StrangeLittleTour
New York, NY
October 10, 2001
Updated January 7, 2002
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StrangeLittleTour
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Tori performed in New York, NY on October 10, 2001 at the Beacon Theatre during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour. This was the second of 3 shows in New York. Set ListThanks to Richard Handal for giving me the set list on the phone. '97 Bonnie & Clyde 1st Encore: 2nd Encore: ReviewsLatest reviews are added to the bottom of the page. Be sure to check the Tori Concert Reviews Forum for reviews as well! From Richard HandalOctober 11, 2001 - Richard called me after the show, which started at 9:18PM and ended at 10:52PM. The show was 1 hour and 34 minutes long. During Past The Mission, Tori used the word "towers" instead of tower many times. She messed up 3 times during Mr. Zebra. Richard was thrilled to finally get to hear Little Earthquakes on this tour and he said, "God bless Elise for requesting Little Earthquakes." It was a really wonderful show despite a markedly raspy voice -- much raspier than the previous night. Tori did not have Mr. Zebra listed on her official written set list. She did have Northern lad listed between Talula and Me and a Gun, but decided not to do it. From TomAdded Oct 14, 2001 - Just got back from the show... It was really something special! Just about every song she played I was totally not expecting at all. Tori was so cute when she messed up Mr. Zebra ð:) ðIt's really late cause after the post-show meet and greet we went back to the car and it wouldn't start! ðAfter about an hour of praying, it finally started. ðSo, I would write more, but I'm really tired. From Anthony FlemingAdded Oct 14, 2001 - I know that you talked to Richard about this show and I really just wanted to give you some input on it. I haven't had the chance to see Tori since her plugged tour a few years back. I was at one of her concerts during the Dew Drop Inn tour and two of her concerts during the plugged tour. Honestly, I have to tell you that I think that Richard is being a little hard on Tori. The show at the Beacon last night is the best show of hers that I have ever been to. First of all, I just have to say that I had never even heard of Rufus before I went to this show and he was a great opening act. He has a very unique voice and he is a talented musician. Tori started out the concert with a torn up curtain at the front of the stage with a large pic of her '97 Bonnie and Clyde character. You could see the blue and purple lights through the tears of this black curtain and it created a very murky, watery setting that really complemented the song. The curtain dropped at the dramatic orchestral climax of the song and everyone went nuts, cheering for Tori. There were many surprises for me during this tour. Since I had tickets for this concert a few weeks ago, I was watching the set lists that you post (thanks for doing that-you're the best!!!). I was surprised to see her doing so many B-sides from Little Earthquakes. Last night I was so happy to hear her sing "Take to the Sky" with the breakdown in the middle ("If you don't like me/just a little well...") because on a lot of bootlegs I have, she dropped this breakdown. Also, it was great to hear "Sister Janet," "Here. In my head." and "Etienne." Also, even though Richard complained about how raspy her voice is, I think it sounded better than the previous 3 times that I had seen her. The last times I saw her, she did not belt out her songs. Her voice was very much reserved and airy. I was happy to hear her let it out for the first time, even though she did sound a little raspy towards the end of the show. She did mess up on Mr. Zebra but I thought that it was almost intentional because the first time she was trying to hit the notes while singing "Figure it out" and she messed up, so she did it again and sang "Figure it out...oh wait, Figure it out" and finally hit the notes right. Everyone roared with laughter as she beamed a smile back at the audience. I was very surprised that she only sang two songs from SLG. They were both great but I was hoping to hear more (like "Real Men" and "I'm not in love"). However, I was very happy with the set list. Every album had it's own feel to it and we got a little taste of everything last night. It was like a Tori sampler platter... I enjoyed the show so much that I am going out of my way to get a ticket to go to the show tonight. She played a lot of different songs from the show on 10/9 and I hope she will play a lot of different songs tonight (I'm really hoping for "Flying Dutchman" but we will see what happens!). As a side note, I made a new Toriphile last night by bringing my friend to the show. He liked Tori before the concert but he didn't think she was anything to write home about, if you know what I mean. He lives here in New York and ever since September 11th, he's been depressed. He was really worried that her concert would be way too depressing. However, he loved every minute of the show. He kept commenting on how amazing she is and how talented she is. He especially loved the way that she would play two different keyboards at the same time. He loves her instrumental abilities and he said he kept becoming frustrated because he was trying to listen to her piano playing very carefully and he kept on getting wrapped up in her lyrics. He was simply amazed by the entire experience. From Jerry (Posted to Precious Things mailing list)Added Oct 14, 2001 - My two cents... Tori was wonderful. Her outfit was original. She sounded like an angel. She looked so relaxed. After seeing her on the past couple of tours with "the band" it was great to finally hear Tori and her piano without the crashing drums and the screaming electric guitars. The set list was great. I sat in row M upper, upper level. (Good thing I brought my binoculars.) The crowd was great. They were into every note, every syllable, every moan, and every piano bench straddle. From KevinAdded Oct 14, 2001 - I saw show on 9th, won't repeat set list since you have them. ðBut just in the performance, it was very soothing, salve like, light, almost romantic in certain senses. ðTori told little stories, the lights that streamed out on the crowd were cool shades of blue and purple. ðIt had the feeling of healing behind it. ð Well, that Tori was gone, come the 10th. ðLast night's show was so hard hitting. ðThere was barely enough time for your ears to rest between songs, the lights were the color of fire, flicks of red and orange jumping at you, and Tori was just at her best, slamming keys, swinging hair, and her voice just bounced off the walls. ðThe fact that it was raspy made it seem more angrier, more forceful. ðThe crowd was 10 times as energetic than the night before and Tori ate it right up. ðThis was the second show I've seen of hers ever and just seeing the looks on people's faces when the house lights came up told me that I probably saw one of the best. ðEh, I'm in love. From AlanAdded Oct 14, 2001 - last night's show definitely goes on my top 3 list. she's doing some amazing songs, pulling out all the stops in what looks like a career retrospective - tori seems to be in a really great place in her life and is revisiting and revamping her repertoire and doing it mighty well, i might add. the lightshow was spectacular, lots of subtle colorations that made the whole experience quite tasty; everything sounded amazing as well. there were so many thrilling moments to the show - yes, her voice was raspy but i think it added to the performance, she seems to be able to control and use the rasp to her advantage and to me it just sounds like her voice is now mature.....so here's a little play-by-play: '97 BONNIE AND CLYDE: chilling, absolutely chilling. she draws out the "goo-goo-ga-ga" part and makes it sound horrifying....but her reason for doing this song (and probably the whole album) became eminently clear, that little girl is extremely lucky to have a mommy who loves her the way tori does!... PAST THE MISSION: a really haunting, beautiful rendition....i like the use of the rhodes for extra atmosphere.....the new piano part is very powerful and provides an interesting energy contrast to the rest of the song. LEATHER: adorable. she crosses her legs and makes lewd gestures and the whole shabang. HERE. IN MY HEAD: WOW. i was in no way expecting this (the girl two seats next to me had requested it at the m&g). a very intense emotional level to this song even still....this song was on my checklist of songs i really had wanted to see but were in the "rarities" category & i was thrilled beyond belief to hear it. TAKE TO THE SKY: more lewd gestures, lots of energy, the audience claps along (i'm not actually sure what i think about that). another one i'd really wanted to see.....this song seems especially relevant with the new album out. I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS: beautiful. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES: she was really into this one, it was profoundly moving, the lights were all amber and set the perfect tone....some extra lyrics during the "i can't reach you" part, the "give me life..." part began a little growly, very intense! ETIENNE: this was the absolute surprise of the evening. everybody seemed to be looking around trying to figure out what it was....the choruses were absolutely soaring, played on the rhodes.......i think it's really interesting that she's breaking out the y kant tori read songs and doing a stellar job. MR. ZEBRA: absolutely adorable, she screwed up three times and it looked like she was twitching for some strange reason, but then everyone realized she just forgot the part, then she finally got it to resounding applause. JOSEPHINE: also beautiful. CONCERTINA: a very ethereal version, played mostly on the upper registers of the piano and the rhodes....i noticed perhaps for the first time how classically influenced the piano part is (hence the name!). TALULA: started with a new part, the wurlie made it really interesting.....lyric substitution of note: "and it's in god's hands / can anyone tell me who our father is?" lots of interesting vocal work, and tori got down and funky with "big bird on the fishing line" ME AND A GUN: tori seemed to be completely in a trance during this. very soft, raspy, almost slurred, until "flat on your stomach" which she belted out, giving the audience a jump. DANIEL: wow again. MERMAN: she seemed especially involved in this one (or maybe that was just me!). SILENT ALL THESE YEARS: even though everybody likes to bitch about hearing this one, she put her all into it and got the whole audience to sing along. actually the most moving version of this song i've seen her play. ENJOY THE SILENCE: this seems to follow "silent all these years" frequently, which i think is interesting.....once again, an unmistakable hug for natashya...this song is one of my favorites on the new album (yay depeche mode!), live it makes so much sense. SISTER JANET: REQUESTED by yours truly at the meet-and-greet, i asked her if she could squeeze in a "sister janet," she said, "is this your only show?", i said, "i'm coming tonight and tomorrow," she said, "that's very good to know," i came not expecting to hear it and was FLOORED!!!! one of my favorite tori songs....absolutely enchanting. i cried. =) 1000 OCEANS: especially riveting and poignant, i cried all the way through this one too. i really really really really enjoyed it! the meet-and-greet was also shockingly peaceful, not as many people as plugged tour m&g's & not nearly the bitterness & psychosis of a million pushing ewf's. it's great to see tori now, she seems like she's just absolutely floating....her command over her songs, her voice, her playing is the best it's possibly ever been. YAY! can't wait for tonight, will probably try to get to philly this saturday. From AmyAdded Oct 14, 2001 - I just wanted to drop you a little review of my own tori show that I went to on Wednesday. It was amazing! This was the best show I've seen her at since '96 and this was the 5th time I've seen her. I've seen her in all types of settings from Letterman to arenas to theaters. She played a lot of b-sides and rarities. Stuff I have NEVER heard live, like sister janet, and here in my head. My jaw dropped when she played all of Etienne and Clothes in my head (forgive me if that title escapes me, it's been awhile since I listened to more pink and other b-sides). The Talula she played with the organ from Country Joe at woodstock was blistering all on its own. Opening with '97 Bonnie and Clyde - that song was so haunting (the album version is great) but I *felt* it live. Then she broke into Past the Mission(!) which was another one I had never heard live. Tori played some of her "standard" regulars like Leather and Silent all these years. I'm glad she brought back Me and a Gun because it NEEDS to be heard. The dueling pianos were a great touch and Tori was full of emotion. The only thing I miss are her Tori stories - but that's ok she let her piano do the talking. I sat in one of the last rows up top in the Beacon theater. While I was sitting there Agent Orange (tori's bodyguard) came up and grabbed 3 girls to come down and sit in front. No I wasn't picked. I didn't get to meet Tori but I showed some people my autographed (but very weathered sadly tori's autograph is starting to smudge in my wallet, but I carry it around for luck) stub from '96. I did wave to Tori's parents and said hello after the show. Very cool people. Rufus Wainwright is the perfect opener for Tori. He was funny and talked about his Future Famers of America jacket. His sound was a little muddled though all the way up top. He however plays his piano brilliantly. This is how everyone should see Tori perform. In an intimate setting with her pianos and her voice. No band, no large arena. Back to basics. Back to the woman we love so much. That connection is still made, each and every night. The only thing I lament is that it's very hard to meet Tori now, she has so many fans. I remember when you didn't need a number, there were no bodyguards. Sadly I don't think I will meet her again. But that's ok I have such wonderful concert memories now. From scott michenerAdded Oct 14, 2001 - Just a quick note to say THANK YOU for the fabulous website, it keeps getting better, and also to tell you that last night ( oct 10th) in nyc was my FAV tori show of all time, it was soooo good. and her voice wasnt raspy at all, i thought! i thought it was pretty clear, and much more powerful than last night. Just thought i'd be devil's advocate and put out another opinion! Thanks mikewhy!!!! From Chuck DeMundAdded Oct 14, 2001 - i can tell you this, i am a 42 year old , father, american indian, and regular guy, and mst of the time is m...b....t., moments between tori!!!! i just saw her last night in n.y.c. i thought the whole show was just phenominal, but especially me & a gun, followed by elton's daniel. i felt the emotion of the room went real deep in that part. it was incredibal, and now i'm just m.b.t. From the Washington Square NewsAdded November 3, 2001 - A review of the second New York City show by Vicki Siolos appeared in the October 19-21, 2001 weekend edition of the Washington Square News, the student newspaper at New York University. It appeared in 'Culture Shock', a part of Washington Square News' Weekend Arts Section. Thanks to Vanessa Unkeless for emailing it to me. Pink Earthquakes from the Choirgirl Hotel
To-ri-phile- (n.) 1. a profoundly devoted, sometimes regarded as obsessive, fan of musician Tori Amos. 2. ears with feet.
For the majority of her audiences, seeing Tori Amos perform live is a religious experience. Judging by her enormous fanbase, Amos, now 38, has a long history of success behind her. The release of her latest album Strange Little Girls, released just this past month, brought a fresh concept to her music; a good thing too, since the 1999 release 'to venus and back' can be considered by far the least favorite among Toriphiles. [Note from Mikewhy: Hey, Venus is my second favorite Tori album after Pele!]
Also having had her share of woes in the past thirteen years, with a flop of an '80's band called Y Kant Tori Read, a rape, three miscarriages, and the break-up of a long-term relationship, Tori has produced some of the most enthralling, creative, and magnetizing music in the last ten years. Though most of her fans call her a goddess, she is still human, and is entitled to have her experiments not always be what were expected of them. The best example of this is her decision, back in 1998, with the release of 'from the choirgirl hotel', to tour with a band. Her previous performances for the trilogy of preceding albums (1991's Little Earthquakes, 1994's Under the Pink, and 1996's Boys for Pele) were solo, occassionally accompanied by a guitarist. A large portion of her enormous fanbase came about somewhere between 'Pele' and 'choirgirl', which meant that the chance to see her perform solo again was something that many did not expect. Her decision to do so in her current 'Strange Little Tour' was a wonderful surprise to those that had and had not seen her alone on stage before.
After Tori's recent entrance into motherhood (Amos and her husband/ sound engineer, Mark Hawley now have a 13-month old daughter, Natashya) and two-time collaboration with a live band, her performances were generally divided between "Old Tori" and "New Tori", and many Toriphiles preferred the soloist who sang and screeched and gyrated on her piano bench to the backed-up performer who improvised less and less. Her decision to tour solo again is blatantly not simply about satisfying the fans, but also the message that she is sending through her latest work; pinpointing a very dark side of our present sexual culture, she is weeding out the middlemen of drummers, bassists and guitarists, and doing what she knows how to do best-shake people's hearts to where their resulting emotions are an experience of pain, joy and pleasure. As human as the woman may be, don't be surprised to get up from your seat feeling calm yet devastated, as though you were graced by a goddess. - Vicki Siolos From popmatters.comAdded November 8, 2001 - A review of the October 10, 2001 New York concert appeared at popmatters.com. by Nicholas Taylor Before the Altar of Tori Amos
Quite suddenly, the house lights went out. The crowd was ecstatic in anticipation, wildly screaming and shrieking at the thought of catching the first glimpse of their benevolent savior. As the stage lights went up, however, Amos was nowhere to be found, at least in the flesh. A large black curtain hung from the rafters with a large portrait of Amos on it, bathed in a warm yellow spotlight. The picture was one of Amos's alter egos on her new concept/covers records, Strange Little Girls. The girl that greeted the audience at New York's Beacon Theater was the one that accompanies Eminem's psycho surreal wife-killing fantasy, "'97 Bonnie and Clyde". The crowd heard the thumping, marching rhythm of the string section of Amos's chilling, blood-curdling version, but she was nowhere to be seen. As Amos bravely sang the song from the murdered wife's perspective, brimming with pathos and tragic irony, she never once stepped out from behind the curtain. As the song dizzyingly grinded to an abrupt halt, the curtain and the portrait came crashing down, dramatically revealing Tori happily prancing across a softly-lit stage.
The effect was starling and confusing. Strange Little Girls is an aggressive, controversial project, as Amos has covered twelve songs written and performed by men, all from a female perspective. The wildly ambitious record is all over the musical map, stretching from the baroque nightmare of Eminem's "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" to a raucous, punk rock send-up of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold". In interviews Amos has been elusive and tough, defending her project with harsh, disparaging meditations of female strength and anger. The way she opened her concert in New York was no less confrontational. Sitting in the cozy, warm, ornate Beacon Theater, Amos demanded we listen to her tale of horror and stare the supposed victim in the eye the entire time. Pretty heavy stuff.
I can certainly admire Amos's new, belligerent attitude. Her new album is rough, defiant, and strikingly coherent -- her vocals are raw and sexy, her attitude is tough and impressive, and her utilization of the Rhodes piano is a welcome twist to her setup. The problem with seeing Amos take this challenging and exciting material on the road is dealing with Tori Amos fans. Amos is one of those rare artists whose work is so personal, so emotional and affecting that her fans are often obsessed die-hards who hang on her every word and mannerism as if she were speaking directly to them.
In front of her fans, Amos was a goddess. She could do no wrong. They exploded in hysteria at her every move--when she banged on the piano, when she feigned masturbation, when she flubbed a song, when she sang a chorus really sexy and slow, when she did just about anything. Admittedly, this can produce a very enjoyable communal atmosphere. As Amos rolled through the delightfully silly Lewis Carroll-esque "Mr. Zebra" from 1996's Boys for Pele, the congregation sang every word of the nonsense hymn along with her, breaking into rapturous applause and laughter when she had to stop the song in the middle three times to get the piano line right. Another moment of group solidarity came when Amos changed the line "And I don't know who the father is" from Boys for Pele to the triumphant, call to arms bravado of "And I don't know who our father is". They were so ecstatic because Amos implicitly told them what they always wanted to know -- that there was a real and vital kinship between them, that it wasn't just about music.
To my eyes, all of this seemed like very old truck to Amos. She seemed very aloof and distant, going through the motions of waving to her fans and approaching the lip of the stage to personally accept their gifts and flowers. She only played for an hour and a half, hardly spoke at all, performed her encores in a very perfunctory manner, and avoided emotional crowd favorites like "Winter" from Little Earthquakes or "Cornflake Girl" from Under the Pink.
Moreover, she insisted on shoving in front of her emotional teenybopper legions such difficult, affecting material as "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" and the harrowing "Me and a Gun", her acapella rape dirge from Little Earthquakes. What was so uncomfortable and confusing about seeing Amos live was that the same screeching and crying reaction reserved for her sexy put-ons and piano humping is also unleashed by the audience after such decisively non-pleasing, in fact very disturbing, pieces like "Me and a Gun". When you see a demon exorcised like that, do you break out in girlish, ecstatic glee? Or do you just let it sit with you, letting the images and words echo in your head for weeks and months afterward?
The bottom line is that the Tori cultists scream and cry for both "Me and a Gun" and "Mr. Zebra" because they really believe that some part of them is up there, either being silly or baring it all. They really hear "Me and a Gun" as a part of themselves speaking--the thundering applause after her harrowing rape tale is finished is a communal group hug, a collective pat on the back. Unfortunately, if you haven't access to this close-knit circle of thousands upon thousands of Amos die-hards, you may find it a bit hard to swallow her bitter pills with such glee and appreciation. It was more like watching some strange, foreign ritual of song and appreciation, with a wild, red-haired, piano-playing temptress at the helm. The reviews below were taken from the concert reviews section of The Dent Forum and added here on January 7, 2002Review by AlexM2474 THAT WAS THE GREATEST SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN!!!! EVER!!! NOT A FUCKING STINKER IN THE BUNCH!! Even the played out "Leather" was AMAZING. I sat a couple rows behind Tori's parents and Kevyn Aucoin. Ah, fabulousness. Past the Mission was intense. She tore it up with incredible piano breaks!! Here In My Head. I died. This song rocked so hard. I Don't Like Mondays. I got chills when she sang "Shoot Shoot Shoot it all Down!!!!" Etienne--WHAT A SHOCK! Like Cool on Your Island, a VAST improvement over the original. Little Earthquakes was the highlight for me. Intense. She just soared with this. Take to the Sky was amazing Talula. Oh, my god!! Daniel. I wanted to cry. The Bosey just sounded so full. It was like an orchestra. Concertina, Mr. Zebra, Josephine (I prayed as I was walking in that she'd play this!) were unbelievable. SATY was incredible. The bridge was the most powerful live version I've heard. Sister Janet and 1,000 Oceans. Oh, my!!! She was totally on top of her game tonight. It was tight and the evening flew by. By the way, did anyone watch Rufus? He was even better tonight, despite technical difficulties and the multitudes of ASSHOLES talking during his set. It was sooooo rude. I heard many people complain about it afterwards. Someone LAUGHED during one of his songs and he said "I'm glad it's so funny". He was not happy. I can't abide such rudeness. If you don't like him, get off your ass and LEAVE the theatre!! Don't ruin it for people like me who also came to hear him! By the way, the audience for Tori was MUCH BETTER tonight. It was way quieter and more attentive. But I think Tori was so much more on top of her game this evening, so that helped. Past the Mission got some amazing instrumental breaks Talula was totally rewritten. Very beautiful. Slow and intense with a mantra of "Don't want to lose her/you" threaded in between. Concertina had a great little intro with some Rodney Jerkins' like skitter syncopation. SATY had a slightly reworked bridge. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by beena just wanted to mention two more things haven't seen said yet: -she hardly talked during the show, except for mentioning her friends & parents are there, and introducing her funky country joe and the fish organ (no tash stories..)..but since she played such an amazing set of rare and beautiful songs, she is forgiven! -in talula- in the 'i don't know who the father is' i believe she sang 'someone tell me who OUR father is', which the crowd got a kick of just like last night's 'thank heaven for little boys, without them what would little BOYS do'.. she knows how to get us going!! overall- played an amazing set tonight, which makes last nights show seem pale, dull and boring. tonight was just so much more full of life, passion, and variety.. ahhhh.. ok enough! thats all -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by alex (divine_canaan28) so i was there tonight! my first of the strange little tour! i thought it was great. my friend was desperste to hear all these songs that tori didn't play like jupiter, horses, time, and had me thinking it was a bad show. but going over it in my head....it rocked! i mean little earthquakes, one of my all time faves! especially live!!! and etienne, which i'd never heard before was incredible, same with h.imh. take to the sky! aaahhh, so great. i've got the tour program right in front of me. next show is on sunday and i can't wait. i hope to god she does siren, icicle, rattlesnakes (surprised it wasn't there tonight), horses and lust. any one of them. but truly a great show and her new little talula kicked ass, though i can't say i heard any potential new material. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Land of Ice I'm stuck in this weird fantasy right now- this clouded happy reality. I TALKED to TORI! She smiled at me! she is the kindest person, sooooooooooooooo genuine, so beautiful internally. this show was completely moving. her voice is gorgeous, her piano is gorgeous and her face is, too. what an amazing and inspirational person, i'm so happy from this evening, and at the same time, i already miss her. those of you with shows yet to see this tour- lucky you. she is very fabulous. tonight she was stunning and brilliant and everything i'd dreamed of. she is the real thing and she is on top of everything. i met some denters also, all lovely lovely. toriphiles, for the most part, are such sweet sweet people. this was one of the greatest nights for me ever. I don't want to forget any of it. gorgeous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Denise (Concertina) Wow...tonight was SO incredible. Everything was perfect. I wanted her to do Josephine and Merman SO BAD, and she did. And Etienne was such a huge wonderful surprise!! Everything was so amazing. This was my only show this tour I could get to, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. Oh...tell me one thing. WHY do people come to a concert and talk through the entire thing? I swear...a few rows behind me, some girls were talking the WHOLE TIME. It was so annoying. After awhile I was able to tune them out, but it was so rude....why bother coming if you're not going to listen? Anyway, I hope those of you going tomorrow, and the rest of the tour have just as good a time as I did. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Magowin I just got home now and I was really impressed with the set she pulled off tonight. I really didn't expect to hear Etienne and it was kinda funny cause last night she played cool in your island and my friend didn't know what it was and I told him about Y Cant Tori Read and I played Etienne for him on the ride home. Also Little Earthquakes was great. I can't wait till tomorrow's show now. I hope she plays Tear in your hand I'm really looking forward to seeing that played thats why I got tickets to all 3 shows. In between songs I may yell to her to play it but not sure. Don't want to piss anyone off. Knowing my luck she'll play it in Philly and I'm not going to that show just like 2 years ago I went to 2 shows and she played it at the 3rd show in the area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by GlttrGrrl AMAZING! I think that show is tied with Ithaca NY 1998 as my favorite of ALL TIME. First of all, our seats were INCREDIBLE...7th roow, all the way at the end on the right side and we could see her face perfectly. She looked absolutely stunning. Everything about tonight's show was ten times as amazing as last night's. Her hair looked better, the outfit was more lovely, the set/curtains actually worked this time. WOW. It just felt special. Every single song was beautiful. Even the audience was much more respectful this time around, not screaming as often or in those totally inappropriate places (except durring 97 B&C...what's up with that?) The highlights, and there were so many, were, BY FAR...Here in my head...My friend Eric has requested this song in person and in letters at every single show I can remember for the past 3 years. We knew she would do it eventually. She said that somebody asked for it today, so it was for that person...I'm not sure if it was requested at Wed.'s m&g, but Eric had requested it on Tuesday. It was so fucking incredible! I cried...I was so happy that Eric finally got to hear it, plus, it's one of my favorites, also. Take to the Sky was great...Little Earthquakes was SO GOOD...rock on Tori. Etienne blew me away (maybe I'm a witch...)..she played it on the Rhodes (is that what the keyboard is called?) and the piano. The fuck ups in Mr. Zebra made it so great. Nobdy has mentioned the fact that she sang the first line of Josephine twice. Concertina was on the Piano and the Rhodes or whatever it's called. Talula started with an intro going something like "Let you go" and SHE GOT IT RIGHT THIS TIME...no fuck ups with 1+1... Me & a gun was haunting as always, and Daniel was unexpected and just so beautiful. The highlight of the encores was Sister Janet...I've never heard it live, and *sigh* it was perfect. Her energy level was high and she jumped up and down and waved to the people in the balconies. Northern Lad was on the setlist, but left out. The setlist was funny b/c Talula was spelled Tallulah, and Little Earthquakes was Li'l Earthquakes...we joked that it was hip hop (Li'l Bow Wow, Li'l Kim, Li'l Mo, Li'l Earthquakes) That was such an amazing show! Eric and I hung out afterwards b/c I insisted that he say thank you for playing the song for him finally...she didn't come out until 12:30 (what the hell was she doing back there), but she looked stunning when she came out (fishnets, patent leather stiletto heals, and this cool skirt that I can't even describe) and Eric got to say thank you and it was all good. I almost don't want to go to tomorrow's show b/c I don't know if it can get any better than tonight's show... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by flappergirl i cannot believe i have only just seen tori live for the first time tonight! i was so impressed with how much she has grown as a musician over the last few years, and i think working with a band has really enhanced her solo stuff. can i just say THOSE SHOES!?!?!? WHAO! She had on like these 5-inch stillettos and just a really TORI outfit--gorgeous. these white long pants that flared so much it was almost like a skirt, and they had huge slits up each leg so you could really check out how much motherhood has kept her legs in shape, and to get a load of the shoes! and a puffy sleeved, sheer pink blouse with a sequined applique on the front: flowers? her hair was half curly-half wavy...natural. beautiful! some highlights for me: LITTLE EARTHQUAKES! one of my favorites -- give me life, give me pain give me myself again... makes me cry everytime, and it did again tonight. TALULA: i have to admit that i have never really thought much of this song UNTIL TONIGHT--the sound of it on the old Woodstock Wurlitzer and the incredible vocal interpretation and the way she wove her voice in and out of the tones of that old keyboard....GULP. Concertina: she played piano and Korg at the same time--i love when she does that!! incredibly beautiful song--it is so lovely acoustically. and it is such a visual treat to watch her play two keys at once and sing! i am so blown away at how incredibly she was miked--she is lucky to be amplified with true LOVE (literally!). it does make a difference--a BREATHTAKING difference. SONOROUS, rich, voluptuous sound thru and thru. what a dream to be able to sing into that sound system every night...must be as good as sex! i was only sad that she didn't do one song off of "from the choirgirl hotel"--and i was praying for northern lad!!! ...but Little Earthquakes made up for it. ETIENNE: WOW!!! that was an amazing rendition--her vocal interpretations have grown so much over the years, i agree PHP. she brings so much more depth to everything she plays/sings. i am so proud of her--it is incredible to see someone go from great to breathtakingly amazing...i am so inspired! i wish i had a ticket for tomorrow!!! i just have a feeling she is gonna do northern lad!!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by fairysinging26 This is my first post , Hi everyone. The show was absolutely delightfull. It was great to see Tori and hear songs that I never heard her play live before (sister janet take to the sky). I was so happy when she played Etienne. I never thought I would get a chance to hear her do that one. She played Mr Zebra and it was so adorable. It was as if she was playing around with us encouraging us to be bouncy and happy and to sing along (which the crowd did) Take To The Sky was kind of like that to. She was slapping the piano and the crowd was clapping the beat. Josephine and Concertina WOW. They sounded so beautiful. I like that she is doing stuff from all her cds. Im really happy that she is doing some Y can't Tori Read songs. I think there's a lot of great songs on it (etienne, cool on your island, fire on the side, & floating city ) Her mom and dad were two rows infront of me. They are absolutely ADORABLE they looked so sweet. I didn't talk with them but I saw people chatting with them and they really seemed interested not like rushing them away but really talking with them. I got to meet Tori after the show outside. I had painted a picture for her hoping I would one day get the chance to give it to her and I did !!!! She was so nice I can't believe it. She called me sweetheart and thanked me saying it was beautiful. I also told her that I sang Baker Baker for my consevatory audition in August and they let me in. She giggled and smiled and said "that's wonderfull" So all in all it was a great night. I think i will forever be in awe of Tori's talent, beauty, and sweetness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by kbee wow. last night was so intense. i really enjoyed tuesdays set, and i thought it was an exquisite show, but last night tori was ON. i think the audience collectively stifled a 'holy crap' upon hearing the first line of etienne. i'd never heard it before but recognised the lyric and nearly peed. it was just gorgeous. that rhodes is channeling yktr like no tomorrow! the best part of the show for me was definitely etienne, mr. zebra and josephine. right in a row, i could swear she was trying to kill us. but the reworked talula kicks my ass, daniel was especially touching, and the encores were great too. it was just a phenomenal show. oh, speaking of talula and ass, tori stood up and little and wiggled hers during the song. it was great. oh and we got a nice pelvic gesture on the first 'have a seat' during take to the sky. and a wabbit-ears hello just before one of the songs. you could just tell she was in a great mood. ahhh! hee. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by charlotte sometimes ok guys, i'm going to be brief, gotta head back to the city. first tori show ever, and it blew me out of the water. THANK YOU NIKKI for requesting etienne! i *died* when she played it. wow, it really was an awesome show. i met some incredibly nice people. i don't remember her name, but thanks so much to the girl who gave me her spot at the meet and greet. and i will see the rest of you (you know who you are ) in ct. it really was beautiful. such an intense show... tori was amazing last night. can't wait to see what tonight brings... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Ghost passing through This show was extraordinary.Despite the fact that it was so early days-heavy,I still could not have had a better time.Sure,last night we got more Pele,but tonight was unbelievable. I don't think I had ever even dreamed of hearing COYI and Etienne live,let alone in consecutive nights! Tori was amazing...I'm still in such awe. Her Dad came out after the show while we were waiting and saw a girl behind the barricades and said,"How did you get your hair so white?" to which she replied that she got it through bleaching numerous times.He then took off his baseball hat and said something along the lines of,"when you have a daughter like mine,that turns your hair white"-it was so cute. All in all,a stellar show which I cannot stop thinking of. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by LilacFaerie I am absolutely speechless. Last night's show was the most amazing experience of my life. I finally got to hear Here in my Head and sister janet for the first time! and DANIEL!!! Oh my God! I almost died when she played that! Leather, Little Earthquakes, Silent all these years and Etienne where the best live versions I ever heard! Her voice was outstanding tonight! Take to the Sky was perfect, And I'm so happy she sang ALL the verses! Talula was very different and gorgeous...she added improv lyrics in the beginning, and I had no idea what she was playing at first - very awesome version! She also mentioned that the keyboard she played talula on was from the original woodstock concert! Merman was very touching, especially during the end when she sang "two can play." I haven't seen tori since jones beach '99, and it was wonderful to experience her magic again. however, this was the most emotional, beautiful show I ever heard! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by lastgrrl I've seen Tori Amos 5 times in concert. I've met her 4 times. I carry her autographed ticket stub in my wallet. I had seats in nearly the last row last night. I felt her emotions the entire night. This was the best show she's done in ny since the '96 show at Jones Beach and way the hell better then the '98 show at MSG when she was sick. The set list was amazing. Hearing songs that she NEVER or RARELY plays live anymore was by far the greatest. I mean hearing Sister Janet and Etienne and LE (which of course i heard live before) were amazing. She sounded dead on and hardly missed a beat. Did anyone else notice during Me and A Gun though she missed the lyrics "You can laugh..it's kind of funny.." or is that just me? I left feeling amazed and emotionally filled. The covers were great too. Enjoy the silence sounds a lot better live. This show as a like a special request live kind of event. I felt privleged to even have been part of it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by papericecream the show last night was freakin' amazing. very comparable to the orlando show which was the best!!! tori show i've ever seen. this one was very close. i have to rant though. and it seems i'm not the only one. ok, if you sit in the theater during rufus and talk through the whole thing and then get up and go outside when he's done, what's wrong with you??? don't come in for rufus if you're only gonna talk through him. there are people that enjoy his set and really want to see it. also, to those seat movers "the ticket game"...you are totally obvious. be cool about it, don't squirm about, and if you get caught, deal with it. go back to your seat! it's so distracting to have people running about when the show starts. you're obviously HUGE tori fans cause you want to get so close, but if you are such a fan have some respect for her and for everyone else. stay where you are when the show starts, preferably in your own seat, so there isn't commotion when you get caught. picture takers...your flash is doing nothing but annoying the hell out of tori and everyone else. the lights on the stage will take care of it. and please, how can you take a picture during me and a gun? don't you think that bothers tori just a little bit? sorry, i had to say it. but also, it probably won't do anything since the offenders are most likely not on this board (except for "ticket game" people, which i know most likely are) please be considerate, if not to the rest of us, to tori and rufus please. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by George (Liquid Datura) I was fortunate enough to attend the second New York show last night and by golly gee it was amazing. I owe several thanks to my crew there: Carrie, Frank, and Denice who shared tickets with me and, uh, drove me there. Alright, to business: '97 BONNIE & CLYDE. I knew she had been opening the shows with this one... I was very curious as to how she'd manage it, seeing as it's hardly the easiest song to perform especially since most of it is spoken word. Well, there was a curtain raised above an otherwise blank stage. Attached to the curtain was a tapestry of the "Bonnie" character - the blonde with the cake. There were lighting effects to go with the pre-recorded violins and the "Just the two of us" was clearly dubbed as she sang the "Just you and me" lines. She sang it from backstage, perhaps to convey that this was the character performing it and not her. At the dramatic end, the curtain effectively dropped and was whisked away by stagehands. PAST THE MISSION. Tori appeared and waved, all smiles. She sat down and began what would we would realize was "Past the Mission". My 'fears' relieved; the audience sat and watched, rather than like the '99 show where we stood the entire time. Far more intimate, really. In any event, this song had several improv-bits between verses (although this could have been done previously on the tour) that reminded me ever so slightly of "In the Springtime of His Voodoo". But that's just me. This "Mission" was an elongated version with Tori repeating the last few lines over and over. LEATHER. Applause all around for this one. I'd only seen her perform this live on the RAINN concert VHS and she did that head-down-wave-to-the-audience thing that she did there. Well-done performance; I was pleased. The enunciation at "Big fat cigar" was priceless. HERE. IN MY HEAD. Tori explained that someone had requested it earlier and here it was. A phenomenal b-side, I was glad to hear it and the "Do you know..." part was amazing. TAKE TO THE SKY. I'd read on the Dent forumz about people going on about the "Take to the Sky" clappers (aka people who clap during the verses, which Tori seems to encourage with her slamming on the piano side). I felt they were exaggerating a little, but no, they were right. It is a little distracting and the bridge comes far too frequently for the audience to be completely coordinated to stop. Still nice to hear it though. Good ending. I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS. A classic from "Strange Little Girls"... I know those who love it and those who hate it. Personally, I am very much enamored by the track and this live version proved to be very pretty. It was very straight-forward, very much like the Tori's original. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES. I was not expecting this song so early in the set since it's so emotional and I'm amazed Tori's voice doesn't seem affected by the endings. The "eeeeeee" parts were excellent - the sound engineer made them all echo-y and that was cool. ETIENNE. I was expecting maybe by some bizarre chance I'd hear "Cool on Your Island" this night because she'd played it previously in other venues. No, instead I got her Y Kant Tori Read sister "Etienne". Easily a highlight, Tori performed it brilliantly. It was just a gorgeous, peaceful version. She repeated "Maybe I'm a witch" as "Maybe you're a witch" She seemed to get a kick out of the fact people were both confused and ecstatic when the song began with this pleased smirk on her face. The lack of applause was likely because no one expected it, as at the end it probably got the most applause of the night. Fully deserved it, too. MR. ZEBRA. It was the only "Pele" girl out for the evening but Tori had lots of fun, screwing up the "Figure it out" key note three times. She was adorable however and I really wish I could explain her reaction in terms of audio and visual but I can't. Another highlight. JOSEPHINE. The lovely "Josephine" was very welcome in my mind. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Speechless. CONCERTINA. This one brings my Tori-concert experience full-circle as this was my second show and she premiered "Concertina" in Camden, NJ in 1999, the show were I first saw her. This was an excellent rendition as well, I still get boggled when she plays the piano and the keyboard at the same time, not even looking at either. Lovely, lovely, lovely. TALULA. This was a strange one. She opened with the now-familiar-for-tour-goers-and-the-people-at-forums-who-live-vicariously-through-them story about the whirly piano from Woodstock and how the painting of it was keep intact. I expected "Rattlesnakes" but instead we got something of a trance-y "Talula" featuring several improv-ed lines especially in the beginning and middle. On tours, songs like "The Waitress", "Blood Roses", and "Horses" have gone through extreme changes (sometimes not for the better) but I think the new version may not be superior to the original or the more popular "Tornado Mix" but it certainly works live. ME AND A GUN. I'd never seen it live. Intense isn't the word. Through the years I've heard many mp3s, seen it on tape several times. Yes, it's not as angry as I've seen it (see the aforementioned RAINN tape for that) but it is still poignant. Extremely sad yet very beautiful. DANIEL. I'd actually been talking about "Daniel" the day of the show and I was floored when she played it. The Elton John cover is excellent. I liked it far more than I expected to, not ever hearing it before last night. I figured this would be the final song of the non-encore set-list and it could not have been more appropriate. I couldn't explain to you how it was appropriate really, but it was. And I'm rambling. MERMAN. You cannot imagine my pure joy when she came back for her first encore and it being "Merman", probably my favourite Tori song. Words cannot express; a simple thank-you-Tori will have to suffice. Absolutely fucking amazing. SILENT ALL THESE YEARS. Standard live version of "Silent", I was glad to hear it. Wistful as always, this song got a huge reaction from the crowd. I myself was surprised she was playing so many songs from "Little Earthquakes". ENJOY THE SILENCE. We would not let her leave without performing again, really we wouldn't. After some more thunderous applause after her second exit, she strolled on back and accepted still more cards and book and such from the first row fans. She sat down and got right down to "Enjoy the Silence" in it's simplified glory. I liked it even better live. SISTER JANET. I am by no means a huge fan of this song. I listen to it, I like it, and I consider it quality, but I forget about it. It's not her most memorable and I generally only really recall it when I hear "Marianne" from "Pele". Still, this was very well done and made me happy. 1000 OCEANS. Carrie commented on her playing "all the death songs" at the end. I think this was a fitting ending, even if I was expecting "Time". You can't go wrong with a live "1000 Oceans", though. It was over just too soon. And soon enough, Tori waved bye again and left. The house lights went up and I was left with a thought "Wow, I wanna see it again!" Which is, of course, the greatest and most annoying feeling in the world. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Angel (Angell) Well..We have all said it all here.. The best setlist I have ever heard. Almost the best show of my life. (providence 99 front row takes it) Absolutly amazing. I never cried at a Tori show before. She sang my heart, and I know Jill's..and prob. more than that. A big thank you to the new and improved, yet again, TORI -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by karmaslave Someone's phone rang near the end of MAAG. Worse than the camera flashes, though those were quite annoying, as well. It seemed to me that she encouraged the clapping in TTTS..? & encouraged participation in Mr Zebra? But the echo-y effect of people singing not-quite-in-sync-with SATY &such was a teensy bit distracting. Other than that (& the fact that I should have gone to pee after Rufus, because I spent half of Tori's set in fear of pissing myself..! heh), it was really beautiful. I met a couple really nice Denters in front of the theatre before the show who said they saw Rufus arrive earlier in the day wearing weird chartreuse/bright-green pants.. & I giggled when he came onstage still wearing those pants, because their description was priceless. Also, Rufus' bit about his "Future Farmers of America" jacket was really cute. He was like, "These old guys at shows look at my jacket and they're like, 'Good for you! You're really doing it!' and I'm like.. 'Uh, no? I'm not a farmer, I'm a gay popstar!'" I'm not really familiar with Rufus Wainwright, at all, but he did a nice set, and talked to the audience a little... & a nice opener for Tori! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by messa di voce i am so darn thankful for the fact that i got to be there for the magic last night. it was my first time seeing tori perform live, and the experience itself was inexplicable. she filled the entire theatre and beyond with this intense force/emotion/ i dont even know how to describe it.... but i felt like i was being struck by this incredible something (sorry for being so vgue), and i didnt even know how to respond/react to it when i came out of the theatre. those of you lucky folks that were there last night know what im talking about. my friends and i were completely speechless... as we were going on the subway, it was obvious who just came out of beacon, because they all had this, incoherent/hyponotized/blissed and confused look on their faces, and we could still feel the vibe/energy/spiriy that tori exhibited....... i was so touched and inspired. tori...... as for the "mess up" in mr. zebra, i thought she did intentionally the last two times, if not, all three times... but in any case, it was awesome. gosh, i love tori.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by grumpydawn The show was opened with 97bonnie&clyde- Prerecorded? The set had a black scrim with holes cut out and when it was dropped she walked onstage. What's with the back scrim being pulled up and down? Why she didn't just have it there the whole show I'll never figure out. Some one next to me was taking digital pictures! I was 8th row Left orchestra. I have been to many NYC shows and was happy not to hear girls screaming during songs. She definitely had a running theme of death and violence throughout the show. Etienne was really beautiful -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Marnie (tigermilk18) TORI PLAYED HERE. IN MY HEAD!!! I was the "someone" she was talking about who requested it, in between bawling my eyes out at the meet and greet (it was the first time I ever talked to Tori, so go figure)... I could not have been happier when I heard the opening notes of this song... Literally FELL off of my seat... I can officially die now!!! LoL I don't agree with people saying that the audience at this show was rude... I actually found them really polite, considering that it could have been Bedlam. The most perfect concert we could have asked for... I truly fell in love. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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