Tori performed in Lowell, MA on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at Tsongas Arena. The show began at 7:30PM and Howie Day was the opening act.

Set List

Wampum Prayer
a sorta fairytale
Sugar
Crucify
Bliss
Crazy
Take To The Sky
Black-Dove (January)
Wednesday

Band leaves

Silent All These Years
Cloud on my Tongue
Famous Blue Raincoat

Band returns

Strange
Taxi Ride
Little Earthquakes
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Pancake
I Can't See New York
Spring Haze

1st Encore
Cornflake Girl
Your Cloud
Tear In Your Hand

2nd Encore
Sweet Sangria
Hey Jupiter

Reviews

For more reviews, please check out the Dent's Tour Reviews Forum. Please post your own review if you were there! The latest reviews are at the bottom of the page.

From Issac:

Tori said she really loves Boston, it's one of her favorite places, and that she actually feels like she's playing in her living room in this venue.

This was followed by an improv about it.

From Richard Handal:

Richard said it was a real full moon show tonight.

Tori's performance began at 8:59PM and ended at 11:19. Tori was late getting started tonight because of some technical difficulties with the sound. During Howie Day's set, there was a loud pop and then no sound at all. Howie left the stage for a short amount of time, and then return and finished his set.

The band played well tonight and the show was very expansive. It flowed mightily.

Before Crazy, Tori said she loved Boston and began a rather extensive improv with several versus with lines like, "I so love this town". This became an intro directly into Crazy.

Before Silent All These Years, Tori did another improv with lines like, "This could be your living room", again showing how much she loved Boston.

Famous Blue Raincoat had a long, wordless piano introduction.

During the introduction to Taxi Ride, Tori once again applied lip liner as if giving homage to Kevyn Aucoin.

Tori performed Silent All These Years and Little Earthquakes for the first time on this tour.

From Gary:

During "Wednesday", after Tori sang the line "the Eagle has to land" the second time, Tori started laughing. I guess I missed what that was all about, or maybe something funny happened down front that I couldn't see.

To add to the "This could be your living room" part, Tori was singing how the arena could be a really big living room, yet it made her feel warm. She also said something about seeing a different one (arena/living room) each night for the past week.

Not many fans were in the arena when Howie Day started. Some rude arena staff outside made everyone line up way, way down the streets and it took awhile to get in. I felt bad because a lot of people who paid for tickets must not have gotten to see all or most of Howie. Even with technical difficulties, Howie did a great job and everyone seemed real supportive of him.

The show was sold out according to the arena website and the arena was indeed full. I bought a program ($20) and a Howie Day CD ($15).

Before and during Tori you could smell a lot of incense. Do you know the music played before Tori started and right after Tori finished? It was really beautiful.

Also, when we went in, the arena staff would not let anyone bring drinks or food into the actual seating area, and people were upset, then the staff said it wasn't their rule, but that it was Tori's staff's rule. However, once I was seated I saw a ton of people with food and drinks in the seating area. I'm not sure what that was all about.

From sara:

tell gary from the lowell review that the music was that of sigur ros.

From Nicole:

I went to the show last night, November 19th! It was the most amazing show I've ever seen. She was absolutely beautiful. I wanted to make a comment about Tori laughing during Wednesday. I was in the 12th row, and there were a couple of guys maybe in the 3rd or so, and when she said "the eagle has to land" These two guys stood up and put their arms up in the air and then motioned down like they were the eagle's landing. Tori then laughed, it was really cute! I'm debating about going to one of New York shows now, I love Tori, I can NEVER get enough of her !!!!

From Heather Peck:

I just read the last person's entry about Tori laughing midway through Wednesday in Lowell. The reason was that some people were getting up when she sang "the eagle has to land" and putting there arms up, and rushing back down, kind of like an eagle landing. She didn't notice it until the 2nd chorus, and laughed hysterically.

From sondra roy:

On the Lowell, MA review page Gary asked "Do you know the music played before Tori started and right after Tori finished? It was really beautiful." If you wanted to let him know it was Sigur Ros's new album called " ( ) "

From Alec Karys:

The music that was playing before tori was sigor ros which is a icelandic band.

From the November 21, 2002 edition of the Boston Globe

From the November 20, 2002 edition of the Lowell Sun

From the November 21, 2002 edition of the Boston Herald

From LOU & ELAINE:

This was my 3rd show on the scarlet tour.

We ran into heavy traffic, but that was nothing compared to the line of people wrapped around the arena going in.i had to pick up my rainn tix, so i snuck in the side with a shopping bag and a big cardboard poster box for the after show. They let me in without a hassle, but they were being real assholes to most, checking everything like the president was going to be here. They were taking away people's pins? They took my wife's green marker. Anyway, most of the crowd missed howie day cos of it. I would encourage everyone to complain to the tsongas arena about this. It was crap!!! Ok, enough whining.

I am becoming a howie fan. He uses loop recording to put out some great sounds from his custom guitar. He had an off night, losing power. He said "it's kinda like a figure skater falling down, very awkward". Appropriate, considering we were standing on covered ice. Brrrrrr!!!

Our seats were in row 1 seats 3&4. Unfortunately, they start from the side. Had the pleasure of chatting with bill (rainn birthday organizer) and legendary ewf richard handal before the show.

The smell of incense started filtering out, the curtain lit up and wampum prayer was played. Does anyone know about the incense?

Tori did her usual dance/walk onto the stage hands waving with that impish smile . She was wearing a light-blue, loose shirt/dress which went down to the shins. It had embroidered blue flowers and the sleeves were slit into sections. Under she had blue jeans and a black stretch top. She had on her high top snake skin boots with the 5" spike heels. Her hair was straight tucked behind the ears with a blue flower and ribbons on the back. She didn't have much makeup and just natural lip gloss (no bright red lipstick). She had a pair of sparkling blue topaz earings the size of grapes.

And so another delightful, joyous, amazing, magical, unforgettable,(well you know) show began. Some of my favorite moments:

A sorta fairy tale is nice but not as toriesque without the hauntingly sweet backing vocals. Did tori ever consider bringing a backup vocalist?

Sugar- powerful deep voice and fantastic wailing at the end. My view is interesting in that i can see tori's head and shoulders above the piano. Jon is positioned so that he is right behindperverset's almost a peverse pleasure to watch below the piano. She crosses her legs, squeezes them, spreads them, kicks one foot forward,the other back. Tori does not sit still. Her energy is unbelievable.

The lighting consists of different color backgrounds, one with a tori caricature with leafy hair. The bottom is a background of mountains with road signs. There are 2 towers whith search lights that turn every which way. Many times searching the audience like tori is surveying the crowd.

Crucify- "i have crawled my way back up, never going back again." awesome!

Bliss-she is holding her head with both hands(?) before an excellent rendition. After, "i so love this town, maybe it's too cold for my skin, my warm little friends".

Crazy- still my favorite of scarlet's walk. Red and yellow background and kaleidoscope projections.

Take to the sky -slapping piano with one hand, stomping feet and nice high pitched "take to, take to"
At the end.

Black dove-when she hits the high notes "on the other side", big smile. Spooky blue light behind with orange spot to front.

After a fun, giggly wednesday, "it's just us, feels like my living room, elephants and giraffes to play with, tv and cracker jacks, this is the sweetest living room, i can't see you in the 400th row but it's close to being home". No one, but tori, could make a hockey arena feel so intimate.

Silent all these years-the band leaves,tori is pounding the keys with head down like shcroeder from peanuts.

Cloud on my tongue- white light overhead. I can actually see the inside parts of the piano moving. Her eyes close, i can feel her emotions.

Famous blue raincoat- i think the most powerful piano of the night. Lovely!

Strange- i love the way tori does the quick change from wurly to piano.

Taxi ride- little dance and puts on lip gloss. Playing standing up. Heart warming "i'm glad your on my side".

Little earthquakes-i'm in heaven, hits the sweet vocals. Tori has taught me to handle life's little earthquakes. I can be ok when everything around is not.

Caught a lite sneeze- this is matt's highlight. Super drumming! I miss the almost hysterical vocals. Does anyone else feel tori has mellowed a bit?

Pancake- standing playing the wurly. White smoke background which turns red at the end. My interpretation is that the pancake is the towers' collapse?

I can't see ny- red light from one side blue light from other, eerie!! Without the guitar The song lacks the before, during and after feeling.

On spring haze jon is showcased. He's really into it. We are bombarded by the bass speakers directly in front.

Next tori's getting a hug from jon. Matt joins in and they pick her up. They leave and the crowd applauds for more. Tori doesn't make us wait too long to come back.

Cornflake girl- dances out to stage side to side. The crowd stays standing the rest of the way. Head down, pounding keys and lively intro. "you bet your life you can" is perfect.

Your cloud-this is such a sweet song. Clouds in background, she adds the verse "stay with you, i'm gonna stay with you". Very sentimental! It seems to me that tori is sending out lots of love through her songs on this tour. Songbird in wallingford moved me like no other. My heart melted!

Tear in your hand- the purple mountains, the red sky and the sounds get me watery eyed. She waves goodbye, i feel like shouting out nooooo!!

2nd encore- during sweet sangria, she's smiling with jon having a great time.

I hear the first notes and whisper in my wife's ear "hey jupiter". I tremble, holding back tears as i hug elaine. A light blue mix of lights, as she goes into the ooohh,ooohh. Her voice is perfectly angelic. My body reverberates.it feels as though i could start levitating. Ecstasy!! . What an excellent show!!!!

For the "after show" we met at the zamboni entrance. I thought i would be feeling unbearable anxiety, but instead, i'm on a natural high. We waited in the hall for awhile givng me time to chat with bill :-) and eventually we Made our way to the men's locker room. There were 2 rooms seperated by a curtain. As we waited we took some pics of each other and even one with my wife standing near tori's wardrobe locker.

Finally, Elaine and i got in and introduced ourselves. I told tori my wife's crazy about me and i'm just plain crazy, but we're soul mates. We told her how much we enjoyed the 3 shows, how she sounded excellent, especially the high pitched vocals and that she looked fabulous. I thanked her for playing hey jupiter. I had sent her a note at the providence meet and greet asking her to play it for our 30th anniversary (yes, i'm that old, but young at heart). I'm not that naive to think she played it for us, but it's a nice thought.

Next, were the presents. My wife had a couple of beautiful red cactus flowers to give. I gave her a book on the national parks. We gave tash a soft, cuddly poo blankie. Richard had me bring in some cherokee recordings. She seemed very happy with all.
I brought in some pics of our life. I told t "my wife said that's boring" but i'm kind of a boring guy. She smiled and gave me a big hug. She especially liked the violets pic. We talked a bit more about family, the great outdoors and indian history. I had a bunch of questions but spaced out.

So i asked if she could sign a few things. My wife had a corny shirt with the kellogs chicken logo on it. I had my 12" hey jupiter and a beautiful print which she had not seen but really liked. I asked her about the words written on her hand, "some lyrics i just can't seem to remember".

Then we got together for a couple pics, more hugs and said goodbyes. Elaine was impressed at how friendly and beautiful tori is (i knew). "she's a fairy goddess with sparkling eyes".

It was an experience i will treasure forever.

Wish you all could have been there.
Best wishes, lou & elaine

Link to some pics:
http://community.webshots.com/user/loufauxbel

From the Massachusetts Daily Collegian