Tori performed in Cleveland, OH on Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at the State Theatre in The Playhouse Square Center. The show began at 7:30PM and Howie Day was the opening act.

Set List

Wampum Prayer
a sorta fairytale
Little Amsterdam
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Crazy
Cornflake Girl
Crucify
Horses
Wednesday

Band leaves

Leather
Merman
Winter

Band returns

Strange
Concertina
Sweet Sangria
Lust
Take To The Sky
I Can't See New York
Spring Haze

1st Encore
Bliss
Space Dog
Virginia

2nd Encore
Taxi Ride
Playboy Mommy

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 Josh:

Josh called me and left a few comments about this show on my answering machine. The show was very good. The day off must have been good for Tori, because she was really on for this show. There were no debut songs for tonight.

From Vic (ChiaotzuFreak):

I was extremely pleased with tonight's performance!! Usually I am disappointed with the Cleveland shows due to a bleh setlist and a bad audience, but tonight the crowd was wonderful and the setlist was fantastic. I was hoping for a debut at some point, but that disappointment was made up for when she started Playboy Mommy

Highlights:

*Little Amsterdam - the drums & bass totally add to the song, as does the addition of the rhodes. I never was a big fan of this song, but it was damn good tonight.

*Crucify - STUNNING tonight. Extremely intense at the end, with the "never going back" part. The best I'd ever heard it. wow.

*"Slave to My Clothes" improv (before Leather) - a TOTAL riot! During a lot of the first half of the show, I noticed that Tori kept having to push back her long sleeves because they were getting in the way of her playing. Then, as the Roadside Cafe began, Tori started off with her "I have a sign that lights up" improv, and then went into a hilarious ditty where she sang about how she is a "slave" to her clothes. She sang of how her clothes could someday be in a "little glass box" in Cleveland (referring to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum), and about how her husband prefers it when her clothes come off! The best part was when she sang about how she loves her clothes, even though she "pays out the ass" for them (the crowd went nuts at this line)! Hysterical!! I can't wait for this one to surface online...

*Space Dog - like Crucify, this was the best version of Space Dog I've ever heard. It bumped and grooved during the verses, and the final refrain just exploded.

*Playboy Mommy - I was totally expecting Hey Jupiter, but when she hit the first few notes of Playboy Mommy, I teared up immediately. It was beautiful and heartfelt... a perfect ending to a fantastic show.

Afterwards I saw Howie Day signing stuff out by the merch, so I went to get a picture with him. What a hottie that man is! (yeah, and a great musician too )

From blaise:

My name is blaise, i attended the cleveland show, i am from pittsburgh,pa...the setlist is 100% right...... the cleveland crowd kinda sucked though between the drunk people and everyone getting up out of there seat the concert was great.... when the band left and before leather, she did a improv that went something like this "my clothes i'm a slave for, my clothes are very long there not nice to wear when your trying to play something, but my clothes i pay out the ass for my clothes are nice when u dont have to play anything and my clothes my husband likes to take off..... also the version of crucify was very different .... everytime i see her she sings it differently....her voice was perfect tonight no problems at all ..take to the sky lasted a good 10mins .... she introduced the band after caught a lite sneeze and asked us how we were doing and its heaven to be here again and thats it .... but she was very energetic

From Peter:

Me, my girlfriend, and my brother arrived at the theatre at around 7:00. We got our seats, put our jackets down and decided to look at the merchandise. The shirts were ridiculously overpriced and an XL looked like a Medium, so I decided to pass on purchasing one of things and decided to get a program. It's well worth the money, folks! Yes, they are basically all of the promotional pictures we have seen online already, but they're absolutely beautiful on paper and in the booklet. I highly recommend getting that if you get nothing else. They're $20. My girlfriend and my brother got necklaces for $15.

We went back to our seats and sat down, anxious to see Tori. I wanted to be social and meet some new toriphiles, so we turned around and talked to two girls who sat two rows behind us. They talked about how their friend won tickets on the radio and gave them to them. We talked about which songs we wanted her to play, and where we'd seen Tori before. It was really fun being able to chat with people. Later on we talked to the people who sat directly behind us, and they seemed just as excited as we were. So, then the lights dimmed and out popped the man with the guitar.

Howie day was rather delightful and extremely talented. I could tell that everyone around me was thinking "How is he doing that?" but I was ahead of things since I had read about how he does the loops with his own feet. I thought it was absolutely intriguing. His voice is great, and so is his guitar playing. The only bad thing about his set was that it was a bit of a downer, because all of his songs were pretty depressing. Sometimes it seemed like they just dragged on and on at times, and then of course there is the fact that we were all anticipating Tori's grand entrance.

So, Howie did about five or six songs if memory serves me right, naming to us only one of them ("Brace Yourself"). Before his last song he thanked us all of listening to him. He left and there was an excruciatingly suspenseful 30 minute intermission.

Now to the good stuff. The bulk. So, the lights dim again while Tori's voice beings to emanate throughout the beautiful state theatre. It was, of course, the album version of Wampum Prayer. I thought this was a GREAT way to start out the concert, just like last year when she started with 97 Bonnie and Clyde. Both very emotional and meaningful. But then, do you really think we were all thinking about the deep meaning of the song? Of course not. We were screaming with joy that in just a few seconds Tori would be walking out onstage.

After Wampum was finished, the curtains dropped and we were able to get a view of the stage. To the audience's left was Jon's area with a few electric basses and one up-right bass. In the middle was Tori's piano, which looked very small to me compared to last years - but maybe it just looked bigger last year since it was my first time and all. Then on the right was Matt's drums. Onto the stage the guys walk, and they beginning jamming the beat of the next song.

Then Tori walks out, and the crowd goes nuts (obviously). She's wearing what appears to be the same thing she wore on Letterman - a dress with extremely long sleeves that hang down, and her hair was absolutely gorgeous. She walks up to her piano, and plays the beginning chords to A Sorta Fairytale with amazing precision. This song is absolutely spectacular live, and a wonderful opener. I have to say, I was skeptical about whether I would like the whole "band" thing since last year was her solo, but I was surprised to find that I enjoyed being able to move around in my seat and just let the music move me. She sang the extra verse, of course.

So, I sat there going "I wonder what's next." Because, I mean, I knew implicitly that Fairytale would be the first song since it has been the main opener for her concerts so far. I knew the major songs that she had been singing, but I had no idea which one of them she would play. Then I hear the opening chords to Little Amsterdam and I was extremely surprised (in a good way, of course). I yelled along with my girlfriend and brother, and we all had to calm ourselves down. She did an absolutely brilliant job on this one! She played the piano and the keyboard for this one, and she always switched back to the piano before she said "which side your on&Mac226;" and I thought that was fitting since she turned sides! (Ha ha!, I'm funny, aren't I?)

Once I heard the drums start the next song, I knew what it was. I think I've become really talented at knowing which song she's going to play the second after she starts it. This version of Caught a Lite Sneeze was the closest to the album version I've heard. Not too many variations like Dew Drop Inn's "girl zoooooone" or Plugged 98's "you never could, you never did." However, even though there were none of those, it was still rocking. She did my favorite part ("maybe she will") wonderfully.

Then she introduced Jon and Matt and called them "two of her favorite people in the world." The crowd yelled with admiration for both of them, since they are a wonderful asset to Tori's piano and voice. I was wondering whether I would enjoy the absence of the guitar or if I would find it disappointing, but there was no disappointment at all. The absence of the guitar really leaves a lot of room for the Tori's keyboards and Jon's bass. And that's a good thing. She played an improv and then went straight into Crazy. Alright, let me tell you my story with Crazy. When I first got Scarlet's Walk, I was ecstatic at the content, but I must tell you this song was not one of my favorites. I thought that it was kind of boring, actually. Though, as with all Tori songs it grew on me later on - but after seeing it in concert, it gave me a new love for it that I never thought I could have. This song was meant to be played live. The ending "if I know crazy" was GREAT.

So then came Cornflake Girl. For those of you wondering what this song is like without the guitar (since that's what starts it in the album version), what happens is Matt plays the drums to start it, and Tori starts the song with the piano bridge that is somewhere in the middle of the song. Absolutely amazing way of starting it, and I didn't miss the guitar at all. The crowd, as you could imagine, went completely ballistic once they heard the signature first line. What a treat! She didn't play this song that much last year (or not even at all) so I thought it was really cool that she is doing it this time around. It was pretty true to the album version besides the new beginning. Not too many noticible variations for this one either - but again, that's not a bad thing.

So, when the drums started for Crucify I actually wasn't totally sure what song it was. But I think I figured when she started her "heeeeee's" that it must be what everyone was talking about with the drawn out verses. I actually thought it differed quite about from last year's rendition and all the other renditions as well. It was amazing, though. The part I remember most about this was that I was looking to down and saw a girl who was standing on the side of the theatre dancing. It was a smooth, sultry, entrancing dance and I could tell that Tori was moving her. I just really thought that was cool.

Horses was another surprise! I'd known she'd played it a few times but I really wasn't thinking that she would sing it. My girlfriend and I talked about it for a second before the concert, but I didn't think about it after that. I actually didn't even know which song it was until she sang the first lines, which is very uncharacteristic of me. But anyways. She did a great job, and there was a lot of piano in this song - which was nice. I have to say, though, I do really favor the Plugged 98 version of this song better. But it was still a great deliverance.

So, I was reassured that everyone's comment on how Wednesday is great fun was true when she played it. I sang along every single note (but I was not intentionally trying to make the audience mad. Let me tell you something. Last year, I cringed when I heard people singing the songs along - but this time around I felt a little different about it because it was with the band. I was in a more singing mood - plus, if you sing along in your seat to yourself, it's not really noticeable because the drums drown you out. So don't think I'm horrible for singing along - I actually felt bad after because I feared I was a horrible audience member because I sang along, but I've decided not to be apologetic about it. I was just singing along to the songs I loved - alright, sorry about that tangent, let's get back on track here). Yeah, so she did great with this song - too bad it's not longer. My girlfriend was, of course, cringing at my happiness to hear it because it's her least favorite song on Scarlet's Walk.

So I knew that Roadside Caf&Mac195;© was coming up since Wednesday is the last song she usually sings before it. I was hoping she'd do an imrpov about the sign, and she DID! And let me tell you, folks, this was an absolutely HILARIOUS imrpov. The best I've ever heard, to be honest - but that could be greatly in part to the fact that she made it up right there, in front of us, breathing the same air as me. "Slave to my clothes," as most people are calling it, talked about how her clothes get in her way - how they are overpriced, they hang in front of her keys, and that her husband likes to take them off (the crowd bursted out in laughter!). Wow, that was a riot. One of the biggest highlights of the show.

So, I was excited to hear what she had in store for her solo part of the show. I really had no expectations because I mean with 7 albums it is EXTREMELY hard to narrow things down, so I just decided to go with the flow. The improv ended and we hear the repeating first note of Leather and we all scream as loud as we possibly can (or at least I did). Everyone was singing along during this song, and Tori seemed to be very enlightened by it. She paused between "can" and "scream" (in "I can scream as loud as your last one") and you could tell she did it to throw us all off while we sang along. It was totally amazing. I thought it was actually really cool with everyone singing along. I absolutely love the end of this song when she whispers "hand me my leather."

>From the first note I knew the next song was Merman but was simultaneously surprised. I didn't expect it at all! This song is so much like a lullaby, and I sang into my girlfriend's ear most of the time. I have to say, I actually regret doing that because I know I should have been watching Tori and sit in awe of her beautiful voice rather than hearing my own, but then there's not really much I can do about that now - is there? But as far as when I was fully paying attention to her (because you know I wasn't singing every word), she was excellent.

Winter was perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire night. I mean, it was the farthest song from my mind that night - but what an AMAZING treat. There were so many classics during this concert, and this was one of them. The piano bridge was absolutely flawless. I felt very honored to hear it.

So, the Roadside Caf&Mac195;© sign stayed up as Jon and Matt re-entered the stage and Tori went into Strange. There was a small piano intro before she started. I had kind of expected this song, so that kind of took away from being surprised of ecstatic when she began it. But it was beautiful.

Before the concert, my brother said to us that he really wanted her to play Concertina, and there the opening chords were - echoing through the theatre. Wow, this really made me remember how great Venus is. I've never really understood why so many toriphiles find Venus to be below her par, because I find it completely amazing and exquisite. Her experimentation [with sounds] is a good thing, in my opinion and that's why I love that album so much. Concertina is one of my favorites on the album - so it was great to hear it live.

So I guess we're not all perfect. I thought the next song was going to be Pancake, but it was Sweet Sangria. No disappointment though. I love both songs equally (and that's a lot!). It was rocking, and, it was indeed "funky" (as I've heard many past reviewers coin it as). My girlfriend and I looked at each other and sang along to the "yeah, you think about that what you believe in" part. It was entrancing.

I got back to my normal song-knowing self once I heard that water-dropping sound of the beginning of Lust, and yelled loudly with happiness. During the car ride home my brother mentioned that he thought that this song was musically and lyrically perfect. And I must say I do agree. And it's beautiful played live. She played this one last year too, so it reminded me of last year's concert. My favorite part is when she sings "Remember" over and over. It's a nice addition.

Okay, so things were good so far - but they got even better when she began Take To The Sky. So, yeah, all the hooplah about it being great with the band: it's true. This song was meant to be played with the band. I actually thought that just her at the piano was kind of mediocre and monotone, so adding the band was a great idea. And yes, I clapped along. It seemed as though everyone did - I didn't find it distracting and I know that Tori enjoys when people participate. The "take to's" at the end are the best part!

When I Can't See New York started, I knew that the main set was coming to a close. I wonder: Perhaps knowing her normal set ahead of time is really a setback. I think next time around I won't check as often as I did this time - it did really take away form the whole "surprise" element. But as far as the song goes: I remember someone saying before that her voice sounded like velvet when she performed this song, and they were right on. It was just pure smooth velvet in the form of a voice. The audience was very quiet for this one.

The piano intro for Spring Haze was very fast and reminiscent of that of "Precious Things" and my girlfriend and brother were getting excited because they thought it would be that. I felt bad that I had to burst their bubble and let them know it was only Spring Haze, which in my opinion is not disappointing at all. Spring Haze is one of my favorite Tori songs, and oh my goodness, it is amazing live. I've heard it live on MP3's before, but actually being there is so much more intense and personal. It was brilliant. Pure brilliance. I am totally in love with the way she sings "droooowwn" at the end of this song. Whoa, baby. That's what I'm talking about.

So the main set was over, and we all stood up as she waved and touched the hands of those lucky people in the front seat! (I'm very envious. I just don't understand how they can get those seats. Grrr). We all screamed and yelled for the encores&Mac226; and then the first one came.

She came back out and sang Bliss. This was especially special to me because it was the song that got me into Tori! Everyone stood up (during this song AND the duration of all the encores) and I was dancing and singing like crazy (along with my girlfriend). I was so excited to hear it!

Alright, so the night reached it's ULTIMATE high during the next song: Space Dog. Wow. I can't really even find the words. She sang this last year too, and it was a highlight as well - so to hear it AGAIN was great! And with the band, it's EVEN better. I was dancing so much I think I almost actually started to literally jump, but I contained myself, hard as it was.

Virginia is one of my absolute favorite songs from Scarlet's Walk. I swayed back and forth and sang along, it was incredible. I was very happy that we got to stand up - it was certaintly fitting for all of the encores!

So, she left again, and I actually was doubtful as to whether she was going to come back and do a second encore - but I was really hoping she would. And, well, she did!

The drums for Taxi Ride began and I knew at that moment my life was complete. I was freaking out. I screamed as loud as I could and so did everyone else. I was moving and dancing and singing and swaying. Wow, it was great fun I must say. This is my second favorite song from Scarlet's Walk. I love it so much.

I was expecting Hey Jupiter (Dakota), and so when I heard the opening chords to the next song it caught me a little of guard. My brother was like "I think it's bachelorette!" and I said no, because I knew that tune and I knew it wasn't Bachelorette. Then I realized it was Playboy Mommy and I was just in awe for a moment. Another huge surprise. I don't think she has done this one too much - and so I was deeply excited when it came on. Tori's voice was incredible, especially at the end.

And so, with the line "I'm coming home to take you in my arms," the night was over. All in all it was an amazing show and I am so glad we got the songs we did!

Disappointments? Just two. The first was that there was still nothing from Strange Little Girls. I wonder why she's not doing anything from it. Hmm. The second is that she STILL didn't do Carbon!! I am going to be incredibly jealous of whichever city gets to encounter the debut (if there even is a debut) of this song!

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer