North American Plugged '98 Tour
New York, NY
July 28, 1998
Updated January 6, 2000
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North American Plugged '98 Tour
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Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page Tori performed in New York, NY on July 28, 1998 at Madison Square Garden during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.  Set ListTori performed Leather and Landslide solo. Many thanks to Andrea Cleaver for being the first to call me on the phone and give me the set list! I would also like to thank Lee Chaix, Richard Handal, and Matt Page who also phoned me and let me know the set lists and details about the show. Special thanks must also be given to Metrojoe who was the first to email me with the set list. Thank you all! Precious Things 1st Encore: 2nd Encore: ReviewsThe most recently added reviews are first. From JoeJanuary 6, 2000 - "on july 28th,1998 I experienced the extrodinary power of tori`s music. I was extremely disappointed that so many people gave such bad reviews
of the same show I was at that very night at the Garden. At the time I was
only a fan for a short while. I only had one of tori`s albums (at that time)
and was at the concert only because my freind, a huge fan, asked me to go. I
was transformed through that show. The power,beauty and majesty of her live
performance had me on the edge of my seat........which was in the nose bleed
section. Tori opened with an AMAZING "precious things" that had the whole
crowd wild. after the first few songs tori said hello to us and then preceded
to sit at the bosey while sipping some water. she then said something about
her throat hurting and how she was having some cough drops. she played
"landslide",which really had me almost in tears. I loved how everyone in the
crowd sang along with tori for "leather". "jackie`s strentgh" was really
nice because all of us lit our lighters! tori asked some people in the
audience to not throw things on the stage while she was playing because I
think someone almost nailed her in the face with some flowers but she said it
very politley! she ended the show with "horses" but i dont even remember that
because it was a year ago and i didnt appreciate and love her music then
like i do now! it was an AMAZING show unlike what some people said. "
From Debbie TinnirelloOctober 31, 1998 - Okay I know this is very much after the fact, but at the July 28th Concert at MSG Tori was supposed to play SATY and winter instead of Leather and God respectively. I don't think that was in any of the reviews, but I got the set list after the show and that is what it said. From Richard Handal (posted to various Tori mailing lists)August 5, 1998 - Hi, Gang: This week I went up from the D.C. area to the New York and Philly shows, and I want to make a few comments. It's great to see how dedicated Tori is to keeping her scheduled events, but there comes a time when it crosses over into the ridiculous. This week was one of those times. I realize it would have been a huge nightmare for her and a disappointment to a lot of people had she cancelled, but she was certainly in no condition to have been performing at The Garden Tuesday night! By Wednesday, some folks were getting word to her and to Joel that if she cancelled some shows that no one would hold it against her. She had already been inside the Garden Tuesday when she came out to meet with the folks at 2:45pm. She stayed a grand total of eight minutes, during which time she signed a hell of a lot of autographs, smiled a lot, pantomimed her answers to people's questions, and did not speak. I was told by someone who is with her on the tour that she'd not been speaking to anyone all day, but by the next afternoon in Philly she was reportedly speaking very softly with folks a tiny bit. After the Garden show Joel came out and told folks he really wanted to just get her out and back to the hotel and into bed ASAP, and very nicely asked us to disperse so he could do just that. We were glad to do so. (Folks *I* was near were, at any rate.) When she began singing at the Garden show I was flipping out. She was clearly having serious problems with her voice at a level I'd never before seen, but beyond that, she was someone who needed to be in bed covered up with a vaporizer going--certainly *not* trying to perform a rock concert on a stage! And it was even scarier when she tried to speak to introduce the band! More power to anyone who was able to get enjoyment out of that show. A group of four dear 14- and 15-year-old girls right in front of me certainly seemed to be enjoying it, and it was nice to see their energy. (They were *not* screaming Spice Girls wannabes, they were clearly serious Toriphiles who I respected, and felt lucky to have seen. I loved seeing those girls.) *I* couldn't enjoy that show. I do appreciate her efforts, however. I can't believe she does stuff like that. I was greatly heartened the next night in Philly when she was far more animated from the stage, and, despite still having serious vocal problems, was able to put herself across musically and with great feeling. At one point in between songs she said "I'm really sick, and everybody's been so wonderful," and the warmth and depth of all that love was felt as she reflected it back to us from the stage. She was obviously moved by all that, and in return, so was I. It was a huge relief to me when I heard the Friday show had been postponed. Those folks will get to experience a much better show in November instead. Please realize how much you have thus been blessed. The other thing I wanted to mention was how **INCREDIBLE** everyone I met was over the course of those two days! I majorly hung out with some old friends, some people I'd never met before but knew from the lists, folks I never heard of who aren't on the internet, some people who I'd met but hadn't had a chance to spend much time with before, and folks were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. I'm talking about like twenty or more people all together. It was wonderful. I met and spent time with folks from at least three European countries, some of whom had recognized me from the U.K. shows I attended in May, but with whom I had somehow not spoken then. Ten of us went to my favorite restaurant in New York before the show Tuesday, and we had big fun for hours on end not only in the restaurant, but afterwards walking back to the Garden. After the show I ended up talking until four o'clock in the morning with someone whom I hadn't spent much time with before, and she came down with me from her apartment and helped me hail a cab, and saw me off as I went back to my hotel. A Stevie Nicks version of her song "Landslide" came on the radio in the cab about 45 seconds after I got into it, which cracked me up. The next day eight of us went down to Philly in two cars--this same girl mentioned above bought us all lunch, my offers to pay the driver of the car I was in for some of the gas were rebuffed, and then after the show in Philly I was treated to *another* meal by someone who I'd never met until mere hours before, and was given a ride to the train station so I didn't have to get a cab. I hereby extend an open offer to you people who are cynical about feeling there is any sort of Toriphile community, to spend a day or so with me around some shows and then tell me later how you feel about that. I assure everyone, we are *not* simply masses of lemmings blindly running around in the same direction, nor is everyone trying to slit each other's throats to get five inches closer to Tori. If that has been your experience then I'm sorry because it is definitely *not* mine. There are some amazing, wonderful people out there. Is everyone amazing and wonderful? Of course not, but that there are as many as there are blows me away, and it seems to be a feeling that's spreading, not diminishing. More people seem to be going to more shows on this tour than they did on past tours, and my experiences around the shows this time out have been fun, moving, and meaningful beyond words. I love you guys like crazy. Thanks for being so great. You don't know what it means to me. All my love, Richard Handal, H.G. From Sonicnet's Music News Of The WorldAugust 3, 1998 - A review of Tori's NY concert appeared at the Sonicnet Music News Of The World web site LIVE: Tori Amos Soars Above Blaring Arena Rock
The piano diva's show is marked by thunderous guitars and wild light display.
Contributing Editor Jon Vena reports:
SonicNet Daily Music News Reports : NEW YORK -- This is
not your older sister's Tori Amos. To many devoted fans, it's
nothing like Tori Amos at all.
It's the new Tori Amos, with the look and image of a
big-name star.
To some gathered at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday
night to see this incarnation of the piano-playing pop
singer/songwriter, however, the question remained: Just
who is this Tori Amos, and since when can she play arena
rock?
Since now.
More than 12,000 fans jammed into the so-called "world's
most famous arena" to catch the "new" Amos experience --
one plucked from the intimacy of small clubs and theaters
and now supported by a three-piece band and monster-sized
light show.
Amos remains an icon, as was evident by the mostly
college-age female audience that cheered and danced
throughout the hour-long performance. Although Amos'
recent bout with the flu resulted in some low points during
her set, the piano-playing rebel, who has no doubt helped
bring women into the era of '90s rock, held up well and
treated fans to an eclectic setlist.
Devoid of many of Amos' better-known hits, the concert
focused on her songs that could produce the best
arena-sized sounds.
The raw, electrified power of "Precious Things," from 1992's
Little Earthquakes, and the riveting, plugged-in rendition of
from the choirgirl hotel's "Raspberry Swirl" (RealAudio
excerpt) received giant ovations. However, guitarist Steve
Caton's playing drowned out much of the beauty of Amos'
sound, as during "She's Your Cocaine" (RealAudio
excerpt), which opened the first of two encores. On record,
all three tracks tiptoe the fine line between pretty and
powerful.
Onstage, however, Caton's riffs simply stomped on the
melody to the point where some fans covered their ears.
What worked best for Amos on Tuesday was the stuff that's
always worked best for Amos. A short, three-song solo set
provided the prettiest moment of the night, with Amos
covering Stevie Nicks' "Landslide" and singing a breathtaking
rendition of "Jackie's Strength," which featured a masterful
performance on cello from bassist John Evans.
By the time Amos and crew hit the stage in a bath of
colorful lights, smoke and noise, the red-haired
singer/songwriter had managed to fill all of the Garden -- a
feat shared by such mega-artists as Bruce Springsteen, Led
Zeppelin and the Spice Girls.
Still, in an arena famous for Stanley Cups and boxing
gloves, Amos tried to keep it intimate. And, for the most
part, she succeeded.
She inhaled nasal spray onstage, accepted bouquets from
fans and chatted groggily between songs. No matter what
she did, fans seemed receptive and eager for more.
"Cornflake Girl," "Spark" and "Horses" also translated well,
but when it came time for "The Waitress," a dark, brooding
tune from 1994's Under The Pink, the blood-red and dark
purple lights and a series of distorted licks from Caton were
distracting. The made-for-arena reconstruction of the music
created an abrasive sound that stole from the balance of
songs such as the opening "Precious Things," which was
performed with tons of guitar and drums.
The show was the centerpiece of Atlantic Records'
promotional push for Amos' latest album, from the choirgirl
hotel. Coincidentally, the show fell on the same day that a
new single from the album -- the lush "Jackie's Strength"
(RealAudio excerpt) -- went into radio-airplay rotation
nationwide. The night before, Amos performed the song on
the "Late Show with David Letterman," after which the
television talk-show host urged her to "blow the roof off"
the Garden.
Likewise, press conferences were scheduled, and contest
winners lined up for a soundcheck party and intimate
question-and-answer session. Amos, however, wasn't up for
it due to the flu. According to publicists, she could barely
talk. The last-minute cancellations disappointed fans and
journalists alike, who, instead of an intimate
meet-and-greet and Q&A klatch, were treated to a brief,
two-song soundcheck and a quick escort from the arena.
"We were promised more than we got," said Jessica
DeMaine, 17, of Manhattan, who won passes to the
soundcheck and Q&A session from a local radio station. "But
she's sick and, well, I still love her." From the New York PostAugust 2, 1998 - Toriphile Alex Pearlman sent a me a review of this show that appeared in the July 30, 1998 edition of the New York Post, accompanied by a dark, murky, not very flattering photo from the concert. Note the misspelling of Caton's name and the mention of a possible appearance at the Meadowlands. Tori Concert On the Nose It was the concert of Tori Amos' career, a make-or-break-her deal.
The balances were set and the woman who only four months ago played tiny
Irving Plaza did a shake, rattle and roll into Madison Square Garden, the hall
that every rock band dreams of playing.
MSG, the playground of the big boys -and underscore the "boys"- was a fitting
environment Tuesday night for Amos' coming out, since Tori no longer is the
waif who uses her piano as a confessional. Now, she's the leader of a big,
bad, bold, take-no-prisoners rock band.
Her sound is fearlessly female, but, unlike Lilith Fair's "chicks with picks"
tour, where there was a circle the wagons attitude, Ms. Amos' concert had a
confrontational sense of potency. In this performance, Amos remained true to
her feminine ideals and to herself, yet was able to cut heads with the likes
of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, who ripped the roof off the hall just a couple
of weeks earlier.
As much as the credit belongs to Amos for a great rock show, her band,
featuring drummer Matt Chamberlin, bassist Jon Evans, and longtime Amos
associate Steve Canton on guitar, is integral to the sound. If anything,
Canton's work, while inventive and musically sound, was gilding the lily.
Where Tori soared was when the elements of piano percussion intertwined with
Chamberlin's drum thunder. To that end, Chamberlin often used felt mallets
instead of regular sticks to make a closer sonic match to the felt covered
hammers of Tori's piano as they struck the strings.
The finest example of this was in the very pagan, tribal version of "God" that
was played near the concert's curtain. It was the song that unglued the mostly
female crowd from their seats so they could dance (some even headbanging) to
the power that Amos projected.
Many were dubious that T.A. could pull off a Garden gig that wouldn't be a
yawner. Because she's a pianist, she doesn't have the mobility of a guitar
player or a straight vocalist; her 88 key "ball and chain" keeps her in place.
At a small club, that doesn't matter all that much, but in an arena as large
as the Garden, it becomes more of an issue.
There were a few stage devices that alleviated the static nature of the
concert. The trippy lighting was designed to work with the music by matching
rhythms and moods. The light was even given substance as it filtered through
the continuous five-alarm smoke screen.
Two of the most memorable effects were the dizzying swirl of light dots from
five mirrored balls at the encore and the mid-concert solo where Tori sat at
her piano circled by 25 spotlights tightly focused on her. A bubble machine
sent a storm of suds flying under pink lighting, but the flurry was a little
too frilly.
Ms. A. complained about battling a cold and took a few hits of nasal spray. It
wasn't a pretty sight. "Sorry," she half apologized while looking very
satisfied, "that was so embarrassing, but it feels really good now." Undaunted
by her onstage snort, Amos then launched into a show-stopping cover version of
"Landslide". Her head cold seemed to aid her dry throat delivery, making her
version of the Fleetwood Mac classic near perfect.
The show wasn't without flaws. The sound wasn't up to the quality achieved in
the smaller Irving Plaza in April, so at the Garden her lyrics were often
gobbled up and lost in volume. But none of the fans would complain about that,
since the already knew every lyric to every song by heart.
This was a one night engagement, but rumor has it that Amos will return for a
Meadowlands performance in the fall. From Ari BerensteinAugust 2, 1998 - On May 2nd 1998, when I found out on A Dent In The Tori Amos Universe that Tori Amos was coming back to New York City for her Plugged '98 tour, I promised myself I would not make the same mistake three times- I had missed Tori two times previously, at RAINN when I was first discovering Tori's wonderful music, and again at her club tour this past march. I kept to that promise and saw Tori for the first time just a couple of days ago at Madison Square Garden. In just a simple sentence, my description of the concert: It was unbelievable. Well, of course this is a concert review, so I've got to write more than that one sentence, but when it all boils down to it, that is what I felt. The evening was so incredible, magical even and just so overwhelming that coming away from the concert, those three words were stuck in my head. It was unbelievable. Forget about the debates over Tori playing with a full band, forget about the controversy over Tori playing in huge stadium like venues, forget about it all, and forget even that Tori had the flu and were not 100 percent healthy. Tori is Tori is Tori. It was unbelievable. First off, the atmosphere in MSG was so charged that night, you could literally feel the electricity bouncing off the arena. The fans were completely into the music, completely into Tori's performance. The fan response was there, the cycle of "intake outtake" that Tori talks about in the Little Earthquakes home video was alive and having a beach party within MSG. I met with my great friends on the floor in section 5 row M. Probably the closest I will ever be in Madison Square Garden, it is the intermediate section on the right side behind the first set of sections. I had just purchased the Tori T-shirt with the words to Liquid Diamonds and the picture of Tori lying down and immediately put that on me when I got to my seat. The Devlins opened up the night, and played a fairly decent set. I had heard of them before I found out they were opening for Tori, so I was interested in hearing their music, but all in all they were just decent, nothing to write home about. The band appeared and the place went nuts, Tori walked out to her piano and keyboard as MSG screamed out loud, Precious Things a minute later and the show was on. Here's the Set list in order with my thoughts about each song. Precious Things- Its just so great with the band now, esp. when she gets to Nine Inch Nails because now she goes full tilt on the song like in the album instead of taking those lines slow which my friends say she has done in her past performances. Cruel- Incredible Lighting, everything goes dark and then green spots fly out everywhere. Tori's voice despite the flu or maybe in spite of it was at a perfect match for the song. Cornflake Girl- The crowd exploded when they heard this song start up. A couple of my friends thought that the piano was a bit flat, but I couldn't notice it and I didn't care. There as usual was the little Tori spasm when she got to "Rabbit where'd you put the keys girl", I still don't know how she can do that, but dammit it just sounds incredible. Spark- Again, the crowd popped majorly and we were all singing along. Sounded great. Iieee- I love this song and think its one of the better songs on the album, so I loved this rendition of the song. Sugar- Lovely rendition of the song. SOLO SET Leather- As is customary with her current tour, her band mates left and she said to the crowd that "this is our time". Tori also said she had the flu, and paused to take some nasal spray, which the crowd and Tori got a chuckle out of. It was really great to hear Tori by herself, and when she performed this song it gave me a chance to see Tori as she was before the Plugged tour, and let me say, it was quite breathtaking to see her perform solo with just her guitar, and to hear the crowd respect that by listening to that unique, beautiful sound. Truly incredible. Landslide- I didn't think she would play this song because she had only played it a handful of times during this tour. It was a beautiful rendition of this oft covered song, and again the solo piano was prominent and in full earshot. After this song the band rejoined Tori on the stage. Jackie's Strength- The annnnn jackie ahhhh weren't as pronounced as in the CD but no matter, because with everybody singing along we made up for it quite nicely. Tear In Your Hand- I love this song, and just before she performed it I said to my friend Frank "I hope she plays 'Tear In Your Hand'. That would be so great." And there it was. I almost cried. Halfway through the song, what do I see dropping onto the stage but an onslaught of bubbles and bubbles; it was quite a sight to see. Raspberry Swirl- The lights went out and then the techno started. Another pop from the crowd! My reaction: Wow. I never thought this song would be this good live. Again the crowd reaction and atmosphere of the Garden bled into the performance and did a lot for my enjoyment of it. Surprisingly great. The Waitress- At first it was a bit hard to tell what this song was, but when those first words came spiraling out: "I want to kill this waitress" there was no doubt about it. I didn't like the bass-y rendition of this song at first but it did latch on to me. And Tori was totally into it. In fact, for a sick person Tori was so incredibly into this performance, her will and voice would not let up during this entire set! The song ended and Tori got up, hugged her band mates, waved to the crowd and left the stage. But not for long ENCORE ONE She's Your Cocaine- The band came back onto the stage and started playing. Tori came out again, and then joined in. You bet I was screaming out the words along with every one of my friends and everyone in the audience. What a song, except I think Tori forgot to say, "Cut it again"! =) God- We tried to figure out what the next song was, but then that guitar cranked up, and we knew it was God. Another song that we were all screaming the words to. Tori sang great IMO and did a spasm (improv) near the end of the song. Again she got up and waved to everyone and the left. But, again, not for long ENCORE TWO Horses- The disco balls spun around and the lights spun around the audience. Like most people are saying, Horses has completely changed. I couldn't even tell what it was until she began to sing! I don't know if this change was for the better or worse, but it was interesting and a change of pace. Tori left, kissing goodbye to everyone and took as many flowers as she could from the front row. The balls stopped spinning and as the lights went up, we stayed in our seats, the songs still in our brain, rolling around there for quite some time. The concert was finished, and I was left astounded. It was my first Tori concert and the best concert I had ever been to. But there would be more Tori in the future, I promised myself, yes there would. There would be a tomorrow, and that tomorrow would be in Philadelphia, PA at the Spectrum! From Jen NitkowskiAugust 1, 1998 - Seeing as how everyone else gave a thorough description of all the songs, I'll just add my thoughts on the show itself in general. the arena was huge, and it was sold out. i had great seats on the floor, but i think if my seats were in the upper levels i would have been much more disappointed in the concert. it seemed like the audience had lost some kind of respect for tori's playing. the other time i'd seen tori was at the rainn benefit, and the audience there was incredible and i could feel a rapport between tori and the people. at madison square garden, it wasn't tori who changed the way she performed. it was the audience and the way they reacted.. the fans were much more chaotic with their screams. i guess more people means more screaming, but i don't think that's a good thing. the band tori played with was incredible. they were very alive and passionate, perfect for tori's music, but i also thought they took away opportunities for tori to be spontaneous and go off on her own tangents. i'm also disappointed that she won't be playing much of her older songs that were only instrumented with her piano. seems like she only covers about two songs solo per concert. she also hasn't been playing much from her boys for pele album this tour. i'd rather see tori solo and in a smaller setting. so be it if tickets are harder to get. any amount of special lighting or digital effects can't compete with the beauty of tori's intense playing. From KarenAugust 1, 1998 - Hi I just got home from a week in New York were I saw Tori. I was able to do the meet and greet I was sooo lucky got right on time! Tori was talking low I guess Leting her voice rest she was also sick with the flu. I took tons of pictures and got to give her something and got my cd signed. I got there around 7:00 something there was traffic I went inside and found my seat which was very very good. The Devlins were pretty good. I won't write more about Tori's performance because i'm sure tons of people have said the same thing she was amazing!! I especially liked when she kept using her nasal spray and squirting it into the air. From angela (posted to rec.music.tori-amos newsgroup)August 1, 1998 - ok, so after i left work i went to Madison Square Garden. I did not have a ticket but my friend kimie, who is also on panic, told me that if you go to a show right before it starts you can often get good seats. the doors opened at 7:00. i bought my tix at 7:05 and i got floor seats. they weren't GREAT seats, but not bad for for buying them at the last minute. so after i bought the ticket, i decided to go home, eat dinner, and come back after the opening band. i came back to MSG at exatly 9:04 and like 10 minutes later, the show started. perfect timing. the crowd went wild as she came on stage tori wore the same outfit that she had worn on letterman -that pseudo dress, off-the-shoulder shirt, and dark pants. she opened with , then went into "cruel" i was seated in row N section 6 which was equivalent to row 75 or something like that. and i was sitting next to the sound board. it was actually pretty neat watching the sound guys. they had a powerbook computer hooked up to their equiptment. on the powerbook it would say which song Tori was going to play next. it kinda ruined the surprise but that's okay. for some reason, when Tori played those couple of songs without her band, the computer read, "Chours" or something like that. i wish i brought my glasses. also, there was a box of DATs on the sound board so i'm positive the show was recorded. tori said she was fighting the flu. throughout the show she had an inhaler (at least that's what it looked like from where i was sitting) that she would use between songs. "raspberry swirl" was simply AMAZING. the drummer was really rockin' for that song. it's hardly recognizable when the song starts. you would thing you were about to hear some disco tune. Merchandise: Raspberry Swirl Girl Necklace $10 I already owned the Swirl Girl Nicklace. I really wanted to by a Program, but i didn't have enoguh money to get that AND the Baby-T. I'm wearin gmy Baby T now. It has a big Red life saver on it. On the lifesaver it says, "Raspberry Swirl Girl Tori Amos" The tag on inside of the shirt reads, "One size fits most" hahaha.... it was a very good show, but i peferred the intamacy of the smaller venue duing the sneak preview show. From Chris (posted to rec.music.tori-amos newsgroup)August 1, 1998 - Ok, it's really late, and I'm totally lacking any/all sleep. Natasha & I got up at Midnight Monday, drove to Kansas City (a three hour drive) hopped a flight to Rhode Island, Drove from RI to NYC, and then hooked up with the mob :) The show itself was fantastic. Elusis, Darrien, Bramble, Natasha, Myself, Thayli, Nymsa were all gathered at this restaurant (that charged like Airplane prices.. Yeesh! $7 motzerella sticks??) and were talking.. Natasha & I mentioned that whenever we were in florida, we could count on hearing landslide.. it was not one of the numbers we expected there, it was just something we had thought a lot about recently for wedding purposes. When Tori started singing "Landslide" Natasha & I were against the rail, about 5 feet from the stage, and Natasha broke out in tears, and I thought: this may be one of the most perfect moments of my life :) I'm standing next to the stage at a great show, holding the woman of my dreams, as the song we were just talking about got played :) Joel motioned to me and gave me a big smile when I turned around and I thought: this is perfection :) Outside of our wedding and when we have our first child, probably one of the most memorable moments for me :) Ok, show info: Before the show, we sat down, right in front of one of the speakers in front row.. we motioned to Joel and gave him a set of Oatmeal Rasin cookies, which, all be damned, was served on our plane flight! Just another omen. He thanked us and said "damn, you guys know me, I'll actually eat this." During the show he walked near us/stood near us often and when he was opposite of us pointed at us once ;) I felt honored :) Anyway, the MSG officials argued that everyone should be seated, but the folks with the tour said that they wanted the front three rows to be standing. I'm not sure how I felt about this. When we first heard this, we were very worried; we're rather small people, and we were afraid of being trampled. Luckily, the crowd was good, and no trampling occurred. As Tori came on the stage, a buzz filled around us; and the show went off fantasticall well. (OK, I don't have the setlist in front of me, and I'm tired) Anyway, the moments I do remember: Bubbles! - As bubbles poured down from the ceiling, they kept playing.. Caton started laughing however (after taking another swig of his Chardonay, I'm sure that after that third glass he was feeling good :) Hide & Seek - Tori kept bobbing under the piano and Caton bobbed with her, they were winking back and forth until finally she pointed and they moved on.. it was extremely cute, and one of those fun moments :) The Stare - From where we were at, you felt as though tori was staring -right at you- the entire show.. it was awesome. The setlist - Girls near us begged for a setlist after the show, and got it. The last scheduled number was to be "Winter" but instead, we heard "Horses" which was impressive The Nose Spray - Tori brought out some nose spray because she was fighting off the flu, she used it once and notified the crowd; but later, during the show, she snuck in using it twice more, with I think little affair and few people noticing, as it was during pauses in numbers. As natasha & I drove back from Nymsa's to the airport (BTW, great directions Nymsa, we found right were we were going and made it just in time) we had very little to say except: "Need Sleep" and "This is why we work" :) From Rich KoppingerJuly 30, 1998 - Madison Square Garden is one of those places every performer dreams of playing. Not only is this New York, it's the most famous venue in New York. I imagine Tori's had dreams of this night since seeing the classic Led Zeppelin concert film "The Song Remains The Same". I was already dressed in red shirt and black jeans when I got home from work. I opened my shirt and let it hang outside. I needed the shirt pocket for my notebook. Thanks to the store Hot Topic, I had a new Tori shirt on, the one with her back on the copier. All I did was put sneakers on after doffing my work shoes. It was a slow, but uneventful drive in, except for the limo that cut me off at the Lincoln Tunnel. "He doesn't care", I said, "It's not his car." We got into the city just a few minutes before 6:30 and had a slow crawl of a drive from the Lincoln Tunnel to Madison Square Garden. I looked around for a parking lot sign and found one right by the nearby police station, just a couple of blocks away from The Garden. It was 6:58 after leaving the car in the lot, and I laughed to myself. My roommate Tonya, and our friends Alex and Shana braved the drive into the city with me. There were supposed to be 5 of us, but Rachel couldn't go, so we had an extra ticket at the last minute. Alex is a very smooth talker, and at 18, he could easily mix with the crowd outside The Garden and not attract suspicion. He agreed to try and sell the ticket. "It's all good," he said, "I can get you a hundred easy." "Alex, have you heard about ticket scalping? The cops tend to frown on this type of thing. Just sell it for face value. That's probably legal." "These are really good seats. I can get more." "You can get arrested. Knock it off. Don't talk yourself into the hoosegow," I said as we walked past the police station. "No problem, Rich," Alex said. "Just calm down." "I am calm." I replied. "Alex, he is calm", Tonya added. "You should have seen him before the RAINN concert." After we had pizza, we saw the "Sold Out" sign. Somebody from MTV News was interviewing some white kid with a Peruvian hat and dreadlocks. I went right inside, while the rest stayed behind to hang out outside. A 3-piece brass band was playing and added a carnival-like air as I bought a program and a black T-shirt with a picture of Tori reclining on a rock and some lyrics from "Liquid Diamonds" on it. I got to my seat, which was a great floor level seat that had a good view of the stage. Adding to the rock and roll circus were guys selling cotton candy that hung from poles they carried like psychedelic palm trees. Another was selling Cracker Jacks, but it sounded like he was yelling "Crack attacks". Welcome to New York, I laughed, while noticing a mirror ball hanging from a lighting rack over the stage. The first time I'd ever been to Madison Square Garden was to see the circus when I was a child. The last time I was there, I saw Yes in 1994. But this night was the first I ever saw guys selling champagne. For $5.50, you got a 4 ounce plastic cup of really cheap stuff with a half a strawberry. Not that I drink, but I fancied the vintage was late Saturday night. The Devlins, clad all in black, went on shortly after 8:00 and they were fantastic. They started with their song "World Outside". A minute into their set, 5 bewildered kids were standing in front of me staring at an aisle, looking for a seat. I was hoping it wouldn't be one of those nights. The Devlins continued with their set which included "Where Are You Tonight", and the title track "Waiting", which hinted at times to Neil Young's "Heart of Gold". Overall, it was a great set, one of the only times I ever wished the opening act had more time to play. Without question, the best opening band I've seen since School of Fish opened for Divinyls in 1991. The house lights came back up without the benefit of faders, I believe. Tonya, Shana, and Alex had taken their seats during the Devlins set. Alex had managed to sell the ticket, but for thirty dollars, five below face value. "You're going to give some of the money, right?" Alex asked. "I mean, I was the one taking all the risk out there." I fully intended to do just that, but I had to say, "Risk? Wait a minute. How is it 'no problem' outside, but a risk when you're inside and you've got the money?" I told him to just give me $20 and he could keep ten. I was disappointed we couldn't get anybody else to come with us, but I was glad I didn't have to eat the entire cost of the extra ticket. Surprisingly, the pre-show music was not Led Zeppelin, as has normally been the case, but very bassy stuff that I didn't recognize. I sat and took in the scene, which is one of my favorite things to do while waiting for Tori to start a show. I spent the time watching glittered girls galumph around in clunky platform shoes and painted toenail colors not normally found on this planet. As the lush sweet smell of pot filled the air, one girl in a white dress and white shawl wore a garland and carried flowers like a hippie bride. The house lights finally went down again. Even at 34, I have to admit my heart was racing. Amazing what Tori can do to me. The crowd rose and screamed in that crazy joy I love almost as much as the music. The band played for about 30 seconds and Tori walked onstage to a tidal wave of screams. She was dressed in blue with a sparkling fabric that seemed to mimic a fancy dress over her T-shirt and jeans, like a sequined apron swiped >from Liberace's kitchen. She joined the band playing "Precious Things", a long-time crowd pleaser. But when she started singing, I knew something was wrong. She sounded different, rougher, like she had a sore throat. She hit some high notes, but used them sparingly. The music buried her voice a couple of times, but clearly something was not quite right. She continued with "Cruel", and the levels seemed steadier, but she still sounded funny, like she was sick. Then she introduced the band. There was definitely something wrong with her voice. She sounded more like Stevie Nicks than herself. Guitarist Steve Caton kicked off the song "Cornflake Girl". The crowd went crazy again. Even if Tori was feeling like utter crap, she didn't let it dampen her enthusiasm. Again, she hit the higher notes very carefully. We were all still standing. The stage was next lit with only slowly spinning orange lights in a dry ice mist and Tori and her band played "Spark", which the crowd screamed their love for. This went right into a great rendition of "iieee", which ended with an extended jam. The next song started with a long intro, which I was trying to recognize, until she sang the opening lines to "Sugar", and the audience went crazier still. During this time, people had been filing into the aisles between sections. Security got them back to their seats once, but they came right back in after a few minutes. After that, the ushers were only concerned with telling people not to stand on their chairs. I had to shush one incessantly chattering girl a couple of times. Tonya and Shana could barely see, and I know Alex was having a hard time as well. The three of them sat down a couple of times. I chose to remain standing. The band left and Tori sat at her piano. "You'll have to forgive me," she said hoarsely, "I'm fighting the flu." I could almost feel the heavy ache in my chest when she said that. When I get that sick, I want to stay in bed and sleep. I was surprised she didn't postpone the show. She briefly mentioned her lip gloss. "This one's watermelon. It's yummy." She turned to the piano and played a beautiful rendition of "Leather", which the appreciative audience went berserk over. Someone came from backstage after the song and brought her a nasal spray, which she took a couple of shots from. "This is really embarrassing," she said, "but, hey, you gotta go on, right?" She played Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", which was very nice and ironically made fine use of her inadvertently raspy voice. She doesn't perform this too often, and the audience screamed their appreciation. The band returned, with bass player John Evans lugging a cello. They played "Jackie's Strength", and then "Tear in Your Hand", which was gorgeous, even if Tori couldn't get her flu-ravaged voice to the normal heights of the song. Bubble machines in the lighting rack were activated, showering the stage and the front rows with a shiny and playful atmosphere, like she was pretending to channel Lawrence Welk. She was clearly having a blast, even with the flu. The stage went dark and foggy. Drummer Matt Chamberlain put on a pair of lighted "deely-boppers" and started pounding away on a set of electronic drums. Tori played on the keyboard and they did a fantastic "Raspberry Swirl". The crowd was all the way into it. The floor of Madison Square Garden was shaking. I'd never felt that before. It was wild. A crew member rushed onto the stage to fix something gone wrong with the keyboard just before Tori went back to play it. The stage lights went blue after the song, and the band played something that I thought would be "Liquid Diamonds", but turned out instead to be "The Waitress". I wondered if this was a bad choice, since she was sick. She did seem to struggle with it, but with the even darker band arrangement, it went over exceedingly well. They played the hell out this song and turned it into one of the stronger numbers of the evening. Tori and her band left the stage and returned for an encore. As in the beginning, the band played before Tori returned. This time, she strutted to the overture of "She's Your Cocaine", another very strong piece that night. She hit some high notes, apparently having paced herself well. If I was her, I'd be having visions of tea and honey and a nice warm bed. Still, she continued. The song "God", was the highlight of the evening for me. This was the song that first made me decide to check out this semi-obscure artist, the song that smacked me right between the eyes and then gave me a great big kiss. The only time I'd seen her do this song was 1994 at the Beacon Theater, when she was using a tape loop for accompaniment. "God" sounds incredible with the full band, and I hope she includes this one for a long time to come in her concerts. For one last encore, four mirror balls shimmered, shooting beams in the dry ice fog, and she played a bewitching version of the song "Horses". Originally, the song was wide-eyed and tentative. Now, it's a dark and mysterious creature; a horse breathing fire on a moonless midnight in a Celtic myth. I give her a lot of credit for doing the show. In baseball, they say you can really tell how good a pitcher is when he doesn't have his best stuff on the mound. Some days, the curve doesn't break, the fastball doesn't move like it should. Tori was not at all 100%, but she not only went on with the show, she put on a solid, enthusiastic, and very energetic performance; made all the more amazing given her health. Next stop, the Spectrum in Philadelphia. I hope she kicks her flu soon. She's got quite a full dance card for a while. We chatted with some other people while we waited for the crowd to thin out a bit before being prompted to leave by an usher. I walked away singing a line from "Closing Time" by Semisonic before I turned to Alex and said, "Sure, now they do crowd control." I was tired, but feeling really high. I swear I was light-headed a few times, and not from the marijuana in the air. This was the first time I stood for an entire show since seeing Divinyls at the Stone Pony. I took the extra money from the ticket Alex sold and put it toward another T-shirt, a white one with several circular pictures on it. Tori has a fancy shoe collection, I'm into T-shirts. I know of no plans that Tori has to return to the area, but I hope I'm ready if she does. I especially hope she's feeling better, and that the crowd is more polite. From wild kobaJuly 30, 1998 - for all those people who were so unhappy with the fact that our protagonist was moving up to playing in arenas that they boycotted these shows, i got something to tell you.... ...you guys are suckers. big mistake. especially if you boycotted her show at the garden. can't get her emotional messages across a 20,000-seater? you lose. not as intimate. hah! and fiona apple's original, too. i still got chills, and i was on the opposite end of the arena. she rocked. she sodomized the penguins and when she was getting off, she had pig soup. that's how hard she reamed those fuckers. the devlins were cute irish boys, but nothing to write home about, so i won't. precious things rocked. the gardeners went apeshit when the lights went on in the middle of the song and you could see the whole stage. amazing. cruel had an extended middle part that featured mr. evans beating the crap out of his bass. it's freaky when you look to the stage and see a guy just smacking and pounding his instrument. intense performance. spark was interesting. first, it seemed a lot slower than say, the album version. and she cut out a couple of lines in the middle part. but i still liked it. the middle part, however shortened it was this evening, still gives me goosebumps. iieee featured the first of many vocal improvs. this one was "i don't understand the way i feel." i didn't recognize it at first, but when i noticed she played sugar next, i was shocked. sounds really good with the awesome beats. now, solo, before the next song, she announced that she was battling the flu (more on this later), and then went on to leather, which had its moments, but it sounded like she must've felt....tired. at times i thought it was a funeral march. but she cracked me up when she added random beats during a couple of parts. luckily, i had trust deb by my side, and she knew the next song she played was fleetwood mac's landslide. i didn't recognize it at first, but it sounded pretty cool. band comes back on, and it's onto jackie's strength. very nice to see that evans-boy giving the song an double bass treatment (that's the instrument that looks like a cello and is bowed like a cello, but is much larger, and is strung like an electric bass). ho hum, i still don't dig the song, but it was very well performed. tear in your hand had yet another improv, which was "you don't know the power that you have". not a favorite earthquakes song, but it was again well-done. rasberry swirl was pretty wild. green and purple lights, and chamberlain's got these lights-thingys on his head, and he runs over to his makeshift kit (i couldn't see it from where i was, but looked like garbage cans to me), and starts playing his grooves. i heard the paula abdul aspect of the song, but i was disappointed that the mick jagger aspect didn't make its cameo appearance tonight. still great. the waitress, which rocked back in irving plaza, was just insanity incorporated this time around. evans' bass wasn't as piercing, but i don't know if that's good or bad. but that middle part just grabbed my penis and twisted. wow. more improvs- some girl was claiming that she was saying "hang ten" for her, but being that i can't even understand english so well, she could've been saying, "you dropped the bomb on me again, jesus" for all i know. encore number 1 was terrific. cocaine and god. that's all i'll say about that. horses closed out the show. same spooky feel with the band added in. all in all, she was amazing considering she was battling the flu. apparently, the illness was serious enough that she was unable to meet people after the show. and i missed her coming down by about half an hour. she WILL sign my lucky contracts casebook by the end of the millenium (like george clinton, henry rollins, king crimson and dream theater have already). and the fans weren't as atrocious as the ones at irving plaza. i must say i got a laugh when my girlfriend told me that some beefcake about 3 times her size was complaining that SHE was pushing. and to show you how small my girlfriend is, when my mother first met her, she told someone she was on the phone with that she's beautiful but if you put her too high on the shelf, she might start crying for you to take her down. but other than that, i LOVE the arena idea, and wish that she'd live and die in these arenas. on a sidenote, i had a strange weekend. my dog, who's been a part of my family for 14 years, disappeared on saturday. being that he was sick, i feared he was dead or would be soon. by some crazy miracle, an animal rescue shelter in brooklyn called my mother and told her they found him today. really awesome news to come home to after a tori show, i must say. i went from crying out of sadness (you would too if you've had a dog since you were 8, so fuck you if you think i'm a sissy), to elation and sighs of relief. yahoo. now that tori's over, i can look forward to conan, vernon reid, deep purple, emerson lake and palmer and dream theater next week. who says i have a big test to study for? yahoo. now that tori's over, i can look forward to conan, vernon reid, deep purple, emerson lake and palmer and dream theater next week. who says i have a big test to study for? From ToriPyroJuly 30, 1998 - My friend Sara and I got off at Penn Station (from the Rockville Cntr. station) around 11:30 and we got right to it. We were determined to meet Tori. I had a few stomach problems (whoopsie), so we were detoured for like a half an hour or so. HOWEVER, we made it. After annoying every cop and guard at MSG, we decided the place where 5 other tori fans were standing was the meet & greet spot. I recognized this one girl from the pictures on the Atlantic Records website from the Boston Sneak Preview show. She was really cool, and I think if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have been able to have stood so close to Tori when she came for the meet and greet (I think her name is Carolyn...please email if you read this! :). After Steve barricaded us in like we were cattle or something, Tori came out at like 2:55. She looked so beautiful. She was all disheveled (sp?) and she looked like she had a stuffy nose. The first person she went to was Sara because she was all the way in the corner, and I was right next to her. I was like, "Tori (she looks at me) um...this is for you." And I handed her a wrapped package of a short letter, a poem, and Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange"...my favorite book. She placed her hand on her heart and did this cute little smile of gratitude. My heart completely melted. It was only a good 15 seconds, but I interacted with the woman who majoritively made me who I am today. I met Tori Amos. Between 3pm and 8pm was just a lot of wandering. Sara and I met a lot of amazing Toriphiles (I met so many that I don't remember all of your email addresses...if any of you are reading this send me an email!), and we also pigged out at the McDonald's across the street because we hadn't eaten in hours. Someone was being interviewed by MTV news (this guy with red hair and a tongue ring), and we just kind of stood there for 20 minutes listening to the guy. John Norris did the same thing at Irving Plaza...when the hell are they going to use all of this footage?? So we get in there around 7:15pm at our seats. We were section/box 2, row R, seats 1 & 2. Aisle seats, and it was the aisle DIRECTLY in front of the Bsendorfer piano. The Devlins were really good, but the lead singer reminded me of Michael Hutchence and it made me kind of sad. We talked to the two women behind us, and I tried to get one of them to buy me champagne, but she wouldn't go for it. Then, I decided to see if my friends had gone to their section yet. I went up two escalators to section 304, and they weren't there. However, to get back down was tough, I know the garden well but it seemed like a labrynth at the time! Twice, Sara and I attempted to meet Joel and shake his hand, but he kept walking away from where he was whenever we were like, "Ok, let's go now." I know what you really want to know, though. PRECIOUS THINGS: when the band began (w/out Tori yet) about 30 girls got up and ran to the barricades which were places about 2/3ft. from the stage. Sara and I were two of them. I was wearing socks, bell bottoms, and the white LE MSG shirt. To make a long story short, Sara and I ended up standing within (at most) 20ft. from Tori throughout the whole concert. I had a perfect view for the whole show. I loved where during "Precious" when she did that "grrrrrrrl" growl she flung her apron aside and started doing these erotic gestures with her crotch. The crowd went WILD. CRUEL: I had an mp3 of it from the Jool's Holland show, and I was praying this was going to be done the same way. It was, the way she did those vocals in the end was just AMAZING. I was amazed by John Evans as well, he went completely insane with his bass. It truly added to the music. It was the greatest version I ever heard. CORNFLAKE GIRL: Sara and I flipped out when we recognized the song. She had made a poster that said "Viva La Raisin Girls" and we thought it would be cool to use it then, but it was back with the rest of our stuff (Thank you to all Toriphiles in sections 1-3 that you did not steal our money, we left ALL of our stuff back in row R!...hee). The version was wonderful, and they really pounded it out. SPARK: I had grown so sick of this song, words cannot describe. However, last nite, it was reborn. She did the bridge like on Letterman, and repeated it as well. The lightshow was wonderful for this song. The way they kind of faded out in the end. I think this was the song where she went from water bottle, to lip gloss, to chicken soup, then to the keyboard (still chewing!) I I E E E: this was such a beautiful version. I remember hearing it for the first time at the Irving Plaza show, and loving it then. I love the way she cued the drummer (I think) during "sa-sa-sa-ah-cra-fice." She did some little ditty in the middle where it was pretty much just her and the piano, and it was really wierd. I think this was around the time where she did the nasal spray thing. She's like "this is really embarrassing, but hey, i've gotta do it" and at one point was spraying the audience. SUGAR: I could not believe she played this song. My first Tori show (May 15th of '96) she played it and it's on the Hey Jupiter EP, and this is like one of the few times she's played this song on the tour, so I was very privelaged to hear it's rejuvination with the band. It was indescribable. LEATHER (solo): I had grown weary of this song because I felt it was outplayed (it was a shame because it was Little Earthquakes) by many of the mainstream Tori fans. However, I shed many tears during this song because I felt like SHE was still there...the girl and the piano. I felt almost like it was back in the early days when she used to sing it. My biggest fear was that the Tori I fell in love with was gone forever, but she's still there :) LANDSLIDE (solo): Never did I cry as hard in my life as I did through this song in it's ENTIRE. Through Tori, I met someone that is the absolute love of my life, and this is our song. I've only heard it on my Tori Stories box set, but to hear it LIVE and be within 20' of her while she was playing it, made me feel like she was playing it for only me and my boyfriend. It was the most beautiful version of the song I had ever heard...not only does it have a special meaning between me and someone else, but it is also my all time favorite song. JACKIE'S STRENGTH: So much better than I had expected. I knew she was sick, but I still disappointed with her performance on Leno the nite before. Last nite, she blew me away with it though. So incredibly beautiful. TEAR IN YOUR HAND: BUBBLES! There were bubbles everywhere! People talked about how she wasn't able to hit the high notes too well as a result of her cold, but I found no disappointment in the song at all. I love this song, and it was beautifully done. RASPBERRY SWIRL: I had only heard this song live from an mp3 from 6/2/98 and I loved it. But last nite, my god. I loved when Matt put on those little alien glow-in-the-dark antennas and the OIL DRUM...my god, the oil drum was SO amazing. Something was up with Tori's keyboard and Mr. TechMan came out on stage while she giggled and played on the piano. I stood there (within 20ft.!!) and I had a lot of room so Sara and I were dancing and singing to it the WHOLE time. The light show for THIS was PHENOMENAL. I still can't get over the oil drum though...this was Matt Chamberlain's moment, as "Cruel" was for John Evans. THE WAITRESS: I thought this was "Horses" because of the intro and this weird mounting position she sat in for the first three minutes or so. It was almost like how it was at Irving Plaza, only better! It was about 5 minutes longer, I think, and she just kept doing all of this funky stuff. A few times during the concert she'd do those Tori-convulsions and just flipped out in the end of the songs. This was one of them where it just kind of leaves you like, "whoa." (hee) So then she brought the band to the foot of the stage and had them all take a bow. She was like a drag farm-woman with her sparkly apron. She had the coolest jeans and these black leather cowboy-ish boots. SHE'S YOUR COCAINE: This was the first time I EVER heard a live version of this song, so it took a while for me to recognize it (Sara did, actually). It was so amazing. She was kinda humping the piano during the song and it was the most cutest/erotic thing I ever saw...I've always wondered how you can combine cute and erotic together, but she seemed to pull it off. It's like you get a chill down your spine but you're going "awww." hee. GOD: This was Caton's moment. I loved his guitar work on this. I knew what this was right away, and I was looking forward to hearing the "you dropped a bible on me, sweet jesus" improv, I love that so much. The whole song was amazing, for it was one I was growing tired of, but it was also brought back to life in my just as "Spark" was. And she left again, and came back chewing more food! (I think it was more chicken soup!) HORSES: Originally, I truly resented this new version. I always said "Horses" and "Stairway to Heaven" were the two songs in all history that could NEVER be improved on, so I was a little hurt when I realized Tori made a whole new version of it. But I was listening to it from the Seattle Sneak Preview show and I fell in love with it. So dark and haunting. Facing the stage, I was so close I felt like I was in my living room. But then I'd turn around and, in awe, see like two million people packed in the world's most famous arena with mirror ball light shining on every one of them. It was the most amazing experience. For a little more than half of the song I just turned around and scanned the arena. I was so amazed at the variety of different people at the concert. It was a trip. And she was gone, but not for good...because I was still in amazement. Sara went back to get our stuff but I stayed there. The set crew guys were really nasty, but the girl next to me got Tori's waterbottle and someone else 5 people from me got the drumsticks. Very cool. Last minute, Sara and I decided to go to the meet and greet. Compared to the 20ish people at the before-show greet, there were at least 80 here. At every Tori-gathering, I notice there's always that ONE person with a boombox and a tori mix tape blasting it throughout the crowd. I ended up standing next to that guy and his friend. They were two of the coolest guys I ever met. They started talking to Sara about the R.A.I.N.N. concert, and how they got to drink with Tori at the afterparty. That kicked major ass, I'm sure. However, we didn't get to meet Tori because we had to catch the 12:09 train so we said our goodbyes to the two cool guys (hee, that rhymed) around 10 to midnite. To sum it all up, it was a day never to forget. I got to meet Tori and I KNOW she got my gift, and I got to stand (in my socks!) within 20ft. of "my new best friend"...hehehe...she's so cool. It was an amazing experience, a nite I will never forget. Thank the gods for aisle seats. From AkaneJuly 30, 1998 - If you think this latest set of Tori concerts are going to be private moments between yourself and her, think again. That intimacy died with the last tour. Tori has achieved ultimate rock star status, complete with jack-off merchandise prices, anthem-like singalongs, and loud, screaming teenage fans. I came out of the show feeling somewhere between exhilarated and disgusted. Exhilarated because of a tight and passionate performance by Tori. Disgusted because the crowd was no longer the silent, attentive crowd that was present in past years. Hell, you could have stuck the Spice Girls onstage and the reaction by their fans would've been very similar to the type of fans I saw tonight. The concert began with the opening band, the Devlins, an Irish version of
Matchbox 20. Needless to say, I paid no attention to them, and used most of
this time jotting down notes and recording a dream I had last night. Between
them and Tori, Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" album played. I also decided to
give in to desire and get a Tori t-shirt; cost a The main event began, when the black curtain fell from the stage and revealed
the Bosie and keyboards Tori would sit at. The backup band came on and
started playing the beginning of "Precious Things," as Tori finally emerged.
As soon as she did, the audience shot up in a wave and shrieks pierced the
air.
The band consisted of Matt Chamberlain on drums, Steve Caton on guitar, and
John Evans on bass. An excellent group, but with the incorporation of a band,
there was no any spontanaity or improvisation allowed. Hell, the lighting was
even choreographed to the music (great effects, by the way...bubbles, disco
balls and lights that soared through the crowd and made the stage seem get
bigger).
Tori wore the same outfit that she did on Letterman the night before. That
is, black top, dark blue jeans, and a glittering silvery half-dress that
covered her front, along with silver eyeshadow. She gave the show her all,
despite what had sounded like a hoarse throat. She did vocal manipulations
(as calculated as they sounded this time around, she works wonders with that
voice), and very heated moments of singing. At times, she danced about,
especially when she came out for her first encore.
Throughout the set, the junior-high school boppers screamed, yelled to each
other song titles, and generally became the reason why my earplugs were put to
extensive use. This different type of fanbase did not sit well with me at
all. I expected something more akin to what I had seen two years ago at the
Paramount. But once I finally accepted the fact that this was indeed a *rock
show,* (around Raspberry Swirl) I started getting into the concert a lot more.
In the end, I came out with mixed feelings. Tori was as fantastic as ever and
I got goosebumps and shivers through the set. But at the same, she sounded
incredibly distant and I didn't feel as emotionally connected as before. It
was too big an arena, too crazy an audience...it was just all wrong.
The Beatles had such insane fans, that they finally quit playing live thanks
to them. Tori hasn't reached that point yet, but it's very possible for that
fantacism to approach her soon. And when it does, what will happen? Will she
quit, or endure the changed fanbase in order to keep performing? Who knows.
But as far as I'm concerned, this is the last Tori Amos show I'll be going to.
With as strangle-worthy a crowd as those attending tonight, I think I'll pass. July 30, 1998 - This is the night afterwards, and after reading the reviews I realized I had something to add as well!
The show was awesome, as is to be expected. It was my first show and I do
wish that I could have seen her at least once before she had the band. Some
of the pros to the night were:
PROS: Raspberry Swirl! It was amazing! at first, all the lights were out
and then they were going crazy! "The" light show of the night. THey were
EVERYWHERE. And Matt had on these crazy light antennas on his head that
looked fun until they popped off about 30 seconds into the song. He had what
sounded like huge snare drums that he was beating the crap out of (kinda like
the drums used in at SNL during "Caught a lite sneeze". Amazing!
----Also, LANDSLIDE. It's my favorite cover song (yes, even before Fleetwood
Mac got back together) and she did it justice here, even if she was sick. It
was the long version too. Not the short one that's floating around the
internet.
CONS: Of course, the obvious being she didn't play the songs I was looking
forward, but hey---I got plenty of other surprises.
--She didn't grace us with her "Tori-isms", but she was sick, so it's okay.
--She didn't come out at the end of the concert. We waited a little over an
hour for her to come out....even her car (no limo this time....looked like a
black lexus or something---luxery car) came to pick her up. Even a huge swarm
of cops came trotting in, but then she sent someone out to tell us all that
she was too sick and that she was going to the doctor. So, I guess I'll catch
her in D.C. :)
Okay, well those are the hightlights! Goodnight everyone! July 30, 1998 - Once upon a time in a tori galaxy far far away, there was a time when this astronaut would live to visit the planet tori relgiously. I went and met
her a few times in 96 and throughout her musical travels on the Dew Drop
Inn tour and RAINN concert, I was throughly impressed. Needless to say when
I saw the rocketship Tori add some more companions to her touring ship (her
band) and I heard her new album, I was really excited to go see her again.
I ventured out with a couple of my friends to the Madison Square Garden
show. I was at a different stage of my life as was Tori then the last time
I saw her. The lights from her ship. I was determined to observe and enjoy
my findings to share with other astronauts and spread the magical word of
tori. After a fairly impressive set from the devlins, i sat back and waited
for the mothership to arrive. Finally almost an hour later, the space
continum broke for hyperspeed.
First came the lights, and there were many. Then came a very long intro to
Precious Things. The band seemed overpowering, but despite Tori's apparent
vocal problems (because she was sick as we all would later find out) she
pulled of a very vigorous and aggressive number to start her show. The show
went on, and I found Tori's piano at times a bit drained out. I wanted to
connect with Tori like I did at other shows, but I found that was
impossible, due to the number of dare I say it, annoying tori fans
screaming the whole entire time right in my ear, screaming, I LOVE YOU
TORI. I have traveled many light years and seen many musical adventures
concerts but I thought fandom like that was reserved for people like the
Spice girls and the Backstreet boys. Where oh where was the politeness and
family atmosophere I had so loved in going to see Tori before? Apparently
it wasn't there at this show.
Tori as I mentioned must've been weary from her singing, because it
appeared she either a) had a throat infection or b) a cold of some sort, as
I noticed a raspy tone in her singing. I admired Tori as always, the
soldier who goes even if they may have an injury and gives it her all. I
only wish it would've had more textured tones to the concert. There were
moments, secret time was quite good, and hearing "god" and "the waitress"
were probably the highlights when technology and tori molded together quite
effortlessly. But they seemed too far disjointed and too far inbetween.
I left feeling, not as I usually do from a Tori Amos show. I felt it was
generic. That it could've been anyone up there where as in the past, I knew
exactly and distinctly it was a Tori Amos show. Tori played a short set,
and for the amount of the price of the ticket, I felt almost cheated. I
understand tori may have been sick, but still. And the state of Tori fandom
is very upsetting to me. Never have I seen such annoying fans. At least in
my mind.
I will say that I hope Tori gets better with this arena thing, but I don't
really feel that her music is made for "arena rock." If she continues down
this path i really feel she'll fall into mediocrity, which is a very sad
state for a very talented musician on the other side of the galaxy. July 30, 1998 - so i am there, 11:30
and they squish us into a SMALL area, and this guy behind me acts like i'm supposed to fucking move so he can be in front. i dont think so. i had been there, too. sorry he was there and had to move, but they shouldnt have sotod around so casually. so joy is with me. she's
been there just as long as i have, but she was wandering around the building
looking for me, so i pull her up front with me (she didnt cut anyone) and we
wait...and tori comes freakass early at three. she went out of her way to do
it, she came in through a different door. and she signs my utp, i give her
the progressive present, she hands it to steve solemnly, and takes my and a
friend's letter and all that stuff. then she moves to joy, who she like,
almost begins crying with, and she touches her heart, and takesa picture with
joy. then she spends about five minutes finishing the entire front, and goes
in. she SOUNDED sick, she held her throat a lot, and it was noticeable in
her voice during the show. she had on overalls and cute tennis shoes. i took
pictures up the wazoo.
show: we go in at seven.
i couldve brought a TRIPOD video camera in, they sooo didnt search. so i have
my kickass stereo recorder adjusting sound levels with me. and i wait through
the devlins.
oh, btw, i got my ticket day of :section 6, row g, floor, babee. and right in
front of the soundboard. i am soo glad people didnt harrass mark there. i
looked at him a few times during the show, he was bobbing his head, it was
cute. anyhoo. back on track.
she comes out, round 9:15 or so. she was wearing the EXACT same outfit as
letterman. at i guess every show, they let the first three rows move up
towards the stage. (impression i got from joel)
of course, long intro, precious things.
she did the wash me clean improv! not quite the same, but she DID IT! these
precious let them bleed honey let them wash me clean you worship the demigod
almighty these precious things let them bleed let them bleed babe hey just go
and wash me come on these precious things let them bleed let them burn.....let
them wash their hold on me" she was soo animated with her hands. she smacked
her stomach and pelvis a lot to emphasise (like on the "so you can make me
cum" and she pulled and leaned her bench to the piano a lot. and i loved how
the lights flashed on caton during "i wanna smash the faces of those beautiful
boys (guitar caton spotlight)"
cruel: introing the band:
"hi everybody, hows it going? so..i want you to meet some of my brothers,
some of you know them. this is caton over here on guitar. and this wonderful
creature that hits things, this is matt chamberlain on drums. and this is the
wonderful john evans on bass"
cornflake girl spark right into iieee: sugar: she plays a short piano improv that reminded me of sarah before posession,
heh.
"hello..so um, it's our turn, i'm gonna play a few songs for you, with just us
oh, i'm fighting the flu, so if you could just bear with me. somebody's
bringing me my nasal spray" and she proceeds to use it, and everyone's
cheering so loudly, she sprays it into the air towards the audience. then she
puts on lipgloss, and in response to the audience "how does it taste? this?
it tastes really yummy..this is um, watermelon. anyway, i think you'll
remember this"
leather the lights add SO much. they're just dozens of blood red lights pointing
directly down on her, almost looking accusatory. another singalong. they
come through so clearly on some parts.
landslide: jackie's strength: tear in your hand raspberry swirl: the waitress: left the stage waving and kissing her hands out to the audience.
encore one:
she's your cocaine. NOTE: according to th setlist, horses was upposed to be next. instead, she
played
god: she waved, and left again. came back for a second encore:
NOTE: according to the setlist, it was supposed to be winter.
instead, she played horses:
the new, dark version..it's growing on me, but i still don't like it as much.
"maybe we'll fnd a cigarette and it will make mother well, maybe i'll chase
down your posies maybe i'll go and chase down your posies cause i got me some
horses" she took some gifts from people in the front.
lights came up, everyone ran out. people asked for her water bottle. i found
that strange, but whatever. they went back to where she was earlier, but the
area was soon cleared nby fourty or so police officers. she was sick, and
they didn't want her exiting with all those people there. don't blame her.
overall, yeah, it was a HUGE venue. and the sign said sold out even though it
technically wasn't.
BUT it did rock, it gave you the this is a rock show kind of rocking. not as
personal, but reaching a lot more people, if that makes sense. and it was my
birthday, so it made a nice day of it :) forgot to mention: bubbles fell during tar in your hand, and disco balls, of
course, forhorses. :) July 30, 1998 - Tori fought valiantly through flu-like illness and put up a good effort Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The acoustics were the best I've heard at
Madison Square Garden and the crowd was surprisingly respectful and didn't
interrupt the performance at all. The performance was high energy and she was
really giving it her absolute best, but the setlist was downright unimpressive.
Here's what she played over the 90 minute set.
Precious Things: Best band song of the night. Personally I think a song this
powerful and emotive shouldn't be an opener. But still, it was great and one of
the highlights of the night
Cruel: Strong. Tori's lyric was loud and intense and the band was kicking.
Cornflake Girl: Cool pop song but I've heard it before, done better. That is a
running trend throughout this show. I've only seen Tori live 2 other times and
yet almost every song she played tonight I have heard before live in concert
and performed better.
Spark: This isn't one of Tori's best songs but this version was actually quite
endearing. Liked it.
iieee: Preferred the version on the preview tour. Don't like the piped in
"iieee"s. Also, at this point her vocal struggles were quite noticeable in the
closing notes of this song. The "sacrifice"s weren't that powerful.
Sugar: Was at the show where she did this solo that later wound up on the Hey
Jupiter EP. This song downright suffers from the band treatment. It loses
enough power as it is, but it was even more obvious with Tori's weakened voice.
Leather: First of the two "secret time" songs. I personally think this, along
with maybe China, is perhaps the weakest song off LE. The version she did
tonight was pretty good though and the crowd really got into, the most audible
singing along.
Landslide: Yeah!!! This is what I'm talking about. Very very very pleasant
surprise. Awesome song. Highlight of the night.
Jackie's Strength: Seemed kinda rushed. Can't really pinpoint what was lacking,
just that again, it seemed rushed.
Tear in Your Hand: Great song but again, I've seen this one twice before in
concert, both were better. The falling bubbles around the stage were a nice
surprise but her voice being less than Tori hurt her here, noticeably.
Raspberry Swirl: Techno music belongs at dance clubs, not Tori concerts. I
don't like this song, never will. The light show was overdone as if they were
trying to make MSG look like the Limelight. Matt Chamberlain banging away on
this one was the only thing worth watching.
The Waitress: Powerful closer. Gotta give credit here.
She's Your Cocaine: I prefer Black Dove or Northern Lad. This is a good song to
dance to and I like the bridge in the middle with the mellow devil lyrics but
as an encore it doesn't quite cut it
God: Eh, woulda liked to see something more original. OK I guess/
Horses: I really dislike this version of horses. It's a pale shadow of the
BFP/Dew Drop Inn version. Only good thing is the mirrorball lighting, the song
was one of the weakest of the night by far. Not a show closer by any means.
All in all not as bad as it may seem that I have made it out to be. It's still
a Tori concert and compared to most concerts, it was great. But for Tori I was
disappointed. I would rather have seen her postpone the show and comeback a
month or two later at full strength. Nevertheless it wasn't that far off. If
she added one more encore song or replaced Horses it would have been a
genuinely satisfying effort. I know New York is typically a more corporate Tori
show but the setlist, especially the encores, were downright ordinary. In fact,
the same exact encore songs were on the setlist the last time she was in
NY(Irving Plaza) except that on that night she preempted She's Your Cocaine and
added Silent All These Years as the closer which totally made for a much more
satisfying show just by that one slight difference. After hearing of the past
setlists from some recent shows including: Little Earthquakes, Mary, Song for
Eric, Sister Janet, Crucify, Little Amsterdam, Honey, Space Dog, Caught a Lite
Sneeze, Take to the Sky, Cooling, Butterfly with many of those songs done solo,
or as encores, or both, I was just personally a bit disappointed in the
setlist, the brevity of the show, and Tori not being a 100%.
I heard other disappointed people who were upset or annoyed or perturbed. I
also heard lots of people who thought the show was great or awesome. But even
the person I went with, who is a huge Tori fan but had never seen her live
before, thought that the show was very good but missing something and the
second half of the show suffered from a weak setlist.
That's just my take on it. I give Tori all the credit in the world for playing
with pain, so to speak. That new Horses is just such a bad closer I think,
really left a bad taste in my mouth. Do other people share my utter disdain for
this version of a previously wonderful song? Or if there are those who really
like it, could you tell me what is so amazing about it that it deserves to be a
closer?
Well, that's all, I've rambled on enough for now. With my luck I'm sure she'll
play like London Girls, Daniel,.Flying Dutchman, Professional Widow, and Teen
Spirit all tomorrow at the Philly show. Guess I've had my share of great luck
with Tori setlists in the past and tonight it ran out. July 30, 1998 - Seeing as how most aspects of the show have already been thouroughly covered in other reviews here,i'll stick to other points about the
show.The sound was exceptional.I was VERY happy about this as most
concerts,especially large hall like the Garden are overly ambient and
certain things get buried in the mix.I was sitting 8 rows off the floor
on the right corner turn in the back directly in line with the p.a. on
the right side.The show had a very nice "in your face"sound to it with a
perfect mix from my vantage point.The lighting however,i have mixed
feelings about.I loved the multi-colored swinging vari lights but i did
not like the "audience overhead"lighting that she had on her
backdrop.They were overly used and made you squint from how bright they
are and they're using 12 of them no less.Just for the record,i'd like to
correct a common lyric mistake i've seen listed on this tour. The added
verse in God is "you dropped a bomb on me jesus".So,one show down and
three more to go for me.I hope her flu goes away by tomorrow and the
show gets longer and i really want to see better setlists at the next
shows.Thanks Mike, your site is the best...period. :-) July 30, 1998 - i noticed you had of people giving you their run downs on how the show went and all little details so I'm going to try to keep this brief and
change it up a bit :)
This was my Tori show, and it was the most incredible show I have ever
been to! There's never been another show or performer who has put more
feeling and more energy (even tho she was feelin under the weather!)
I've been a tori fan for about 3 years now and her music was always
powerful and full of emotion, but nothing prepared me for what it would
be like live. I went back and listened to tape today on the way to work
and they seemed to have lost some quality since I've had the real thing.
I"m not the type of person to get emotional (especially in public), but
I struggled to hold tears back and then when she did landslide..I just
lost it..I"ve always loved when Stevie Nicks did it, but to hear tori do
it, was somethign totally different. It was simply amazing. There are no
words strong enough to describe it. So I just wanted to share my first
live Tori experience, and as a side note...is there anyway to get word
to Tori? I mean I'm sure she gets TONS of mail and such from fans..but I
would love to send her a letter thanking her for making her music and
sharing it with us. Thanks! July 30, 1998 - I personally enjoyed this show better than Irving Plaza, mostly because I wasn't getting squished at this one.
Yes, Tori is sick. No, she can't (shouldn't) really do high notes. I think
anyone who was at the show (and possibly Philly tonight) is extremely lucky.
Not only do they get to "share" her nose-spray, but they get to hear Tori
changing her songs so as not to strain her voice. I know basically everytime
she plays a song, it's different, but this is special. Even though she was
sick, she seemed to be having a great time.
For New York, the crowd was good. Well behaved at least where I was on the
floor. I was 20 rows from the stage and all I could hear was the music. No
talkers or screamers. Let's keep this up!
Anyone going to a Plugged show: Tori translates so well to a large place. I
was so worried that it would not be cool at all. Mike had said his were great.
I believed him but had to see for myself. Mark and everyone else know their
shit.
Pray she plays Raspberry Swirl at your show. Matt gets crazy!
Thanks Tori for another wonderful show. See ya all tonight! July 30, 1998 - We just woke up from the New York show...it was great. Poor Tori has the flu :O( but she still belted out the wails in a magical way.
Lets see here...we (my best friend and I) went to the meet and greet before
the show...Tori was all ready in the Garden and came out for a little while,
but couldnt talk or hug anyone cause she didnt want to give them the flu :O)
I cant believe she came out, considering how sick she sounded when she did
mumble a few whispers...shes the BOMB!
My best friend and I decided it would be neat to get Tori a get-well card and
have a bunch of EWF sign it (i think over 100 signed it)....THANKS TO EVERYONE
THAT DID!!!! We had 2nd row seats, and saw Joel wandering around before the
Devlins came on, so asked Joel if he could pleeeeeeeeeeeease give the card to
Tori. Ya know, Joel can be a pretty cool fellow sometimes!!! He said he
would give it to Tori as soon as she woke up from her nap.
The Devlins were good! I dont remember much, my head was spinning cause I
knew soon Tori was about to be on stage...
And then she came.
Wow. Considering how sick Tori was, she put on a great show...we were right
on front of Jon Evans and that guy is pretty funny to watch...hes got a goofy
grin on his face 99% of the time!!
OK, my mind is a blur because Im trying to remember everything, but thats not
going to happen...lets see, there was the boy who talked to everyone, the girl
who loved everyone, the engaged couple who met because of Tori (awww!!!) Matt
Chamberlain and his goofy glow in the dark atenea-head band thing (he wore it
for Raspberry Swirl...WOW that is AWESOME live), Caton sipping on wine, Tori
the banshee being just wonderful...Tori using her nasal spray....ya know, only
Tori could be cute while using nasal spray...Tori using watermelon lip
gloss...jeeeeesh there is so much....Jon Evans poking his nose at falling
bubblles during Tear In Your Hand....Tori almost falling into the space
between the barriers and stage (but didnt thanks to Steve) because she wanted
to reach over and touch one girl's hand....
OK im going to stop...it is so hard trying to transpose a magical experience
into words, so Im just going to leave it there...and smile cause Im going to
see her again tonite in Philly.....wow. July 30, 1998 - Being my first time seeing the Cornflake girl, in the heart of
Manhattan no less, I was not disappointed. After the lights dimmed all
those in the first three rows were invited to stnad up right near the
stage. So, I got to view Tori a mere 10 feet away from me. She looked a
bit haggard but nonetheless was beautiful. Precious things was a
beautiful opening. The set was great. Landslide was the highlight.
Stevie who??? After Sugar this fat pain in the ass whom kept yelling
"TORI YOU ROCK" over and over questioned her about the taste of her
cough drop. She replied with a sultry, "Mmm, watermelon.. And it's
yummy..."
I could have sworn she winked at me after a stunning Rasberry
Swirl. I tell you for someone recovering from the flu, she dragged us
into her entrancing web of wonder, and did it with style. Honestly, the
last time I felt the Garden flooded with such magic and wonder was when
the Rangers won the Stanley Cup back in '94.
So amidst the bubbles, and backed by a great band, my first time
seeing Tori was fantastic. Until we meet again............ July 29, 1998 - These wonderful people called me and left some details about the show on my answering machine (since I was not at home...) They all said that Tori was recovering from the flu and that that her voice was hoarse. She sometimes avoided some the higher notes that she usually hits in concert. Tori used a nasal inhaler at a couple of points during the show, at one point gleefully spraying the inhaler into the air. When she spoke you could really hear how rough her voice was. During the meet and greet earlier that afternoon, Tori did not speak the entire time in order to preserve her voice. She spent about 8 minutes with the fans and basically gestured to them and nodded. Tori's set lasted from 9:20PM until 10:50PM. Andrea Cleaver reports that "The Waitress" was approximately 12 minutes in length! Matt Page saw the written set list, and according to that the first encore was supposed to be "Cocaine" and "Horses", and "Winter" was to be the only song of the second encore. Tori was also supposed to sing "Silent All These Years" instead of "Leather" during her solo portion of the concert. July 29, 1998 - I arrived with those accompanying me on this Tori day at around 4:15. We had been told that Tori previously trotted out for a quick meet and greet for all
of 5 minutes. This really bitchy looking woman with a cell phone told me that
Tori would be out again shortly. Well, there were only about 40 us still
there---quite a shock considering I was expecting an NYC meet and greet to be
insanely huge.
Minutes later, it was announced Tori was ill and would not be coming outside
again. The rumors then started:
"Tori has the flu." I almost crapped myself with worry. When 7:00 rolled around, there was a giant
sign about MSG that read: TORI AMOS (devlins) SOLD OUT!!!!!
I was very impressed she managed to sell out the place.
I picked up the tour program, the Liquid Diamonds shirt, and there is a NEW t-
shirt that is white and contains 23 circles with pictures of Tori and the band
and a few lyrics---it's most beautiful and I'm thrilled I got one.
I was pleased that there weren't many teeny boppers and everyone was having
such a great time. We were all constantly dancing around, it was just so much
fun.
But poor Tori was very sick. Her voice was very different and she could NOT
sing high notes at all---granted, she got high pitched a few times, but most
notably during "Tear In Your Hand"s famous "smashing in a cold room" part, she
was very low, almost speaking. And when she in fact spoke to the audience,
that poor angel was very scratchy and she really sounded bad. But, she managed
to go on...
The Devlins were actually VERY good, I enjoyed them quite a bit.
Onto, the show:
PRECIOUS THINGS: Tori rolled on stage to this one and the piano and her voice
were so loud, I thought my ears were going to bleed. I personally suspect she
was amplified a bit because she was having trouble singing at certain points.
CRUEL: Beautiful. I finally know where certain sounds come from (Tori on the
Kurzweil of course!) She really was having fun doing this despite struggling a
bit.
CORNFLAKE GIRL: Wow. I really enjoyed this alot. I thought it was done very
nicely and Tori even worked in some very cool improvs during the song. The
band really pounds it out on this one.
SPARK: I *think* this was when Tori introduced the band and told us she was so
very sorry that she was fighting the flu and said she was so embarassed that
she had to sniff this stuff to clear her nose---"but, hey, you do what you
gotta do!" Then she went into "Spark" and it was great. The bridge of "how
many fates" was done just like on Letterman a few months back but she repeated
it twice and they sort of just ran into each other....It was really great, my
description may not sound as amazing, but it sure was.
I I E E E : Very awesome, Tori and the band just rocked really hard. I must
say that I didn't give Jon Evans the credit he deserves--he REALLY does alot
and adds something special to the songs.
SUGAR: Very rockin and very awesome. Tori went off and was having a good time
with this one. Matt was hitting the drums the hardest during this song. It was
surprisingly loud and energetic.
The guys toodled off and Tori said it was secret time she had to take a really
yummy cough drop and said something about having to be stuck with lots of
needles.
LEATHER: I personally had been getting somewhat sick of this song, but Tori
did SUCH a fabulous job of it tonight. It was amazing.
LANDSLIDE: The best song of the night. Her piano playing was rich and
powerful, and she was really singing loud and you could tell she was confident
and enjoying every second of this beautiful, beautiful song.
JACKIE'S STRENGTH: Oh, man. I loved it. It was so beautiful. Tori played the
piano so wonderfully and the band (which I always thought should have stayed
away from Jackie live) did something so incredible to it. The drums and guitar
weren't as light as usual, but that maybe made the difference. Like I said
before, I believe Tori was amplified a bit more than the rest of the band, so
that might be why everything fit so wonderfully.
IMPROV/TEAR IN YOUR HAND: Very nice and the improv before it was so wonderful
and amazing. I just adored it. Unfortunately at this point Tori could not make
the high vocals at all. Towards the end, she kind of struggled and got a few
out, but she was basically deep, almost speaking for a good deal of it--but,
it was great. She didn't sound bad whatsoever.
RASPBERRY SWIRL: No one recognized this until Tori declared, "Let's go!" Very
strange and VERY busy. Matt put this thing on his head that had two little
light bulbs on springs and he was bouncing around while hitting that oil drum
or barrel or whatever it is. Tori seemed to be enjoying herself, although the
Kurzweil bailed out on her during this song. So, she motioned to Caton and
Matt and Jon to keep playing while Marcel (I think) came out and did a little
something to the Kurzweil. Tori giggled and again shouted "Let's go,"
motioning to us to just have a blast--and we did.
THE WAITRESS: Wow....all I can say......the improv at the end (hang ten, hang
ten honey, I'm gonna go where she goes)---just beautifully done......I can't
describe it.
And she was gone. She really rushed right off that stage. But, of course she
came back for the first encore.
SHE'S YOUR COCAINE: I was so glad to hear this. Tori did the entire song on
the piano and during the "is it true?" part, the band totally stopped and Tori
played some beautiful piano and while she said "so tied up, you don't know how
she came," Tori took her hands away from the Bose and grinned and motioned to
her crotch area, which made us all laugh pretty hard.
GOD: Awesome. By this time, nearly EVERYONE was dancing around whether it be
in your seat or standing up. "You dropped the Bible on me, Jesus and you'll do
it again" was really great. At this point, Tori was really screeching,
although I was quite concerned she was hurting her throat more than she needed
to. But, hey, it sounded great, and I'm sure Tori knows what's best for her...
And, she was gone again...
Finally, the disco balls swooped down and gave this AMAZING light and Tori
performed the final song of the night:
HORSES: Very interesting this new version, but it was really grooving. So much
that the crowd was again dancing. Granted, a slower more trance like groove,
but it still got us moving back and forth. Tori ended on a very high note and
had a gigantic smile on her face. She then blew kisses, accepted flowers from
the audience and ran off again. And the lights came on, and the show was over.
I went to wait for her after the show, but nearly the entire crowd was there
and cops were ordering people over to the side to get on a line, so it wasn't
worth waiting.
I loved the show and although she did not sing "Playboy Mommy," "Hotel," or
"Space Dog" like I had hoped, at least I got to witness a breathtaking and
remarkable show performed by a woman who was quite ill, but would stop at
nothing to make sure we had a remarkable time---and I know that I sure did.
In a way, I feel like I've taken part in an experience that may rival that
famous Miami show. Tori was not as sick (I don't think) and the set list
wasn't as different and remarkable, but if you were there, you can affirm it
when I say she really tried VERY hard to please us and was probably very
relieved to see that she could have two songs, urinated on the floor, and left
and we'd still be in awe for days to come..... July 29, 1998 - Hi Mike! This is the first time I've contributed info to your site! I'm hoping I'm the first to give you info on this concert but somehow I doubt it! Well at any rate thank you very much for having created one of the most informative Tori pages out there! I visit constantly!! I don't know what I'd do without it!!! Thankyouthankyou!!!! Well here we go: opened with: Precious Things Cruel Cornflake Girl Spark iieee Sugar *Quiet time* Leather Landslide then: Jackie's Strength Tear in your Hand Raspberry Swirl Waitress 1st Encore: She's your Cocaine God 2nd Encore: Horses Ok...she was dressed in the same outfit that she wore on Letterman last night (couldn't see the shoes though). Not much talking. She just ran out after the band started jamming into the opening of "Precious Things." She bounced around abit and went >from one song to the next...her voice sounded abit heavy to me. I thought it just might be because she was trying to keep it louder so that she could be heard above the band (this was the first time I've heard her live with the band...I have downloaded songs from the current concerts though and there did seem to be a slightly different quality to the way she was singing tonight). After playing "Sugar" Tori waved Jon Evans over as he was walking off stage and wishpered something to him. Then she started talking to the audience and mentioned that she had been "fighting the flu" and that someone was going to bring her her nasel spray. She said "here's one you'll all recognise" and started playing "Leather" and the whole audience joined in and sang the song with her (*cute*). At the end of the song a guy walked out and handed her the nasel spray. Tori then said something like "I'm sorry...this is so embarrassing but I've just gotta..." and she took acouple shots of nasel spray. She then put some gloss on her lips (someone yelled out "does it taste good?" and she said "hmmm yes...watermelon" and she did a lovely "Landslide" for us. She really didn't talk alot more than that but her stuffy nose was noticeable from those brief words and her voice was deeper and gritty at times during her songs. She was obviously what I would call "sick" (she took more nasel spray later on in the show) but she somehow found the energy to do a phenomenal performance where each song and each NOTE (and she didn't shy away from those sky-high ones!) was treated with as much power and beauty as I've ever heard her do, and I have a feeling that anyone who was not as familar with her live performances would not have guessed she was sick at all if she hadn't said anything about it. So I just wanna say (even though she can't hear me) THANK YOU TORI SOOOOOO MUCH FOR PUTTING OUT LAST NIGHT!!!!! Of course it was later annouced that she would not be able to stop and say hi to everyone outside, which is quite understandable, but I am abit down about not being able to see her here yet AGAIN (it's usually very hard to get to see her after a NYC show!!! there are too many people for her to meet them all and the crowds usually get her guards nervious). I DO hope she (poor baby) gets healthy again real quickly (I was trying to channel her all my energy during the show!) Go easy on her tomorrow night Philadelphia!!!!!! Bring lots of cough suppressent, kleenex and chicken soup!!!! Somebody give her a hug for me!
sara :P July 29, 1998 - Hi I just came from the tori concert at Madison square garden :) It was truly amazing ! She opened with Precious things. She lengthened it
quite a bit it was beautiful. She played sugar, rasberry swirl,
Jackies's strength, cornflake girl, iiee, cruel, spark, tear in your
hand. Tori unfourtunately had the flu as she told us. She was using
nasal spray through out the show. I felt so bad for her. She was in
good spirits though, she sprayed some of her nasal spray on the
audience, all in good fun. You could tell that she really wanted to be
there and I felt such a rush seeing her give so much. I thank her. At
secret time she played leather. She opened secret time by saying you
guys shoud know this one, and of course we did. Then to my surprise she
played Stevie Nick's Landslide. It was a real message to the audience.
I think she was explaining how she needed to get a band and further
develop her music ( children get older I get older to..., took my love
and I took it down) It's like she is saying look guys it's the same love
the same feeling I bring to you guys it's just different because I
change and will you still accept it. I certainly accept it and love her
for it. She ended the show with Waitress which was unbelieveable. She
added a lot to it believe me believe me, well it was something like that
it was just so amazing you listen and feel at that moment. Her first
encore was she's your cocaine and that was beautifully executed. It had
a lot a feeling and it was done in such a dirty way (good dirty way )
Like, listen here I'm in control of this thing, is what I felt she was
saying. The first encore also included God which was surburb. At the
end she went on singing better find him, Jesus, my boy. Her second
encore was horse where alot was changed. It was wonderful and especially
from someone who is trying to get over the flu. She was hitting as well
as holding some pretty amazing notes. She was really doing full octave
jumps. It was amazing and I am sorry it is over. It's only over
physically I will alway remember this eveing. I did bring back a soar
throat (along with other tori things) from all of my screaming, but she
deserves it all. Just a note if anyone was wondering she was wearing
the same outfit she had on the 27th on David Letterman. July 29, 1998 - Well, Tori has survived the move to arenas. I wasn't sure she could do it. The Irving Plaza show proved to me that the addition of a band could bring her
music to new wonderful levels without compromising her artistry, but I was
still wary about the idea of her playing huge arenas, rock band or not. I
thought it was a horrible idea. Tonight, I realized I was wrong.
Never underestimate this woman and her ability to adapt to her surroundings.
First off, I just want to say that MSG seemed much less cavernous than I
remembered it to be (granted, I haven't been there in maybe 6 or 7 years, so
my memory is obviously distorted). So my seat ended up a lot better than
expected.. Even so, the binoculars I brought were extremely useful.
The Devlins opened for her around 8, and they were surprisingly good. I
enjoyed them a lot, and they got a decent reception from the crowd. I imagine
that if David Poe had opened for her again, the response would have been much
less polite (I couldn't STAND him at Irving Plaza).
Tori finally went on at around 9:15, and the screams of 12,000 concertgoers
permeated the air.
The setlist:
Precious Things (a fantastic opener, but I do miss Black Dove a little)
Cruel (with some incredible vocalizations..)
Cornflake Girl
Spark
Iieee
Sugar (I like this version alot, but it sounded just a tad bit too power
ballad-ish for me)
(band leaves)
Secret Time: Tori tells us, "I'm getting over the flu, so bear with me.
They're going back to get my nasal spray!" She also mentioned she was drinking
watermelon (?) and that it tasted "yummy".
Leather
LANDSLIDE!! (right before this, Tori snorted her nasal spray in front of
12,000 people...quite a sight. "This is so embarrasing!")
(band returns)
Jackie's Strength
Tear In Your Hand (with a lovely new intro, bubbles, and more nasal spray)
Raspberry Swirl (you can't help but get up and dance...fucking intense!)
The Waitress
--- Final status: 15 songs, about an hour and a half onstage. I was prepared for a
short show after hearing reports from Canada, but it looks like Tori is on the
road to recovery.
For those who are interested, she was wearing a black t-shirt (much like what
she wore on Unplugged), blue jeans, and the sparkly apron thing. And, yes, her
hair was once again sprayed out, nearly to Y Kant Tori Read heights it seemed,
although it wasn't as severe as on Letterman last night. Overall, she looked
lovely.
Tori's voice held out much better than expected. She did sing an octave lower
now and then, most notably during CFG and the bridge of TIYH. When she sang,
you couldn't really tell she was having throat problems. When she SPOKE,
however, she sounded like she was about to die. Still, she rose above it,
spread her energy accordingly, and gave an incredibly intense, wonderful show.
Finally, I must say the audience was shockingly well behaved. The screaming
during songs was to be expected, but it never became too distracting and only
added to the energy. I was extremely impressed and grateful.
And so ends another voyage with Tori Amos. A wonderful experience indeed. July 29, 1998 - I was at Tori's concert in New York at Madison Square Garden. She was awesome, incredible, amazing; even though she had a cold.
She played Precious Things, Cruel, Spark, Cornflake Girl, iiiee, God,
Leather, Horses, Raspberry Swirl, Landslide, She's Your Cocaine, and
Jackie's Strength.
The show was sold-out. The crowd was loud and loving. Now that she's
playing with a band there definitely is a harder edge to the music. Her
performance was, to say the least, mesmerizing, enchanting, and
ferocious. July 29, 1998 - the concert was absolutely phenomenal.
everyone waited around afterwards to see tori exit the garden, but after
waiting about an hour and a quarter...security told us she wouldn't be coming
out (at least not any time soon) b/c tori wasn't feeling well. she told us
during the show that she had come down with the flu :( she took her nasal
spray during the concert and everything! no story telling, which i wasn't
really expecting. all we got really...was that she was sick. and you could
really hear it in her voice...while she was speaking only. her singing was
awesome.
she wore the same exact outfit that she wore on letterman monday night.
couldn't see the shoes.
in "precious things" she did the extended version of "grrrrrrrrrrrrl."
"leather" seemed to be a high point for the entire garden. it was perfect.
beautiful red lights.
the intro to "rasberry swirl" was also quite the show-stopper. techno-tori.
all in all, every song knocked the roof off the joint. not only was this the
best tori shown i've ever seen..but the best show i've ever seen by any
artist. July 29, 1998 - I just got back from Tori's concert at Madison Square Garden. She
was excellent! She preformed amazingly even though she was fighting a
flu. Several times during the concert she had to use her nasal spray.
If she hadn't said she was fighting the flu, you wouldn't have known it,
she sounded awesome. From what I've heard of other concerts, she was not
very talkative this time. She really only talked to apologize for being
sick, and to say hello. July 29, 1998 - it was great.... she has the flu and had to use the nasal spray a couple of times.... she really didn't hit the high notes because of her sickness.... but
it was kool... she came out totally too early for the meet and greet so i
missed her... getting there at 3:30 myself.... and i wasn't able to catch her
for the one after... my sister was about to leave me.... but besides that... i
thought that it was kind of weird that she only played one song from boys for
pele... but she did play landslide.... hurray!... oh... by the by...
everything cost about 2 dollars more then i expected.... so buyer beware.... July 29, 1998 - The Set List For MSG
precious things
solo: leather, landslide (fleetwood mac)
jackie's strength
encore 1- cocaine and god
hope this helps. expect a review soon. |
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