A review of Tori's January 12, 2003 concert in Glasgow, U.K. appeared in the Evening Times newspaper in the U.K. on January 16, 2003. Thanks to Lianne for telling me about it. The review appeared in the 'Times Out Entertainment Guide'.

by Jonathan Rennie

Tori Amos, Clyde Auditorium
Dressed like a cookie drama teacher, Tori Amos shuffled nervously on stage, black sleeves trailing behind her, knee-length boots clicking with every short step. Siting herself in front of a baby grand, the girlish shyness dropped with the first strike of the piano key and the opening bars of A Sorta Fairytale transformed her into a leading lady.

For the next two hours Tori Amos took her packed audience into her own pained and magical world. Barely stopping for breath, Carbon, Strange, and Baker Baker followed, leading to outbursts of emotions from the crowd. For some, this show at the Auditorium was the culmination of an angoising eight year wait and the tears of a few fans showed how important this night was to them.

When Tori broke into old favourites Cornflake Girl and Precious Things the atmosphere in the auditorium was electric. Sadly, the physics of the equipment couldn't cope with the cacophony of noise and the right cluster of speakers crackeld and hissed through both.

An hour into the set and red hair infatuations succumbed to red mist. A group of fans lef their seats and stood at the front of the stage. While Tori smiled and compared the scene to her days playing small town bars, the lack of scenery for seated fans threatened to turn the show into a red-neck bar brawl. Complaints were ignored by uninterested security staff and arguments ensued. It soured an impeccable performance from one of America's finest talents.

This was a show that deserved no end of praise. It's a shame the same could not be said about the venue.