Tori was taped on the radio program Live At The Lounge with Ryan Seacrest on radio station Star 98.7 in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 18, 2002. The show was actually broadcast on December 19, 2002 around 5:00PM. Tori played 4 songs. These are the songs Tori played alone at the piano (Thanks to Joseph Kumjian and Brian Holst.):

Crazy
Pancake
a sorta fairytale
Little Drummer Boy

You can now see photos from this performance at the Star 98.7 web site. (Thanks Heather Mayes.)

Commentary

From Sarah Beakes:

Allow me to describe one of the most amazing days of my life thus far.

Wednesday, December 18th, 2002 at 1:00 p.m. I find myself on a fine Southern Californian afternoon away from work and waiting outside Platinum Live in Studio City amongst fellow Toriphiles- all of us anxiously awaiting our chance to see Tori play a 'Live at the Lounge' mini-show for Star 98.7. (It aired December 19th at 5:00, I think.) As I take my place in the line that ended up being about 40 people long, I require assistance putting on the wristband because I am shaking so much. My breathing patterns have not been anywhere near normal for about 24 hours since I got the phone call telling me that I was going to be able to go to this fairly private show. We're waiting, and waiting, and waiting- and then we're let in.

Tables are set up with four chairs around them, a candle in the middle of each which lends itself to the immediate sense of intimacy this venue provides. People begin to take their seats filling the middle tables first. I choose a seat off to the left so that I can better see her hands as she plays. Bosey is center-stage waiting for Tori. I stare as I sit in anticipation, the shaking has not subsided at this point.

She walks out and there she is... there's Tori Amos about 8 feet from where I am sitting. She waves to all of us and grins. As she takes her seat on her piano bench, she begins to chit chat with Ryan Seacrest, the DJ conducting the show. They talk about how Tori is sometimes intimidating to interview because she is so intelligent and Ryan shares with her that he's heard her toy with people who are interviewing her. Tori responds with, "Well, no- it's not that I intimidate, it's that if you are going to ask certain questions, then... Well (as she shrugs and we laugh)?!." Tori plays ... songs - all sounded amazing, of course. I remember she played a sorta fairytale, pancake, and a few others- I wish I could remember them all but her set lists from this show and her two LA shows are all starting to blur together.

This was such a unique experience because Tori talked about as much as she played. She talked about how, if even in a city, "where there is no good coffee," the audience can create a wonderful environment to play in and that she was going to be going to Florence, Italy this tour and was excited about that. She reflected on a day at the beach with her friend Kevin Aucoin who recently passed, saying that you don't always know when you're, "having one of those moments," until it's gone and said she wrote Taxi Ride about him. One really special moment was when Tori told us that she had been asked by the station to sing a Christmas song. She laughed as she described her childhood experiences of being in The Christmas Story plays and how she always wanted to be the Angel but instead was always the Donkey in the Nativity scene. She jokingly said with scorn that the, "cute, little blondes," always got to be the Angels. "Bitches," Ryan said. "You said it, I didn't...," she coyly replies, and again, we all laugh. Tori described being onstage with the Ox as they discussed their similar plight, both disgruntled about being livestock. She begins to play and said that she, "liked the little guy's job who sings this song," and we were treated to a beautiful rendition of Little Drummer Boy. She smiled, almost to herself, as she sang the song's lyrics, "The Ox and Lamb kept time, pa rum pa pum pum..."

She also talked about her daughter, Natasha's, upcoming holiday party that Tori told the audience about during her December 16th show in Tempe, as reported by The Dent. Tori confirmed that Tash had insisted that they have a party and that she came up with a "Christmas Pink Party." Everyone (roadies included) would have to wear at least a, "swatch of pink," to be able to attend- Tash's orders. Wearing pink was going to be, "big for some of these guys." Tori said that they were going to be making gingerbread houses and that it was going to take place backstage at Universal Amphitheater before her concert that night. She invited Ryan Seacrest but warned him that he must have on pink.

After about an hour, Tori graciously left the stage blowing kisses. As if that wasn't enough of a treat, I was told we were going to be able to meet her!!! To be completely honest, this is sort-of where I checked out a little because the sheer magnitude of what was about to happen was threatening to literally knock my socks off. I was told to go in, I walked up 2 stairs and headed left around a corner and there she was.

She was about 5 feet directly in front of me- standing there- nobody/nothing in between her and I and she's actually waiting there for me to come and introduce myself. I walked like a zombie over to her, she took one of my hands in both of hers and I leant down and gave her a hug- her red hair a clear picture that I can remember. I think she asked what my name is and I think I told her it was 'Sarah.' She then met the rest of the people in the group that I came in with. We all gathered around her (I AM STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO HER) and take pictures. I remember it was then that it struck me just how TINY she is... my arm around her, her shoulders barely there. (Striking considering the larger-than-life presence she has onstage, straddling a piano bench, one hand playing the Bosendorfer and the other the harpsichord.) The radio station is going to send these pictures to us (a fantastic gesture).

I told Tori that her concert the night before was really great and that we were all looking forward to seeing her that night too. (I hope it was English that came out of my mouth.) She said she was going to try to "change it up a bit tonight." I had a disposable camera with me and as my group was beginning to filter out, making room for the next wave of fanatics, I handed it to her and asked if I could PLEASE take a picture with just her and I and she agreed. She sort-of snuggled up to me and we took a picture! I can't believe I have a photograph of that one split second when I am really there with her. She hugged me and said, "bye honey." I walked out of the backstage area (I think I walked anyway) and realized I was shaking so much I could barely stand, started to cry and called my mom. What else are you supposed to do after having met, in your humble opinion, the most amazing creature to grace existence?

Tori played her second show in LA that night. I went and had amazing seats. The next couple of hours, I sat there truly happy. The kind of happy you only get once in a long while when you are wholeheartedly awe inspired by the unforgettable experiences life throws you every once in a while in an effort to rekindle the faith in what it means to be here. I remember Tori sang as she improved that night, "It's that time again- Christmas time again... We have the magic tonight, we have the magic tonight... Tash running around downstairs, faeries in her hands... Wish I was two again- I am..."

I still can't even believe it all happened. That night there was a pink balloon just offstage at the concert- remnant from the pink party.