North American Plugged '98 Tour
Binghamton, NY
November 10, 1998
Updated December 18, 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 Binghamton, NY on November 10, 1998 at Broome County Arena during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.  Set ListTori performed Hey Jupiter, Upside Down and A Case Of You solo. I must thank Matt Page for calling me on the phone after the show with the set list. Richard Handal also phoned me with details. Danielle was the first to email me the set list. Precious Things 1st Encore: 2nd Encore: |
ReviewsThe most recently added reviews are first. From Michael HeikerDecember 18, 1998 - German Toriphile Michael Heiker made it to the states toward the end of the Plugged '98 tour and described his touring experiences in a post to the Tori News mailing list. This includes not only the Binghamton show, but also the Rochester, Poughkeepsie, Amherst, Burlington, Lowell and Durham shows as well. Subject: 2 weeks Tori in the U.S.A....my Review... Hi there ! This is a little attempt to describe my experiences during 2 weeks in the U.S.A. - following Tori on her Plugged '98 - Tour. I'm not the first one who's done this..maybe you know the great review from Eric with a 'c "The American Experience" that you can read [on the Dent]. Originally I would've been one of those German Toriphiles who went to the States in June/August '98 but as live goes..first I had to solve some personal problems.. Anyway.. At the end I finally took a flight to New York and saw Tori on the 7 Concerts in Binghampton, Rochester, Poughkeepsie, Amherst, Burlington, Lowell and Durham near the end of her tour. Rurik, Melanie and Jenny from Germany were already in the States since the 06th respectively 07th November and I was happy to see them again. Everything I had in my mind about the States was like: How difficult is it to get the Tickets ? What people will I meet ? Is it possible to come in the 1st or 2nd row during the Concerts ? How easy is it to meet Tori in the U.S.A. respectively what difference is between the Meet'n'Greets in Europe and the States ? And much more.. So I was anxious to see the first concert in Binghampton and how everything would work.. It was just ingenius.. I always got my tickets even when the show was sold out as in Poughkeepsie. And really.. I met some wonderful Toriphiles during these 2 weeks. Thank you all for making my time in the U.S.A. one of the best times in my life. Toriphiles like Richard, Linda, Laura, William, Matt P., Jeremy, Gina, Emi, Tony, Jessin, Paul, Matt D., Nicole, the Canadians in Burlington and so many others... you made my days.. What definitely impressed me was the driving - just following Tori through nearly the whole East of the States. Rurik, Melanie, Jenny and I rented a lovely Pontiac 8-seat Van for about 11 days and this was one of the best ideas we could have. Driving..just driving..seeing the sky turning from day into night from red into black. Watching the rivers and seas near the streets. Hearing Tori's Music in full loudness on the speakers (and Natalie, Jeff, Peter, Loreena...). Seeing wonderful houses..we felt like in the TV-Series "North and South". If I only could find some money..I would buy one of these ingenius looking houses. Driving....seeing the nature in full colour...and searching for every *sorry* god-forsaken town to see Tori. Finding some wonderful CD-Shops and a *grin* FABULOUS Chocolate-Shop (..you know what I mean Rurik, Mel and Jenny...) making the owners happy people..and myself a poor person.. Wondering why it takes so long 'til the next stop on the Interstate to rest a while (ok..I mean..I come from Germany and it was a strange feeling for me cause in my country there are much more exits to rest and maybe something nearby the Interstates..but yes..it's another country..and definitely longer streets..haha..). Finding places like the "Black Swan Inn" - more to this later.. - and sleeping in a House in Corning (thank you Matt P.) ...several Motels..in the car...and before the last concert in Durham in a indescribable house from 1724 with a nice cat and ingenius king-size beds... All that together - TORI and the band in concert - the great American/Urugay/Canadian Toriphiles - us four crazy germans - these lovely places like "Butcher King, Mack Donot, Wendywant's it" and and and.. they made this two weeks memorable ! For me one of the main problems seemed to be if I come in the 1st or 2nd row again during the General Admission Concerts (and if possible to the front of the stage in the other venues like Poughkeepsie). In Europe respectively in Germany it was never a huge thing to get there but you know..it's the States..maybe it's different.. But - no - it wasn't that difficult to get there. I was once again the lucky guy and nearly every time I saw Tori from the 1st row, mostly directly in the middle. You can call me crazy but getting front row is something I'm addicted to... Anyway...it was great to see how (especially in Burlington) Rurik, Mel, Jenny and I were able to make the show a little more "swirling" as it yet was. In Burlington all of us German Toriphiles were in front row and we were out of our mind - just "swirling-swirling-swirling.." - it worked..we infected definitely the first 2nd rows with our ecstasy and joy. This was truly Rock'n'Roll !!! And for the M&G's - I must confess I was kind of shocked... wow...it's really not easy to meet Tori in the U.S.... You had to go out before the 1st encore to have a good chance for the 1st or 2nd row at the After-Show-M&G. I did that in Rochester and got front row (together with Jessin, William and some others). I gave Tori a little card from our first German Tori-Con (OcTori-Fest '98 Germany - see a review about it at the Dent: http://www.thedent.com/germanfest.html ) and she said something like: "um...hmm..I know this one..this one..oh yes and this one" and pointed with her finger on the photo I fixed on the front of the card (sorry that I don't have a picture of the card - it was a personal gift for Tori from all us German EWF's who were at the OcTori-Fest with our signatures and some words for Tori). I was so excited that she remembered so many of us... great.. Together with the card I gave Tori the Lyrics to "Boys in the Trees" from Carly Simon and asked her if she finds some time to play it... She was like "..umm..oooh...hmmm...yeaah...hmmm..." - this means she had a very cute smile on her face saying this..I had some hope.. At the end "SHE" didn't came to her..but this really didn't matter. I was so damn happy to see Tori again, see the Band ! See how much fun they all had - Steve, Jon, Matt - they were just amazing. And in some way I always saw Jon and Steve (and Tori too..) smiling when they watched us crazy Germans from the stage going wild during "Raspberry Swirl" or the "Waitress"... And as live goes in Lowell I got my beautiful "Black Swan" instead of "Boys.." and truly..it was magical. Tori played it really to my surprise... It was kind of funny cause during we waited before the stage for the concert to begin I gave a little brochure of the "Black Swan Inn" to Tori's Bodyguard Steve Sanchez together with a letter of me. The Brochure was really just for Tori's Interest and not meant to play the song ! So it was to my astonishment that she played "HER" this day. I was blewn away... Tori is such a wonderful person - you can't describe it - she's just one of the most lovely and warmhearted persons on the world. Nothing more - nothing less. My final show of Tori was coming...Durham...and I inhaled every moment of the show. Every shade of light - every nuance - every note. I was lucky (thank you Tony for lettin me in your place) and got in the 3rd row at the After-Show-M&G. As Tori was there I just wanted to say her farewell until the next tour and reached out my hand shouting "Tori, Tori". Suddenly Tori just looked me directly in the face and said something like "Michael, so this is your last show today ?" - I was flabbergasted..she knew my by the name.. - I just said yes and that maybe Mel and Jenny would see some more shows of her (Rurik's last Show was in Lowell). She just kept on talking to me like a good friend (..this stays secret..sorry..) and as she finally left I was nearly the happiest person in the whole world. Even now it's too much for my brain to take it - I mean..it's such an honour for me that she spoke to me in that way and the things she told me. It was the perfect end for my Tori-Tour in the States !!! After Durham I went together with Tony, Jessin, Dor, Emi and Gina to Dover(NH) but at the end I landed in a double-bedded room together with all of them sleeping on the floor in my warm sleeping bag after drinking the rest of my Guinness (the lovely Pontiac Van was given to Matt P. during the day in Durham - Matt P. drove back to Corning with Mel and Jenny (they stayed a little longer) to give back the car). Perfect ! Haha.. After some sleep the fabulous Gina (with Emi) drove me to New York and the next day I leaved the United States of America in the evening at 05.50 p.m. - back to Germany. What will stay in my mind forever is besides the brilliant concerts of TORI and Steve and Jon and Matt (..yeah..and a little bit the "Unbelievable Truth"-Guys..cool Drummer..) the absolutely wonderful Toriphiles I met during my time in the States. It was a great time hanging around with all of you - talkin' about Tori and much more... THANK YOU ALL !!! THANK YOU TORI !!! THANK YOU STEVE, JON, MATT, JOEL "Agent Orange" and STEVE SANCHEZ !!! Danke Melanie, Jenny und Rurik - es waren zum Teil stressige aber echt geniale 2 Wochen mit euch dreien !!! See you all on the next Tour !!! Bye and take care. Torifully yours From Heather DeLandDecember 8, 1998 - In the crowd, waiting for the concert to begin, a woman calls out as though she is summoning a person who is close by. "Tori!" she yells. A dozen heads turn. But it is not Tori Amos that this woman is yelling to. She's just calling her daughter; this "Tori" is an ornery 3-year-old with curly blond hair, not the beloved red-haired rock goddess the fans are craning their necks to see. "Yes," says the proud mother. "She is named after Her." This is the kind of fan base that gathered in the Broome County Arena on Nov. 10-- they would stand outside in the cold for hours, defying bulky bodyguards in the hopes of catching a glimpse. These fans, who remind us that the word "fan" comes from "fanatic," would have loved her just the same if her performance had been a flop. But it wasn't. These 2,300 fans screamed when the lights went off and the band began to lay down the early rhythms of an old hit. They hollered her name as though she didn't know what it was when she strode onstage wearing a brown shirt and pants overlaid with a long, green sequinned top. She was the shaman they'd been expecting. She said nothing. She went immediately to the piano and began her fierce opener, "Precious Things." She followed that up with the bluesy yet intense "Liquid Diamonds" and then addressed the audience. Let this woman pause for just one moment in her onstage rambling, and the fans will take advantage of it. While thinking of her next word, she stopped for a second, and the underpopulated arena lit up like Madison Square Garden with cries of "I love you, TORI" bursting from every rafter. She returned the love with a quick "Yep, mwwah!" into the microphone and continued telling how she and her crew had stopped for dinner at Binghamton's Lost Dog Cafe the previous night. Fans there had approached the entourage, causing somewhat of a scene, but leaving early song requests recorded in marker on her left hand. She waded through "spark," the first release from her new album, as the murky lighting reflected off the onstage mist, shifting her attention from keyboard to piano and back again. She touched base with her current album and maintained ties with old B-sides in her solo set, offering up a confrontational and unflinching "Upside Down." Ghosts of the arena's previous event, a rodeo, which the crew claimed to have been able to smell upon their arrival, were all well exorcised by this point. Whether it was the crowd keeping Tori pumped or the other way around, the energy level of the concert swelled steadily throughout, building up to the powerful first encore. She dazzled the crowd with "Raspberry Swirl," a soon-to-be-released popular number with a dance beat flair. The flashing of the spotlights and disco balls, which was a highlight throughout, went beyond stage lighting to reach out everywhere and involve the audience. It was particularly effective during this energy-packed piece, turning the home of the Binghamton Icemen into a swirling, frantic discotheque. For the second encore, Tori returned triumphant and almost nostalgic about the show, singing the sweet-sounding "Pretty Good Year" before dismissing her backup so that she could funnel all of her own emotion into the last number. She finished the show with the Joni Mitchell cover "A Case of You" to the accompaniment of many a weeping fan, singing the final chorus as "I could drink a case of you, husband," and blowing a kiss to her own new husband, Mark Hawley, who was sitting behind the sound board. The concert was an exercise in intimacy between a performer and an audience, highlighted by personal stories and openness. The small size of the crowd must have been disappointing for the event's promoters, but for Tori Amos, the arena wasn't half-empty. It was half-full. From The Oswegonian newspaperNovember 24, 1998 - Toriphile Melanie posted this review to the ToriNews mailing list. This review appeared in the State University of New York at Oswego's newspaper, The Oswegonian sometime during November 1998. There was a picture of Tori on the front cover of the newspaper and two articles with numerous pictures in the centerfold. The pictures were taken from the Plugged '98 tour program. One of the articles was a review of the Binghamton, which you can read below. The review is nice, but it mentions a couple of songs that Tori DID NOT PLAY that night! Tori Amos-Binghamton Tori Amos has a band now but, "Plugged" or not, she makes all the magic.
The black velvet curtain which had a caged the fury of a new band was
unexpectedly dropped, revealing no Tori. Then she came, confident and fiery,
eyes flashing with red-hair complementing them. Dressed in a green sequined
geisha gown and olive cargo pants, she had finally graced an endearing
audience with her glowing presence.
The first set began with a rock-enriched "Crucify," which, by her wild facial
expressions and convulsive shudders, moved Tori like it did us. She
simultaneously flooded the room with sound and drenched it with stormy
emotion.
To see her perform is to witness the musical equivalent of multiple orgasms.
To hear her speak is hardly as spectacular, however, it is nonetheless
extraordinary.
When she paused to tell us all the story of how she came to write "Playboy
Mommy," we listened like infants being read Dr.Suess in motherese. "When I
lost the baby," she began, and that was enough. The entire crowd voiced a
sympathetic "Awww," which hardly seemed sufficient. So we silently promised
Tori we'd be her children.
And we were, through "Professional Widow," "Caught a Light Sneeze," and the
remainder of the first set, we were there for her. It wasn't like she played
to us, a roomful of ticket stub holders. Rather, it was as though she played
for us, hundreds of old friends - the kind you tell your innermost secrets.
Secrets that answer questions like, "How does rape feel?" Live, Tori's
ominous "Me and a Gun" invokes enough emotion to thicken air, hers is more than
honesty, it's brutal humanity. Tori Amos takes showmanship to a new level.
She rocks as a lover loves - absolutely, unconditionally and without reserve.
The first set was only a warm up for the explosive performance the second set
presented. Tori enticingly seduced her piano as she arched her back and sat
gracefully atop the ivory keys between songs. The crowd, who became
hypnotically trapped like a baby doe in headlights, swayed with the soft
choruses of "The Waitress," which was performed by Tori without her band.
The final song, "Raspberry Swirl," dealt the crowd a new Tori. The song from
her latest album pushed the limits of the audience's expectations. Red, pink,
and purple lasers violently attacked the stage as her drummer played oil cans
and lids. She furiously pounded keys of her musical soul mate with more emotion than the
audience had experienced up to this point. It was pure ecstasy for a
dedicated fan. Members of the audience danced as if techno suddenly began.
As the lights came on and the magic to fade, it became apparent that this was
one of the highlights of our concert careers. From RomyNovember 13, 1998 - Of the four Tori shows I have been to, this was definitely the best. I could actually see Tori this time...and the set list was amazing. She seemed to be in a great mood. The Unbelievable Truth weren't that bad, but I thought 9 songs was a bit much. There was someone sitting behind me who kept yelling "radiohead is better" in between songs, and talking to himself rather loudly. They got the most cheers when they said it was their last song. I think The Unbelievable Truth and The Devlins are good examples of bands that are fine as opening acts, but should never be more then that...although I sort of liked the Devlins. Precious Things Liquid Diamonds-I was so happy to hear this song. She changed the lyrics a little. Caught A Lite Sneeze iieee-She did a little dance. Lots of pretty colored lights. Father Lucifer-This song sounds so amazing now Playboy Mommy-This is definitely one of my favorites. Once she said she couldn't think of a first line and mentioned Beenie, I knew she was going to play it... Hey Jupiter (solo)-This is the second time on this tour I've heard her play it. It was really beautiful, her voice was echoing throughout the arena. Upside Down (solo)-This was a nice surprise. Sugar-I love this song with the band. It didn't seem like many people recognized it. Hotel-This is my first time hearing it live. wow. Spark Waitress 1st Encore: Crucify-I think I like the just-Tori version better. It seemed to lose a little with the band. It was still amazing. Especially the chains part Raspberry Swirl 2nd Encore: Past The Mission-I love this song. I thought she wasn't going to play it since it wasn't in the main set. I love the "they found a body..." part on the keyboard Pretty Good Year-amazing... Then the band came to the front of the stage for a group hug with Tori. A Case of You (solo)-I couldn't believe she played this!!! It was definitely the highlight of the show for me. Purple lights and disco balls. From Kristy RibbleNovember 11, 1998 - The Binghamton show was absolutely phenominal...what can I say! Tori was in a WONDERFUL mood, and it seemed like she had a smile on her face every moment of that magical nite. The crowd was very very small - and it made for a great, intimate setting. I was on the floor, about 3 rows back ó I saw every facial expression that Tori made; and that in itself is something great! All nite, she was making faces at Jon and smiling at him. But now, on to the show... When I got there, I saw some of my friends from last August - Hi William, Caroline & Matt!!! :-) I searched the lines and finally found the wonderful Kelly Dwyer, whom I hung out with all nite and I absolutely adore. Hiya Kelly :-)!! There are some new shirts being sold now, I'm not sure if it's been mentioned or not. One is brownish-creme-coloured, and has like a filmstrip down the front with three pictures of Tori - on the back it had every show listed since the beginning, and said "bye bye now..." or something to that extent, I can't remember. Another new shirt had pictures from JS on the front, it was really nice. And yet another was grey and had pictures from Choirgirl on the front and back. Also a new babydoll T - it had the little blue piano and said "tori amos from the choirgirl hotel" in a circle around it. The Unbelievable Truth played...about 9 songs (i think). They were all right, but we were all anticipating Tori too much to really pay attention. There were a good deal of rude people pushing their way to the front. *insert glaring here to the large, sweaty, hairy guy who pushed his way to the front and his friends*. There were also some girls in front of me who talked through ALL of Tori's set...I asked them nicely to be quiet so we could focus on Tori, and thankfully they complied...they weren't big Tori fans, they said they were here to hear "addicted to nicotine patches." Whatever. Okie. So on we go. Tori came out, and everyone went *nuts*!!! She was in a wonderful mood and said that she had been at the Lucky Dog all day - a bar in Binghamton. She said "I gained 10 pounds!!!" and laughed. The setlist went as follows, although I'm sure you already have it on the Dent, mikewhy. :-) Precious Things This setlist is just *amazing*!!! I'm so thrilled I was there to experience this. Despite getting to know my neighbours a little *too* well being wedged in between the mass of sweaty people, it was worth it. Absolutely. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. From Father Lucifer on, the show was a total surprise every moment. (minus waitress, spark, and raspberry swirl - but of course they were heartstopping). Father Lucifer was absolutely enthralling with the band - I was so excited when I heard the opening piano!!! I had been hoping and hoping to experience it with the band. It was absolutely beautiful. Before Playboy Mommy, Tori told a story. :-) She explained that she worked on this song for what seemed like forever, and it came right after she lost the baby. She said Marcel was naked, and they were in the Bahamas. Apparently Marcel ran into a pier, and they needed pharmaceuticals, "you know, first aid. we're big fans of pharmaceuticals you know." (insert crowd laughing here) She then went on to explain she had to have re-written the opening verse 20 times, and was staying with 4 women, including Beene. "lots of cats. pee- uuu!!! beenie was whining. a woman was going to get her throat removed." And then went on to explain she was going down this large staircase in her Prada shoes, and fell all the way down. When she hit the bottom, "i looked at Beenie and I said 'in my platforms i hit the floor...' " and then she smiled and they went into Playboy Mommy. It was really great with the band - I was hoping to hear that, but again, didn't expect it. Hey Jupiter...was...I'm speechless. This has always been one of my favourite Tori songs. It was absolutely beautiful. It always has such emotion and means so much to me on so many different levels...WOW. I later found out that nite that "marianne" was on the set list where she played "hey jupiter." Okie, so I'm a little disappointed. I asked Tori to play "marianne" last august, but she didn't. But that's okie. I'll get Marianne someday. Absolutely. :-) Oh my, then here comes "Upside Down." Tori said "I don't play this song a lot anymore, but this girl I met in a coffee shop today asked me to play this." A lot of people were singing along. What a community feeling! :-) I definitely was not expecting Sugar. It's so powerful with the band!!! Tori did some improv on this a little, but I have no clue what in the world she was singing. I tried my best...but you know. HOTEL!!!! AAHH!!! I have wanted to hear Hotel since the album first came out - I remember starting a thread on Precious Things about getting Tori to work this with the band - and then, there it came!!! oh WOW!!! It was absolutely phenominal, I couldn't believe I was hearing it. That was just so yummy, oh my. Spark was as always absolutely beautiful - it remains one of my favourites. That song is just...words can't express it! The Waitress - AIEE!! :-) That's always a trip. Tori did the "I believe she's the devil's bitch" line again, I love that. The "Hang Ten Honey..." lines went a little longer than usual tonite, it honestly seemed like Tori did not want to leave! Encores....: Crucify I wasn't expecting, I'm not sure why. She has been playing it pretty often. It was better than it was when I saw Tori in August - it was really tight. She re-ran some verses and made it longer than usual - again...I'm serious, you could just *feel* that Tori didn't want this nite to end. She was having so much fun up there! Caton was going crazy through most of the nite...he's so much fun. As anyone who has been to a Tori show this year knows - Raspberry Swirl makes the place on giant rave. Everyone was dancing like mad!!! It's always so exciting. I definitely wasn't expecting 3 songs for the encore, let alone these three... When I heard the opening notes to Past The Mission, my heart skipped a beat. MY GODDESS!!! Tori was just full of surprises. She seemed to have fun during this one, and Jon was getting his groove on. I had spent a good deal of the nite making faces at Jon - he made a few back and was laughing. :-) Pretty Good Year made me cry - that song....aaiieeeee!!! It's always so emotional and beautiful. The "what's it gonna take 'til my baby's all right" part was really powerful - it was great!!! Tori went back into an earlier verse toward the end (can't remember which, sorry), and elongated yet another song...I'm telling you, Tori did *not* want to leave. And I was definitely happy about that. I expected the show to be over at this point, and was in tears. And then...the boys leave, and Tori stays. "A Case of You" starts...!!!! I got to the point where I was hysterically crying - this is my favourite Tori cover, only challenged by "Landslide". Tori sang "I could drink a case of you husband..." instead of "I could drink a case of you darling..." I also saw Tori blow a kiss to Mark, which was really sweet! :-) After the show, when Kelly and I were up against the 5-foot *annoyinnnngg* barracades, trying to get a set list, we saw a table off to the right of the stage. It had a stuffed tiger on it, a vase with big obviously fake cheery- looking flowers on it, and some other things. Pretty sure they were things she's gotten from EWF and Meet & Greets. It was *SUCH* a wonderful show...I didn't think anything could beat the show last August...but this show was 100 times better!!! Tori was so full of energy and just so happy - it really made the show such a special experience! I'm so happy that I was lucky enough to attend this great show...what a set list, what a woman, what a show!!!! From HeatherNovember 11, 1998 - hi. :) binghamton was GREAT! i am going to be writing a full "journalistic" review for a class of mine and i will send that to you... but for now, i have this. i got there at 2:00. nice people all around... even a little girl named "tori" (after our tori). one of the crew guys told me she was going to do a meet & greet at maybe 4:30 but then steve came out and made us back off. he said there wasn't going to be one because it was so cold. he came out and urged us to leave a few times and we just sort of backed up further but hung around each time (we didn't want meet & greet per se, maybe just a wave). so finally, he came out and really pressured us and he said she'd be there soon so we should go get warm first, and then as soon as we left, they rushed her in. no one i talked to got to see her; there were only about 7 of us waiting consistently anyway. so my friend david and i got to go backstage. we heard her doing the soundcheck while we were talking to her atlantic rep. she was doing london girls when we got to the lobby and then she started doing sugar over and over. then the rep said she was ready for us and we went back, but by the time we got to her dressing room, she was back up there doing sugar again. so she came out and she seemed really distracted and frustrated, which i would attribute to the number of times she played sugar in the sound check. there must have been some problem; the piano wasn't hers so maybe that was it. i was first in line (there were 6 of us) and i had no idea what to say; i felt so forgettable when faced with a person i had appreciated so much. she was nice, she said "okay come on over," and i started walking really slowly because i was insanely nervous and she said, "come on, i won't bite." then she put out her hand and said "hi. i'm tori amos. who are you?" and i told her my name, she said it was nice to meet me and she asked the name of my friend, etc. they took our picture and then she said "wait, no, you have to do it again because i was looking the wrong way," so they took a second. i gave her some gifts, some poetry i had written and stuff and she started signing everything in my hands. i got nervous because the bodyguards said she'd only sign the picture and one other thing, so i was going with that. but she saw the stuff in my hands and she was just taking it all, saying, "here, i'll sign this too," and she even took the cd book out of the album i won and signed that. i asked her if here in my head might be lurking around binghamton and she said, "oh i don't know, i'll try, i've got so many requests, i'll try but this is a really big show." she didn't play here in my head but as you can see by the set list... who cares? anyway, she was really very nice, and she was a lot more relaxed by showtime. i found it interesting that danielle thought binghamton was so lame because tori obviously had a lot of fun here. here's her first time addressing the audience, after liquid diamonds: (and these are genuine word for word; don't ask the covert means by which i obtained them) "Hi everybody, how's it going? Oh god, so it's so good to be here. We have had the best time at The Lost Dog, oh my god. We lived at that place! I hope we didn't cause any trouble, everybody was so fantastic, I gained ten pounds. But anyway, um, we're going tonight (something indeterminable), we're going. Some of you know my brothers, uh, especially if you were at The Lost Dog, you know all of us, this is Caton on guitar...." etc, she introduces the band. to explain that: on monday night, she spent her night off in binghamton. some friends of mine were over at the local cafe/coffeehouse "The Lost Dog Cafe" and they had the good fortune of sitting at the table right next to tori and mark! they said she was really friendly, saying hi to everyone, signing autographs and taking early requests. so it sounds like she had a good time in binghamton. and here's the "playboy mommy story." it's really neat: "So while the guys change basses and stuff, I'll tell ya a little story
about this next song. I don't do that much anymore, do I Matt, I just
don't tell stories much; I've gotten shy in my old age. Anyway, um, the
strangest thing-- (fans scream 'i love you' etc and she goes, 'yep,
mmmwah' into the mike)-- so anyway, this little story: I lived in the
tropics and the crew was down there and Marcel was-- I think you were
nude, Marcel... Strange. Odd. And, uh, he had run into-- what did you
run into-- a pier. Anyway, he was almost dead. He was on a From Andrew - A. P. Marki (Posted to the rec.music.tori-amos newsgroup)November 11, 1998 - Well, I wasn't happy with the sound quality. I hope someone else can compare it with her shows at other venues. I also liked the accoustic solos most for just that reason, although the first one (which song?) had sound problems which were solved by the time she did Jupiter. The arena people were working on someone who passed out in front of me just as Raspberry Swirl started, so I felt a little divided there. Like Josh and others said, the new arrangements were fun to hear, esp Waitress, and I think Tori gave extra poignant emphasis to the line "what's it gonna take 'til my baby's all right" from Pretty Good Year. The only song which I felt didn't benefit from updating was Father Lucifer, since the BfP piano already provides all the percussive rhythm it needs, so the band adds nothing and takes away the whimsical or naive and somewhat sly quality of the transparent arrangement. Maybe Tori has a special reason for wanting to tour with it? There's the line, "baby's still in his comatose state," and maybe there's more going on in the Plugged version than I noticed. I thought the show started out a little cold, like a run-through with the sound not worked out, but that might have been just me, since I'm going through the LDR's (long dissed relationship) and called her just before and had a nice long talk but the general cloud of uncertainty followed me to the concert. (I take exams next week, then after thanksgiving in maine I'm outta the northeast as soon as I can get my act together and hit the west coast. But from what she said today, I may be starting from scratch when I see her again. "Scratch" sounds like the title of a tori song. I guess some rmta'ers know what I'm going thru.) I'd claim for sure that Tori sounded hoarse by "Past the Mission", and her voice was a bit forced. Is it possible that she peaked in Ithaca and wasn't in top form? A good performance can be a hard act to follow. Kinda wish I'd gone to Ithaca too after all (the LDR's, dontcha know). I remember some songs working esp well for me: all the ftch songs (iieee, hotel, spark etc) except maybe Liquid Diamonds, which I love but seemed to have lost all its musicality, maybe because it came early in the show; as an aside, you gotta love Tori's piano bench antics, but do we need her to point out the difference between "horseback" and "dogsled"? :) Crucify was esp good for me. Was it good for you? Tori's story was the intro to Playboy Mommy, explaining how she came up with the opening lyrics. She supposed that she doesn't do as many stories now in her old age. From Matt PageNovember 11, 1998 - Matt called me on the phone with details about this show. The set list was very interesting, especially the second encore which included the cover "A Case Of You", which Tori played for the first time on the Plugged '98 tour. What Tori played varied a little from the official/written set list. Tori had planned to play Marianne and Upside Down during "secret time", but performed Hey Jupiter and Upside Down instead. Also, Marcel's set list had Graveyard written in before Playboy Mommy, but Tori must have decided to tell a story at that time instead. Before Playboy Mommy Tori directed a question at Matt Page who was in the front row. She said something to the effect of, "Matt, I don't tell stories very often anymore, do I? I must be getting old." She then told a long story about Playboy Mommy, and about how she struggled to come up with the opening verse. She said she was out with some friends (including Beenie) and was drinking champagne. Apparently they were going up a staircase and Tori fell down the stairs, which gave her the idea for the line, "In my platforms I hit the floor, fell face down, didn't help my brain out..." She also said prior to Upside Down that is was a request for someone she met at a coffee shop the day before. The one real negative for this show were the barricades they had set up in front of the stage. The show was general admission (at least on the floor) and the barricades for something like 5 feet tall, which was really unfortunate for some of the smaller people in the front. These barricades reportedly belonged to the venue and they likely refused to moved them or had nothing smaller to place there. It was not the idea of Tori's people to have such high barricades. Matt also heard part of the soundcheck that day, and heard Pretty Good Year and Sugar. From Richard HandalNovember 11, 1998 - Richard added that "A Case Of You" was done solo at the piano and was not listed on the official set list. Several people saw Tori blow a kiss to her husband Mark after "A Case Of You", which was apparently sung to him. (She even added the word "husband" to one of the lines.) Tori was playing a Yamaha piano because her Bosey is still sick. Tori was on stage from 8:56 until 10:43. Tori's main set ended at 10:12PM. From DanielleNovember 11, 1998 - I went a little overboard writing down details at this one. It was a last minute thing for me. I wasn't planning on going to this one but when my mom got home from work, I begged her and we went. Usually my boyfriend and I go but since he's in NJ, mom had to do. For her first Tori show, I don't think it was half bad. Before the show, Steve was "no pre Meet and Greets anymore". Blah Blah. At GA(general admission) shows they don't want her to do them. They only want her to do after show ones. It was really cold and windy so we didn't stick around. Funny though, after all Steve said, I found out that certain people did get to meet her. GRRR. I digress... Mom and I left to grab a bite to eat. Not to "dis" Binghamton but it's not a happenin' place. Quick eats at a little diner. Came back to put more money in the meter and I heard the soundcheck. I ran to the door. It had been going on for I assume about 20 mins before I got there but this is what I heard: Part of Pretty Good Year Caton having some guitar fun something (not sure if it was a song. I'm pretty sure just random music) Pretty Good Year (somethings are....til my baby's alright) That part a few 7:34 Unbeliveable Truth came on. Played 9 songs. Left at 8:09. 8:55 Band comes out. Then Tori wearing a brown tight top with fur at the sleeves, grey(or black) pants and high heeled black boots. Green apron. precious things liquid diamonds with something like "going back where you're coming from fe fi fo fum pick myself up off the floor...can't take it....something...." Then talked about the Lost Dog and how she went there last night and lives there. She said she gained 10 lbs there. She said she liked it there and was sad because she was going bye bye. caught a lite sneeze something "you never did...." (mad caton dancing) iieee with intro dance she stood up for. did some little hand movements. father lucifer playboy mommy story: she was in the tropics. she said she had just lost a baby. marcel was nude. he had ran into a pier (?) and was dying. they had loads of pharmasudicals there. she said that pharmasudicals are their goddess. she wrote the first verse of this song 20 times and she was having her wisdom teeth out. she called her mom and asked her how it sounded and her mom said bad. then she was talking about strawberry margaritas and how we all must think she's a drug addict and an alcoholic. she said she was with beenie and 4 women were together. bad thing. cats for days. pewww. one girl was having her throat out. beenie was winning. she said it upset her so she went somewhere (didn't catch it). there was a spiral staircase and she was walking down it in her prada shoes and fell.... playboy mommy hey jupiter(solo) upside down (solo) (a girl asked me to do this last night and i haven't done it much) started it the stopped. asked marcel if verything was ok then started again. Something about giving a girl in the front row water. "she needs water. I waved the boys bye a case of you (instead of "I could drink a case of you darling", she said husband) 10:44 over I didn't stay for after. It was rainy and windy and COLD. A very relaxed show in my opinion. Small crowd. Very small. Floor was half filled. She seemed happy. I am happy :) I met some nice people. Hi Tom! Now I am off to bed... From Josh (Posted to the rec.music.tori-amos newsgroup)November 11, 1998 - Hey all...I'm wondering if anyone else out there saw the Binghamton show tonight. I had one bitch though, they set the PA System up in such a way that it blocked a lot of people's seats. Otherwise, this was the first I have heard of her new arrangements and really was blown away. "Waitress" was fucking amazing...PLEASE write me if you were at the show in Binghamton, 11/10/1998. I'd really like to get some opinions! Thanks a ton and hope to hear from you guys... |
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