North American Plugged '98 Tour
Ames, IA
July 18, 1998

Updated December 16, 1998

Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page

Tori performed in Ames, IA on July 18, 1998 at Stephens Auditorium during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.

Set List

Many thanks to Katie Woolm for being the first to tell me this set list, and to Matt Page who called me on the phone and helped clarify it. Tori played Butterfly and Silent All These Years solo, as well as the second encore songs, Sister Janet and Song For Eric.

Black-Dove (January)
Cruel
Space Dog
Honey
Cornflake Girl
iieee
Caught a Light Sneeze (with band)
Butterfly (solo)
Silent All These Years (solo)
Northern Lad
Precious Things
Spark
The Waitress

1st Encore:
Little Amsterdam
Raspberry Swirl

2nd Encore:
Sister Janet (solo)
Song For Eric (solo)

Reviews

Newest Reviews Are At The Top...

From Katrina Negus

December 16, 1998 - I was at the concert. I have seen many excellent concerts in my time, but this ne blew me away. I have been listening to Tori since Little earthquakes. I'm a 26 yr old woman from Waterloo Iowa. A d.j friend gave it t me for my b-day cause he thought I would dig it. And so I have. I knew that I was in for a treat when Tori came to town, but I had no idea how cathartic it would be for me. I work very hard for the most part, and felt I deserved to spend one evening doing something that I enjoyed. I went with my best friend, desiree and my mother, Rita. I got both of them hoked on Tori a long time ago, you see, and we all decided that we could not miss the show.

I was so stoked at the prospect of spending the evening with them, having quality Tori time, just jamming out, you know. Well, I have to say I was nhot dissappointed. The band was awesome. The only thing that threw me was what I felt was a lack of enthusiasium for what we all were being a part of.(Yes, that was me dancing in the balcony!) It didnt really bother me that I was the only one letting my hair down, I dont really pay much attention to the status quo anyway, however I must admitt there were times that I started looking around for the compass and square. I didnt understand why most of the audience seemed as though they were watching T.V. Anywayt the rewason Im writing this is because I wanted to tell someone that I wasnt trying to heckle Tori when I started singing "Silent.." along with her. Des and I were the only ones that joined in, and although it was great to HEAR MY VIOCE along with her for real, I have to say I was puzzled and alittle dissappointed. I never expected that we would be the only two that sang along. It ended up seeming like we were being rude and I didnt mean it that way.

Anyway, I didnt take it as a complement that Tori called us children of the corn. I read that book and I think it was her sweet, sly way of saying the audience was scary! I felt stage fright for her with all the gawking going on. I had a graet time though, afterthe show, as we were leaving, I was so pumped I was lauging and singing my own lyrics to the tune of a Tori song, like,"I saw Tori...in Ames....ect." and people were glaring at me and shit, which only made me laugh harder.I guess Tori has never seemed like a pedistal type of person to me. I think shes great, shes definately my favorite musician, but shes not my idol or my guru. I think she is down to earth and wouldnt like to be made that much of . Thanks for listening, sorry about the type-os.

From Ally

July 22, 1998 - I got the show taped! and it sounds wonderful! yay! so, uhm, me, mel and kt got there for meet and greet around 3 and she greeted around 4 - 4:15, she had on the cutest outfit - cut off overalls, and a little white shirt with different colored things on it. She asked some of the gang if they had Siren so the band could practice it, and she also played butterfly by request (she marked a"b" on her hand as a reminder). i'm getting my pics back tomorrow, so i will have them all scaned and stuff (: i also got my lyric book signed and the customary pics. (:

black dove - sounded really good, her voice was just amazing

cruel - watch caton do the teen dance usa moves once more

space dog - the lights were sorta trippy

honey - before this she talked about how she never puts her favorite songs on the albums, and someone screams "angie" and she's like "NOPE" hahaha, it was really funny ;)

cornflake girl - the same intro as mpls "you bet your life it is..."

iieee - she just belted this one out

caught a lite sneeze - so i had a dream of her playing this with a band a few weeks ago, and i was totally blown away by this one, sounds so awesome.

butterfly - really beautiful, this is one of my favorites period

silent all these years - she seemed to play it really slow, but it was gorgeous

northern lad - she went to town on this one, her voice - i just can't get over how strong its gotten since last tour (the last minute got cut on my tape)

precious things - the lights were amazing, and she really likes playing this one

spark - i feel bad saying this, but spark just isn't one of my favorites, it sounds really good tho

waitress - she did the "hang ten, hang ten honey..." thing really long this time

little amsterdam - its so good with the band!!

raspberry swirl - a total cosmic orgasm

sister janet / song for eric - totally unexpected, totally awesome - i love going to a show where she plays rarities like this ;)

all and all, i can't choose between which show i've liked better so far, they were both so special in their different ways (but ames was worth the drive... and getting lost in ackley....). i won't have a chance to see her until the kansas city show, but i really want to do some trades - i really really really want the minneapolis show if anyone got it ;) thanks, etc etc (:

From Eric Andrew

July 22, 1998 - Well, let me start by saying that my first Tori show was the show in Ames on saturday. Since i'm from Chicago, i got up and drove to ames, and then turned around that day, and drove back home! it was crazy, i got caught in thunderstorms, and it was very interesting to say the least!

i got there later that i would have liked. i wanted to get there, and hang out, and maybe see if others would be hanging around, and maybe see Tori, but when i got there, i could hear her inside sound checking Black-Dove (January) and Caught a Light Sneeze.

after the devlins played, my heart was in my throat for the rest of the evening. just sitting there, knowing that i was going to see Tori amos just caused me to hardly be able to breathe due to my excitement. even typing this now, i'm still in shock and disbelief. both Black-Dove (January) and Cruel were awesome songs to start off with. they were both hauntingly beautiful, and Cruel was a little different in the middle, but was awesome. it only added to that songs appeal. Space Dog was awesome. that is one of my favorite songs due to the changes from full band, to just a girl and a piano. before she played Honey, she said something to the effect of, "this is one of our favourite songs to play. it's not on an album. it seems like all the songs that i love never make it onto my albums." i'll be honest, i had never heard Honey before, but it was awesome. i own all of her albums, and the Talula single, the Winter single, and Fairy Tales, which is a live show from the Under The Pink concert. believe me, i'm going to buy every single one now. Cornflake Girl was an incredibly passionate highlight of the show. the way that she started, and finished the song left me with something. i don't quite know what that was, but it made me feel. iieee, which is one of my favourite songs on the new album, was done extremely well. sometimes, it was hard to hear the backing things that are on that song, but overall, it was still a great performance of that song. Caught a Light Sneeze was awesome! there was a ton of energy during that song. you could almost see it! when she started the piano, it just sent chills up my spine. then her band left the stage, and she stayed out and played Butterfly. it was a great song. i don't have a copy of it, but i'll find one now. Silent All These Years made me cry. I have been kicking myself for not seeing her before now because i love it when she just plays piano. you can see the art in her when she does that. that's magic. it was so powerful and emotional and probably was the highlight of this show for me. then the band came back out for Northern Lad which was a remarkable rendition. Lad is probably my 2nd favourite song on Choirgirl, and right when she started singing, i shuddered with chills! Precious Things, what else can i say. again, one of the most energetic parts of the show. so powerful and electric. if there was one song that was electric, it was Precious Things. Spark was good. I mean, i've seen her perform it on tv a lot, and you know, it was good. now, before i heard her play The Waitress, i'll have to admit that it wasn't one of my favourite songs, but after hearing and seeing the live version, i was floored. she did so much with it. i mean, it was essentially the same song, but on the cd, you can't feel it the way she played it live. it's like all of her songs have 50,000 volts running through them when they're live. the first encore was a surprise. Little Amsterdam is a great song off of Pele, and i was really surprised to hear her play it. it ruled though. it's a very hypnotic song, and, again, hearing it live seemed to draw me in further. for Raspberry Swirl, we were all suddenly transported to a Discotheque, complete with spinning colored lights and the smoke that had been there all night. again, even though this is as close as Tori came to electronica, it was still extremely passionate and personal. for her second encore, she came out by herself again, and played a song called Sister Janet. before the song started, she said something to the effect of, "i don't play this song too often, but she wants to come tonight." Sister Janet was, what i feel, Tori at her best. the passion and the element of energy that she evokes when she's out there with her piano is unmatched by any performer that i have ever seen. then, she sang Song for Eric acapella. i have heard of both of these songs, but i have never heard them before. i've heard of Song for Eric because my name is Eric, and it just kind of stuck in my brain. I was so happy that she played it, even though i didn't know what it was. it's kind of a special thing, ya know?

a few words about the atmosphere.

there wasn't a lot of screaming and all that other stuff during her set. i thought that it was going to be much worse than it was. it was really easy to hear her talk and sing. as i said before, this was my first Tori show, and i couldn't have been happier with it. the fans were generally into it. there were a few people that just got up in the middle of songs. i mean, i know that it's not like theater, but i didn't want to miss a single second of watching her on stage. you couldn't have moved me from my spot. i was in the 18th row, and dead center, so my seats were really good. Tori is so cute as well. the way that she waves is THE cutest thing that i have ever seen. i wish that she had played more songs with just her and her piano, but the band was great. 4 out of 17 songs were solo, and that's almost 25%, so that was cool. after the show, i stood with a crowd of people just wanting to get a glance of Tori as she walked to her bus, and i did that. she was kind of rushed onto the bus, which sucked, but i did get to see her again. then, i walked to my car, and the bus pulled away. i pulled out, and saw her bus behind me. i knew that she was going to chicago, so i stayed with the bus for a while. it was just cool. i mean, i couldn't see in or anything, but it was cool just to know that she was right there, ya know? so, in a rush to get home because i was tired, i pulled way ahead of the bus after like 30 minutes or so. then i stopped and got some caffeine to stay awake, and i was back by the bus around the illinois/iowa border. it was quicker for me to take 88, so when 80 and 88 split, the bus took 80, and i took 88. i honked twice, not real long, but just enough to say "bye, i'll see you tonight." i didn't want to wake her up, that would be rude!

if you can go see Tori twice, go do it. 8 of her songs in chicago were different than the night before in ames. it's totally worth it. trust me. i'll be writing a chicago review later today, when i have more time. Thanks for reading this rather lengthy review. if you want to email me, i'd love some new Tori friends to email with! swaeria@bethel.edu

From mdh002

July 22, 1998 - I went to the Tori concert with two pals o'mine. We got there in time to meet Tori. Very cool. I think that everyone there got an autograph. Tori was looking for the lyrics to Siren. I had the lyrics in my Great Expectations CD jacket. I lent them to her. She did not sing Siren during the concert. Oh well. I was still thrilled. I thought that it was humorous that she had a British accent and used the word wanker a few times. My academic advisor saw Tori in a Restaurant in England last month.

From Katie Woolm

July 22, 1998 - I can't go into much detail because I'm writing on a borrowed computer and e-mail account... Black-Dove
Cruel
Space Dog
Honey
Cornflake Girl
iieee
Caught a Light Sneeze
Butterfly (solo)
Silent All These Years (solo)
Northern Lad
Precious Things
Spark
The Waitress

Enc. 1 Little Amsterdam
Raspberry Swirl

Enc. 2 Sister Janet
?? acapella [Song For Eric]

I wish I knew the two ?? songs but I don't. :(

It was my first show, and it was fantastic! Keep up the great work with the website!

Her opening act, the Devlins, were mellow and offered an enjoyable transition between the outside world and Tori's performance. We had great seats, about ten rows back from the orchestra pit. The auditorium sounded great, although the Devlins sounded a bit loud, the levels were adjusted and I didn't have any problems hearing after that. The last two shows I've seen at C.Y., I've been up in nosebleed, so I was elated that I could see the facial expressions of the performers.

I was expecting Tori to open with Precious Things, and was pleasantly surprised hearing Black-Dove instead. She did play Precious Things later on in the set, which was wonderful simply because it's one of my favorites.She didn't banter much with the crowd, but seemed to make a good connection with "knowing glances" that she would toss out to us every once in a while. She recognized a few shouts from the crowd, mostly saying "Yep!" and "Nope!" to guesses about a next song. And she gave a hearty salute to an "I love you Tori!" coming from the crowd. She also made a crack about liking coming to Iowa -- she's nicknamed us Iowegiens "Children of the Corn." It was very sweet...

While I thought the band did an excellent job (they really rocked out, especially on Cruel, Cornflake Girl, and Raspberry Swirl) I enjoyed the songs she played solo, especially Silent All These Years, which was hypnotizing. The solo segments of the show had a completely different, more intimate atmosphere. Song for Eric made for wonderful icing on the cake.

In short, I was thrilled by her performance. This was my first show...I wish that I had caught some of her earlier performance, but I'll take what I can get. If the rest of her American tour is as energetic as this one, concertgoers are in for a real treat.

From Keith Richardson

July 19, 1998 - "You know, we love coming to Iowa...we call you guys children of the corn."

-Tori, 10:39 pm, 7-18-98

Just returned from the Ames concert at CY Stephens Auditorium on the ISU campus. What a mind-blowing show. Truly spectacular...Tori again provided confirmation that she is a goddess, as if any of us needed confirmation. :) Maybe I was just in a more receptive mood, but I think it was a better show than last night's at the Northrup in Minneapolis--I thought it was more cohesive with more focus and energy. More spine-tingling moments of ecstacy...

Looks like you've got the set list right, I'll just add a few things: Start time: 9:19pm; End time: 10:58pm. (99 min total). Tapers beware: The security wasn't as tight as Minneapolis, but they were searching people again, opening backpacks and purses, etc. *Average* levels at both shows were about 6 to 10dB louder than the same venue on the DDI tour, but peak levels were very tightly controlled (lots of multi-band limiting in the PA). Should be easy to get them right.

CY Stephens holds a special place in my heart since it was there that I first saw Tori live in June '96 during the DDI tour. Hard to believe that was 25 months ago. This time I had a great view from my front-row right Loge seat...the sound was nearly perfect (unlike Minneapolis which had a grounding buzz in the PA for the first half), and the lighting was awesome. They had enough flash-pot type lights to temporarily blind everyone in the venue! What a contrast to the Devlins (who were excellent again tonight); their light show was very low-key. Maybe they didn't want to show up what was to follow...

I was surprised to see her choose a couple of relative rarities for the second encore. Everyone just sat in stunned, absolute silence for Song For Eric. Overall the crowd was very well behaved and respectful, a distinct change from Minneapolis. Very few Tori Stories...not much talking with the audience at all...just lots of great music and magic.

From Paul Bowers

July 19, 1998 - Just got back from the two hour drive from Ames. It was my first show and it was amazing. The band sounded excellent and Tori was emotionally intense and flawless. Honey was really neat -- the bass player played an acoustic upright with a bow. Silent All these Years was lovely solo - she changed the vocals a bit from the studio recording and her inflections were really nice. Black-Dove is a great opener too, the changes are really dramatic. I had never heard Northern Lad before and it was one of my favorite peices of the night.

All in all, a really wonderful concert - quite different from the usual commercial fare. I'm looking forward to seeing the show again in Omaha!

From Matt Page

July 19, 1998 - Matt told me that Caught A Lite Sneeze was played with the band! The written set list had Cloud On My Tongue listed for the "secret time" and Tear In Your Hand listed for the second encore.

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