European Plugged '98 Tour
Sheffield, UK
May 30, 1998
Updated July 8, 1998
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European Plugged '98 Tour
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Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page Tori performed in Sheffield, U.K. on May 30, 1998 at the City Hall during the European leg of her Plugged '98 tour.  Set ListPRLstoke was the first to email me this set list. Black-Dove (January) 1st Encore: Tear In Your Hand 2nd Encore: Angie ReviewsFrom Andy Tebbutt + Emma TaylorJuly 8, 1998 - With the excitement of the previous nights concert in Nottingham still fresh in our minds, we got the train up to Sheffield and got to the City Hall around 12 mid-day. Knowing this was the last of the five UK show we were going to on this tour (we didn't decide to go to London until after the show tonight), we were determined to really soak up the feelings and ambience of the day, but prepared ourselves for the sadness for our last concert... There were already 5 or 6 other fans waiting around the proper stage door entrance (which she used two years ago), but it was very cramped and tight due to all of the crew and the tour buses, trucks etc, so after a few hours, a guy came out and told us all that there wasn't enough room here, and that Tori would be coming in the other door on the other side of the building to sign etc, at which we all quickly walked to the right spot ! Four barriers were then set up in a row and about 20 people by now had gathered, but there was still room for everyone. We met up with our friend Andrew and noticed most of "the regulars" were also there including Peter, Ruth, Angela, Nicole + her friend (sorry we never got your name!) and time flew by waiting for Tori to arrive. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and didn't really feel like we were here to meet Tori ! Strange...Before long, a car pulled up at 4:25pm and Joel got out with Tori. She looked happy and radiant but we still felt quite sad deep down, knowing that this was our last (planned) meet and greet for this tour. We didn't want the magic to end... Tori happily posed for photographs at the far end of the line of waiting fans, then Joel declared in his usual manner that you could have "Only a photo, or an autograph - we have got a soundcheck to do you know", but as usual, Tori didn't take any notice and didn't let her fans down ! Nice one Tori ! A guy to Andy's right gave her a bottle of expensive wine and she happily accepted this, then she got to us! "Hi Andy!", she said. Then "Hi!, are you okay Emma?". So we chatted briefly and she kindly signed a CD each for us, signing Emma's with a little smiley face :) ,which looks so cute ! She sure makes you feel real good ! Then she posed for a photo of all three of us which our friend Andrew took (great picture as it turned out, thanks !). Tori then chatted with him and they had a photo together. As she moved down the line, Joel really made you feel guilty yet again for wanting to take photo's of such a special moment, and everytime he saw us with a camera up to our face he subtley stepped into the line of vision without Tori aware of his unfriendly actions :( Among the last few people she met were two girls who both wept uncontrollably at the sheer emotion of meeting her, and Joel redeemed himself by comforting one of them. We both know how they felt as meeting Tori really is an overwhelming feeling of both happiness and sadness rolled into one. She really stirs you inside... the person you love most in your life is right there in front of you, talking to you and showing an interest in you, and you just want to cry with joy, but most of us hold back our real feelings and happily smile as she walks away, when deep down your crying a river inside. She walked up the steps to the door and in to the venue at 4:40pm, and the barriers were moved straight away. Minutes later, the door re-opened and we heard someone say "They're still here...", obviously referring to the few remaining fans including us, who had sat down on the steps she went up. Maybe they needed to come out for something ?! After about 30 minutes, everyone went they're own way - food, drink and the toilet was calling ! We returned to the City Hall at 6:40pm and by now people were queuing up the steps. Because Andy still had a camera from this afternoon's meet and greet on him, he was paranoid about being searched and stopped from going in, so we hung back and observed the first people going in at 7:00pm when the doors opened. It didn't help his nerves to see that they appeared to be searching everyone and their bags ! - but people always seem to get tape recorders, big cameras and even video cameras in to shows ! - so I don't know why we were so worried by our small non-zoom compact camera ! Fear of having it found and our film from the afternoon ripped out, is always our worry, so Andy dangled it round his neck down his back to get it inside, and luckily got away with it. We never take any inside anyway as we really don't want to have anything confiscated, it's alright if you have a car to leave stuff in (moan moan !). We got in at 7:10pm and took our 3rd row centre seats, right down the centre aisle. If you don't know, there is a large gap between the first row of seats and the actual stage in the venue, so we thought there was a chance that they may let people from the first few rows move to the front and stand up in the gap. (We'd heard this had happened at a few of the other UK concerts). For the first time during our shows, it seemed as though none of "the regulars" were lucky enough to get seats for the front few rows, and it was very surreal to see middle aged couples and not-what-you'd-call-real-Tori-fans (bitch bitch !), bagging the best seats in the house (nothing against middle aged couples here, it was just the 'type', i.e. "Let's have a night out tonight darling, and go and see that Cornflake Girl woman...", you know the type, don't you ?! The Devlins came on and played from 8 to 8:30pm, and during the whole of their set, a venue security man amazingly stood on his own with his back to the stage, right in the centre below Colin Devlin and watched out over the audience. Was he expecting trouble ?! During their set, a lot of the first few row of seats were still empty (apart from the middle aged couple right in front of us, who talked throughout the whole Devlins set, which really annoyed Andy who wanted to watch them for the last time tonight...). The security guy left just after The Devlins, and 10 minutes later, we saw Joel talking to Angela on the front left, pointing to the stage and said something about "You can stand...", so when he passed us, Andy got up and asked him, and he said we could stand, but only first few rows. No sooner had I done speaking to him, Emma had already got up, gone up to the front and claimed a place right in the centre leaning on the stage ! We know people who bought front row tickets would think this really unfair (understatement) but they hadn't even arrived yet. The gap filled up really quickly, with everyone who was leaning on the stage smiling at one another in that I-can't-believe-this-is-happening sort of way ! We noticed that most of "the regulars" had managed to get upfront and get second or third row standing spots, which was nice. Could anything spoil things so far? Nearly, well not that bad. The same security guy reappeared and pushed his way through the fans and stood right beside Andy with his back to the stage ! He said he was staying there for the whole concert watching for cameras etc, and this was so unfair to the people who had managed to stand in the second row in the centre - they had him facing them, inches away, all night. Fortunately for us, he never came and stood BETWEEN Emma and I, thereby not separating us and spoiling our last night seeing Tori together. So, everything turned out perfectly. We'd been so lucky in being able to stand right at the front, dead centre, in front of Tori all night. (We later heard that quite a few people complained that people were allowed to stand at the front of a seated gig, and their view was spoiled - understandably. It IS unfair that only the first 5 rows or so were allowed to stand, while everyone else was made to sit down, but we didn't make this rule. Sorry.) Now onto the concert itself... the lights went down, and Steve walked on first. Loads of people on the left were shouting "Steve!, Steve!", as he walked across the stage to his guitar and waiting bottle of wine! (Tonight there were no press photographers present). Tori came on at 9:11pm and went straight into BLACK DOVE. During this she scanned her eyes along the front row as if to check who was there, and then went into CRUEL. Followed by IIEEE, in which she was late pressing the key that plays the iieee backing vocal so she reached back and turned it down altogether having a good laugh along the way. It was such an incredible feeling to actually be so close to Tori - proper standing shows have the barrier and the pit between the front row and the stage - but this was just amazing, so brilliant to actually be leaning on the stage directly in front of her ! We were literally less than 2 meters away from Tori for the whole show, you could see every drop of sweat, and everything you normally saw from being front row was magnified 10 fold, just from being so close. You could see the drool from her mouth even clearer ! (She always seem to do so in Cruel...!). Then she introduced the band. CORNFLAKE GIRL was next, Tori bent down, had a drink and then fiddled with her shoe as the song started, so she missed her first piano bit - but didn't seem bothered. During the "and the man with the golden gun..." bit, Tori and Steve were really enjoying themselves ! There was such a rapport between them as they played, and they were facing each other over the piano. Tori was leant on the front two legs of her piano stool and Steve went into Elvis leg-shaking mode ! You really had to see this to believe it, the chemistry between them was electric, hope Mark isn't the jealous type !. Next was DOUGHNUT SONG. It was really great to hear this, and it was just so emotional to hear. (It's Emma's favourite "BFP" album track, and she was hanging on to every line, every note, every single word.) With it being our last show, we were really emotional, watching every move she made, it was as though there were no-one else in the place. We were that far gone, and into it. Sheer brilliance... SPACE DOG followed, which sounded so great with a band. Next up was HORSES - anyone who's seen this will know about the glitterball effect ! Imagine being so close to Tori, not taking your eyes off her, and your brain is sensing movement all around you from the shimmering lights swirling from left to right, you try your best to stay focused on her and not move your eyes away, but you have to keep looking down and re-focusing as your brain tells you that it's Tori that's spinning around in front of you, not the lights ! We never thought you'd get motion sickness from a Tori concert, but that's exactly the effect we got from being so close to her ! Literally, a moving experience...! The band then left and Tori did CHINA on her own, followed by UPSIDE DOWN. (Emma: This is one of the songs that means so much to me, and it's the one song I hadn't heard yet on this tour that I really wanted to. I never asked asked her to play this but she started it just as I wished for it. It's so moving when Tori looks right into your eyes as she's playing, and appears to be singing just for you. It melts you totally when she looks right at you...) The band rejoined her and played a poignant version of JACKIES STRENGTH, at which point the sadness of the concert coming to a near end really set in, we both knew we were going to end up with tears in our eyes before the end. LIQUID DIAMONDS and SPARK followed, then after THE WAITRESS, they came to the front then went off. TEAR IN YOUR HAND was the first song of the encore, then RASPBERRY SWIRL, after which they went off for a second time. The emotions were running really high for us both right now, knowing there was only one song left, and that would be the last time we'd see her on stage this tour. She returned alone and said, "You've all been great...really wish we could take you all down to London to shake the fuckers up. They're really stuffy down there..." (we think!). Then she played ANGIE. From the moment she started playing this, we both were overcome with raw emotion, Emma was nearly crying, and we were staring right up at her face, we didn't want this night to end. Tori means the world to us... When she'd finished this song, and we were expecting her to leave the stage for the last time, she signalled one more, and started to sing SONG FOR ERIC which was totally unexpected. She left at 10:48pm, after 1 hour and 37 minutes of pure magic. As soon as it had done, we pulled ourselves together and ran out and round to where Tori went in this afternoon. We were the first there, but worried that there were no barriers set up and cars parked right by the bottom of the steps. Not an encouraging start. More people turned up and we found ourselves at the end of a very unorganised make-shift front row. Joel came out and his worst nightmare had come true, the cars were blocking the way, and how would he get her out ? They moved the cars eventually and by now, a large group of people had gathered, and were watching on the opposite side of the steps. Security guys then made them all move from where they were stood and come over to in front of all of us, even though we'd been there ages, so all the latecomers found themselves at the front and had barriers put out in front of them. The car pulled up and parked, and all of us true fans weren't too pleased at being right at the back, unable to see a thing. Fortunately, Emma's tall and was just about able to see between peoples heads. The crowd at the very front were the most rude, bad mannered people we've ever the misfortune to meet - seriously. (Emma: I was separated from Andy at this point, and was being squashed and jostled by these really rowdy, obnoxious guys. They were making nasty, sexist comments towards me and I'd lost all hope of any chance of seeing Tori leaving. Totally disheartened and sick of their behaviour, I was ready to give in and walk off, leaving them to it. I felt really unhappy, then heard people start to woo and call out Tori's name, so I stayed. She came out at 11:15pm. I caught a glimpse of Tori between loads of heads as she unusually started at the end of the line, working her way back towards the building. I really didn't think Tori would notice me being way back behind all these guys (who were thrusting programmes at her and shouting), when she made eye contact with me, but it was soon lost as the pushing continued... Amazingly, I heard her say "Hi Emma", in an urgent can-you-hear-me way, as she stepped back from the crowd to try to get a better look for me. She said "Emma, will I see you again?", - meaning was I going down to London - before contact with her was lost totally. The worst bit was I never got chance to respond to her, but hearing her call out for me in desparation was so touching, and so moving... I was actually crying. These guys didn't even seem proper Tori fans, had no respect for her, or her fans. They really were pushing forwards and flinging their programmes at her to sign. Tori barely spent any time on them before getting in the car. There were no fans she even knew at the front, all the true fans from this afternoon who waited so patiently were stuck right at the back... ) Tori drove off, and the rabble dispersed, leaving the two of us to comfort one another. We didn't want this to be the way it ended for us, after the high of the concert. After all the emotion and turmoil of this "last night" for us both, we decided, what the hell - we'll go down to London. We had NO tickets for the shows, or NO money for anywhere to stay, only just enough for the train fares - there was a special cheap train offer running from Manchester to London tempting us. We just HAD to travel down to try and see her for one last meet and greet... (but thats another story !). From Doron VidavskiJune 2, 1998 - Well, I saw the Sheffield gig last night and apart from the fact that it was amazing, as could be expected, it was way way better than the Manchester gig. T was dressed in black and looking gorgeous as ever and after a superb rendition of Black-Dove she burst into iieee. As you probably know, on this song she activates the pre-recorded "iieee iieee" backing vox herself on the Kurzweill and at one point she did it a second too late and had to turn it off because it didn't fit what she was singing. She realised that everyone noticed her blunder and started smiling at Mat and Caton. It was so amusing. She generally smiled a lot during the gig and seemed like she was really having an excellent time, despite the fact that she barely spoke to the audience. Then came "Cruel" which I thought much slower than the version she did in Manchester. "Liquid Diamonds" found her voice lucid and enchanting, whilst "Cornflake Girl" remained very loyal to the album version and the piano break-bit (after the second chorus - you know what I'm talkin' about) was performed even more magnificently than ever. The best surprise was "Doughnut Song" which must have been about six and a half minutes long and so thrilling - the band has really revamped the song and the extended Bose intro was truly beautiful. "China" and "Upside Down" were excellent choices for the 'secret time' - they felt so intimate and magical. I think she got most applause for "Space Dog" and "Horses" where her voice soared again and turned these two ditties into superb moments of pleasure (sorry for exhausting every possible superlative, by the way. ... but the gig really deserves it!), not to mention the excellent performance of Jackie. Why "Spark" falls below the rest when done live I know not, but it's a shame, because not only is it one of Tori's best ever songs, but it also has such a powerful drive to it, and alas some of its Umph is lost on stage (I noticed this in the Manchester gig as well). But this was compensated for with the hectic and rockin' vibes of "The Waitress". As I said, Tori hardly ever spoke to the audience, but towards the end she told us what an excellent audience we've been and that she wished she could take us all with her in the bus, to London. For some reason she referred to the London audience as "F**king boring". She really did seem to enjoy herself and there was constant musical flirtation with Caton and the atmos on stage was very lively. I think this was probably why she chose to do 4 songs for the encore, instead of the ususal 3. She began with the very beautiful (if somewhat slower) version of "Tear In Your Hand", followed by a stomping "Swirl", and then came back for "Angie". We thought it was all over because Joel came on stage but then she signalled with her finger "one more", sat next to the Bose and did "Song For Eric". WHAT A VOICE! What a performance! Also, this time there were European Tour Programmes, a luxury we weren't presented with at the Manchester gig. From Angela LathemJune 2, 1998 - Set List: (Sheffield 30.5.98) Black Dove This show was absolutely brilliant!!! Held at the City Hall in Sheffield, a fair amount of EWF showed up to greet her before the show: just enough for her to speak to each of us, void of pushing and straining for views of her. Once again, Joel came up to the first row (it seems that if you are sitting anywhere but that row, you don't have a clue what is going to happen) and said that we could stand next to the stage for the show. Therefore, fellow EWF, if you are sitting in one of the first 5-10 rows in a theatre with space between the stage and the first row, watch for Joel! If he comes out to speak to that row, hop out of your chair, and prepare to scurry to the front...if you don't, there is the chance that you will not be able to see. Rumour has it, that in Glasgow when this was allowed, the first five rows that didn't make it to the stage in time had problem seeing her and many asked for her money back. I am just guessing that since she's rockin' now, Tori wants people to be right up there with her. Head for the space right between the keyboard and the Bose, because any other area will be blocked by speakers and lights. I troubled myself with requesting a song ever since the Liverpool show. When I was speaking with her before Sheffield about the difficult letter I had written to her, I somehow gained the strength to ask for "Angie." She said "That's a girl we haven't heard in a while...I'll see what I can do." Writing it in silver on her hand, she smiled understandingly and moved on. I know that you must believe the blessed emotions I felt when it became the last song she played, before departing with "Song for Eric". . . From Lianne MacdonaldJune 2, 1998 - Don't have the set-list but I'm sure someone else will send it :-) Anyway it was the usual set except for Space Dog which she played for the first time this tour? In the "secret time" she played China and Upside Down, and also Angie for the 'almost' final encore. I say almost because Tori gave us a bonus at the end of the show. She seemed to really enjoy the crowd, and said so, and after she sang Angie she quietened everyone down and gave us an extra song, the wonderful Song For Eric. PS The Tour Programme is now on sale, I've scanned a few of the photos onto my web page, if you haven't already been sent them all! Collecting Tori From PRLstokeJune 2, 1998 - sorry i've started rambling a bit towards the end of this - but hey ho, here's my "thoughts" on the Sheffield concert and stuff black-dove
tear in your hand
angie (sounded very clearly like "andy" half the time...) (not entirely sure about the order towards the middle tho - if someone else says different believe them, not me!) i couldn't help feeling that tori was having a "bad day" on saturday - she was about quarter of an hour late coming on stage and only actually talked twice all night - once to introduce the band, and near the end to say what a wonderful audience we'd been and how she wished she could bus us down to london because... well, lets just say she isn't expecting much enthusiasm from the london crowd (...did she really say "fucking boring".... that got perhaps the biggest cheer of the night from the yorkshire crowd... ;-) But of course the music (and set list full of rarities) still made it a brilliant concert. after the show there must've been 40+ people laying seige to her car, she signed a few autographs and chatted for about 10 minutes before being whisked away.... and i was off driving home, singing along to my "best of tori volume 99" tape, when... well, how would you react if while driving home from a tori conert you noticed that the car you were overtaking on the motorway was hers.... :-) christ i nearly had a seizure (tho god knows why - how else would she have left the city?!?!) of course it might have dropped her off somewhere beforehand, but still the possibility that i was driving along part of my regular commuting route for about 40miles with tori in my rear-view mirror is a pretty cool one (the car ended up taking the exit for East Midlands International Airport... or my week-days home of Stoke-on-Trent, which is pretty unlikely, unless she was sneaking in to read my diary *again* for more song ideas... (or is it only me who gets that feeling sometimes??)... Anyway, the concert was one of the best, and you southerners better show her what you're made of on wednesday! |
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