performance of this I've seen. - Putting the Damage On - This was a real shocker for me. The band played with her, complete with a beat that added to the song and carried it along better, in my opinion. - Spark - So far, of this live version, the album version and the Letterman version, I like the letterman version the best. She did play about 6 bars on the keyboard before she started singing. Very Cool, but she didn't go off like she did on Letterman, screaming and shite. - iieee - This is definitely my favorite of what I've heard from Choirgirl. It's just beyond description. Before I even heard it and had only read the lyrics, one word came to mind -- SLIVER (like a smake) and boy was I dead on. You'll see . . . - the waitress - This was the most pleasant surprise. It wasn't as amazing as it was at the RAINN show, but it surpased my wildest expectations. It clocked in at 6 min., at the very least. Lots of inprov at the beginning and the end. Fu*#ing AMAZING. We heard her doing this (and Prec. Things and TAKE TO THE SKY) during soundcheck but it didn't sound anything like this! WOW. encore 1 - She's Your Cocaine - This is my 2nd favorite, so far, form Choirgirl. It blew me away. Kinda a mix between Prof. Wid. and Voodoo, but at the same time, not at all. This song has some serious ATTITUDE. - Horses - complete with drums, bass and lots of heavy guitar. The piano (and keyboard) parts are COMPLETLEY different and in a different key. Let's put it this way -- if she wasn't singing, you would never have known it was Horses. - Winter - by herself!!! She started playing and then started telling a story about how her dad was there and he was sick and her boot were wet as they were going for a walk (in her cute little girl voice (like at the end of Toodles Mr. Jim)) and she wrote this song for her dad. She changed the words at one point to say something to her father. During "boys get discoverd as winter melts" she forgot the words so she told us to finish it for her. BREATHTAKING and quite the tearjerker. - Northern Lad - This is the Hey Jupiter of Choirgirl. It's about Mark, obviously. Very pretty. I was ALMOST completely satisfied, but THAT'S IT. The biggest shocker was that she didn't do Cooling or Rasberry Swirl. I also expected to hear Voodoo or Space Dog. What I was REALLY hoping for was Professional Widow. I really didn't think she would do any of the piano only stuff, but again she has pleasantly surprised me. Don't know what else to say, other than that I can't wait 17 days for to hear that stuff again . . . But hey, torture always pays off in the end. From kimmieApril 19, 1998 - Amazing. Exhilerating. Life changing experience. This Tori concert was the best one I've ever seen, and prolly the best concert I've ever been too. First off, I had amazing standing room. I was center, front row, against the stage, close enough to watch tori's drool (which she did alot of) We got there in the morning and tried to keep a number system, which kinda sorta worked. They let us into the venue late but we made a beeline for the stage, to be processed in the pushing shoving that is 1500 people jammed in a pit meant for about 400-500 people. David Poe was a sweetheart. My friend asked if she could be his roadie and he was very accepting of the fact that we were tolerating him until our goddess got on. Since there are a bunch of people who already posted about each song, my interpretion is unnecessary. tori seemed happy and her and mark seemed to have a good working relationship. her father was absent after winter, but i saw him and his wife hugging during the song. this was such an intimate concert! i felt as if everybody there was family, sharing in the dirty laundry and private moments of THE GODDESS. i like tori with the band but i kept waiting for her to play YKTR songs. i was disappointed that she didn;t sing raspberry swirl, which i was looking forward to seeing. i sobbed my way through tear in my hand. i'm looking forward to this tour and this album. fromthe preview i watched tonight, it's looking to be exceptional, as all tori is. oh! the merchandise: they were selling l/xl black t-shirts with a color xerox copy picture of tori naked. they say spark. they also had a white shirt reading tori amos with a pink extension wire. the encklaces are round circles on a metal chain that say tori 1998 PLUGGED rasberyy swirl girl. truly groovy. tori danced her way thorugh this concert and glowed. i love her new movements. she was definatly getting her groove on. some songs were tough though. there was obvious strain on her face through some of the newer songs, especiialy ones that mention the miscarriage. she is phenomenal onstage. the band, which i worried would be a distraction, was nothing at all like that. they enhanced and provided a new forum for tori's music. |
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