North American Plugged '98 Tour
Chicago, IL
July 19, 1998

Updated August 1, 1998

Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page

Tori performed in Chicago, IL on July 19, 1998 at the Rosemont Horizon during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.

Set List

Tori performed Winter and Cooling solo. Many thanks to Mikewhy for being the first to send me this set list (hee hee) The photo you see to the right is from the Chicago meet & greet and was sent to me by Dor.

Precious Things
iieee
Cornflake Girl
Crucify
Spark
Sugar
Tear In Your Hand
Winter (solo)
Cooling (solo)
Jackie's Strength
Cruel
Space Dog
The Waitress

2nd Encore:
Northern Lad
Horses

Reviews

Latest Reviews Are Located After My Own Review Below...

From Mikewhy (Michael Whitehead)

July 21, 1998 - One thought pervaded my mind as I traveled 7 hours north to see Tori at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago on July 19, 1998. What would her show be like in a large arena setting? I had seen Tori during all her previous world tours, and the shows were always held in smaller, more intimate settings. The Rosemont Horizon is NOT a small and intimate setting! So I was very much curious as to what would happen.

I traveled with Stacey Russell, Danica Knox and j'ason. We arrived at the Rosemont at 11:30AM. The sun was beating down incessantly on the parking lot where all of Tori's trucks were parked. There were already 15 or so Toriphiles waiting. By the time Tori arrived for her soundcheck around 5:00PM, there were about 120 people there. The meet and greet experience has both positive and negative aspects. The positive aspect was the fact that I got to meet several friendly Toriphiles, some of which I already knew and others I met for the first time. Some people recognized me and thanked me for the Dent. I of course thanked them for their support, which is the only way this site would have any value. I can't remember everyone's name, but I really enjoyed meeting all of you! The reward to the person who traveled the most distance to see Tori went to a friendly young woman named Daisy, who was from Australia. Her accent was incredible and she was delightful to talk to. I also met Andrea Norstad, who happens to be the daughter of John Norstad, who is a God in the Apple Macintosh community (He writes wonderful internet-related software for that platform.) I finally met Richard Handal, and really enjoyed viewing the photos he took during his recent trip to Europe to see Tori, including some taken at Iona. I met Mike Harris, who was friendly and fun to talk to. Everyone was so friendly and enthusiastic! (I met many more people than I mention here, but I enjoyed meeting all of you whether I list your name here or not!) The negative aspect was the exhausting heat and relentless sunlight. I got a horrible sunburn and as I type this my neck and face is a mass of pain!

Tori arrived and people were lined up 10 rows deep to see her at the barricades near the backstage entrance. Tori spent about 15 minutes chatting and accepting gifts from the fans in the front. I was unable to get close to the barricades, so I did not get to talk to Tori. I did get a few glances at her, and as always I was amazed at how beautiful she looked and at how personable she was with the lucky Ears With Feet in the front.

The show began at 7:30 and The Devlins opened. I thought they were really good and I enjoyed them. However, my seats, which were on the left side of the stage and up a little, were quite small and uncomfortable. Also, people were constantly entering or leaving the aisle, and I had to get up each time to let them pass. So I was not really able to concentrate on the Devlins.

1) Precious Things

After a very nervous wait between sets, Tori finally hit the stage. The very large crowd roared as the lights dimmed. At first, you saw her musicians playing the opening of Precious Things on the dark stage with many swirling lights. The musical intro was rather long, and then Tori appeared . She looked great in black pants, a black body suit, and a shimmering, sparkling "apron"-like item (That is the best way I can describe it!) I was amazed at how loud her piano sounded as she starting pounding the keys. The other instruments were loud, but they did NOT drown out Tori's piano or her voice, which was clear and strong. I thought that her voice sounded somewhat different in a large arena venue than in the smaller places I have heard her. It was a marvel throughout the entire show. She often would use a sensual and throaty voice that gave me chills. She has never sounded better IMHO.

Precious Things was very loud and very bright! There were some white lights toward the end of the song that were so bright that I was unable to look directly at the stage. The end of the song was very intense with these flashing lights and Tori's wild vocal gymnastics.

The crowd in general seem pretty well behaved. There were isolated instances of terrible behavior, as you may read in other reviews. The people in my area were very respectable to those around them. However, one bad thing was the smell of smoke in the arena. It was a non-smoking arena and people who smoke under those conditions are selfish and thoughtless. There were lots of screams to Tori, but they could rarely be heard over the loud music!

2) iieee

After iieee, Tori said hello and then told us that this was the largest place she had done. She also said she might pee in her pants. For the exact quotes of everything Tori said during this concert, see Danica's review below! Danica also covers some of the more interesting lyrics that Tori added to some of the songs.

3) Cornflake Girl

Cornflake Girl had a slow introduction that was simply beautiful. She also improvised some lyrics at the end that were fascinating.

4) Crucify

5) Spark

6) Sugar

At this point, the show really kicked in for me. Not that the previous songs were bad, but for some reason, I really started enjoying the show at this point. Perhaps I was too overwhelmed at first to digest the concert. With all the loud music and bright lights I think I was awe-struck for a while. The band was very powerful and effective during this song. The drums really heightened the intensity. Tori used her low voice during parts of it, exploded in the middle of the song, and ended with a very long extended amount of high-pitched wailing that had me trembling in my seat. It seemed to go on forever, and was the most potent version of Sugar I ever experienced.

It was also at this point when I realized that Tori's show had survived the move to big arenas. There was something about the way the loud music and vocals, the lights, and the large crowd combined that made the experience magical and exciting. I never would have thought that it would be possible to enjoy her show so much in such an atmosphere. But Tori came through as she always does.

That is not to say that I PREFER large arenas. There is still a part of me that misses the old days and the small intimate venues. If I think about it, I feel sad that those days are over for the time being. However, the arena shows are so good, so effective, and of such high quality that I can say that I am thrilled now to see them.

7)Tear In Your Hand

Before "Tear In Your Hand" Tori introduced the band, the members of which she called her brothers. Steve Caton, Tori's guitarist, was really fun to watch during this song. He was dancing about and really enjoying himself! This tour seems to have rejuvenated him, and he is having a blast.

8)Winter

This was the first of two songs that Tori did alone at the piano. She told the crowd, "And so the boys go away, and we do stuff..." This song was beautiful as always.

9)Cooling

I was sitting near my friend Stacey during the show and we both nearly fainted when we realized she was going to sing "Cooling". I first heard this song on a tape someone made of the Miami, FL show in 1996 when Tori sang this song for the first time during a very special and unique concert during the Dew Drop In tour. Since then it has always had a special place in my heart. She mentioned to the crowd that she was doing this song as a promise to "this sweet boy." This song was even more lovely in concert than I imagined it would be.

10)Jackie's Strength

Simply gorgeous. Tori's vocals were so sweet during this song. They did some reverb on her voice during parts of it that was really effective. There is no way I can describe how beautiful this song was.

11)Cruel

For reasons I don't totally understand, this was my favorite song of the concert. Where do I begin? Tori's voice was wild, passionate, and even spooky during this song. It was very theatrical, with Tori doing various interesting poses. Tori pronunciation during the song was unique, especially when she sang "top ten in the charts of pain." Jon Evans was really cranking it on the bass. I sometimes thought his arm would fall off! At one point during this song I started shaking and felt like I was going to start sobbing. Why? I have no idea. I will never forget this moment of the show.

12) Space Dog

Another highlight. The beat was incredible and I could not stay still in my chair (and I am NOT one to dance!) The piano playing really impressed me during this song. Watching Tori rip into the piano during parts of this song made me realize what an incredible player she has become. As the song continued, bubbles starting falling all over the stage. Some were even landing on Caton's head! It was the most rhythmic version of Space Dog I have ever witnessed. The drummer, Matt Chamberlain is so talented. Tori could not have made a better choice.

13) The Waitress

The climax of the concert. The song was really long (over nine minutes), and with some excellent bass playing by Jon Evans. The introduction was lengthy, and most people in the audience did not recognize the song until Tori started playing. The end of this song was completely different from the album version, and was intense and loud. Tori seemed to go on forever, and the lights were so bright! Just when you thought Tori was done, she would go on playing, more intense than before. This song worked really well in an arena setting. The crowd was going wild. Tori was going wild. The band was going wild. She ended this song with some strong, lengthy panting.

Tori bowed with the band and they left the stage.

First Encore:

14) She's Your Cocaine

Tori and the band returned to the stage. She was so cute as she did a little dance to her piano bench. She performed an energetic and fun version of She's Your Cocaine. Most of the crowd stood at this point and remained standing for the rest of the show. I never saw so many people dancing at a Tori show before!

15) Raspberry Swirl

This song was really exciting to experience. Matt Chamberlain was hitting some large metal drums and really working hard to keep up with the fast beat. The lighting was magnificent and there was no way I could stand still, though I would not call what I did dancing (I am way too introverted for that!) I was really impressed with how Tori did this in concert. She ended the song by singing the word "swirl" over and over again.

Tori then got up, received some flowers from the people in the front row, and left the stage.

Second Encore:

16) Northern Lad

There were about 5 large disco balls on stage, and they created some very unique lighting for this song and the next. This song is affecting on the album and is equally powerful in concert.

17) Horses

As mentioned during the "sneak preview" club tour, this song has been revamped so much it is quite unrecognizable until Tori starts singing. While some people don't like it, I find it very haunting.

As Tori sang this beautiful song I took a look around the large Rosemont Horizon. I have never seen so many people at a Tori concert in my life. Back in 1992, I was one of maybe 500 people who saw her in a small bar. Now there were thousands and thousands of people standing in the aisles, some cheering, some standing there enchanted, others almost in tears. It was overwhelming. Tori still get relatively little radio play and has yet to have a large mainstream hit. But here she was working her magic on thousands of people in a huge arena. While it was partially disconcerting, I was so happy for Tori. She was a unique artist who many thought would fade away into obscurity. Y Kant Tori Read was a disaster, and Little Earthquakes was so different for its time that it is a miracle she survived in our shallow music business. But she has not only survived, she has thrived. There are certain negative aspects to the larger fan base, and sometimes it is hard to share your favorite artist with so many people. But this is a natural progression, and this show proved that Tori can do arena shows and really make them work.

I left the Rosemont happy and truly inspired. Tori rocked my world once again. I should have trusted that she would continue to do so. I have never been so proud to be a Toriphile.

From D. Eric Billingsley (posted to the Precious Things mailing list)

August 1, 1998 - I have read only 3 reviews on the list of the Chicago Rosemont Horizon show - all of them positive. I was hoping that a regular poster would voice my concerns, so that I wouldn't appear to come out of nowhere bearing a negative review of a Tori show. Please understand that I have been enormously enamored of Ms. Amos since the release of Little Earthquakes. I won a radio contest a couple of years ago in which I got to sit in with only 29 other lucky people on a live broadcast from a Chicago recording studio (River North Recorders), which was a nearly indescribable experience - it was like being in a small room that has been supercharged with electricity; it was the first time that I realized what incredible power Tori Amos possesses (or, possibly, what incredible power possesses Tori Amos). After her set, she defied the record executives who were trying to hurry her away by visiting with each and every person in the room. Of course, I was much too flabbergasted and in awe of her all too recent performance to say any more than, "I...I'm a r-really big fan!" D'oh! I must have sounded like a real dolt, but not nealry as bad as my friend Tim who followed up by saying, "Yeah, we're all geeked out." I kind of buried my head in my hands after that.

I was lucky (actually, "persistent" is far more accurate) enough to get tickets to the Choirgirl Plugged Club pre-tour when it came to the Park West here in Chicago. Although the show did not have the impact that seeing her in a small room of 30 people did, it was still an incredible testament to the staggering stage presence, charisma, and talent of our favorite redhead.

The Rosemont Horizon was both mine and Tim's TENTH Tori Amos show, so it was rather an auspicious occasion for each of us. Even though we were quite aware of the limitations of the venue going in, we were both psyched to see the show and knew that anything Tori decided to play would be fine by us (though we were partial to hearing new stuff, since we have seen her play the classics many times). Unfortunately, the set list - no matter how grand - could not have begun to overcome the massive limitations and oversights of this horrible venue. The HORIZON, in addition to the occasional concert, is primarily home to the Chicago Wolves - an expansion franchise hockey team, and the facilities tend to reinforce that fact. I have had a range of seats at many different venues, so I feel that I have a good basis on which to judge this particular instance. For those of you sitting within 50 or 75 feet of the stage, it might very well have been an impressive show; for Tim and myself, stuck up in the balcony so far to one side that - with the aid of rented binoculars - we were afforded a less-than-impressive view of Tori's backside (not that her backside is anything less than lovely, but it far from the reason I attended the show), except during the two times that she turned around to play her electronic keyboard. While Tori admitted that she and the band were not quite prepared to play such a large venue (the largest on this US tour), that still does not excuse the total absence of Diamond-Vision, which has salvaged many arena concert experiences for me. And the seats! - OY VEY! The seats in that place could not be any more uncomfortable unless they had nails or tacks pointing into your arse conducting alternating current into one's derriere. These lousy excuses for seats were not even full-sized, which means that those who are larger than normal (and, unfortunately, those sitting next to them) had to sit with elbows folded inward while being poked and prodded from either side on a constant basis. The massive amount of cigarette smoke completely filled the enormous space, making the place look like a cross between the set of Blade Runner and the San Fernando Valley during rush hour. I was convinced that the only seats worse than ours had to be those at the very back of the auditorium. I have always heard that ex-smokers are the worst about complaining about cigarette smoke; having been smoke-free for nearly 8 months, I may have to concede that this may be true. Given the close proximity of every person in the arena and the sheer number of cigarettes being smoked (Man - teenagers sure like to smoke!) at one time, I - at times - experienced moments of not being able to breathe... period. It is not so much the second-hand smoke from the lungs of exhaling smokers as it is the horrid smoke that comes from the lit end. Even when I was a smoker, this kind of smoke (fromt the lit end) irritated eyes, nose and throat when it wafted nearby. The point of all this ranting is that - despite my love for Tori Amos and the fact that she may have very well put on a damn good show - I had a miserable time. I hope that someone close to Tori feels the same as I do and will communicate to her that she should NEVER play such huge venues again. It's not just the ROSEMONT HORIZON, Tori should stay away from any arena setting. To paraphrase a line from THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, a message can be delivered to a small group in concentrated form - some will reject what they hear, but the message will take strong root in those who accept it; the same message can be delivered to the masses, but not have the same impact because it has been watered down too much. In the film, an analogy is drawn to wine (i.e. - a jar of wine can satisfy a small group, or be watered down to serve hundreds - but much is lost in the dilution); and I think it applies equally to Tori's power.

I think it's wonderful that Tori's music is making it out to an even wider audience; if popular acclaim and success is what Tori wants, then I hope it comes to her manyfold. But there is a very big part of me that mourns the days of 2,000 seat and less venues, where one could actually see Tori's face and hear every little nuance of her amazing voice; where one could easily observe her finger position during any given moment of any song; where Tori felt so informal as to stop in the middle of a song to tell a funny story she just recalled. I love the new stuff she is doing with the band, and I think it's the direction she needs to go in; it's refreshing to see a popular artist who is still willing to explore and take chances rather than falling back on the same old techniques that may have gained them popularity in the first place.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I feel that these things needed to be said; and I hope that somehow these sentiments will be expressed to Tori by someone whose opinion she respects. My love for Tori has not diminished at all; I am just upset at the quality of this venue and at the obvious lack of forethought that went into planning the event (I still can't believe there was no Diamond-Vision!). I also realize that I might get flamed by one or two of you (although I have found this list to be relatively flame-free) for exhibiting a viewpoint that some might consider (mistakenly) to be anti-Tori, but as much of a fan as I am - I still maintain a certain amount of objectivity about each album and tour that Ms. Amos embarks upon. Those of you who have been around since the old days of LE and UTP will know what I am talking about. It's too bad that those who saw Tori for the first time at the HORIZON will probably never know the TRUE power of a more intimate performance.

From Dominic Geinosky (posted to the RDTRN mailing list)

August 1, 1998 - I have a little dilemma...I guess it is over and everything, but the last thing I want to do is make another Toriphile's experience during a Tori concert a bad one...

Anyway...I went to July 19's show at the Rosemont Horizon, and I was both disappointed by the large arena and excited about my 21st row seats. So...Tori goes on. I had met her earlier in the day(it had been almost 2 years since our last meeting), and was, to put it mildly, excited. So Tori goes on, and the rhythms take me over. Precious Things, Iieee, Cornflake Girl...I danced the entire way through. I had always loved the intimate setting, and Rosemont was so huge...but I had plenty of room around me. I jammed the whole way through--the climax, for me...CRUEL...--and I know I had upset a few people behind me. People were throwing ice cubes at me!! All this, while the crowd sings along to "The Waitress". Kinda hypocritical, but... I don't know. Part of me wanted to sit down and "respect" the rest of my section. But hell, the entire other half of the theater was standing up...Why couldn't I? And how could one keep still through some of these tracks?? I sure couldn't. I was soaking wet with sweat and emotional exhaustion. It was the most incredible experience at a Tori concert. No concert (of a total of 8 from 3 world tours) )had touched so many facets of my being. My WHOLE being came out to let these sounds fill it. How could I be doing wrong? This WAS, in fact, a concert. If someone's standing, then stand up, too! Don't cry "SIT DOWN" or throw stones. Get into the groove...

I don't know...maybe you all can help me rest my head...As Toriphiles, do you think I should have been more respectful? I'm going to the St. Louis concert in late August...should I keep still? What do you think?

From Richard Handal, H.G. (posted to various Tori mailing lists)

July 27, 1998 - I can't begin to express how thrilled I was by this Chicago show! I haven't posted a proper concert review since nearly two years and 20 shows ago, but I am so ecstatic about this one I'm going to try. So many of my experiences at the concerts are personal, and it's difficult to discuss the shows without getting into some of that, but the shows are not about me, and I'll do what I can to keep this to a minimum. That said, I can't eliminate all of me from a review.

This was the kind of show that I felt Tori was working towards on this year's circuit, and although plenty of room to grow remains, it seemed to me to largely embody the sensibilities and the feel of the shows as she's going to continue to develop them on this tour. And it's a wonderful thing.

Almost all the songs were slowed down from the last time I had seen them, which was either live in England in May, or on the ABC Independence Day Concert which contained two songs from Glastonbury. Some were only slightly, even barely perceptibly slowed down, and some were slowed down more blatantly. This seemed to be a good move, as it allowed for more expressiveness and room to "work" the songs, and for all the members of the band to more readily interact with one another. It also served to provide a better platform from which the band could focus its power, which was indeed considerable. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let's cover the songs in the order they were performed.

The show opened at 8:55pm with Precious Things. To me this is--still--the quintessential Tori Amos composition. On the Dew Drop Inn tour in '96 it made an appearance at a good 75 - 80% of all the shows--at *every* show until well into the summer when she seemed to tire of doing it every single night. It always showed up in the same place during those concerts. It was being performed dead center--during the fifty-minute mark of what were typically hundred-minute shows. It was one of the touchstone songs on that tour. (The others being Beauty Queen/Horses which started every show, Me and a Gun, which ended every first set of all the '96 shows save one, and Hey Jupiter, which, in the first portion of that tour was the final song every night.)

Since early on in the club tour, it was clear that Precious Things had made a fabulous transition to being performed live with the band. In this newest version, the level of intensity and pure rage during it would continue to get jacked up higher...and higher...and higher during the course of the song. The newly reformed opening with its inverted piano figures which I first saw on the ABC-taped Glastonbury version is still being left pretty much intact, but it has also been allowed to open up slightly and breathe.

I'd come to be quite used to seeing Black-Dove (January) open the shows, but it appears that Tori has decided to start off these recent shows with the full in-your-face brutality of Precious Things. I very much look forward to hearing Black-Dove again at future shows, but starting off the proceedings with Precious is a decision I can't find fault with. It definitely gets everyone's attention from the beginning.

Actually, I found the sometime opening pairing of Black-Dove followed by iieee to be a bit like beginning a meal with a hot fudge sundae--since both of those songs are so deeply textured, it was too rich a way to start off. iieee in this Chicago show was slightly slowed from the last time I'd seen it in England in May. I love this song a whole lot when played live. Tori really gets some voodoo going. Good stuff.

Cornflake Girl at this Chicago show was preceeded by a bit of something unrecognizable that Tori was singing, to which she accompanied herself on the piano. I have no idea what that was about. This night's version was just barely slowed down from earlier versions, and found Steve Caton wandering over to the rear of the Bosey and actively interacting with Tori both musically, and with him and her both bobbing their heads up and down in tandem--this, while he did a sideways shuffle dance. Steve had played some of the earlier portions of this show with sunglasses on, which was amusing, and something I hadn't recalled seeing before. He's always a standout in these shows. He adds interest continuously.

The only time I'd seen Crucify performed with the band before this show was on the ABC concert footage from Glastonbury. I'll go back and check it again, but I have to say it didn't do that much for me. (Whereas, Precious Things from that same show had me welling up with tears and gave me chills.) This version was quite different from Glastonbury's, however, and it was fabulous. The whole song had been much slowed down, and it was quite trippy even, with Tori calling on the fly for a repeat of the "please save me" section, which allowed for more development and expansion of ideas, and for increased interaction with the band.

This was *exactly* the kind of thing I'd hoped she was going for on this tour, but it was so long in really coming together that I'd started to wonder if I had misunderstood her intentions. This is one of the main ways the songs can be enriched and opportunities for interaction between the players can be increased. It also allows her to be able to stretch out sections when she wants to build and soar vocally, and that's a beautiful thing.

I can't say how happy I am to see this kind of development in the songs. Thrilled, actually. This is being done with multiple songs, and is one of the main reasons to attend as many shows as one possibly can. :-) The anticipation of knowing that doors will be flung open at various points during the concert and that nearly anything could come flying out is an exciting feeling. That such glory regularly *does* show itself is even better. I respect Tori's musical decisions more than anyone else's I can think of. I'm so proud of her I could burst.

Spark was slightly slowed from previous versions I'd seen. If you've only seen the televised U.S. talk show versions you'll be impressed by how much further along this song has come.

I'd heard that the band had performed Sugar at an earlier U.S. show, and I couldn't imagine what that might be like. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find it to be the standout song of the show. As my notes say, "transcendental, wonderful." No metronome here; dynamics and rubato--yes! A good ride.

Tear In Your Hand has developed into the moving song it deserves to be when rendered with the band. Slightly slowed from before and movingly expressive. Just fabulous.

I realize I'm in a tiny minority on this, but Winter never really did much for me on a musical level. It reminds me of French piano lessons. It was good seeing this well-rendered version on the full concert grand, though. I had missed that piano on the solo pieces during the prior legs of touring this year. Glad to see it back. Just another detail that sets Tori apart from other players.

I have yet to really get my head to Cooling, but it's beautiful, and I'll welcome her anytime she wants to show up.

Jackie's Strength just isn't gonna sound as overwhelmingly gut-wrenching as the album version because the strings are so integral to the composition reaching its peak level of emotion (which for me is considerable, as I feel it's the most emotional recording Tori has ever released), but this was the best version I've heard in concert, and it was a welcome addition to the show.

Cruel was completely overpowering, and gooey gobs of fun. Jon's bass was producing these huge, volcanic waves of sound which made for an experience like riding down a lava flow with a surfboard. Astonishingly powerful. In case Mark was doing his best to eliminate the standing waves I say he should have just left them alone and let the roof fall in. At least we'd all have died happy. :-)

I'd not heard Space Dog on this tour, but as it always was on tours before the band was around, it stands out by being a "different" song in its very nature. I love the relentlessness of its beat.

Waitress has developed into the true showstopper on this tour, and seems to have appeared at the end of the main set a lot of times recently. If you haven't heard Waitress on this tour yet you have quite an experience in store for you when you do. This was clearly such an amazing, subtly reworked show in comparison to the previous ones I'd seen on the club tour and in the U.K. that as soon as I recognized it by the quiet, vamping guitar lines and easy piano chording, I knew this was going to be the most intense version I'd ever experienced, and that proved to be accurate. There's no way I could begin to describe this.

Its elongated, quiet opening serves the same function as an alap movement does in Indian Karnatik classical music--it helps bring one's head down to a place such that later in the piece, one is more open to being musically swept away further and further as swirls of ideas fly all around, and the listener is drawn in, and taken to new heights.

This was clearly the idea behind Tori having opened up the Dew Drop Inn shows with Beauty Queen/Horses--one is more open to an experience after one's head is cleared out and relaxed enough to accept stimuli. This is an idea which has its basis in the so-called "relaxation response"--the same idea used in hypnotic induction, forms of meditation, having candles in a church service, when religious leaders speak in a monotone, etc. Or, as Jim Morrison would say, "We were seated and then darkened." And that this show's volume ranges from so quiet to such deep thunder makes it all the more interesting.

So, at 10:17pm, the main set of this intense show came to a stunning conclusion. The audience leapt to its feet and applauded with great enthusiasm, and many folks held lighters high to show their appreciation. As someone recently said on one of the lists, Tori's a rock star now.

And I'm more than comfortable with that. I'm as proud of her as I can be. If she doesn't deserve every possible bit of success then who does?

The first encore set began with She's Your Cocaine. I know a number of people have said that this is their least favorite song on choirgirl, but if those people end up hearing this song in concert I'm sure a lot of them will have a different take on it. It doesn't get any better than this, in terms of having fun with one's clothes on. What a feeling to experience this performed live! Whenever you see Jon strapping on his Fender bass get ready for him to soon be banging the crap out of the thing with ringing power chords. Just one big long smile from start to finish. Great stuff.

Raspberry Swirl is also a hell of a lot of fun live, but if I have any complaints about the sound from this show it would be that the percussion Matt plays on this song wasn't as prominent in the mix as it should have been. This may be unavoidable due to the need to prevent feedback, and is only a minor nitpick. As always, the sound was excellent overall, and my experienced Tori concert veteran-seatmate told me after the show that he didn't really care *where* he sat after seeing this show. He knew he'd be able to hear just fine from anywhere, and if he wanted to see Tori's face more closely he could bring binoculars. I've been telling people this for more than two years. Some people agree with me.

Is there anything like being in the center of the front row and having Tori stare into your eyes throughout the concert, and then grab your hands from the stage after the show? No. Of course not. Is it realistic to make the chance for this kind of an experience a requisite for seeing a show? I don't think so.

Northern Lad and Horses in the second encore set brought the concert to a close at 10:40pm. Northern Lad was beautiful, and although it seemed to make sense with some of the U.K. shows that they be brought to a close by a solo piano piece, this Twilight mix-based Horses is an appropriate alternative.

There's no set decoration on this tour--all the extraneous visual interest being generated by the lights, and in one song, by a shower of bubbles. This is as it should be. Keep an eye on Tori and on the other players to see how much fun they're having and how they interact while they play. Tori kissed each of them when they came out for their final bows, which I'd never seen happen before. All of them are fabulous players, and she's blessed to have them with her. So are we.

Initially, I hadn't been planning to go to Chicago for this show, but the day after I got back from England at the end of May I found myself buying a ticket from my travel agent for a flight out of the Baltimore airport. The main reason was the amount of pleasure I'd gotten from experiences I'd had hanging out with folks at the U.K. shows. I was expecting to have met a lot of folks at this Chicago show who I'd known for years over the internet, and through many hours spent talking to some of them on the phone. It meant a lot to me to have finally met so many such folks at this show, and to have met a number of others I hadn't known very well.

That was the reason that caused me to come out for this show, but it was truly inspiring to have seen this most powerful of all the shows by *anyone* that I'd ever seen in all of my 42 years. I sure am one lucky bastard. And I'm proud to be so engaged by and dedicated to Tori's music, and to have met so many lovely people as a result.

To borrow a bumper sticker phrase from another band which some of you will recognize from long ago, "There is nothing like a Tori Amos concert."

From Sandy Kofler

July 27, 1998 - I live in Chicago, and I went to Tori's concert on the 19th. My seats were second row in the back section of the floor. I must agree that the concert was amazing and captivating. I'd never seen Tori live in concert, and this was the one time in ym life when I was actually going to cry just thinking about the experience I would have. When we got to our seats (by the way, I go to school with Andrea Norstad, and was going to sit with her till the girl found better seats. She's a splendid chick.) We were glad that we were so close, but realized we would have given anything to be in the 10th row with a few of our other friends. Before the show, my friends and I were totally revved up about how great it was that we were there. But, it got better. Our seats were right smack next to the sound/mixing booth. I looked inside out of pure curiosity, and lo and behold, there was Mark Hawley, setting up.

My friends and I were rather excited. As soon as I realized who he was, I let out a little scream, and a little giggle. We approached him, and you know what? Mark is a damn cool guy! He's very handsome in person, and he has a really cute sense of humor. He teched the entire show in an Umbro soccer shirt from England, a pair of shorts, and socks. His Nike boots were not worn during the show. But he talked to us freely, and then we let him do his thing.

Living in Chicago, I've been to the Rosemont Horizon for many a show. But I must say that the sound was very impressive. I have never actually anjoyed a concert there. In a stadium that seats tens of thousands of people without modern acoustics, the clarity of sound from voice piano, and the band was nothing less than perfect.

This being my first actual Tori experience, I had a fabulous time. So much, that, if and when Tori plans on touring again, I'm going to hit the road and go to as many shows as I can. It's definitely an experience that I will never forget.

From Jennifer Frantom

July 27, 1998 - What do you call a jumbo sized gymnasium filled with wooden seats, probably recycled from a junk yard next to an elementary school that had undergone chair renovations, and illuminated by an extraterrestrial glow from a row of conspicuously hung beer signs? The Rosemont Horizon. I hadn't been there in fifteen years (Bon Jovi opening for The Scorpions) and I cringed when I read that it was at the Horizon instead of the more civilized Rosemont Theater. But I was relieved to see that my first balcony seat wasn't as far away from the stage as I had expected. And I knew that if anyone could bring beauty to this aesthetically vacuous, fog machined hole it would be Tori. She not only did that, but created a spell that bewitched us into believing we were, indeed, on her "magic carpet ride" in the living room of her inner abode.

The Toriphiles were still filing in as The Devlins played their set. Most people were dressed casually in t-shirts and shorts. Some girls wore dresses, some lips were painted black, and some hair was dyed blood red. One older gentleman sported a vibrant blue Hawaiian shirt. Maybe he was the chaperone for the girl I saw wearing a backless dress revealing a henna design going down the small of her lower back. The Devlins played seven songs. Their album is titled Waiting, which is appropriate because, honestly, that's what we were doing while they performed. I thought they sounded good, though. Their songs had a sad and mellow feeling to them. People cheered sporadically, but in the section where I sat no one even bothered to clap at the end of each song. I guess we couldn't fake it. We just wanted them to hurry up. The people on the main floor looked like they were watching TV. I mostly looked through my binoculars at the singer. He was quite a beautiful lad from Ireland with light hair dangling down to his jaw and wearing a one piece, stretchy black outfit. The crowd did pick up when the singer announced it was their last song. When they finished, though, our excitement was drowned by a flood of lights when the beer signs were turned back on.

About half an hour later, our hungry anticipation turned into gluttonous satisfaction when the stage lights started flashing, the band began Precious Things and Tori walked to her piano. My binoculars filled with sparkles from the silver sheath she wore covering the front of a black, off the shoulder shirt and black pants with leg pockets. This song, similar to The Park West broadcast, led right into Iieee. The colored lights jammed along with the music. "Long way from Schubas to here" she said. "This is the biggest place I ever played. I just might pee in my pants." She started playing Cornflake Girl solo, and when the band joined in, the crowd, who had been sitting rather quietly, livened up. A small portion of the main floor even danced. She lingered vocally during "peel out the watchword" then jammed through to the end. They went straight into a straightforward version of Crucify. The crowd watched politely. My friend in the tenth row told me a woman a couple of rows in front of him started dancing and a security guard shined his flashlight at her and told her to sit down. Next was Spark that really rocked at "you don't really mean it." She touched her heart at the last word "here." My favorite song of the show was Sugar. The pounding bass drum took it to a new level of intensity. She played solo at "I know and you know if they found me out" and ended the song with a string of high pitched "heees." She introduced her band as "like my brothers" and went into Tear in Your Hand. A nice moment occurred when she sang unaccompanied "time to wave good-bye now." "So the boys go away for a minute and we just do stuff." She waved to us as she began a beautiful solo performance of Winter. The audience was so captivated that even the people walking down the aisle with their nachos tiptoed out of respect for the quiet admiration of the arena. "Some of you may not recognize this, it's a b-side" she said next. It was the ballad, Cooling, from the Spark CD. The audience was seated and quiet during most of this song. Jon played acoustic bass for the next song, Jackie's Strength, then they ripped into a mean, nasty, jamming delivery of Cruel. Some people in front of me stood up to dance. Nope, someone just needed to get out. Tori held her arms behind her back as if her wrists were tied during her "uhh uhh uhhs." Next was Space Dog with haunting guitar passages during "so sure we were on something" and she played solo for the "deck the halls" segment. The song ended with a shower of bubbles falling onto the stage. Tori looked up at the remaining bubbles during the instrumental intro to The Waitress. It was slow and eerie at the beginning, then exploded along with the bright, flashing lights during "I believe in peace bitch." She ended the song panting into the microphone. She and the guys took their bows and exited the stage.

The entire audience finally stood up and screams filled the arena as she walked back to her piano for the first encore, and they remained standing for the rest of the show. She touched her belly as she sang "you don't need one of these to let me inside of you" during She's Your Cocaine. Raspberry Swirl started out with alot of red lights but then I was distracted from the stage by a security guard asking to look at my binoculars. He was a macho looking guy whose day job was perhaps as a Rosemont cop or a bounty hunter. He looked through my binoculars for a couple of minutes. I contemplated whether he was just a closet Toriphile sneaking a peek, or if he was suspicious of me because I was taking notes. Finally, he gave them back to me as Tori was waving and touching hands with the first row as she left the stage. A sea of Bic lighters brightened the arena as they came out for the second encore. Four disco balls reflected off of Tori's outfit, making her a red headed glow of shimmering light while she sang Northern Lad. She started out solo on Horses and the rest of the song is hard to describe because it's so different from the recorded version. You have to hear it for yourself. As they walked off the stage, for the final time after an hour and forty five minutes, Tori put her hand gently on Steve's back and they disappeared behind the black curtain. As I watched this, I thought about how lucky we are that Tori records her music and puts it out into the world so that we can all experience it in our own way. And to expect anything else from her, like smaller venues, autographs, pictures, hugs or someone to cry to, is greedy. I thought about how, after spending an evening packed in like cattle in the hallways, restrooms, aisles and parking lot of The Horizon, I think I prefer the company of Toriphiles on the internet more than in person (I'd do it again in a second, though) and I decided that the security guard was definitely checking my binoculars for a recording device. Then zap, the beer signs came on.

From C h r i s B l o c k

July 27, 1998 - Speaking as a lifetime resident of the northwest suburbs, I think a few caveats about the Rosemont Horizon are in order. Save for perhaps the infamous International Amphitheatre, there is probably no Chicago area outlet more notoriously known for poor acoustics. The very thought of bringing a Bosendorfer into such a setting seems an act of unbridled optimism. So I really shouldn't have been that surprised that some of the acoustical edges of the July 19th performance seemed a little rough. Still, in comparison with some of the other shows I've seen there (the previous Plant-Page show comes immediately to mind) the sound was nearly pristine. Tori herself is, as always, wonderful and one of great things about her is the variety she displays in her choice of material throughout a given tour. A quick search of most other artist's set lists (try it!) will often reveal the same tired show given night after night from day one of the tour to closing night. Not Tori. Furthermore, her improvisatory nature is now on full display with an exceptional band and constituted one of the main highlights of Sunday's performance. One repeatedly got the sense that anything could happen (and frequently did) on any given song. It was pure joy to watch the bemused expression on John Evan's face as Tori spontaneously slowed the quiet section of "Space Dog" to a near halt. This is what concert going used to be about -- not seeing some lame by the book note for note rendition of the studio track. So in this respect, I dearly hope she continues with this format -- at least for another tour or so. On the negative side, full bands tend to require large halls and inevitably draw some unsavory characters. I too (I was in the tenth) had to suffer through a continuous display of idiocy by at least one concert goer who had exceeded his legal limit and seemed determined to let everyone know what a complete moron he was. (I'm assuming he was either 'dragged' there by his date or was the ungrateful recipient of that other bane of concert going: the industry comp. Probably both.) But aside from that, it was about as good of a show as you could expect within the severe limitations of the Horizon. Even the after event, the leisurely Felliniesque walk through the lot in tandem with Tori's tour bus as she performed a hand puppet pantomime from her tiny window was unlike anything I've experienced at a show before. (And yes, the parking lot security DID have an attitude.) Still, on a personal note, I might have preferred a bit more 'Pele' (a nearly unrecognizable though not unappealing "Horses" was the only remnant from that camp) and an appearance from "God" or "Pandora" would not have been unwelcome -- but on the other hand -- that rendition of "The Waitress" will stay with me well into the next tour.

From Holly L.

July 27, 1998 - Hey Mike just thought I'd let you know that the Chicago show was truly amazing.. The Rosemont was packed, the largest place Tori said she's played so far (she said she was so nervous that she "might pee her pants" (: She looked like a goddess in a sequined gold apron type of dress, very cool... To my amazement she opened with "Precious Things", I was fully expecting Black Dove, it was a nice surprise.. The set was wonderful, she played many from LE & UTP, including Space Dog, Tear In My Hand, The Waitress, Crucify & Winter! I was so ecstatic to hear the opening keys to "Winter", it is my all time fav.. She also played some rarities including Honey & Cooling(!!!) Anyways the show lasted about 2 hours w/ a 4 song encore. "Horses" sounded extremely different but wondeful none the less. The band was wonderful, I think they were amazed at the audience size, they were smiling & laughing the whole time. I took many pictures so hopefully they'll come out! If anyone has a tape of the show I'd give my right arm for it!! Please mail me at heykarma@hotmail.com. It was truly a night I'll never forget..

From Adam

July 27, 1998 - Hey! Tori's July 19th show rocked! I'm not sure of the order of songs, but I can name them.

She opened with Precious Things and closed with Horses. In between, she did Cornflake Girl, Spark, Sugar, Winter, IIeee, Cruel, solo song( forgot title) Honey, Jackie's Strength and maybe 1 or 2 I forgot.

1st encore: She's Your Cocaine, Raspberry Swirl
2nd encore: Northern Lad, Horses

I had seats right above the floor. It opened up with the Devlins, who sounded exactly like a U2 influenced band. They're from Ireland. After that, Tori started 20 or so minutes after. Precious things was GREAT! She played about 5 songs, then Winter solo along with another solo song which I forgot the title. (Began with C I think) Afyter, she finished her regular list. She came out in her silver and black dress for an encore, and the crowd never sat down after that. Horses capped off the program, which was excellent. There was only one emty seat, the one next to me!

From Laura Bliss

July 22, 1998 - Mike - I had to email you about the Chicago concert, because as i was reading your review, I burst into tears because I felt the same as you did.. Sunday may have been the best night of my life.. My boyfriend, Christian and I paid good money to have 3rd row seats.. Tori was looking straight at us from where we were seated.. I waved and she actually smiled at me.

I can't even describe how I felt that night, she really took my breath away. The second she came out onto that stage, I started shaking and tried so hard not to look like an idiot, with tears rolling down my cheeks. My dream for 3 years was to see her play precious things, that song has totally inspired me.. I have drawn many pictures of her and they are on my wall... when she played it, i just bawled...=) probably scared chris.

The whole show I couldn't take my eyes off of her, she is so beautiful. I was so ecstatic to finally be seeing her. I was going crazy the whole time, jumping and dancing and swaying back and forth...i stood the whole time and don't give a shit about all you crabasses tellin everyone to sit down, we were there to see her and have fun, and i want to stand, i will , so

I have 18 CDs by her, I never go a day without hearing her voice. She sang so perfect, so wonderful, I never wanted it to end. I loved how she said in this adorable little voice, "I think I'm gonna pee in my pants." She is so awesome, i was just awestruck by everything she did. The whole concert, we were so close I could see all of her facial expressions, her smiles, her little waves. The whole thing couldn't be anymore perfect, I will never ever forget that day. After the concert, we stayed after to get a pick, a playlist, anything, but they had nothing left to give. So outside, the cops told us she would be signing autographs for 2 hours (if anyone knows if she did) please email me at lalafroggy@aol.com and let me know just wanted to share my experience...i hope to God she comes back to Chicago

From Danica Knox

July 21, 1998 - After getting *zero* hours sleep, Mikewhy and I headed out the door to pick up Stacey and j'ason by 5.15am. It took us 7 hours on the road to get there from Louisville, but we got there, and were quite excited. There were about 15 people at the venue waiting when we arrived there at 11.30am. Walked over and met/talked to wonderful people that I had only spoken with through email/phone, so that was wonderful to be able to do! Everyone was so incredibly fantastic to meet in person (the people that I did meet). We waited and waited for 4 hours in the same area...when all of a sudden people started walking over to the other side, where they have apparently set up barricades for the meet and greet. People crammed up together (by this time I say there were about 125 people there) ...I ended in the back, so no meeting Tori for moi. But I did walk around to the side and took pictures of her waving to us (the other people on the side) and talking to people and such. I went behind the crowd at one point and the people in the crowd were pushing everyone else so badly, shoving things in their face to send up to Tori to sign, and such. It made me sick to my stomach because there were some people that had never gotten to meet Tori at all and were rudely pushed aside, but a few were lucky such as (Mike Harris - yay for you babe!) Also of her incredible black knee high boots that she was wearing with her overall jumper shorts. So that ended and we went to get something to eat and rest because we all got totally toasted and looked like lobsters from standing out in the sun for 5 1/2 hours.

We went back to the venue at 7pm and because I had a not so great seat in the upper area of the venue in the back, I went to the box office to try to get a better seat (I bought one from a nice girl online in case I couldn't get in any other way), but I ended up with 14th row center seats. It was fabulous seat and I could still see all her facial expressions and everything....so people in 14th row and up to 8th row, *don't* say your seats are shitty, because they are quite good.

Seeing the venue scared me a bit because it was so huge from the outside, and walking into it was a tad confusing. The stage was set up for the Devlins and about 80 percent of the venue was used, but it didn't look overly huge to me from my seat. I was quite worried about the sound of the show in a stadium such as this, but the incredible show that would follow later would totally change those thoughts I was having.

I was so completely tired from not sleeping over 24 hours and from being in the sun and getting burnt I was totally exhausted, so I fell asleep during the Devlins (I know I'm horrible, but I've seen them 2 times before so no big deal) and I was also asleep for 3/4 of the intermission. The lights went down and everyone went wild.

Tori took the stage in a black bodysuit and black pants with a long silver sparkly almost type of a fancy apron thing over it. She looked absolutely beautiful! She did her trademark little wave with both hands, and stood at the front of the stage, looking at everyone during the long intro to Precious Things. She sat down at the piano and took off full speed! The song was so powerful and yet an odd opener as I had heard black-dove 2 times in London as an opener. But I think that Precious Things got the crowd going and wanting more and more. People stood up at first for the first 1/3 of the song, then sat down (at least they did on the floor). We sat there and continued to enjoy Precious Things as Tori shook her head around while singing under the bright flashing lights. Right away the band went into iieee, which really sounded incredible. Right then I realized that the size of the venue didn't matter so much. The sound was superb and Tori and the band couldn't have been in any better shape or mood for this show. Tori's voice was very strong, in the lower and higher notes, she was energetic and in great form.

After iieee was done, Tori spoke to the crowd there, "Hi." in a really throaty voice. "Long way from Shoebiz (?) to here, eh? This is the biggest place I've ever played, so let's pretend it's somebodys living room. I just might....pee in my pants". Then she played a really captivating slow intro to Cornflake Girl, saying, "You bet your life....you bet yeah..and you go and thinks she's true, and you bet your life....your friends, forever, whatever that is....but you believe in something in her...yeah". Then the went right into jamming hard to the rest of the song, in the middle was small rants like "you know something, you have it...." when she normally sings the improv from the Dew Drop Inn tour of "oh my darling I know that your with me". Then she goes on a bit to sing, "you know something and you know something good....something....{something i can't understand}....and you are pushing us...us...us...us...us. I am not pushing... you are pushing us girl....you are pushing us girl...rabbit...where'd you put the keys...girl." Then the song ended. Incredible version!

The band kicked into some music and I instantly recognized it as Crucify. I had not heard this yet live with the band (only from the Glastonbury clips) and it was so wonderful with the band. It's a great song live before the band, but I think that the band adds to it, as well as Tori's energy also. She looked so happy up there, smiling at the other band members. Spark followed just shortly after with an extra long intro.

The shock of the show for me was Sugar, which was the next song, and I had been wanting to hear this one *so* incredibly bad!! "Oh...come on...come on" {in a very deep sensual voice right before "sweet boy when they find you out...". the song was so powerful, completely breath taking and a major highlight for me! The ending was long and and drawn out beautifully with small improvs, in a very strong and powerful voice.

"So some of you guys um....these are like my brothers up here and I want you to meet them cause they are so wonderful. This is Caton, some of you know Caton over here. And this guy that hits things is Matt Chamberlain. Um this is the wonderful Jon Evans on bass." Which led right into Tear in Your Hand.

"So the boys go away for a minute and we just do stuff....so um...." Piano starts with Winter for the first of 2 solo songs. The next 'secret time' song would be a total and complete suprise.....Cooling. "So some of you might not know this song, but I promised this really sweet boy that I'd play it so...Um this is a new Bside and if this is your first time its called Cooling". I made a little "ooowoohooo" sound after she said that because I was soo bloody excited! :) It is even more beautiful *live and in person* than it is on the CD. Immediately after Cooling, Tori goes into Jackie's Strength, which was lovely especially with the extra reverb of her voice they added on to it, which echoed and sounded haunting.

Ahhh Cruel! My favourite song from FtCH, in which Tori didn't drool, as she usually seems to do. Tori moved around alot during this song, made alot of hang gestures and motions her voice went through every note possible, low to high, long and throaty at times and breathy also. She pronounced some words differently, like "Friends" was "FERiends" very distinct. Defiantly one of my favourite songs live.

Spacedog. Long intro, with new piano parts in it as well as throughout the song on lyric breaks with the band. Simply wonderful, I started to shake my butt dancing to it a bit on my seat. There were also bubbled released from above the stage, which added nicely to the look of the lights.

Next we'd hear the longest version of The Waitress I know of, or at least it seemed it at the time. The song was exactly 9 minutes and 5 seconds long!!! The best version of The Waitress that I've heard! The ending went on and on with Tori's haunting voice singing over and over with "hang ten hang ten hunny, I'm gunna go where she goes....hang ten hang ten hunney I'm gunna get me one of those..." Over and over again in different vocal notes and lengths. It gets more intense, as she sings this over and over again, more intense then the time just before it...."i believe in....i believe in....something...I believe in...I believe in...something out there...I'm gunna get me...get me...i believe in......". Just hearing it left me breathless.

First Encore: She's Your Cocaine. I *adore* this song live. By this time since it's the encore and a heavyish song everyone was standing up. There were about 6 17 year old girls in front of me, and 2 of them proceeded to dance and grind each other, grabbing various body parts as they sang the song. This is *not* something that I want to see at a show. It looked like all they wanted to do was go home and hop in the sack! So they were all over each other and I tried to ignore it and watch the rest of the show standing.

Next was the ever dancy, wonderful sounding live Raspberry Swirl. I love the kettle drums (?) in this song, and I think that Matt does the best job and looks like he is working ass off on playing it, seems like a good workout!

Second Encore: Northern Lad, which has disco balls spinning slowly during it, and was beautifully sung. The girls in front of me kept up their dancing and even talking during this one....*sigh* some people have no respect!

Last but not least...Tori sings a cappella into the microphone "and you go...and you go....and you go....to that one..." Then a beautiful piano solo improv, before the keyboard music intro to Horses.

Tori went to the edge of the stage and touched a few people's hands then the band left. The show was over, but it will be one to remain in my memories forever. I had to say it was the best show that I've seen so far in my *grin* Tori career. heheh. I think that alot of people, including myself were pleasantly suprised in the show especially in the fact that it was a big place and it sounded so incredible. The band did not drown the piano out at all, and everything was evenly balanced. A night I will always treasure.

From _avantika@!

July 22, 1998 - "and virgins always get backstage, no matter what they got to say..."

i'm really ticked-off/disappointed by my experiences traveling alone to see tori perform at several venues in the midwest. i flew from my home in LA to chicago, rented a car and drove to wisconsin, minnesota, iowa, (chicago) illinois and [was planning to go to] cincinnati, ohio. in my previous experiences (road-tripping to see tori perform twice during dewdrop inn and begging successfully for a kind someone to take me with them into the sneak preview in boston), i had a largely positive time, with the performances, fans, security and getting to meet tori- the divine oracle- herself.

this time around, though it was very worth it and i loved being there in the first place, i did feel the concerts were disappointing in some ways. since the reviews i have seen tend to be rosy, i particularly wanted to give my input:

a) they overused the reverb and sustain effects on the mic, though it may have been to support her voice

b) the sound was overly loud (at the ames, iowa show the bass was vibrating like crazy) and the stadium lights on precious and waitress were migraine-inducing

///the worst part was TRYING to meet her///

c) at Minneapolis, i and another fan got kicked out of the area near the ticket booth during sound check [we could hear her playing sugar :0)] by a security guard who let another couple who was listening _stay_

c) at ames, i managed to sneak into the bldg. during soundcheck and walked up to caton and jon evans when the guards weren't looking to ask them if i could stay, telling em i had come all the way from LA... no luck.

d) at ames, i waited (despite the pushing and shoving) and waited, only to see tori escorted straight onto her bus, without a meet-n-greet (i know it's up to her/crew's discretion, but it was VERY disappointing). after that, i approached steve sanchez and asked him what time she would be arriving for the sound-check in chicago; he told me that only radio-winners were allowed to meet with her before the show.

e) the *lovely* couple sitting in front of us at the chicago concert was nearly-going-at-it during most of the show; when i tapped the male on the shoulder and said, "can you please stop?" (i didn't know what else to say!) he thought hard for about 3 seconds and said "no."

f) after the chicago concert, the guards were patronizing and harassing to many. i was waiting behind the meet-n-greet barricades only to have a guard arbitrarily decide (i know, i heard) to let three teenage girls up to the front of the line. he did this twice. i told a couple of people, thinking they'd help me confront him, but they went up to him and asked him if they'd lead them to the front as well.

g) more pushing/shoving, i left to catch my breath. i decided to give away my cincinnati ticket because this trip was so tiring and frustrating.

h) when tori came, i went up to the guards and pleaded my case, showing them my california driver's license (by this time FULLY in-tears); one guard began pushing me away with his entire body! i raised up my arms and said loudly, "i'm not pushing YOU, so why are you pushing me?" then tori's assistant (the one who carries all the gifts) tried to calm me down. it was too late.

[note: it's not that i'm a weirdo or anything. i don't have it pasted on my forehead, but i'm a wellesley grad, friendly and (at least *seem*) pretty normal. i went to such great lengths to see her because i will be leaving for a year of foreign study in india shortly.]

so, like the other mike said, i will think twice before i take up an opportunity to see tori at a big venue. to other toriphiles: please, reach out to other fans who are traveling alone a-long-way-from-home. that would have meant more to me than anything else.

From Andrea Norstad

July 21, 1998 - the show. i'm not going to try for a setlist, because i don't remember it and i know it'll be posted. mike was there. duh. *grin* this being my first and possibly my only show on the plugged tour, i have some comments. first of all, as mike harris said in his review, the show and the meet-and-greet were two very different things. a large part of the reason i'm writing this is to say hi to all the people i met on sunday and remind them that i was the short girl in the death-from-sandman shirt handing out stickers, and if they want to write to me my address is silent@nwu.edu. i met richard handal and mikewhy and mike harris and sean and josh and another sean and probably another josh and dor and neille and that cool girl who sat next to me but i don't know her name and the list just goes on and on and on. even after five hours standing in the heat, enduring planes passing at frighteningly low altitudes overhead, tempers flaring with sunburn, us tori fans are still a pretty damn fine crowd. seeing tori was almost anti-climactic after the fun i had hanging out in the afternoon. the meet-and-greet is about more than just tori, and that's really cool.

anyway, on to the show. i expected a lot from this show that i didn't get. i expected a lot of the catharsis that was present during the dew drop inn tour, at least for me. i saw three shows on that tour and was able to use each as a kind of roadmap. this show was different. it was plugged. no secrets about that. it was very powerful. there was a lot of energy. but it wasn't as directed as it used to be. it was also kind of like "tori's greatest hits." but it was still tori and there were still moments that just made me dance and cry and twirl and sing. like the "how many fates turn around in the overtime?" bit in spark, and the "we scream in cathedrals" part of ieee, and the bubbles coming out of the ceiling and floating around like that scene in the hotel in "brief lives" during spacedog. it was a very different experience. even the tori-only songs were loud, and while i'm sure people were yelling stuff, i couldn't hear them. maybe that's because my seat was on the side and not toward the middle. the last song of the main set, the vamped-up version of the waitress, was fantastic. i used to dread tori playing the waitress because it was so shrill and i didn't like it at all. but the band backs it up perfectly and i think i'm going to have to find some bootlegs of these shows, just because i Like the new twists the band adds to songs like "tear in your hand" and "sugar." i think this is a place tori has wanted to go for a long time. she might not stay here forever. i can't see her bringing this kind of show to a college tour. it's tori the rock chick, not tori the girl with the piano, and when she stands up at the front of the stage with the boys and bows and waves in her spangly sequin apron-dress, that's obvious.

i have to say that her new version of horses is absolutely hauntingly horrifically sad. it's beautiful. but it's sad. horses has always been sad. but wow... and another thing! now, i know dancing didn't used to be a common trend at tori concerts. but when that first encore rolled around and she's your cocaine started and everyone in front of me was just standing there like zombies.. i laughed. *i* danced. i certainly hope some other people did so me and the girl next to me didn't look like Complete idiots. (oh, dominick, if you're out there-- i saw you dancing. the only person in your section who was doing it, it seemed. :>)

so that's it. tori plays a rock show. she does a damn fine job of it, but don't enter expecting to be taken on a journey like the last tours. she's definately plugged.

From Mike Harris

July 21, 1998 - In one day, I saw both the glory and the hell of this new world of Tori.

It began with the good: the time before the concert where Ears with Feet did a 'meet and greet' with each other long before Tori ever arrived. A minor feat of endurance for some of us, as Richard Handal and I arrived at the Rosemont Horizon parking lot around 10:00 am and found a couple that had been there since 7:30 am all the way from her Milwaukee concert. We all were promptly chased off by Rosemont's security head, so we bought tickets to the flea market in the parking lot there. [The nice admissions lady was so sweet: she refunded our money when she realized all we wanted was a safe haven from the hyperactive Security dude.]

As the day progressed, more and more Ears arrived ... truly the best part of the day. I know I still don't remember everybody's name, but certain people truly stick out. I met Andrea Norstad, who had made it her duty to spread butterfly and bee stickers everywhere, reminding me of a dear sweet Delirium; and to complete the picture, she was even wearing a T-shirt of Del's older sister, Death, with one of my favorite sayings on it. I, of course, met Richard Handal, who is truly the "Master of the Obscure". I met Nielle of the Flower Wreath. I met Danica. I met Mike Whitehead. I met J'ason. I could go on for ages and ages and still be sure to forget some of the wonderful Ears With Feet I met that afternoon. What a wonderful feeling it was to instantly form a bond of goodwill with everybody present. This must have been what it felt like to be a hippie. ;)

Then, the excitement *really* started: at roughly quarter to four, I saw someone quietly crook a finger at his compatriots, and they all quietly got up and began to creep toward the other side of the trucks. Sure enough, they were setting up barricades. Such a thing couldn't be kept secret for long, and soon a throng of well over a hundred or so people were tightly compressed around the barricades. A momentary reshuffling and scrunching due to a car backing out left me in the third row.

[By the way, for all those who've accused Steve Sanchez of being a nasty person in the past, well, I've never met him before, so I couldn't say. But *this* day, I can tell you that this same Mr. Sanchez provided the crowd with five water bottles which were gratefully accepted and passed around. I thought that was nice of him. I also thought it was a telling remark of our fan community that very few chugged the water for themselves -- most everybody wase generous enough to think of others and simply take a few sips before passing a bottle back.]

Sure enough, Tori soon made her appearance, and wonder of miraculous wonders, for the first time ever, I had the chance to speak with her and actually get her autograph. I thanked God for my height, which allowed me to get on tippie-toes and stretch my long arms out to pass her an article I had written for Really Deep Thoughts [the fanzine]. She signed it! As she did, I yelled out, "Tori, I wrote that for you in RDT!" She looked up and said something like, "Oh, really? Thank you!" And I said something like, "Thank *you* for ..." and then said something too bland for me to now remember. In reply to whatever I ended up saying, she tilted her head, gave me a cute dimply smile, and continued on to the others in the line. I may sound obsessional if I claim to have read something in her eyes as she dimpled, but I think it was a definite amused sparkle.

After that, near collapse and gasping for water, I hauled heinie with Mike Whitehead, Richard, Jason, and everyone else to a local Italian restaurant, where I realized upon looking in a reflecting surface that I had been sunburned the exact shade of a New England lobster. Ah, well. As my skin peels, I merely look at my autograph and try to remember it'll be gone in a few days.

Still, this is not a positive review ... because of what happened next. Those who read Really Deep Thoughts [the e-mail digest] may remember how, a few days ago, I wrote of the hurt and pain you get when someone you cherish deeply changes so drastically in character that they may as well have died to you. Then, I was speaking of a friend, but what happened makes me worried this may happen to the wonderful bonding and friendships we share in the Tori fan community.

I warn the older Tori fans, or those who like her primarily for her quieter music and ballads, to quite definitely not to see her in an arena venue. Tori performed at the Rosemont Horizon, an arena venue in town that seats 16,000 people. When you've got that number of people, statistics begin to take their deadly toll, and the makeup of the audience begins to change drastically. Horrifically.

With 16,000 people ... at least fifty people will be screaming at any given point during any given song. Even "Winter," damn it. [Thank God she didn't play "Me and a Gun" that night.]

With 16,000 people ... at least twenty people at any given time near your seat will be smoking, wafting suffocating cigarette smoke your way. Despite the "No Smoking" sign.

And with 16,000 people ... you'll be unfortunate enough to sit in front of the one overly muscled, psychogically unstable asshole in the joint.

This man will spill beer on you.

His two female friends will add their caterwauls to Tori's voice. You will ask them to be quiet, saying you paid to hear Tori, not them, and they will reply that this is a concert, for God's sake, and that this is what people do at a concert. Where in hell they got this idea, you don't know, but obviously not at Tori's concerts.

When they do not sing, they will maintain a conversation. The volume of this conversation will be increased as Tori's songs grow louder, eventually shouting so they can be heard by each other. They will interrupt this conversation only to add their cheers at the end of each song. [As if they had actually even heard it over their unending cackling!]

You think about saying something as you get up after the final encore. You decide not to. To practice restraint.

This man will see you exiting during the concert. This man will call you a prick, an asshole, and various other epitaths and slurs.

You're a man of peace. You normally back down, "take the high road," and let your sense rule the day.

But you do not see any concerts but Tori, and this man and his friends has ruined the concert you have been waiting for since 1996. Most likely the last concert of hers you'll hear this millenium. And your anger is running high, because this man has RUINED one of the most momentuous nights you could have had.

So you approach the man, and when he calls you a prick, you call him a bastard. When he calls you an asshole, you tell him to fuck himself. Finally, you begin to walk away, and he calls after you. Your temper still high, you randomly curse him as you continue to walk out the door. As you walk out into the parking lot, you see a flash of speed out of the corner of your eye, and suddenly he is there blocking your path, standing directly in front of you, in your face, his eyes not more than half an inch from your own.

And you back down. You hate yourself as you do, but you are fat, and you do not fight. He is in shape, he is aggressive, and he is drunk, so he would feel no pain. Anger flashing in your eyes, you walk around him, and you try several abortive attempts to find your friends amidst the crowd. Finally, you hail a cab with several other Tori fans [a brief cheerful moment happening when you unite with those in the cab to prevent the cab driver from trying to rip you off], finally taking public transit home.

The experience before the concert was what led me to believe in the *future* of Tori fandom. The fact that no one gave Security any grief. The fact than fans remained thoughtful of each other despite a lot of thirst needing to be quenched. The communal spirit and easygoing openness and acceptance of most any fan you walked up to. The butterfly stickers. The flower wreaths.

The experience during and after the concert was what led me to believe in its possible *death*. If Tori continues to play arena venues with huge capacities, the fan base is slowly going to change ... as this concert-going experience did so drastically from my last one. Assholes will migrate to the fan base, and we may very well lose that special element, that special characteristic that makes Tori fans so special. It's as if the hippie communes were being invaded by army cadets ... a beautiful spirit being invaded by its antithesis. I hold my breath in fear.

I want you all to know this is not a criticism of Tori's performance herself that night. Not at *all*. She was delightful and wonderful.

But if I hear she's in town again? I'll have to think very hard before I consider plunking down money and buying a ticket for a performance of hers at an arena venue.

I'll always love her music, cherish her creativity and style, and I thank God for blessing my luck enough that I was able to meet her. And I'll always love the fan community we have here.

But ... I worry. For all good things, eventually, seem to have to come to an end. Murphy's Law. And I worry this sort of experience may become more and more common throughout the following years.

From Nora

July 21, 1998 - Tori was absolutely amazing! This was my first show, but I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from looking at the set list from the previous concerts.....still I was so nervous!

We came from Moline (my friend Mo, and her dad and his girlfriend were nice enough to take us :) I wasn't sure if her parents would like it or not, they were giving each other funny looks while listening to FTCH in the car, hehehe. But they were good sports.

Anyways, we got to the Horizon, and planes were landing right above our heads (just about gave me a heart attack at 16) and we made it in the building rather quickly. After purchasing our Tori merchandise, we sat down and the Devlins came on. Now, they weren't bad, it's just that we wanted to see Tori! The opening act seemed to be going on forever!!!! Finally they left, and after a long wait Tori came on.

She was wearing a beautiful black sequiny thingy over black pants and a black top, and she looked wonderful! They started out with Precious Things (which totally rocked!), and I knew it would be a good show. .

The highlight of the show for me was her secret time. She started out by saying "this is where the boys leave and we get to have fun on our own," and then she went into Winter. It was so touching! I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience. Then she happily surprised me by playing COOLING, which is my favorite song by Tori ( i know, so many to choose but this one's special) and probably by anyone for that matter. She announced it by saying that this was the first time, and I just broke down crying. I was hoping my telepathic messages would work (hey I'd been trying for weeks) and I was so pleased with the results! Cooling has to be the most beautiful song that I've ever heard, and it moved me so much seeing it played live. There was snot hanging out of my nose, and I was shaking, and I think Mo thought I was nuts, but it didn't matter! This was the song I wanted to hear!

Of course the rest of the concert was wonderful, but that moment was the one I'll always remember. Tori has this wonderful way of making you feel like she's talking just to you, and everyone feels it. She understands everybody. It was empty without my bestest Tori friend Emily....but I promise that next time we will go!

I loved seeing all of the diverse Tori fans together! I hope to see you again soon!

From Kyra Gallagher

July 21, 1998 - Getting to the Rosemont was pure hell, there was a major accident across the street from it so we sat in traffic for 1/2 hour.. (mind you that we were about 10 minutes away! Grrrr) Well after showing up an hour late I was relieved to find out that Tori had yet to go on, I wasn't too upset about missing the Devlins.. We had main floor seats so I was really psyched. It seemed an eternity until Tori hit the stage, in the meantime I counted the number of smokers around me, think I was in the 20's before I lost count.. Anyways Tori finally hits the stage in all her glory, a sparkly gold pullover thing that she was wearing beamed from the stage. I hear the first notes of Precious Things & get a charlie horse in my leg from excitement. PT was played beautifully, hearing it with a full band is so spine tingling. Then came many songs from FTCGH, UTP, & LE.. BFP seemed to be excluded for some reason.. Winter & Cooling were brilliant, she said "many of you might not know this one" (referring to Cooling) but half the people around me knew it word for word so that was cool (: The band seemed really upbeat, the guitar player (not Canton the other one, can't remember his name) was really upbeat, smiling the whole time. Tori said this was the biggest venue she'd played so far & that she "might pee her pants" as Mike W. mentioned.. The applause for thunderous after the main set so she came back for a 4 song encore (including a different yet beautiful rendition of "Horses".. My ears are still ringing but it was worth it, she puts on an magical & tingling show, you leave longing for more....

From Tracy S.

July 21, 1998 - Dear Mike -- Wish I could've met you at the Chicago show. I was there with my little (she's just turned 21!) sister, and during the meet & greet she got rather overcome by the heat. We had to leave the barricaded throng of people and went and sat between two cars for some shade. (The cops & security were trying to hassle us until they saw my sister wasn't doing so well. Then they graciously let us remain there despite their earlier orders that everyone stayed behind the barricades.) So we didn't get to talk to her either, but it was interesting to watch everyone interacting despite being herded like cows. Anyway ...

Regarding Tori's comments during the show. She said, "It's a long way from Schuba's." Schuba's is a bar-venue on the north side of Chicago, an intimate setting known these days for their folk and acoustic bookings. I gather Tori must've played there at some point -- perhaps in '91 or '92. It's a GREAT venue and I just can't imagine how wonderful she must've been in that setting.

Just thought I'd add this for some more context to the Chicago show.

BTW, it sounds like our seats were similar to yours. Section 110, Aisle M, seats 1-4. Weird angle to be to the right of the stage and up high. We did get to see her running backstage and returning, the unguarded moments I so enjoy.

From Kelly

July 21, 1998 - I must tell you that I'm saddened by some of the EWF that were let down by the arena show and the new twist on the material. Tori has never played, sounded, or looked better. She's having fun with this, and that was obvious in her performance on Sunday night. My ears were ringing until Monday afternoon, and I'm still smiling. I was lucky that there were no major idiots seated near me, but I think everyone in my section had a bladder infection because EVERYONE was getting up every few seconds....how can you do that at a Tori concert!?!?!??! I'll never understand that....

Anyway, the show was incredible. Enough said.

From Jeff Przylucki

July 21, 1998 - I was at the show in Chicago on 7/19, and i've come away with mixed feelings. First of all, let me say that it was a great show, and i loved every second of it! The band is so great. So many of Tori's songs have been dying to be played live this way. Precious Things, Cornflake Girl, Tear in Your Hand.. in a word AMAZING! tho, i think i like Sugar better without the band... Take the Dew Drop Inn shows and put them on Steroids, Human Growth Hormone, and Creatine, and you might start to get an idea of what these shows are like.

The thing i did not like about the show, is the venue. The size of the venues that Tori is playing on this tour is terrible! The theaters that she played on her past tours were just right, these are simply wrong for her (even with the band). Large arenas and basketball stadiums just don't play the same. Also, she is not carrying enough amp's to fill these places, during some of the heavier parts of songs, the amps were obviously being overdriven (i've seen people play the Horizon with 3 times the amp's Tori has). Tori's music is just so beautiful, why ruin it by playing venues with such poor acoustics? The intamacy is lost, and the sound quality is poorer.. This show simply wasn't as compelling as previous tours.

The bottom line, if i had my choice, i'd be at every show on this tour if it were possible.. Where in the past i was compelled to go across country to see her shows, on this tour i'm not..

From Mairie Watson

July 21, 1998 - Well Mike, you were at the Chicago show, so you probably don't need any reviews of the show.. but here's mine anyway.

The Devlins started out at about 7:40pm, and played 6 songs again. I think they were the same songs that were played at the Milwaukee show. They finished at 8:10. They had their own drummer back, so Matt Chamberlain didn't have to play with them again like he did in Milwaukee. The acoustics in the building were not very good for their band. I noticed some weird reverb coming from the other side of the auditorium. It was distracting. I didn't notice anything like that during Tori's performance, but she was louder, and I was more interested in her beautiful music.

Tori came on at about 8:55pm, wearing the same cute outfit from Milwaukee (black pants and a black lycra, off-shoulder top, with a silver sparkly apron thingie). She played "Precious Things" and "iieee" again with the pretty piano solo at the end, and she held her tummy area during the word "sa-sa- sacrifice," and added the line "I know you understand the way I feel." Then she said "Hi!" to us and told us: "This is the biggest place I've ever played so let's pretend this is somebody's living room. I might just pee my pants!" Then she played "Cornflake Girl," and everyone on the floor stood and danced. They did that off and on throughout the performance. I was on the floor, and if people in front of you stood, you pretty much had to also, or all you got to see at the show was their copious butts. After "Cornflake Girl" she played "Crucify" and then "Spark." For some reason, I felt that "Spark" was especially passionate, and I ended up choking back tears when she sang the "how many fates turn around in the overtime....." part. Next she played "Sugar," and then introduced the guys. "These guys are like my brothers so I want you to meet them." Then they played a really cool rockin' version of "Tear In Your Hand." Then she excused the boys: "So the boys go away for a minute and we just do stuff." She played "Winter" solo, and again, it was so passionate that I was overwhelmed. Then she told us that: "You guys may not recognize this song, but I promised this really sweet boy that I'd play it. It's a B-side. This is 'Cooling.'" Then the boys came back, and they played "Jackie's Strength." Jon busted out the good ole upright bass again, and Caton was smoking while he played and danced along. Then they played "Space Dog" and the bubbles came around again and the crowd was wild about that. Then she did "Waitress" again with the added lines: "hang ten hang ten honey, I'm gonna go where she goes. Hang ten hang ten honey, I'm gonna get me one of those" again and again. Then she and the guys hugged and waved byebye, and left. For her first encore, she played "She's Your Cocaine" and "Raspberry Swirl." For the people who hadn't heard "Raspberry Swirl" live before, I think some were shocked. The light show made it look like a disco, and with all the people standing up and dancing/jumping/hopping around, it looked like one. BIG FUN. Then for the second encore, she played "Northern Lad." It looked like she was going to leave, and like the guys expected to leave, but she started singing "Horses" and they started playing it. I was surprised that she played two songs in each encore. It was such a great show. I wish I could have gotten there earlier enough to make it to the meet n greet, but hopefully someone will tell me how that went.

From Adnan Ahmed

July 21, 1998 - I waited before the show, where tori graciously met and talked with admiring fans for at least 15 minutes before her soundcheck in HOT+HUMID midsummer chicago weather. The show was very nice, with the Rosemont Horizon, being the largest venue she has played so far. "This is the biggest place I have played in...I might just pee in my pants". After the show she again used charm and sincerity (even though it was close to midnight, and with a superb concert like that, you know she's sleepy) to chat it up with EXCITED fans for at least 20 minutes in the humid night! When boarding her bus, there was a mysterious puppet waving goodbye to all of her admirers...what a perfect end!

TORI AMOS IS THE BEST!

From Ellen

July 21, 1998 - Last night was one I will never forget. I saw Tori for the first time in person at the Rosemont Horizon and it was incredible. She looked radiant and sang beautifully. Mike, I want to thank you for all your efforts in keeping me constantly informed of tour related events. I attribute my good fortune in seeing Tori to you and your dedication to her and her fans! When Tori sang Cooling, I melted. It was one of my favorite parts of the evening. It was sung so beautifully and I would love to thank whoever the 'sweet boy' was that requested it.

Mike, I have a question to ask: I don't know if you have any room on your site to post such things, but I had quite an experience with a couple at the concert last night who was so incredibly rude and obnoxious, I think it would be beneficial for true Toriphiles to be able to vent and hopefully educate those who show up just to fill space how important it is to give Tori and those around her the respect they deserve.

From Ben Polancich

July 21, 1998 - Folks, Tori is in better vocal shape than ever and her stage presence is god-like these days. I couldn't believe it; my mouth was gaping the entire show. I'd heard Precious & Iieee on that Chicago radio show a few months back, but the band really adds quite a flare to the oldies like Cornflake Girl and Sugar.

I was a bit disapointed not to hear Black Dove as the opener, but that disappointment completely dissolved when she played my FAVORITE SONG EVER, "Cooling" as part of secret time. I could not have asked for a better song and she said she was playing it cuz someone had asked her. She also said Rosemont Horizon was the biggest place she played ever and she was gonna pee in her pants. So cute!

Anyway, Waitress sounds a lot better the new way and so does Horses! My god, I didn't even recognize it. I'm so glad I got to see her last tour so I can compare now. Words cannot begin to describe this show!

From Sara Hansen (posted to precious things mailing list)

July 21, 1998 - Hi hi hi,

I attended Tori's concert last night at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago... she said it was the biggest place she'd ever played. :o) It was all around an amazing show, what did the others of you who saw it think? I loved Sugar, it was such a surprise! And the bubbles during Space Dog were trippy. My dad took me, and he was impressed by the light show. I was also surprised that she opened with Precious Things, I was so excited; I was shaking! I can't say enough good things, I loved it! It was my first Tori show, by the way.

Does anyone happen to have the setlist? I realize now that I should have taken a pen and paper, but no, I didn't think it would be necessary. If anyone is making a boot if this, also, I would *love* to have a copy. Thanks!

I noticed that the t-shirts cost $27 instead of $25, as someone posted earlier... how obnoxious. And what's up with the tank top costing more than the girl-sized tee? I ended up getting the girl tee and a program, both of which I am very happy with. The man seated next to me asked to look at my program, and I didn't want to let him do it, I hate having people touch my stuff!! Hehe but he was actually very nice, and pointed out something I never would have noticed. In the program, on the right page with the wedding pictures, there's a picture of Mark in the top right. This guy (thanks if you're reading this, by the way!) noticed that Mark looks like Bender from the Breakfast Club!!! Judd Nelson's character, for those of you not in the know. ;o) I started freaking out, because I love the Breakfast Club, and Mark totally does look just like Bender in that picture. hehe! Everyone go look at your program right now! Oh and sniff it too, it smells like the lyric sheet inside the album! ;o)

Sorry for the rambliness of this, but I'm in a really good mood right now, the show was just so good!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!

From Brad Comer

July 21, 1998 - I just got home from the Chicago show, it was amazing...This isn't a review or anything, just something funny I thought I'd share with you...After Tori went inside, we were still outside, and I walked around her bus. In front of the door, I found two papers...One was an e-mail to Tori News, and one was an excerpt from your page. It was the article from "The Irish Times". Just thought I'd share this little bit with you.

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