North American Club Tour
Philadelphia, PA
April 26, 1998
Updated May 13, 1998
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North American Club Tour
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Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page
Tori performed her sixth concert of the North American club tour in Philadelphia, PA on April 26, 1998 at the Electric Factory. The photo you see to the right is actually from this Philadelphia 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 "Liquid Diamonds" from this show. It was taken from a RealVideo clip available at www.tori.com
Richard Handal was the first to give me this set list. Black Dove (January) 1st Encore: She's Your Cocaine 2nd Encore: Cloud On My Tongue ReviewsFrom Beth (ImHereAsIs) (Posted to the RDTRN mailing list)May 13, 1998 - well, i arrived around 4:00 and i am mad because my friends went at 12:00 and got to meet the fabulous tori! but the concert.. oh the concert! it was soooooo great! let me start from the beginning.. after waiting 3 hours to get in and thawing down we saw david poe open.. hmm, my thoughts on poe.. he's okay.. nice voice HE LOOKS LIKE BECK! and he had the coolest guitar strap, but that was about it.. he sand a song with a line "if i saw u lying bloody in the street" which kinda made us laugh and he shared an easter card from his mom, but he knew we wanted tori!!! well.. finally, she came out! and she looked sooo beatiful.. she had a whitish tank top on and i think it was lined with blue, cache pants and the cutest sparkly red sandle shoes that looked like something out of the wizard of oz.. she sang.. and it was so great! her new songs totally rock and the old ones were just as precious.. speaking of precious...PRECIOUS THINGS WAS SOOO WONDERFUL! ah..the way she did it.. it's still stuck in my head.. oh it was great! and she sang many old songs including :china, tear in your hand, icicle, waitress god, horses and my fav..cloud on my tongue.. i was crying when she sang that!! ahh.. there's so much i want to tell you.. the shoe story! that was great. she plopped her foot up on the piano and then told us that she had gone into the store and said can i buy those shoes and the clerk said "do u have money?" .. tori: "yeah i called in and got them for free!" and flashed her finger! which made the crowd erupt! her new songs included: she's your cocaine**, spark**, black dove, liquid diamonds, iiee**, jackie's strength***** i loved that one.. there were more.. but i can't remember! if you are going to a concert.. defintely get one of the raspberry swirl girl necklaces! [$10] they are very cute and i am wearing it at this moment!!! tori said during china that she had to play china b/c someone in the line asked her to.. and i found out that it was a friend of a friend ... RANDY! he supposedly bought tori a box of china and asked her to play it.. so i just wanted to share that little bit of stufff!!! anywoo.. if anybody is going to a show.. rock on and have a blast!!!!! if it's as great as the phily show was, you will be in for a great night!!!! From mike riveraApril 28, 1998 - sunday was my second show on the tour and by far the better of the two (the other being in new york). my friend andrea and i arrived around one in the morning sunday. we were determined to have the best possible vantage point for the show. after all, how often do you get an opportunity to be this up close and personal? we got settled in and aquainted with everyone around us. everyone in line was super cool. it was such a pleasant experiance after dealing with a lot of crap in new york. we were number twenty one in line. the time went by relatively quickly (thanks to a nice bottle of white zinfandel). before we knew it, morning had arrived. i hadn't planned on trying to catch up with tori on the way in, but my friend insisted we give it a go. it had been off and on raining and she decided to go find and place to get cleaned up and changed. we stopped on the way at a drug store to get some necessity (at this point i can't remeber what). andrea saw a bottle of bubble bath shaped like a fairy and thought tori would appreciate it. i thought it was really cute and said it was a nice idea. she then asked what i was getting for tori. i never thought about getting anything for her. i mean i had nothing special to give her and at this point she must be up to her ears in flowers. so we walk up to the front of the store and there she is in a big clearance bin. a class of 1997-special edition graduation barbie! and she was only $2.50! andrea graduated in `97, so i bought one for her and after a little thought, decided it would also be my gift to tori. granted, it was not a sensible gift, but it was unique and it showed off my wonderful sense of value shoppng. skip ahead and now we're against a railing for the better part of two and half hours in the rain gleefully awaiting the tardy arrival of tori. thebus pulls in after what seemed like forever and we see some stirring around in the bus. next thing you know, the side window opens and the cutest hand puppet pops out. well, it didn't take long to figure out the puppet master. the motions and expressions of said puppet were completely tori. it was uncanny!!! it may have been the cutest thing i've ever seen! so the show ends and the commotion begins as she comes off the bus. we handed her gifts over and she seemed to really like the barbie. sher made a side comment to some one i couldn't see that matt would really like it. she moved her way down the line getting to as many people as she could. she's really being great about the fans coming in and out. i would estimate she spent at least twenty minutes or more talking and signing, even though she was extremely late for sound check. we went and resumed our place in line. the number system that was instituted worked out really well. once inside, we had a terrific spot. we were one person off the gate, directly in front and to the right of the piano. after a moment's of assessing my surroundings, i noticed a dark doll-like silouette on to of one on of the mic stands for the drums. i didn't want to be too egocenric and jump to conclusions so we wound up asking tori's bodyguard (i believe his name is neil). he went up, checked it out and gave us the thumbs up. you could never imagine how excited i was! out of everything she must have recieved, my flukey barbie doll was right there in plain view. the show itself was simply phoenominal! i think it's such a natural progression that tori is moving in. the music takes on so much more power with the band backing her. i think some tori purists may be dissapointed by the changes in the show (mainly a stricter set list). as opposed to one (genius) who has the ability to alter as much as she likes, the set list is now at the mercy of four musicains who need to stay in sync. all i can really say about the change is, abandon all your preconcieved notions of what a tori show should be and go along for the ride! she's definately going somewhere really wonderfull with it all! some stand out songs from the show were she's your cocaine and jackie's stength (two great new songs), tear in your hand, putting the damage on, and china, which she played for randy, a legendary friend i met in line. he will not be forgotten any time soon. tori did make mention of the barbie during the band introductions, which was so funny. i also had tons of eye contact with her during the entire show. i was positioned perfectly in her line of vision. i'm pretty sure she recognized me as the barbie guy. again thinking i was being egocentric, i asked if anyone else was catching the looks our way and they agreed. the whole night i sang along with her, with the exception of a few songs i wasn't entirely familiar with as of yet. it seemed to entertain and baffle her a bit as i think she was wondering how i knew so much of the new material (little did she know i had spent the last half a day listening to an advaced copy of the new album some die hards right in front of me had (very cool girls as well). during "the waitress", my suspicions were confirmed when she sent a wink my way. i instinctively blew a dramatic kiss at her and she shot it back at me. at that moment she and i were the only two people on earth. it was the definate high point of the night. one last note. afterwards we waited outside and i got her to sign my second barbie. it's kind of ironic, it says congratulations on the back of the box and has a space where the person's name is supposed to be written in. it's only fitting that after a night of some many amazing accomplishments, the godess at the heart of it all signs for me. my barbie is now prominately being displayed in my living rom (sorry, andrea-i love you for being the only one crazy enough to stick with me and trust me through it all and i promise to get you another one!). if anyone going to one of the remaining shows is reading this, please keep an eye out and let me know if barbie made it to your city. it would be greatly appreciated. i know this was really long, but i hope you enjoyed my story and thanks for reading it! From Jessica RoseApril 28, 1998 - This was my first ever time seeing Tori in concert. My toriphile friend Zach got me really interested in her music. I must say, after seeing her in concert, I have the greatest respect for Tori and her music. She brings out the best in people, and has touched so many lives. After driving eight hours from West Virginia, then camping out seventeen hours in the freezing cold for tickets(4th in line), driving back up for the concert (another eight hours)and waiting in line for fourteen hours in cold, rainy weather (30th in line)not to mention the trips back home, was quite an exhausting experience. And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I met so many great people and they all had been touched by Tori's music in a different way. Words cannot describe the feeling I had during the concert, it was MAGICAL. I have to thank my friend Zach for introducing me to a world I would have never found on my own. I have never had such a deep appreciation for music until I became aquainted with Tori's music. After seeing how beautiful Tori, her voice, and her music was, I just starting crying, especially during Spark and Precious Things. This whole experience has truly made me grow as a person, and will stay forever in my memory. I just want to say I miss all my buddies--Jen, Mel, Percy, Bill, Jason, Christine & Kevin--ALL GREAT PEOPLE of whom I will NEVER FORGET. I love you all. From Ellen (posting to several Tori mailing lists)April 28, 1998 - what a show!! of course, that is what i would say any tori time... just to add a bit more from my experience... ...got there at 3 pm, parked, and did a bit of phili & margarittas so i missed all the tori excitement- sorry to all i missed, and well done to all those who worked hard at keeping things cool -- bravo!! ..got back to the line around 6:30- as we approached the line of tori's, some woman from her car on teh corner screamed out at us, "lesbian concert!" being that i am from the island of Lesbos, i almost bothered to comment back :) but i was peaceful, but can anyone tell me more about this weird woman?? what was her homophobic cause all about and did anything more vocal occur earlier and did any others have similar experiences???? getting to the line, it was freezing!!! all you that arrived earlier and waited all day- i admire all of you so! tori fans in phili endured some pains to see her both in getting vouchers, and yesterday! ...the line moved very well and people were in good spirits... ..we got into 2 lines very organized due to EF or tori folk- i dunno , but it was good :) and then of course, we were checked , body searched sort of as we went in?!?! guns and knives at tori ... hee heee heee*chuckle* ...i proceded to hurry up to the bar to catch a decent view for 2 short people. the 21 agers got to go up to a bar area, but from reports from my friend who went downstairs for food, the view was pretty good all the way in the back of the room and from upstairs everyone seemed so peaceful, not a lot of pushing or anything... ...in front of us suspended was a screen and 2 rows in front of us was a video camera set up. we thought they mite give us the tori , but it was not for us...does anyone know who was getting that video?!?!?! i hope it can fall into my hands someday :) ...tori was electric and the disco balls in the encore were so groovy!!! She really put her everything into that performance, and my friend commented at what a Rocker she was... as for her vocals, i was impressed, but i can see richards point, of course my last viewing of her was the RAINN concert and i thought her vocals were more off that nite. she was more in control of her capability rather than vice versa... but i could see she was trying to do more , but it still was sublime :) ...during icicle she encouraged us all to sing along :) oh how marvelous. but i couldnt quite hear all from where i was... ..story telling was very limited this nite, she did tell one story about a shoestore and a salesperson who was not so nice and then she called up the manager and got the shoes for free, and then she gave us the finger and said something like fuck her/them or somthing- it wasnt too clear to me, i was next to the huge speakers... she then played waitress well, i hope you all had a good time. i am curious to hear more perpectives of the evening, to see if anyone got something very different from me... everyone going to future dates: HAVE FUN!!!!!! :) From Finney (precious-things mailing list post)April 28, 1998 - The show was great, My friend and I got there around 6p.m and to our surprise we were right up front and could see tori plain as day. Everyone going to future shows, if your in the front, beware because people will push and push, no matter what....you just have to say "hey if there was room up there, I would be up there, so don't cut in front of me. Someone goes tOri we like your shoes, and she said "she went into the store, dressed like a dirt ball, and she goes "i like those shoes." The lady goes "do you have money" and tori said like "what the fuck" so the next day she called the store and she got the shoes for free" <---she started to laugh... Then tOri gave the finger tOri was so funny... I felt bad for david poe cause just about everyone was talking and being rude...i don't think he like the crowd...nope..i know he didn't.. She played alot songs from her other album....China was great...i love her new songs...she said "gonna play some amish funk" ---since the concert was in PA... From Christine (to the Tori mailing lists)April 27, 1998 - I was at the much-anticipated Philly show last night...overall I thought it was a great show--I arrived at 915 am and there was already about 50-60 people in line, a bunch had slept out...but luckily my friends Zach and Jessica (hi guys! :-)) put me on the list when I got there and I was #32. Weather was rain on and off and pretty cold. The line grew and grew all day and most people were cooperative, except some people in the way front were getting a bit possessive of their places--but I guess I understand...people numbered people's hand well into the hundreds, and that actually helped a lot. we had heard vouchers could get turned in at 3 pm but it never happened. As soon as we found out they were getting turned in at around 6 30-ish a large amount of us RAN to the back of the venue. They set up a barricade and after about 50 or so of us lined up they wouldn't let anyone else back there. Tori was late for her sound check and didn't show up til 5 30. We'd all been there in the drizzle for three hours at that point and were very cold. I hugged Tori when she got to me and had her sign my Winter single. I also gave her a dozen roses and took a picture with her. I also snapped a bunch as she was going down the line...this was my first time meeting her and I was sooooo glad and in shock. She is very tiny and nice and younger-looking in person than she has been in recent pics. Anyway, we turned in vouchers not til 715-ish and Tori went on at 920. I was in the second row. Some people in front of me kept talking and giving dirty looks and that bugged the hell out of me...well, the band looked like it was having so much fun, especially Caton who kept giving smiles to Tori. Someone already posted the set list, but I will say that Horses, Precious Things, Playboy Mommy, and She's Your Cocaine were freakin' amazing. Tori had on pretty, strappy shiny red platforms, green cargo pants and a light blueish tight tee shirt. Her hair was wavy and wild like I love it....all in all I enjoyed the performance, it did seem a bit short--she ended at 11--but it was great to see the new setup and songs. The summer tour will be so rockin'. Third show ever and I see more and more how wonderful this woman is......*sigh*.... From Richard HandalApril 27, 1998 - I took almost no notes last night at the Philly show. I wasn't in a mental place to be doing that. I was immediately and overwhelmingly distracted all night by how much her voice was not cooperating with her. The only other time I'd seen a show where she was having what were to me obvious and persistent problems with her voice was (coincidentally?), two years ago to the day today, in Washington, D.C. It was the middle one of three show nights in a row, and it was kind of raspy, and deteriorated all night from there. She even messed up lyrics that night to Hey Jupiter which was the last song she'd been playing at every show on the then nine-weeks old tour. It seemed to me that she was just so amazed she'd gotten through that show that she lost her place for a moment. Last night in Philly was different. Her voice had none of its usual suppleness, and watching her try to get it to do what she wanted was like watching her wrestle an invisible alligator all night. Not conducive to my enjoyment of the concert, to say the least! I was screaming inside for her as I was the night on the DDI tour when I saw her wrist go away on her. I know it's not my place to worry about her but I do anyway. In Philly, she pulled every vocal trick in the book to circumvent the notes she didn't have. And I must say, she's a master at knowing her limitations and making the most of what resources she has available to her in *all* ways, all the time. Brilliant, really. So she knew which notes were available to her and which weren't and didn't even try to hit the ones which weren't there. I heard no bad notes from her in Philly. Does anyone know what exactly the problem is with her voice that she is, as she said the other night in New York, taking steroids for it? It may very well be allergies again. This is the time of year for it with her. But it's been so rainy on the east coast recently that most of the pollen would have been washed out of the air. I'd be interested in hearing from someone who spoke with her before the show last night to find out what was going on with her speaking voice then. She was having much more trouble speaking than she was singing, at least from the stage. It was freezing and windy yesterday afternoon in Philly, and raining on and off. I wasn't back there but the buzz indicated that she must have been in back of the venue talking to folks for around a half hour in that weather, and that seemed insane to me knowing she was already taking steroids for her voice. I spoke with one person I knew who'd been back there and begged of him to please tell me she was wearing a scarf, and he said she was, but that it was just a thin black one. What are we ever gonna do with her? [sigh] She and the rest of the band remained in great good spirits all night, and she was her usual self on the keys, and in control of the band. I was pleased to see that Matt has come to be much more easy with the odd bars of 4/4 time tossed into Spark, and I suspect it won't be long now before they go into full-blown jam mode at the break when performing it in concert. It should be wonderful when they're in a place to be able to do that. Matt had a Barbie doll on top of one of his cymbal stands, and when she introduced him she said he was "...Matt Chamberlain, on drums and Barbie." Jon and Caton were enjoying themselves a great deal during Cruel, exchanging big smiles as they traded blown-out licks, trying to out-hilarious one another. A theme I expect will be greatly expanded as the tour progresses. Actually, almost *everything* about these shows will be expanded as the tour progresses, I'm quite sure of it. I'd been thinking on my way to this Philly one that watching these shows was like watching rehearsals, and was amused to find out that she'd told someone in Boston who was too young to get into the venue that this was indeed what these shows were. You folks who missed the club tour completely--trust me--these shows are gonna be amazing before too long. You'll see better shows on the proper tour to come. Although overall, if one didn't really notice the voice trouble she was having in Philly it would have been an enjoyable show. Precious Things in this band incarnation is a mighty piece of work. I wish she'd get more of the older material together with such an astonishing arrangement. As it stands, the newer material far outshines the old in these shows. I really wonder how much they're gonna revamp the whole show before she gets to England. Is she gonna have the concert grand Boesendorfer rather than the baby grand? It sure makes a huge difference--when she's playing solo, especially. I miss the big, ringing resonance of the concert grand Bosey. She was schlepping that thing along before on tours for a reason! I'm thinking she's not risking her voice on a permanent basis, and that this little crisis will pass and she'll be her usual self again before too long. I sure hope so. As for you guys to see the Chicago show--which is a third show night in a row for her, and is apparently to be both internetcast and taped for a syndicated national radio program--keep your fingers crossed that she's got anything left at all if she hasn't been cured by then. And as a friend said to me on the phone last night, if she *cancels* a show, *then* worry, because she'll perform half-dead if she has to. I'm a little queasy about posting this, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em. I know in the past she's appreciated my honest opinions about her music, and I don't want to be alarmist, but damn...I just want her to be okay. Being concerned for her health at show six rather than show 156 was not anything I'd anticipated. And I don't like this one bit. With fingers crossed... From KimmyApril 27, 1998 - Me and my friend got there around 6pm...we had to park behind the EFactory..and we noticed this huge bus pull in....what do ya know...it was tOri's bus...the security guy told us to stand by our car....no one was around the back of the building, because everyone was waiting for tickets....Steve Caton starts heading up the stairs to the back of the building and i go "Steve, what's up" He was surprised..he goes "how are you doing?" I was like great, "your awesome" he said thanks...then some lady said we either have to stay inside our car or go around the front and stand in line...so me and my friend stayed in the car...what do ya know...my friend goes "there is tOri"...I rolled the window down and stuck half my body out the window and screamed "tORi I love you" and she turned around and blew me a kiss...i swear i almost fell out of the window... i couldn't believe how close we were to the stage. I bet you are really excited for the tour..have fun! From Elizabeth Lauren PerryApril 27, 1998 - All I have to say is...wow. The show last night was absolutely amazing. I had the best time. Tori's voice sounded so strong and powerful, it was an incredible experience to see her live again. I first got there around 8:00, and it was pouring rain. Luckily, the I.D. check to redeem vouchers went smoothly and efficiently. I had never heard David Poe, so it was very cool to see him. I was very disturbed when some rude people started screaming, "You suck!" He was very calm and collected and said, "Why, thank you." or something like that to them. It must be difficult being an opening band. Anyway, I stood on a sofa for the whole show because I'm really short and couldn't see over people's heads. The sofa gave me such a great view of Tori, it was unbelievable. She really seemed to get into all of the songs...she went wild at the piano shaking her head and body...almost like she was having some kind of convulsion. It was awesome to see her so emotional. During Icicle, she asked everybody to sing along with her for the part that goes "And when my hand touches myself..." Oh, it was so powerful. The audience there was so polite, no pushing or shoving or anything. This one really tall guy offered to get up off of the sofa so I could stand on it. I want to thank him so much! One girl next to me was cordial enough to ask if her cigarette smoke was annoying me...I wasn't one bit surprised to see how well behaved Tori's audience was. The concert was so enjyable. The band sounds awesome with the new songs, and in some cases, enhances her older songs. She was beautiful...and I love the way she acknowledges her fans. She is such a wonderful person, I had a truly amazing experience last night. From Beth CoulterApril 27, 1998 - It's over. Done. I have to say I'm glad. This club show was about the most stressful thing I've been through in a long while, at least that was self-imposed. First, I couldn't stand in line for tickets cause my car was gone, broken; but a sweet Toriphile offered to get me one and to give me a ride there and back on show day. That was truly awesome. But I heard nothing from her for 5 days and finally spoke to her 10 hours before the show. We confirmed a time and place to meet near where I live. I was there waiting for an hour and a half. I finally came home and there was no word. I couldn't think of what had happened to her, why she hadn't met up with me as planned or at least called. A good friend had told me if I could find a way down, there would surely be some way to get in. After begging a friend and a neighbor, a vehicle was finally offered to me (by the devil himself). So choosing between selling my soul or not seeing Tori at all, I took the car. Of course I got horribly lost since I never drive in the city. But I arrived around 5:30 PM and started looking for the couple I was supposed to ride in with. Couldn't find them, but found another friend. Without much trouble I found myself waiting in line with a voucher for me. Cool! Awesome! Of course I had missed Tori at the meet and greet by 5 minutes, but heard Matt banging away inside for the soundcheck. But then it was silence for the next 2 hours and a cold stiff breeze was blowing and the clouds were spitting ice water. Then the line finally started moving. So inside and up to the balcony I went. I sat by the outside rail on a stool and had a great line of sight. I was right on top of the soundboard and was able to observe Mark and the lighting guy work the stage, and at one point (during "She's your Cocaine) Mark and Joel were sort of dancing next to the soundboard, just moving their hips and arms some. It was cute and I thought it was great that Mark was having a good time. David Poe isn't bad. He's got a nice baritone and his guitar playing is good. Unfortunately, he started his set with 2 pretty rockin' numbers (including World on a String), then after confirming that the audience was pumped, went into this abstract feedback and slow song about California. That's when he lost the audience. Poof, they were in their own worlds and he no longer existed. It was a shame, because I did like what I heard. I'd like to hear an extended, quiet set with him sometime to see if he has the potential I thought he did. So after a 45 minute intermission (watching the roadies put the keyboard up and start working the smoke machine) the house lights dimmed, some blue lights came up and Steve, Matt and Jon came onstage, barely seen. *Note: Matt has a Barbie Doll sitting on a mike for his drums. It's SO cute! ;)* They started playing and Tori came out. She squatted by the edge of the stage and waved with both hands. She sat at the baby grand and started playing softly. The blue lights came up from behind and a single white shown from above and front of Tori. She looked like the shot from "God" with her face all lit up. She started singing Black Dove (January) and I was gone into the ToriZone. Up until she started actually singing, I didn't believe I was really there. It just seemed I had passed insumountable odds to get there, the fates and fairies stepping on my toes every step of the way. I won't bother with giving you blow by blow with a set list, but highlight a few things. After "iieee" she introduced the guys and seemed real proud to have them on stage with her. As she should, because these guys are getting excellent and beyond. Matt is this mysterious gargoyle with the ability to hide his extra four arms appearently, because I'd swear I saw at least 6 hands pounding away. Absolutely amazing work. Jon looked a bit more relaxed than on Letterman and was having a pretty good time swaying to the beat with a shit eating grin on his face most of the time. When he bowed the stand up bass for "Jackie's Strength" though, he had the most thoughtful expression on his face, almost like reverence. And Caton was Caton, only more so. He was having a blast on stage and was flirting with his own groupies to an extent. There was a funny little play off between him and Tori during the beginning of Waitress. He struted a couple of steps towards her and she lifted her chin and gave him a "that the best you got" look, and he struted back a couple of steps and she did it again. Then he started playing off his groupies and Tori started singing. Tori was---was~~~mystical. Abstract. A bit psychedelic. Indeed not the Tori of Little Earthquakes. She was that and a lot more. It's like LE was this little adolecent girl and choirgirl features a full grown woman. Her voice was a bit tight and she rarely reached for the high end. When she did, it was obviously a strain. When she came out for the second encore, she motioned a hand to her throat, like she was gesturing it hurt. She drank water and had two sips of what was appearently her ginger/honey. She grimiced after the second taste, and drank only water after that. At the end of the first set, right before the last song before encores, she put her foot up on the keyboard and struck a few high notes with her heel. She giggled and did it once more as the guys were playing low behind her. She sat up and fingered the keys and said, "See the shoes? I went into this place to get them and they like thought I was a street person or something and asked if I had any money. I'm like F*ck You, do you have to be so vulger? So I make this phone call and I'm walking out with the shoes free, you know?" And raises the bird high above her head. "So I want to kill this Waitress..." After a chant of *Tor-i Tor-i* started, she and the guys came out for the first encore. She smiled and said, "We're gonna do some Amish Funk" and launched into *She's your Cocaine*. She was really rocking and so were the boys. This is a really awesome song, very late beatles/early Zep. People were dancing on the floor underneath me and up in the bar area. The light show was fantastic and it was rockin'! Amish Funk Indeed! :) After the first encore, she made like she was going to stage dive twice, making me wonder if she's reading the reports on the internet. It was funny and the kids exploded. It didn't take long for her to come back out and she finished the show with a florish. It was gratifying to see Tori walk off for the last time with her arms around her guys, so much better than her being wisked off by security all by herself. She looked as tho' she were with her best friends. Which is simply wonderful and can only improve the band while on tour. So after the show, I went up to the stage to the security area. One of the locals called Joel over for me and I shook his hand and introduced myself. He told me he was real busy and couldn't do favors, but I said, "Could you just give something to Tori? Not to be signed, just give it to her?" He relaxed and said yes. I pulled out my book, "Fairy Blessings" containing two of my stories. I printed it out and had it bound with plastic front and back to make it "tour safe". He took it and look at it. He asked if my name and address were on it and I showed him it was printed on the front. He said he would make sure she got it and shook my hand again. It was over. I did what I set out to do the day the shows were announced. I gave to her the gift of my soul, the work that she inspired. I have given back to Tori everything she gave to me in a way, and now can continue on as equals in a way. I no longer need to *take* from her music and words, I can simply enjoy her creative processes. A mighty change for me. A healthy change I think. Of course I got horribly lost on the way home (I hate Cities!!! Yuck Yuck, Phew, Yeck!!) and didn't arrive until after 3AM. Was it worth it? You bet! I guess I should expect nothing to come easy for me, that I have a lesson to learn from each and every experience. The fairies work me hard, but ya know, they sure do give out the coolest rewards! *Fashion Note for those who care: She was wearing nondiscript brownish slacks, a greyish lowcut T-shirt and what looked like red, thin strap, high heeled sandles. Her makeup was light and her hair looked great, crimson with a very natural wave to it. She looks happy and healthy.* *Trusting Toriphiles Note: Appearently the girl who was supposed to pick me up finally called a little before 8 (this is according to a note I was left) to say she was at the electic factory and couldn't find me. I have no idea if she had called before that. But appearently it was crossed signals and excepting for bad communication, I was not wrong for trusting a stranger. Besides, it all worked out well anyway for the most part. (anyone know the current price for buying your soul back?) ;-/ Hope your view was ok C & J and you weren't too inconvienced? I still owe you a tape. Send me your address again.* From Kim1231695April 27, 1998 - well, yesterday in philly i saw Tori for the first time. my friend andre and i got there around 12:45 p.m. and were 89th in line. it was raining a lot of the time and to keep warm we walked around philly, and i bought a single rose for Tori at the gallery (which she never got :o( ) anyway, none of that matters. we got into the electric factory about 7:15 (i got a shirt and necklace) and David Poe came on right at 8. he was okay, some of his songs were humorous but slightly boring. around 9:20, she came out. i was in about the 4th row, and could see pretty well. i heard screaming when the band was coming out, and i was just about to die waiting for Tori. then she came out on stage. i immediately burst into tears and shrieks. she came to the edge of the stage and put her arms over her head and waved, you know how she does that. i was gone when she did that. then, she just went into it. she was beautiful. for the first 2 or 3 songs, i was bawling like a baby. Spark was incredible. you could see the emotion on her face and hear it in her voice. Precious Things was one of the highlights for me. when she did that part about the peach party dress, it was very quiet with just her and the piano and purple lights surrounding her. very effective. The Waitress was another highlight, and so was God. the best, though, was Cloud on my Tongue. Tori sounded so sweet yet sad. this is one of my favorite songs by her and i just went wild when she started to sing it. there was this disco ball with a white light reflecting off of it, so it made a wintry-snowy-crystal-like effect on the otherwise dark stage. her performance of it last night, the way she did it, touched me exactly the way it did when i first heard the song. when she sang, "you're already in there, i'll be wearing your tattoo" i was just gone. when she was singing "circles and circles and circles again" this guy in front of me told her that he loved her, and he didnt have to scream because there was just a very respectful silence. he just said it very seriously. it really touched me. earlier in the show when i waved to her and she was playing the keyboard, she raised her eyebrows to me! i would have waited the 12 hours for tickets and a seat just for that. i can honestly say that while seeing Tori last night, i had the most spiritual, almost religious, experience that i can remember ever having. it was just strange how i kept noticing that: my hands were together in a prayer- like way, i was looking up to someone above me (on stage), and i was crying my eyes out with emotion. and my poor back and feet and legs were not even a concern at that point since i forgot about the pain. it was just weird. it was everything i had hoped for. (well, except that i didnt get to meet her or touch her or ask her about her earrings that she always wears, and some tall bitch stole my autographs of Tori and Caton) i got good pictures though, and she is even more beautiful 10 feet away than a tv screen away. I love Tori! From jon shankApril 27, 1998 - Okay, i'll try to keep this fairly short, since to describe the pure energy and beauty of the night could take years...first tori was actually late in arriving, there was a group of us waiting for her to come. It was cold and wet, but we stood our ground...when she got there, she over looked the side we were at, but i ran over and got a sorta hand shake and an autograph..she was so beautiful, but shorter than i thought:) When we got inside, i made a rush for the fron and got dead center right there...she made eye contact with many of us, and every time i got chills when she locked eyes with me. Her voice was amazing, and her palying abiltiy just blew me away. There were times that she was playing the key board and paino at the same time, and i just can't imagine how difficult that must be...i don't know what else to say, i was entranced for most of the show, jsut swaying, crying and being so moved...i won't give reports on individual songs, i'm sure others will do that. But I just wanted to say that it was the most moving evening of my life, and i don't think i could ever ook at a concert experience the same way again...i'd also like to send out(even though I know tori doesn't look at the web taht much if at all) a thank you to her, for giving us a chance to be there, and sharing the gift of her music with us all, thanks tori, i'm not the same person i as before i met your music, and i couldn't imagine being without it... From Melanie FreemanApril 27, 1998 - I just wanted to say how awesome the Philly show was. This was the seventh time I saw Tori and her emotions have never been so powerful and intense. Her energy and spirit captivated the attention of everyone in the audience and once again she takes you to a very special place with her lyrics and intense stage presence. I was really happy that she played some of her old songs; Icicle, Cloud on my Tongue, God, Waitress, Putting the Damage On, Precious Things, and Horses. I thought some of the best performances were Putting the Damage On, Spark, and Icicle. During Icicle, she asked the audience to sing along with her and it was definitely one of those magical moments she always delivers. I also thought the band backing her up in P.T.D.O. was very powerful and it brought me and my friends to tears. I just wanted to let everybody know who has tickets for future club shows that it is so WORTH IT. Tori has never been so complete and comfortable playing with her audience. It felt as if she were palying with some old friends. Can't wait till the summer tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!:) From JulienApril 27, 1998 - Tori told a little story before "Waitress" about going shopping for shoes and being treated like a homeless person, "Do you have any money?" She then made some comment.. that she made a "call" what or at least that's what I heard.. Then got them for FREE! Stuck her middle finger in the air and said fuck them! and everyone laughed.. >Tori was having a great time playing, but her voice, while strong, I'm not sure I'd agree with that. At times her voice seemed stronger and more powerful then ever! But at times.. well.. I sort of know what he means.. Assume show... amazing power.... From Flygirl377April 27, 1998 - I just got home from the show at the Electric Factory and all I can say is amazing!! I had such a wonderful time. I will not give the set list since you already have it...but I have to say that Precious Things....it was the best version I have ever heard....even better than when she sang it in New York at the RAINN show. I was lucky enough to get her water bottle that she had on the stage as well as a few pics of her after the show...shook her hand...and got her autograph as well as Caytons. It was such a wonderful experience. She sounded great! I was worried about how she would sound with a band...but I have to admit that they sounded great! And she did do some songs without them. She told a funny story about buying shoes and how they thought she was a homeless person and asked her if she had any money. She said she made a phone call and got the shoes for free and then laughed and held up her middle finger....fuck them right... She was as sweet as ever and did a great show...can't wait untill she returns to Philly!!!!!! :o) From Richard HandalApril 27, 1998 - Richard called me after the show and gave me the set list above and a few quick notes on the show:
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