North American Plugged '98 Tour
Cleveland, OH
July 22, 1998
Updated August 1, 1998
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North American Plugged '98 Tour
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Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page Tori performed in Cleveland, OH on July 22, 1998 at The CSU Convocation Ctr. during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.  Set ListTori performed Mary, Baker Baker and Silent All These Years solo. Precious Things 1st Encore: 2nd Encore: ReviewsLatest Reviews Are Located After My Own Review Below... From Michael Whitehead (Mikewhy)July 27, 1998 - This concert will always be special to me for one primary reason: I had front row center seats! I did not have such great seats when I arrived at the CSU Convocation Center. In fact, I had 2 seats that were way on the side and with the worst view of any concert I saw so far this year. But I was happy just to be there and to see Tori once again! I travelled to Cleveland with my friend Danica and we arrived shortly before Tori's pre-soundcheck meet & greet. Once again I was unable to get close enough to Tori to say hello, but I had a fun time saying hello to people who recognized me and thanked me for this web site. I must say that meeting all of you is a real joy for me. Thanks for making me feel so welcome. I watched most of the Devlins opening set from my original seat, and then decided to visit the RAINN booth during the later part of their set just to say hello. (I like the Devlins but did not feel compelled to see them several times.) I was glad to see that public was interested in the RAINN booth and that the donation jar seemed full. After I left the booth, something happened that resulted in me and Danica getting upgraded to front row seats. I will not detail exactly how it happened, but suffice it to say there are some wonderful people out there who I am eternally grateful to. You know who you are and I thank you sincerely. You really made this concert a precious memory for me and I will never forget that! My friend Danica was in tears and for a good reason. The seats were exactly in the center of the first row. We were about 15 feet away from Tori as she worked her magic on the keyboards. I had never seen Tori from the front row before, and I must say the experience is remarkable. You can see Tori's every move very clearly. You can see her facial expressions, which are priceless during some songs and one of the main reasons that a seat far away is a liability, I realized just how hard Tori is working during those 100 minutes or so....she is sweating profusely after the second or third number! She is so intense and really into her music. I don't think I have ever seen anyone work so hard during a concert. You can also witness the famous Tori drool in action during some of the more intense material. I wish I could give detailed descriptions of each song, but I was so mesmerized at being that close that I was doing well just to jot down the set list. As soon as the concert started, we stood against the barricade that was 2 feet from the edge of the stage. I don't always advocate standing, especially since I am so tall. but since everyone else did, I really had no choice! The crowd also quickly filled in the empty space that remained in the front row, which resulted in 2 rows of people standing. My feet hurt at the end of the night, but I still enjoyed myself. During the first few songs various photographers were in that little row between the stage and the barricade snapping photos. I sure would like to have some of those pictures! Two powerful songs really made an impression on me that close, and they were "Sugar" and "Cruel". Tori's version of "Sugar" for this tour is more powerful and affecting than any previous version from other tours. During the part where she sings, "Sweet boy when they find you out...", the song gets so intense you can really feel the emotion and power. I already mentioned how much I liked "Cruel" in my Chicago review from a few days ago. This song is so theatrical and is even more dramatic up close. Tori really has fun with pronunication and her gestures during the verses are priceless. God, how exciting! Hearing the elusive "Mary" at this show was a real treat. Tori's voice was smooth and beautiful during the song. It was one of those sweet moments that give you chills and make you glad to be there. Tori did not talk too much during this show, but her music spoke volumes. "Space Dog" and "The Waitress" rocked as usual, and watching the band interact during these numbers was fun. I could see just how hard Matt Chamberlain was pounding those drums, and the communication between Steve Caton and Tori was fascinating. The end of "The Waitress" is intense no matter where you are, but when you are up close the beat seems to premeate your internal organs and you become part of the song. I was shaking visibly at the end of that one. Wow. At the beginning of "The Waitress" before Tori started singing, I could see just how strongly she seemed to be concentrating. She almost seemed to be on a different plane of consciousness for a while as she prepared for that demanding number. It was an experience I will never forget. There were only 2 small negatives to the entire night. First of all, there was a man standing behind me who kept elbowing me during the final songs. He also sang some during the songs, and his voice was NOT impressive. Fortunately, this only happened during the encores. I later heard this same individual complaining bitterly about the quality of the show and the venue it was in. He was extremely negative and I was glad to get some distance away from that person. Sorry you were not happy sir, but I feel that these are some of Tori's best and strongest shows, and she is dealing with the arena-like venues brilliantly (and I say that even when I don't have the best seats!) Secondly, because the venue is so large, the quality of the vocals was a little muffled in the front row. That seems to be an unavoidable effect of being that close. That is not really a complaint. Being up front is the ultimate location, but people about 10 rows back likely did have slightly better sound. I think about this concert now and I get a chill. Thank you Tori. From Curt CokerAugust 1, 1998 - Thank you very much for your excellent review, and for the Web site. My wife (Alison) and I had to do landscaping all day to earn a pair of third row center seats from somebody "who knew somebody" but didn't even know who Tori was. Some people drove all day to see Tori. We dug holes, installed shrubs, mulched, and weeded on the Saturday before the concert. Then on the day of concert we drove about 20 minutes. It sure was worth it. We saw some of the offerings for Tori being received by the bodyguard, and I am pretty sure that we saw you, Danica, Laura, and Stephanie because we were about six feet from the exact center of the first row. I probably have pictures of the backs of your heads and of the tall guy mentioned in other reviews. If Laura and Stephanie are who I think they are, they are both very pretty. One of them was brunette and wore a tube top. The other had long blonde hair with ribbons tied all through it. They were sitting behind us in the fourth row during the Devlins' show and moved up front for Tori, where they seemed to be having a very wonderful, moving experience. I thought that the Devlins were OK. Good lyrics, anyway, and they seemed like very nice guys. Their music paled compared to Tori's... but then there are not many people who can compete with Tori, so I'll get off the Devlins' backs. First, let's get my complaints about Tori's show out of the way. I agree
that Tori's voice was muffled, and I agree that the bass wasn't very
distinct. At the time, I blamed both on the closeness of our "seats"
(actually, they were not seats at all, but rather chairs that we stood in
front of). Not hearing Winter, China, Little Earthquakes (wouldn't the bass
be killer with a well-amplified band?), Smells Like Teen Spirit, Icicle,
Sister Janet, and Yes, Anastasia was a disappointment. The "plugged" format
probably excluded most of those tunes. Worst of all, Tori didn't play a six
hour concert and talk to each of us individually I memorized the set list during the concert, and the only title that I was
not able to write down when I got home was Mary. Beautiful tune. It was
one of several surprises or variations that made the concert so much fun.
Alison and I have seen Tori several times and have listened to her CDs
endlessly, so it was really good to hear a new twist put on some old tunes
through the use of the band. It used to be distracting when Tori had to
resort to a taped accompaniment for God, Cornflake Girl, or Space Dog. Way
too inorganic. The band made those three particularly enjoyable. It was
also fun to see Tori interacting with a band, and instead of constraining
her to play things the same way all of the time in order to keep from
throwing-off the other band members, the presence of a band seemed to be
musically liberating for her. She was able to do some off the wall stuff
while the band members kept things together. In the past, she had to work
so hard to carry sole responsibility for keeping each tune together that she
didn't have as much latitude to go off into uncharted territory.
My other observations don't add anything to what has already been said. July 30, 1998 - As a stadium (even a small stadium) concert it was great. The band played well and the crowd was much more respectful than any other stadium
concert that i have ever been too. Tori sang very powerfully and very
passionately, something i've come to expect from her. her band was very good
and steve caton (her guitarist) was way cool.
However, I definitely did not enjoy this concert as much as i had her
previous two tours. Tori is special because she's a personable, almost
intimate performer. She draws the crowd into her song and makes you a part of
it. In a stadium, plugged, scene, she neither does nor attempts to do this.
There are differences in the setting, the crowd and the music that makes this
impossible. At previous Tori concerts, I have heard the sweet sound of the
harpsichord, a piano played upon by a virtuoso, and a voice that drips honey
and venom. At this concert, I heard a synthesizer and a piano on steroids that
was filtered through an electronic box and amplified to such a degree as to lose
its quality.
The crowd was different at this concert as well. Previous concerts had
an initimate feeling, a feeling that all the fans were pretty well connected.
almost like an extended family. You could start conversations with folks from
all over and talk about what you like and dislike and the road trip to the
concert; everything was a topic of discussion because we were all excited to
see Tori. It was a truly intimate time between her fans. At this concert,
the more trendy, yuppy types who had showed up with their kids and those folks
who had just latched on to tori (read just went to college) dominated the scene
(I know I'm going to be flamed on this judgement call, but really...). Several
times, I witnessed rude jocks who had been dragged to the concert by their
girlfriends push their way through lines and crowds, and then sit through the
concert with a bored expression on their face. And the crowd's behaviour
during the concert was just as atrocious. Granted, they weren't kicking and
shoving (most of them anyway), but I had never been to a Tori concert where
people stood and danced in their seats like a bunch of hooligans while blocking
other's view of the stage, or interuppted her songs with yells, catcalls and
clapping. The clapping was the worst of all. Do not clap to "Silent
All These Years." You make yourself out to be a person with absolutely no
musical taste or dignity.
As for the music, it was well played and performed; well done Tori.
However, I have come to listen to tori songs as less rockish and more, well,
Tori songs. Rock accompaniament to "Sugar", I believe, only takes away from
the beauty of the song. Granted, its interesting to hear it played a different
way but the new interpretation should be selected for how it enhances the song,
not detract. I listen to Tori for a different sound than pop culture. Some
songs can use rock accompaniament, but not the entire time. "The Waitress"
definitely has a wonderful change in dynamics that roars with the band, but at
other times in the song, the band should not have played at all because they
take away from the aesthetics of the song.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I enjoyed the concert
immensely. It was good to see Tori again, rocking and singing with such
enthusiasm and passion. As stadium concerts go, it was a good. But Tori,
please don't have another plugged tour again. The impish red-head with a piano
is what I have come to love, not an electric band. July 30, 1998 - Ok so I was bored and I was reading through the comments on the
Cleveland show and I felt compelled to ask: Didn't anyone comment on
the fact that the bass player's tone was awful? I mean it may have been
where I was sitting (way back in 207) but he had no attack that I could
hear and not much in the way of highs or mids. Don't get me wrong I
loved the show but this urked me. He didn't have the problem with the
upright & german bow so I'm going to assume it was a mixing problem.
I'm not the only one who thought this. My friend Jackie and I went to a
Perkins after the show and met some other people from the concert and
they agreed with me. It would also be nice if some of Tori's fans
realized that when a row of four of you get up and dance in most
situations that is going to block the view of the people in the row
behind. Still it was a great show and Tori was of course very good.
Well worth a 6 hour drive from Mid Michigan (long story about that I
won't bother with). Well I think I'll shut up now. July 28, 1998 - I have to start by saying just how beyond indescribable this concert was for me, and how because of the state of unbelievable awe I was in, details are
going to be difficult to recall.
It was my first Tori concert. We left for the CSU Convocation Center about
7:15, and when downtown came into sight, my heart jumped in my chest. Then
the Center itself, and the knowledge that Tori was actually *here*, in
Cleveland tonight ... wow.
I brought my sister (heh) who is not quite as big of one as I am, but a Tori
adorer nonetheless. We waited in line to get in (to be frisked -- fun) and I
really became aware of the diversity that is the EWF. I bought a tour program
and my sister bought a program and the "Liquid Diamonds" t-shirt, and just as
we walked backed into the arena, the lights went out for the Devlins.
These guys aren't bad at all. I kept thinking to myself, More unimaginative
"alternative" music, but hey, they held their own.
After their set, the lights went up for about a half-hour. I'd been to the
Convocation Center for a soccer game before, and it was clear that half of the
arena was curtained off and not even used, and even the half that was wasn't
nearly filled. *Maybe* 5,000 people. Just a guess.
One of my only complaints came out of this intermission. I sat next to two
girls who, even though sitting in the center of the row, insisted upon getting
up every five minutes. One of these times, while I was standing to let them
out, I (stupidly) stepped on my program, which was under my chair, denting the
cover pretty badly.
Around 9:20, the lights dimmed once again, and my heart jumped (once again).
Though I wanted to wait to be sure, I figured the opener would be "Precious
Things." As soon as she walked out, I realized how great it was to have a
head-on view of the stage and how unreal it was that a person I've been
adoring for almost two years was playing not 200 feet from me. By the way, I
*think* it was Mikewhy I saw get front row, center, pressed to the stage the
whole time, lucky bastard ;)
Anyway, "Precious Things" was about 586 times better than Glastonbury (my only
previous experience with it). What an incredible, insanely amazing way to
open the night. It absolutely blew me away, and my binoculars were perched on
my nose to see her grab her pink, sparkly apron (and herself) for the
"grrrrrl" part.
Pretty much everyone on the floor was standing by now.
"Precious Things" led right into a so-so version of "iieee." There was a
really beautiful little new part to it, but other than that, the song wasn't
amazing. The lighting, however, was exceptional. I loved the lighting
throughout the night.
Even though I knew Tori had played "Sugar" before on the tour, it surprised
me. Pleasantly. This band version is much preferable to any other version
I've heard. A very enjoyable number, and I loved when she started something
like "you're not perfect, boy, no..." Ended beautifully.
Then she introduced the guys as her brothers, Caton: guitars, Matt: hits
things, Jon: he and his own bass or something. It was a little difficult
sometimes to make out what she said. This led to a rockin' version of "God."
If I had been as loose then as I was by the end, I would have been dancing.
Great great great.
I might have this and "Playboy Mommy" confused, but I think "Cruel" was next.
Wow. Very fiery, and I absolutely loved the improv. I'm so glad to see the
piano is used so much in this song. I think it was during "Cruel" that she
got down off the bench and hunched down under the piano a little and started
singing from there.. very cool. It might not have been "Cruel" though, my
memory sucks ;) By now, also, I had picked up on her hand signals, and I
loved (and kind of dreaded the imminent end of the song) to see her signal her
last repeat. Kind of cute. I also just remembered, when she sang "my vine
twists around..." she did some weird twisting movements with her hands and
gestured obviously to her crotch at "...your need" ;)
Ah, "Playboy Mommy." Not very good, this one. I wasn't happy at all with
this, it seemed almost forced: yet, it received more applause than any song
thus far. Undeserved, IMO -- the worst of the night.
Because of a new intro (?) I didn't pick up on what "Cornflake Girl" was at
first. However, it turned into my second-favorite performance of this all-
time. I think maybe the piano was a little lacking, but the bass was PERFECT.
*Secret time*
The guys go away, and Tori says, "This is the first time I've played this song
on this tour, so I'm probably gonna fuck up" The other secret time song was a very sad "Baker Baker." I've recently
learned to *love* this song, so I had a little tear in my eye by the second
verse. I was very glad to hear this song. I *was* hoping for "Winter," but
hey, beggars can't be choosers.
The guys come back for the only Boys for Pele song tonight, "Putting the
Damage On." Jon was great on the string bass, the bow moreso than plucking.
I could really have done without the drums. They were very obtrusive, putting
a damper on such a nice version otherwise.
"Space Dog" loosened me up. I was grooving in my seat to this, what an
awesome version. I wondered if my sister wasn't thinking strange things of
me, but I decided I didn't care.
On to a respectable version of "Spark." It seems not much can be done with
this song live, yet it doesn't grow old to me. Again, the "how many fates"
part was powerful, gave me plenty of shivers. The lighting was very cool.
"The Waitress" was, IMO, the best of the night. wow. wow. wow. The "hang
ten, hang ten honey I'm gonna go where she goes..." part was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I
know I was looking a bit strange grooving and jamming in my seat, and the girl
next to me was definitely into it, doing very interesting spellcasting-like
hand movements for most of the song.
Tori and the band hug and such, then leave to a deafening cheering and
lighters. They come back for an incredible version of "She's Your Cocaine."
I'm not overly fond of the album version of this, but I was ready to get up
and dance to it live. I loved it.
While I was grooving, I'm thinking, Oh yeah, "Raspberry Swirl" *has* to be
next! Alas, it was "Crucify." It wasn't hard to groove to this though. A
very smooth, lovely song this has become live, much much better than the
annoying album version.
She and the band leave, again to more noise and more lighters (and another
draft of cigarette and grass smoke wafts downward). The five disco balls
start spinning and Tori does a beautiful "Silent All These Years" solo.
Annoyingly, during the second verse some (unintelligent) audience members
began CLAPPING with the beat -- CLAPPING! Since when has "Silent All These
Years" been gospel, I'd like to know. ;) Tori, subtle but sure, shook the
already rhythmless morons off her back by changing tempo suddenly and back
before they could recover. I cracked a wide grin at this.
All in all, a beautiful, beautiful show. Not a very *original* set, and I was
disappointed "Caught a Lite Sneeze" didn't show up, but my first Tori concert
was utterly incredible. I'm wondering if it wasn't a dream, but I have a t-
shirt and a dented program to show for it, plus a shit-piece of paper with my
crude set list chicken-scratched in the dark all over it. ;) July 28, 1998 - My friend Larua and and I attended the july 22 Cleveland show. We are huge fans and had very important letters to give her. We went to the meet and greet
and met her and gave her our letters. We were not positive about her even
getting to read them. But then after she sang her second song Iieee she
started talking about letters she had read back stage and how beautiful they
were. The she said "Laura and Stehanie this is for you" and then sang "God"
for us. It was amazing! We cried and screamed. We were in Foruth row and then
they moved us up to first row in the middle of her performance. It was the
most incredible thing ever.
What I was wanting to know is if you knew anyone who had a bootleg of the
show. I would love to have it. If you know anyone who has it or anyone who has
information on it please let me know. it is so important to me. Thanks. July 27, 1998 - Hi Mike. I enjoyed sharing the jamming convocation center with you last night. My two best friends and were seated in the 28th row on the floor,
which was about in the middle of the floor, and the closest I'd ever been
to the stage at a Tori concert. The opening act, The Devlins, were very
nice, but I was too nervous and excited to pay much attention. After the
Devlins, the crew took a long time to set the stage for Tori. We were
seated right next to the techies (sounds and light boards, etc.) and out
of the blue I saw Mark Hawley, Tori's husband. He's much more dashing in
person. He was talking to a girl, so I finally got up the nerve to
approach him, but he left. Then I had the luck to see Joel, Tori's
bodyguard. He was very nice (even though he called me babe). I had
brought a card and a red tulip for Tori. He said he'd bring them back to
her right now as he was just going backstage to see her. He asked where I
was sitting, and then told me to rush right up to the barricades as soon
as the lights had dimmed before the encore. "Because you can," he said
and smiled. I went back, shaking, to my seat. Finally the lights were
out. Everyone, inc, myself, started screaming. The lights came on; the
band was already on stage. It took Tori a few minutes to get out there.
I heared people screaming before I saw her, coming out of the smoke,
smiling real big and waving. She was wearing a sparkly pink apron like
dress and a black shirt and leggings, looking smashing as always. She
launched right into "Precious Things". Everyone stood up, which was fine
except I couldn't see a damn thing. I was wearing heels and I'm not a
short woman. That was frustrating. What I could see was wonderful.
"iiieee" was pumping and very powerful; her voice sounded so strong on the
opening vocalizations. She didn't talk too much; she thanked people who
had written her notes (I swallowed my heart) very sweetly. She played a
great, jazzy little intro into "Cornflake Girl"-- which she and Caton
really jammed. A little interlude in "Cruel" was very powerful, almost
mezmorizing. "Spark" of course brought the house down. My only wish is
that the band hadn't been so loud. I missed hearing Tori and her piano
clearly sometimes. The last song was "Waitress" with a beautiful new
ending where she sings "give me peace" over and over. The lights dimmed,
and we ran to the front of the stage, winning over the burly staff man who
tried to stop us. We were about in the second row. When Tori came back
on I was so close, I couldn't believe it. She played "She's your Cocaine"
which was really sultry, then launched into "Crucify", which is very
different and very beautiful live. What she does with the harmonies is
wonderful. For the final encore she came on alone and played "Silent All
these Years". That was very special to me, since I mentioned in my letter
to her what an impact it had on my life during a hard time. The disco
balls and white lights were twirling around her. I felt like I was in a
fiary tale, some kind of magic was happening. It was over far too soon.
A girl next to me caught the set list and showed it to us: In place of
"Silent" she was going to play "Mother". I don't know if my letter
changed her mind, but it was very magical and moving all the same. After
the show, my friends and I waited behind some barriers next to the tour
buses. It started to rain, then pour. I had dyed my hair red for the
occasion. Red hair dye started to run over my shoulers and new blue dress.
it didn't matter, because she strided out, under a big black umbrella.
Everyone pushed. I couldn't see her, only the occasional top of a red
head! I had brought a tape of some songs that I had written. A kind boy
next to me overheard and said" that's important. You have to give it to
her. We'll give it to her." But she was leaving, getting back into the
limo. We all started crying out to her. The limo started to move past
us. We all reached out our hands, into the rain. The tape was in my
head. A girl grabbed the tape and passed to another girl. This wonderful
wonderful girl climbed onto the guardrail, reached out her arm so far and
as the limo passed (the window was down, tori was waving) threw it into
the window. Tori saw the tape, reached out for it, but missed. But a
security guy who was walking next to the limo picked it up and promised to
give it to her today. That was the most magic moment of my life. Thank
you so very much to that wonderful girl and everyone else who was there in
the rain. That's what it's about. Thanks. July 27, 1998 - Yesterday July 22 was absolutely the best day of my life. My dream of 7 years to meet Tori FINALLY came true. I can't believe it right now.. it still hasn't sunk
in yet. Around 11:00am my friend Stephanie came to pick me up to go to the
Tori Meet and Greet at the CSU convocation center. In the morning the sun
was not out at all.. and the wind was chilly..I decided to dress in pants...
dumb idea..We got to the Convocation Center around 11:30am.. there were only
about 15 people there at that time. So we waited and waited.. and the sun
began to come out. After eating some lunch.. sweating ALL the water out of
us.. and bitting all our nails off.. things started to get a little hectic.
A woman came over near me, I can't remember her name and I feel SO bad for
that cause she helped me out SO much. I think it was Denise, but I'm not
sure. She was the sweetest woman. She came over and asked us (Stephanie and
I) if we would like to look at some pictures. We said yes. She has a photo
album FILLED with pictures of Tori.. I mean pictures that she had taken of
Tori and pictures that were of her and Tori.. and even pictures that Tori
had sent her! I couldn't believe it! The woman had been to SO many Tori
shows and had met Tori SO many times that they knew eachother on a first
name basis. The woman and her friends were from Detroit.. they follow Tori
all over the place.
After Denise (I'm just going to call her that.. and if any of you read
this and know who I'm talking about and I got her name wrong I'm SO sorry..
I'm not good with names, but I don't want to call her "woman" anymore.) left
to go walking around I began to get REALLY worried that I wasn't going to be
able to meet Tori.. or at least give my letter and my gifts to her; I
started to cry. The whole time I'm thinking.. ' I have to go talk to Denise,
maybe she will help me out' and then I would become afraid because I didn't
want her to think that I was only asking her this because I only wanted to
talk to Tori and that I was using her to do that. That was not my plan at
all. I didn't know the girl I had went with too well. I had only met her
once; when she sold me the Tori ticket for fourth row. And I was afraid to
cry too much in front of her, besides the fact that I needed a mother figure
at that point.. and Denise was older than me.. and had the most loving
face.. do you know what I'm talking about? I was just drawn to her.. she was
comforting. So I went over to talk to her.. and I soon as she stood up to
talk to me I started to cry. Through tears I tried to ask her if there was
anyway she could help me out with meeting Tori. She said "sure, just stay
with me or the guy right here (and she pointed to her REALLY tall friend ..
he was so funny) And so I stayed with her. By then the heat was insane. Me
and Stephanie had paper towels to wipe off the sweat the was dripping down
our foreheads.
At this point people were in a big bunch waiting for the guards to put
up the baracades. They finally did and people started pushing and shoving to
get to the front.. I got lost for a little bit.. but then Denise found me
and pulled me up towards her. (thank the faeries) Now imagine this.. being
smooshed in a little section of land with about 50 people in the scorching
hot sun .. it was AT LEAST 90 degrees outside and then with all the body
heat it has to be 120 degrees. I'm so suprised I didn't faint. I really
thought I was going to.. thank the faeries again that I didn't.
We waited there for about 45 mins, and finally Tori's limo pulled up.
Keith (the security guard) got out of the car.. and reached for Tori's hand
to help her out.. and there she was! Waving with a huge smile on her face..
wearing a light blue shirt with something underneath.. and I couldn't see
her legs.. but I think they might have been slacks. Oh she is just the MOST
beautiful being on earth. I'm crying now as I'm writing this because it was
just SO emotionally overwhelming to be that close to her... to HER. And she
went directly over to Denise.. I couldn't believe it. I tried to take
pictures of her.. but I'm sure none of them will come out .. my hands were
shaking way too bad. And Tori and Denise talked for a while (the longest
that Tori talked to anyone there) and Tori said something about having to
talk to her later cause there's not too much time or something. And then
Denise pointed me out. And I'm standing there.. sweat pooring down my face,
I'm as red as a tomato from sunburn after waiting for so long, my eyes are
filled with tears.. which by now are all over me.. on my shirt... other
people.. I'm sobing. And Tori looks at me with the most ANGEL face I have
ever seen and says.. "Hi.. what's your name?" and I managed some how through
all the tears.. my stomach being in my throat.. to say "Laura.." and she
says back in the most teeny-tiny voice.. "Hi, Laura.." and she reaches her
hand out to me. I took her hand after what seemed like forever of trying to
balance my presents... it was so small and soft.. and I remeber the ring she
had on.. I can see what her hand looks like PERFECTLY. And then people
started to reach out too.. and then she was gone. I was in shock.. I was
crying my eyes out.. I mean the crying where you can't breath.. and the guy
next to me (one of the people that Denise came with) kept rubbing my back
and asking me if I was ok. That was very comforting to me. Those people were
SO nice. I wish they lived out here.. but the live in Detroit
unfortunalty...
Some how I managed to get my "Tori Stories" box set autographed.. people
passed it forward.. and I managed to get my presents and letter to Tori.
And I managed also to pass my camera to a few people to take pictures for
me.. hopefully some will come out.. but if not that is ok. After everything
was over.. and we were out of the baracades me and Stephanie hardly spoke..
we were in shock.. complete shock. I was so happy and it didn't matter to me
that I wasn't able to get a picture with Tori.. I was happy with what I got
.. and NO COMPLAINTS AT ALL.
Somehow me and Stephanie managed to pass the time between the Meet and
Greet and the actual show.. I don't know how.. but we did. The doors to the
Convocation center opened around 7:00pm.. we went straight in and bought our
Tori gear. I got a black baby tee that says "Rasperry Swirl Girl Tori Amos"
on it and another t-shit that has the picture of Tori in blue with the
lyrics to "Liquid Diamonds" on it... it is quite and amazing design. And of
course I bought a Tour Book.
The thing I keep remembering is when Stephanie kept saying "What if Tori
mentions our letters?" And I was thinking.. ' there is NO WAY she will do
that...' I think Stephanie knew something I didn't...
I used one of the panflits that they handed out at the door to write
down the set list:
1. Tori opened with "Precious Things".. sounded GREAT!.. love the intro
with the drums..
2. iieee.. Tori's voice was AMAMZING on this song... and very emotional..
she held her stomach when she sang "sacrifice"... If anyone know ANY of the
ad-libs Tori used to this song PLEASE let me know. I heard a few but from
what happened later in the show.. I completely forgot them.. so please if
you know ANYTHING let me know.
3.Sugar. All I can say about this one is ::sigh:: the ending was fabulous...
just ::sigh::
4. Now here's the part that I've been waiting to get to. If anyone who
attended the show can give me any info on this DON'T hesitate. Tori This is
the first time Tori talked to the audience I believe. She started to say
something like this... " I was back before the show reading some letters..
Laura (That's ME!!) and Stephanie.. your letters were very emotional and
they really moved me...." No here's the part that I REALLY need help with ..
does ANYONE know what she said after that? Because I couldn't even HEAR
anything.. I mean my brain would NOT take in anymore.. I was crying again..
from the shock.. the relief.. the emotion.. everything.. if ANYONE knows
what she said PLEASE (I'm begging) let me know.. thank you. Anyways the song
she played after saying this was "GOD"
5. Cruel .. she did the little dance..
6.Playboy Mommy.. VERY moving for me.. i cried.. The people behind me
started to scream during the song.. and were singing so I moved up closer to
the stage... (better view anyways)...
7. Cornflake Girl .. intro.. if anyone knows it let me know.. sounds VERY
good with the band.
8.Mary.. would have been better if the people behind mer werent singing in
my ear.. but before this I think she said "I have been getting alot of
requests for this.. and also some subliminal messages.. I haven't played
this in a while so I might fu** up.
9. Baker Baker.. one of my favorites during the whole show.. sounded like
she was almost in tears when she sang .. "if you see him.. say hi."
10.Putting The Damage On. WONDERFUL
11. Space Dog..on of the best performances of this song.. there were even
bubbles!! ad-libs again.. you know the drill...
12. Spark.. very sad... but beautiful
13.Waitress.. LOVE this one.. ad-libs again..
1st Encore:
1. She's Your Cocaine.. sounded great
2.Crucify.. another one of my favs..
2nd Encore:
Silent All These Years.
Extremely beautiful.. the only lights were the discoballs.. crowd began to
clap along at one part.. and then the whole crowd was singing for a bit..
very magical..
And that is it.. that was my day/night/review.. I could not have asked for
anything better.. I am still an emotional reck.. but in a good way now.. I'm
drained.. it feels nice..
Please if you can help me out with what Tori said after saying the thing
about the letters .. I would REALLY appreciate it..and if you know any of
the ad-libs let me know PLEASE.. thanks alot.. and thank you to ANYONE who
helped this all to become possible for me.. thank you Denise even if it
isn't your name.. if you read this .. you know who you are. Thank you.. July 27, 1998 - ok i was at the cleveland show tonight and it was awesome. the convocations center was big (luckily we had 9th row center seats) but she really seemed
to connect with the people, at least from where i was sitting. i am not
totally sure of the set list so i am not going to try to guess-- it was such
an amazing moment that i wasn't paying attention to the specifics. my favorite
numbers she did were mary (i was thrilled to hear it!!!), spacedog (bubbles
came down from the ceiling), god, and putting the damage on. she's your
cocaine was great too. her entire performance was beautiful, but those were
some of my favorite points. she seemed to do a lot from under the pink. she
was amazing. i'm so depressed that it is over.
the meet and greet at 4 was really cool, but the lack of organization on
the part of the convo center was disappointing i was lucky enough to talk
with her for like 5 seconds and get my under the pink cd signed, but some fans
weren't. we were kind of corralled into a pen and she did almost nothing but
sign autographs. i felt bad for her. i would have been happy with a picture
with her, and it would have been easier on her hands. i got her a big bottle
of evian, and she said thank you and we told each other that we love each
other and she blew me a kiss. that one moment made my life worth living up to
this point. she was sooo beautiful . . .
after the show i heard people yelling out mikewhy, and i looked to see you but
realized that i do not know what you look like, so that was kind of dumb of me
well, it's late, i am tired, and my typing is prolly really bad. you can post
this if you want. i was just writing to tell you anything that might interest
you and to thank you for the wonderful site and all your hard work. July 27, 1998 - i finally got to see Tori for the first time last nite at CSU in
cleveland. what a show! she played precious things, iieee, sugar, god,
cruel, playboy mommy, cornflake girl, mary, baker baker, putting the
damage on, space dog, spark, the waitress, she's your cocaine &
crucify(first encore), and silent all these years(second encore). she
did mary , baker baker, and silent by herself.
Tori sounded great by herself, but the whole band was just amazing.
songs like space dog and crucify sounded like they were made to be
played that way.
Tori was very interesting to watch; holding her hands behind her back
like she was tied up, and playing the piano and keyboard at the same
time. During iieee, when she sang the "sa-sa-sacrifice" part, she kind
of rubbed her belly.
she chose a really great set list! i was surprised to hear mary and
sugar and they both came out wonderfully!
i thought putting the damage on was great with the band, especially
when the bass player used the stand-up bass w/a bow. it added a really
nice, full sound.
i was able to get my tape recorder in and made a fairly decent
recording of the show. if anyone is interested in getting a copy,
contact me and we can try to work something out!(sarabeen@yahoo.com) July 27, 1998 - Well was July 22, my birthday incidentally, so naturally Iflew from DC to Cleveland to celebrate with Tori. I had eighth row/section one seats
for the first Plugged 98 show I have seen since April at the 9:30 club
('til NYC; Philly; DC). The Devlins seemed to be the typical "mellow out
the kids" opening act...and with the exception of a few girls behing me
screaming "You're hot!" I believe the consensus was, get on with the
show. The show started at eight, but Tori didn't appear until after
9:15. Anticipation was building...screams filled the 6,000 seat arena.
the set:
first encore:
final encore: As you can see my set list is incomplete. Since my emotions were
overwhelmed a few times during the show I can't read some of my notes (I
would love to complete it, if anyone can help).
As for the review, She really had fun stretching some songs out, and
combining layers of sound that the band can create. They are really
tight on this tour, as if we could expect any less. Matt, Steve and Jon
are doing a great job; they are right there when Tori wants them, and
yet seem to know when to pull back and not interfere with her private
moments, in almost every song!
She has gone over the top on every song, and has re-invented them
completely in some cases. For example during the performance of God, a
song we have all heard a million times, the intro was so fresh that it
took the first few lyrics for the crowd to recognize the song. A
brilliant rendition!
The element of surprise is there throughout the show....from beginning
to end! July 27, 1998 - she played mary!!!!!!! i was so floored by that that i nearly sat back into my seat from shock. it is the first time she played it during this tour and
it was the first time that i have ever heard it live!! she played it during
her time alone with us, her time without "the boys".
this was a wonderful show. the croud wasn't that loud and her songs
translated so well to this band thing. she was just stunning musically as
well as physically. i had such a wonderful time at the show. July 27, 1998 - Dear Cleveland Tori Fans:
On behalf of RAINN, I would like to thank you and congratulate you on donating
over $285 to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)! For those of
you who were not present at the concert, at the Cleveland, Ohio Tori show,
there was a RAINN booth which had a drawing for a cK Calvin Klein/RAINN t-
shirt. If you donated $1, you were automatically entered to win the shirt.
Thanks to all of those who donated money and offered to lend their support to
RAINN by volunteering at their nearest rape crisis center. Stop by and see us
in Wallingford, Connecticut on August 4th!!!!
Thanks again for your support! Remember, "there is ALWAYS hope." July 27, 1998 - she decided to include Mary during the soundcheck, and tried playing it during a special two song performance for some 40 lucky winners of an Atlantic records promotion. She played Mary in the wrong key during this performance, and decided to
stay on stage after the 40 (or so) crowd were escorted to a meet and greet room. Then she
worked on getting the song right, for a special Cleveland performance of Mary. You wouldn't know she was having problems earlier would you? During the Cleveland soundcheck, she must have played 'at Sugar' three times or so. July 27, 1998 - Hey. I was lucky (unlucky?) enough to go to three shows on this leg of the tour; chicago, cincinatti, and cleveland. I also had tickets to the detroit
show but I elected not to go. If you know me then you know how I feel about
tori and you know this is a big deal. What? Rachel is not going to a tori
show?? I would like to be a little bit ball-sey here and say I HATE THE
PLUGGED TOUR. I HATE THE LARGE ARENAS. I HATE HAVING TO BRING MY GODDAMN
BINOCULARS TO EVERY SHOW. I HATE disintegration, watching us wither. Really.
i mean, what is happening to tori fans? SInce when did frat boys come to tori
shows in droves and toast the crowd with beer before the goddess took the
stage? (as happened in cincinatti.) I also was saddened by the meet-and-
greets. I miss the old days with the orderly lines and companionship. The
tori fans I met seemed wierdly competitive, especially the group of girls at
the front of the post-show mob in cleveland. They were bragging about tori
encounters and tori tatoos. Please. Oh, one more thing I HATE THE GODDAMN
SPEECH. I HATE THE MEET AND GREET SPEECH. I HATE IT. WHEN I AM IN THE BACK
AND I HEAR THE SPEECH, IT MAKES ME WANT TO PUSH VERY VERY HARD. IT DOES NOT
COMPELL ME TO BEHAVE NICELY.
But, I love tori so much that I know I will try to see her later this tour. I
will continue to obsess. I will get that frog tatoo on my toe next week, but
I will NOT PROUDLY DISPLAY IT IN ORDER TO RANK MYSELF ABOVE OTHER TORI FANS.
I think it is wonderful that so many people share my feelings of love and
admiration for tori. I just am feeling a little bit cranky right now. My
hope is that after this tour she'll downsize and I can have my old tori back,
without the beer or the bragging.
Rachelhb@aol.com - I am fully expecting some hate-mail for this review!
p.s. my god. mary was beautiful in cleveland. Cooling? Wow. Those are
moments worth living for. I want to be clear that the shows were great
musically. tori's voice is right on. I'm just scared because I've never felt
so empty after a tori show. July 27, 1998 - Hi Mike!!! First off, it was great to meet you and get a chance to talk to you!!! That made the night even better!! I thought the show was amazing!!
Tori only played 5 tracks from FTCH and a lot of her previous stuff. I don't
remember the complete setlist but here are some songs that i do remember:
Precious Things I think that's all of them, but no way in that order. She played Butterfly(i
think that's what it was..) and Baker Baker solo and Silent All These Years
solo for her last encore. She opened with Precious Things. It was amazing to
see her and her band interact, the bass player really got into it!! The band
was awesome. She talked about reading letters before the concert and thanked
a few fans and said the letters really touched her. She also said it was
always nice to come back here. She was wearing a black outfit with a shiny
silvery sparkly apron thing over it. There was a meet and greet at around
4:30-5:00 behind the arena, there were maybe 50 of us there. i didn't get to
meet her but i got some good pictures and she waved to me and smiled when i
screamed I love you tori!!! there's just so much to say about this amazing
experience!! i was in front row so i had a great view of her and the band.
The sound was great and her energy was high, though earlier at the meet and
greet she said that she was very tired, which would be expected. I GAVE MY
CAMARA TO A GIRL THAT HAD A PHOTO PASS AND WORKED FOR SOME MAGAZINE, SHE WAS TAKING PICTURES FOR ME BUT I NEVER GOT MY CAMERA BACK!!! IT WAS A GREEN
DISPOSABLE ONE SO IF YOU READ THIS AND YOU STILL HAVE MY CAMERA EMAIL ME
PLEASE!!!! I met so many wonderful people!!! Hello to Rachel who owns her
own independent clothing company!!! Toriphiles are such nice wondeful
people!! There were two very enthusiastic guys in the front row center that
looked like they were having a blast , they were certainly the most into it!!
i would have liked to meet those guys!! seemed like fun!! oh yeah, i loved
the way she said "friends" in cruel, it was awesome, and she started CG with a
slow beautiful intro!!! The concert was just amazing!!! July 27, 1998 - I just got home from my first Tori concert and all I have to say is "WOW!" It was the most amazing thing I have ever experanced. I don't remember the whole
set list, but she played more of her older stuff then I expected (esp. stuff
from UTP), and very little off of FTCGH, only Crule, Spark and Playboy Mommie.
She also only played one song for her second onc., Silent all these Years,
which was beatifull. All in all, it was a very positive moving experince and I
can't wait to see her again!----Lindsey Wilber July 27, 1998 - Of course the show was fatastic. The set list, band, lighting,
performance were all up to any Toriphiles standards. The transition to
larger venues clearly isn't a problem for her.
The highest highlights were Sugar, Crucify, Silent and the epic Waitress!
TIPS!!!
Take binoculars (whether it's your first time or you remember the 500 seat clubs from LE, they will make the experience much more enjoyable - I miss not seeing her facial gestures, but I was happy to have the privledge to see her again and the binoculars helped)
DO NOT GET UPSET (if someone is talking, singing, smoking, coming & going -unfortunately these are all part of Tori's 'success' and more fans)(most longtime fans wish everyone would pay attention to every word, but that's not the case so don't let it bother you)
bootlegging would've been VERY easy
ENJOY!!! July 27, 1998 - Precious Things Then Tori says she might "fuck up"; then she says "Arf!" July 27, 1998 - My friends and I decided to go to the Meet and Greet in Cleveland.
We're from Southern Indiana. We were 8 hours from home, and were the
first people there for the meet and greet..... We got to touch her
and talk to her for more than 2 minutes.... It was exciting. She
signed my arm and I'm going tomorrow to get a tatoo of exactly what
she signed. She drew a picture for me on my shoulder to get tattooed
and she gave me a hug, called me a peach and a sweetie and told me to
kiss her on the cheek. She's the most amazing person in the world.
I'm glad that I went and experienced this. I can die now. I can die
a happy man..... July 27, 1998 - I went to 3 shows this week (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit) and I think that Cleveland may have been the best that i saw. I had donated $20 to
RAINN out in the corridor, and as i put the money in the jar, I wished
for SATL (i was just in the mood for it) and I got my wish, in a Grand
way, as SATL was her last song! SATL was a beautiful visual experience,
especially since they did the disco balls during that song, and it
looked like Tori and the whole place was in a starry night sky. I'll
remember that one forever. In the upper decks there was a large
platform that people made into a dance floor and it was awesome to dance
to Tori singing "Shes Your Cocaine" not to mention the songs that
followed. I also loved "Putting The Damage On". It was a great show!
She met with us in the pouring rainn soon after the show, we all got
soaked but we loved it. One guy i know got the meet & greet on video,
it was really a time to remember.
--Joe C, Michigan, db@ic.net July 27, 1998 - I had upper level cause my lazy sister didn't get off her bum to get tix sooner. The crowds in the upper level were duds, at least in the section
I was in. Lots of fluff chicks who only knew "Crucify" and "Spark". I
wanted to dance, but I knew if I did, they'd hairspray me!
First of all, Tori and her band were fantastic!!! Tori just rocks the
house and is phenomenal with a band, lots and lots of energy.
However, I was dissapointed because the Cleveland Convo center is just
HUGE, almost too big for Tori, even though there were few empty seats.
Even though she really rocked, it seemed more impersonal, since the venue
was so big. She didn't talk much at all, but this may be because of
factor that the larger the crowd, the more chance people will yell over
her and be disrespectful. Also since the show was so energetic, perhaps
stopping to chit chat with some 8000 people would somehow hinder or
decrease the energy level.
Which brings me to my next point - the show was so energetic that it felt
like that Tori & the band were in a hurry to get through the show. Even
the encores were kinda rushed. I couldn't believe it when the show was
over - perhaps I was in some sort of spell and experience missing time
syndrome, but the show seemed so short!
Am I spoiled because the UtP and BfP concerts were so more intimate that
the concerts seemed more like a magical journey? Dont get me wrong, I
loved the concert, but it was just that - a rock concert! I love Tori
though, and while I was looking forward to seeing her with a band, I hope
someday its just her & her piano again. I feel like such a crank because
I thought I'd never hear myself say that!
ps: Mary was cool, I never really cared for the song until she played it
live in Cleve! And Putting the Damage On, with Jon Evans on the double
bass(??) was gorgeous. Waitress was excellent, Tori seemed nearly to
froth at the mouth! Some girl talked through Baker Baker, thanks you
disrepectful idiot, for ruining the mood! So sad she didn't play Liquid
Diamonds or Raspberry Swirl. SATY with disco balls and lights, oddly
serene. July 27, 1998 - i miss her stories.. she used to tell little stories between most of the songs and now she says one thing, maybe two during the entire show.. i miss her
intimacy with the audience. just because she has a band doesn't mean
she can't be intimate with us. and the other thing: matt chamberlin [that's
his name, right?] needs a stage presence desperately. i'm not putting him
down cuz he's a really good drummer, it's just that he'd be a lot better if
he didn't just sit there stiffly drumming away.. i love how the bassist and
caton get into the music, but matt just drums.. i dunno. [Note from Mikewhy: He seemed pretty lively to me!] |
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