StrangeLittleTour
Wallingford/Hartford, CT
October 14, 2001
Updated January 7, 2002
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Tori performed in Wallingford/Hartford, CT on October 14, 2001 at the Oakdale Theatre during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour. 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 HandalAdded October 15, 2001 - These are the comments Richard made when he called me after the concert. The show started at 8:43PM and ended at 10:21PM, which was 1 hour and 38 minutes. Richard was very taken with this show, calling it the best and most intense Tori show he has seen to date. To quote Richard, Tori "poured chocolate syrup all over us and proceeded to lick it off of us for an hour and a half." He called Flying Dutchman one of the best songs he has ever heard live. During Mother, Tori did some very intense singing, but still whispered "He's going to change my name" which was very effective. Richard heard a lot of enhanced chording and extra figures in the music. On the official set list, Tori was to do Lust, but she did Imagine instead. From Sheri ShawAdded Oct 15, 2001 - Hi Mike....How are you? I just returned from the Wallingford CT show, and I wanted to give you some feedback. I don't have the set list for you (I'm sure you'll be getting that soon enough) but I will tell you that she played Flying Dutchman, Frog On My Toe and The Doughnut Song.....She looked absolutely beautiful, with the theme outfit for this tour.....black lace shirt that was VERY sparkly on the front, Black pants slit up the sides to her knees with a red panel, fishnet stockings and red heels. She wasn't very chatty tonight....she did say that they hadn't been here in two years, for some radio Christmas concert, and that it wasn't a very happy time in her personal life....however now she has Tash and things are much better. I was at that Christmas concert also, and she had just had her third miscarriage, it was called The Jingle Bell Jam in Dec 99. At that show she said if we were ever in Cornwall, to stop by and she would make us pasta...and then said her husband was going to spank her for saying that. The Doughnut Dong was in my opinion, the most emotional song tonight. I have always thought it to be written for/about Eric....she used to sing...."you told me it's over, it's over?" And tonight she sang " You can tell me it's over, it's over".....for about 5 minutes, and she kept nodding her head yes.It was justincredible. She sang Daniel, which I kind of didn't want to hear. I just ended a four year relationship with a guy named Daniel....but I was surprisingly not too emotional during the song. From TomAdded Oct 15, 2001 - Yes, this show was intense. During "Sugar," when she says "he used one on me," she slapped the piano HARD twice...like hitting someone with the knife (he SLAP used SLAP one on me). Not her normal banging like during "Take to the Sky"...I really thought she'd hurt the thing! She also again used the word "towerS" in "Past the Mission." I can't say much about Talula...she played it on the Wurlitzer....but it was SO good, also. I think the most emotional part of the show for me was "Imagine." As Tori walked to her piano for the second encore, she said something to the effect of 'You guys have to help me with this." She then started playing the song...and waved with her hand like "come on"...so EVERYONE stood up and the people up front (I was lucky enough to be in the 3rd row) got even closer to the stage. She was asking us to all sing along with her hand motions. Every time she got to the chorus, she did the same thing. There were cheers after "the world will be as one"...and then after "brotherhood of man" she added "and woman," again to cheers. It was the most emotionally touching version of the song I have ever heard her do...and her begging the audience to come closer and sing with her made it so wonderful. Absolutely the highlight of the concert. We all remained standing for the last 2 songs. There was no way not to. WOW...I've been to a lot of Tori's shows...and I must say this was amazing. From DebbieAdded Oct 15, 2001 - i have yet to see tori on this tour. in fact i wasn't planning on seeing her at all, but at the last second i decided to try for tickets. low and behold i got there and there were three tickets left!!! yea! i'm sure i have misquoted tori, but here is a general idea of the show... '97 Bonnie & Clyde- Past The Mission- i think it was here, correct me if i am wrong, she said "i played here a few years ago, it was for a radio show singing holiday stuff (?) three years ago i was in such a bad place, but now i have tash" someone asked if she would play tear in your hand, she did a little improv about how the girls come and go Sugar- I Don't Like Mondays- Sweet Dreams- Doughnut Song- Concertina- Not The Red Baron- Flying Dutchman- Daniel- Talula- Mother- Me And A Gun- Time- Frog On My Toe- Jackie's Strength- Imagine- Mary- Twinkle- i agree that this was one of the most intense shows i have ever seen! undoubtly the best tori show i've seen by far. ps- i heard a rumor that the meet and greet was canceled for the boston show. i'm not even close to sure about how true this rumor is, but just a warning for people going to tomorrows show. From Joe CheckAdded Oct 15, 2001 - This is the first time I am sending any comments to you about a Tori-show (I've seen about 6 over the years). Needless to say that although I cannot make many shows during her tours over the years I am a respectful admirer of Tori since day 1. I make up for missing her in person by scoffing-up as many bootlegs as possible(20??). However, before the hours gets too late-risking unintelligable thoughts-I want to comment on tonights show. Tori looked happy and healthy. She wasn't as conversational between songs as I was used to but her voice and piano spoke unmeasurably! I forget how beautiful her command of the piano is and continue to marvel at her ability to make her voice and her "Bosey" complement one another without one-or the other- playing a "bigger" role. Her gift though is her remarkable voice that she has commanded so perfectly-without effort-over the years. She only gets better: and when you start at perfect you enter a class all of your own. Tori lives there now and we are lucky to know her. I cannot recite the correct order of the set-list but I can at least provide the songs she played: and if I am certain about where a song fell on the list I will specify. Tori was consistent and opened with 97 Bonnie and Clyde. A nice version of Past the Mission followed. Many songs fell in between the first two and the final song-Time- before the 2 encores. They were....Sugar, Concertina,Not the Red Baron,Doughnut song, I hate Mondays, Talula(played on her latest musical acqusition from "Country Joe and the Fish". She eluded to the fact that the instrument-and as a piano player myself I am embarrased to have forgotten the name of it-was present at Woodstock..."the real Woodstock," she added), Sweet Dreams, Flying Dutchman, Daniel, Me and a Gun, Mother. I think I may have missed one of the new cover songs(but if I did..it was "Enjoy the Silence") The first encore consisted of Frog on my Toe and Jackie's Strength. The second encore was an unexpected treat as she began with the most endearing, heart-felt version of John Lennon's "Imagine" as I have ever heard! She encouraged the crowd to help her sing this one: Many people lit their lighters and swayed to the lyrics in slow unison. I couldn't help but smile a bit as for a moment it felt like I should have been listening to "Free Bird." "What song is it you wanna hear??" Anyway, It was not only an appropriate song to hear given the current state of the world (I couldn't help but think about the number of people I have either know or treated that were directly affected by the NYC disaster. I graduated from medical school in 1995 and completed my residency at Yale in 1999. I currently work at Yale in the ER and specialize in Crisis Intervention. Tori gracefully followed Imagine with "Mary" and ended with Twinkle. So now its beginning to blur and I'm questioning whether Mary was part of the 2nd encore: there were three songs but I'm not completely sure about the middle song being "Mary." Sorry about the incomplete account. Tori is so relaxing to me that I failed to recall the order. I am always in awe of Tori's performances and anxiously await news of an album with "new" songs. In a selfish way I wish she would tour yearly but would never encourage anyone that much time away from their (her) family. From jamie of the blondish hairAdded Oct 15, 2001 - Just got back from CT where we had a lovely show. To add to what others have already mentioned -- she had on the cutest shirt at the meet and greet! green and black stripes with a bright orange zipper on the front and a little embroidered duck. steve was super nice today, thank you to him and joel both. Between 'sugar' and 'i don't like mondays' a bunch of people yelled out for 'tear in your hand'. i'd requested this at the m and g, and she said 'good question!' and wrote it on her hand, but when it was yelled out, she did a little improv along the lines of 'let me see what i think about this... the girls come and go across the universe... sometimes they come... and sometimes they ... don't' (accent on the 'don't') after which she turned directly to the other piano to play 'mondays'. it was cute. the bridge in Past the Mission involved 'frankincense... thousands of years...' those were the only phrases i really caught. A bunch of people had asked for 'dutchman' before the show so it was nice to hear her play it... she crossed her legs and faced the crowd during the 'alligator boots' part. wearing amazing red high heels and the red pants slit up to the knee. before 'talula' when she was talking about the Wurlitzer belonging to Country Joe and the Fish, she said something like "she (referring to the wurly) has taken to the old songs"... someone yelled out "she likes to take it" (?) and tori stopped playing and said "i don't know about that, maybe she likes to give it in ways you can never imagine!" basically some piano-ey sexual innuendo i do believe. she responded to several 'i love yous' with 'love you back!'. jamie of the blondish hair (there were several jamies at the show tonight... jamies and jaimes, all girls though.) From Lydia AnneAdded Oct 15, 2001 - Just wanted to let everyone know, maybe I'm the only one who did not know this, but at the Wallingford show the meet 'n greet started about 2:30 p.m. For years she kept the 4:00 arrival time and I assumed that was still what was happening. I got to the venue just a bit after noon and there were easily 50 people already there. I just happened to get back to the venue at 2 p.m. and was able to catch the meet 'n greet. She visited with us all for about 35 minutes at the before the show meet and greet. The head of security (HoS) got all puffed up and manhandled one of the fans--not sure why. I heard him say to the fan, "I'll see that you don't get into the show!" As the big burly black man (a.k.a. HoS) was about to take the slightly built much shorter white guy into the fenced in areapushing him by the back of the neck, Steve saw what was going on andtold theHoS it's okay and the HoSlet the guy go. I agree, definitely one of the best Tori shows I've seen. I knew it was GOOD when it got to me and she did not play ONE song which would be on my top 10 or 15 favs that Tori does!!! Tori visited with her adoring fans for about 10 minutes after the show. From HannahAdded Oct 15, 2001 - This was the fifth time I've seen Tori, and perhaps the best. I had ninth row seats, which have been the closest I've ever gotten, and I swear to god, she was reading my mind. Many times I could swear she was staring directly at me, and since she played a few songs that I either predicted or secretly wished for doesn't make that any less convincing to me. The whole Bonnie and Clyde beginning is fantastic. It builds up the need and want to see that woman perform! I felt myself itching at the third verse of the song. I knew she was back there saying the words and my eyes searched the holes in the black sheet for any sign of her but of course there were none. The crowd here seemed very talkative and lively - at least more so than any of the other concerts I have yet seen, and it made the environment just that much more comfortable. My favorite parts include the Doughnut Song (which i mentioned would be a perfect song earlier in the day), ALL of Concertina being played with one hand to each instrument with incredible ease, Flying Dutchman (which is a personal favorite and the first song I learned entirely by heart to the point where I could be blindfolded and play it flawlessly.. no joke), the arrival of Me and a Gun, and best of all the second encore. I couldn't tell how many people had crowded at the stage because I was in the front, and I'm a tiny tiny girl. It was fantastic to be that close and see her REALLY look into my eye and smile and sing. What a fantastic show. From k*Added Oct 15, 2001 - like everyone else said, this is my favorite concert ive seen..... not only because she was *on fire* tonight, but she played *frog on my toe* for my grandfather and my friend lauren's dad..... i know the set list has been established, but i thought id add that she played a lot of requests today. i think she played every m&g request (mother, daniel, sugar, frog) and requests made previously (flying dutchman, imagine, mary) which was so nice of her. oh and she gave me and lauren a little wave befor frog on my toe. i have to brag about that. the show was unbelieveable. with love, ps..... im having so much fun mike!! From Cindy from BostonAdded Oct 15, 2001 - I was at the Oakdale show last night. This is the first time I've seen Tori completely solo. The night was absolutely magic. I had been hearing that wasn't feeling well and her voice had been raspy, but tonight it was perfect. She didn't talk to us too much, but she spoke to us through the songs. Mother was a wonderful surprise, i was brought to tears. But Imagine definitely killed me. I held my friend steph as she held up her lighter along with many others holding their lighters. We were literally sobbing. It was such a hopeful moment . I can not believe that she ended with twinkle. perfect.... absolutely perfect. on a side note: I helped out big time in organizing the Boston RAINN party this summer. At the meet and greet I was able to hand Tori a press kit. She was actually very thrilled to recieve it and was looking through it right there. She asked who gave it to her and I said that I did. She asked if I wanted it back and I said no I want you to keep it and she said Ok. that was awesome. I've never met tori before or spoken with her.... and all that hard work this summer was totally paid for after that moment. I'm a happy irl forever after =) From EricAdded Oct 15, 2001 - Hi Mike, I wanted to send you a review of last night's show because I have never been so moved by a live performance in my life. I'm sure you have the setlist already, well I know you do. So here are my observations/highlights... Sugar was the most powerful performance I've ever seen. She belted it pretty much the entire time. I called a friend on my cellphone and made her listen because I was in awe. Concertina was done by Tori playing both the Bosey and keyboard at the SAME time...one hand on one, the other hand on the other. It was a good surprise to hear this one. Flying Dutchman - my all time favorite Tori song, performed beautifully and perfectly. She put so much into it. Me and a Gun was silent and eerie and perfect. Time was goregous, her voice is really utilized. IMAGINE - no words can describe this. The most moving song I've ever seen performed. Tori motioned for everyone to join in and rush the stage, which they did. It was a truly amazing song. I heard she was originally supposed to play "Lust" there, but this was far better. Everyone in the audience was arm in arm (from what I saw), singing along, and cheering. Such a sense of pride in the room. Twinkle - a perfect ending to a perfect show. I don't think anything will ever top that show. Maybe if she decides to play Juarez tonight in Boston. :-) We'll see. From AnthonyAdded Oct 15, 2001 - Just got back from the CT concert, what a night. Tori wore the same outfit from the Tonight show with Letterman. The sound was awesome and her voice was on key all night. SHe was in a very good mood...song by song. Bonnie &Clyde- very good lighting and stage set up...suspenseful. Past The Mission- played on piano and keyboard, basic, but fun. Sugar- Very loud on the "pussy" part, me and my sister loved it. At the end of the song she said "Hi", and talked about the last time she played in CT and what a hard time it was for her personally, then someone yelled "Tear in your hand", then she said "what?" and they yelled it again...then she went into a short improv that said something like "sometimes the girls come, and sometimes...they dont" and everyone laughed, then she went into... I Don't Like Mondays- awesome sound, she messes up on the "bullhorn cackles" part and stopped and said, "lets try that part again" Sweet Dreams- very surprising, awesomely done with banging on the piano. Doughnut Song- crowd went wild, with the "come in houston part" Concertina- played on both the piano and keyboard at the same time! Was fantastic. Not The Red Baron-very loud bass, but like the album. Flying Dutchman-to die for. Daniel- SO wanted to hear this. Talula- before she played this, she said how she got the red, white and blue keyboard that was once owned by Country Joe, who played in woodstock..."The real one" she said! And then said that is was old and beaten when they found it. Then a girl yelled out, "she likes to take it!" to which tori replied, "I dont think so!... I think she can give it in ways you've never had it"...the crowd went wild! Right into Talula. Mother- Very surprising, didnt think she would play it 2 nights in a row. But I didnt think the night could get better...but it did. Me And A Gun-Everyone was stone quiet. Tori sang SO SLOW and steady. Took a long time to finish...chilling to all of us. Time-basic Encore 1: Frog On My Toe-how cool. Jackie's Strength-good tone, very loud. Encore 2: Imagine- Tori told everyone to sing along with this one, so everyone went to the stage and sang along. Highlight of the night. Mary- so awesome, very powerful. Twinkle-the chrrrrrrry on TOP!! From marla tiara aka AntigoneAdded Oct 15, 2001 - I am trapped on a slow dialup connection as my cable modem company tries to fix their stupid problem, so this has to be short. Wallingford was AMAZING. She did so many "epic" songs, I thought I was going to faint. She did Mary for my friend Lisa and for my new friend Angel (it was wonderful, we all sat together by coincidence, both girls found out they asked for Mary, and then Tori played it...the story is longer than that but I'll let Lisa tell you.) Imagine was haunting - Tori came out and asked us to "help her out" and waved her hand - everyone rushed the stage, but it was peaceful, like being at a peace vigil. We all sang and there was this...vibe. It was beautiful. The meet and greet was pretty calm and organized. I was able to hold Tori's hand and look in her eyes for about 30 seconds...she said my name...I got a lot of pictures too. And I got to meet so many wonderful Denters. The vibe was just fantastic. I'll be in Boston tonight too and I can't WAIT. I made a little request to Tori and I hope that girl shows up tonight. The girl with the cat ears, (or, at least, one of those girls) From EmilyAdded Oct 15, 2001 - I just wanted to say that for the little town of Wallingford at least 50 people were at the meet and greet. Tori stayed out to talk to people for much longer than usual, like 15-20 minutes. Oh and i was so lucky, when the bus pulled in the venue and they all walked into the stage door there was some guy carrying Tash inside and i could see her little head bobbing up and down. Now even though i was pretty far from them, that baby was absolutely adorable. She had light brown hair with red flecks in the sun (it was cloudy :] ) And when people all went "Aww" they covered up her head with a shirt and she immediately moved it off to flash one last smile at us, i kid you not! She was too cute! 97 Bonnie & Clyde Past The Mission- I love the lights during the song. It was beautiful as always. Sugar- I know at least 3 people who requested this song, including myself!!! I was so happy and overwhelmed to hear her sing this, she had lots of energy throughout the song, she was very intense. I think she was still a little nervous about playing it. The word was she had been practicing for days. I Don't Like Mondays- i like this song much better live than the album. Sweet Dreams- screamed the "Your house is on fire" part which is so effective! Doughnut Song- Well this was great tonight! Let me tell you that by the end of the song i was hating all of my ex boyfriends even more!! Every part of this song was strong and lengthened to be more effective, i know that this song meant a lot to some people tonight. Concertina Not The Red Baron- Tori seemed very sincere during this song and it was lovely. Flying Dutchman- Now im not a big fan of this song, but boy was it great tonight. If you love this song get this bootleg :) She made a lot of funny faces to Joel during this song which i thought was very entertaining! Daniel- Beautiful. Talula- On the Rhodes. She repeated this line "what you want is in the blood" over and over with lots of improv, it was very affective and left me feeling sick to my stomach with emotion. She was very into the song. Mother- I couldn't believe she played this song since she played it the night before. But i think it was requested again and it was still strong. Me And A Gun Time- This was the most perfect song to follow MaaG. It was beautiful and set the entire mood for the encores. 1st Encore: Frog On My Toe- this was a request and i was so happy she played it. It was perfect for that point in the show. Jackie's Strength- So glad she played this. 2nd Encore: Imagine- She started to play this song and then after a few lines she motioned us to stand up and come forward. I was third row so i did! I was standing at the stage for the rest of the night. We sang the rest of the song with her and it was very powerful. We were all united for that moment in time, it was something ill never forget. She also had a smile on her face at the end. She really loves playing here, it was very obvious. Mary- This was a wonderful surprise. It was more sincere than loud and intense which seemed appropriate. Twinkle- She seems to play a sort of Merman intro before this song lately. It was beautiful and then she was gone. Of the 6 shows i went to this was my favorite, but not my favorite of all time. She just seemed really happy to be there and willing to give it all she had. Thanks Tori!! and to all the wonderful EWF i met along the way! I'll see you again in Boston and next tour!! From Paul D. CTAdded Oct 15, 2001 - I would like to qualify this review with I have seen Tori approx. 13 times now over the last few years 6 or so. I saw her 6 times on the last tour with the band. I must tell you that the idea of her with a band back then made me sick to my stomach. Of course all I had to do was see her once to realize that she was still amazing. That brings us to last night's show. I actually missed and prefer her with the band. She was very good last night but some of that energy the band provides was not there. I know you have set lists already so I won't go there but quick comments on the more electrifying tunes. Jackie's Strength was by far the best performed song and probably my second favorite her was was awesome on this song and is the one advantage to her not playing with the band. My favorite song she played was Mother and it too was on the money. I had never heard her perform Sweet Dreams before and I really liked that song as well. Imagine was really cool the way she encouraged people to sing along never seen that at a Tori show before. All in all was very good show and I love Tori with or without band. She was not very talkative though and I thought minus the band she might be but it was even less than the band which bummed me out. Thanks for your time on a scale of the 13 shows I have seen this one is about 7 on the list. From Sabrena SmielAdded Oct 15, 2001 - I originally thought that there was no way I would be able to see Tori on this Strange Little Tour, but it ended up that I was fortunate enough to get tickets for last night's showat the Oakdale Theatre. I don't even know that I could put the experience into words for you, as I have tried numerous times already and failed miserably. But I will try.... '97 Bonnie and Clyde was absolutely chilling. I like that you couldn't see her, but could only hear her voice. I was shaking the entire time. I went with one of my best friends who wasn't an establised Tori fan, but wanted to go because he knew how much it meant to me. I think he's seen the light now...On the way home he told me that he had neverthought of Bonnie and Clyde from that perspective, and that it was so sad. I think she achieved her goal with that song... Past the Mission was absolutely beautiful. I've never heard such a heartfelt version of this song. I love the way her voice sounds when she switches to the other microphone...I don't know why, but I've always loved that. Sugar drove me to tears. It's one of my favorites, and this performance reminded me why I love it so much tobegin with. I can't remember her exact words, but when she was singing "When they find you out...", she said something along the lines of "When they find out your just a pussy"....That was one of the most powerful moments of the night. I think this is when she talked about the last time she was here, but I am not sure. She got a great response when she mentioned Tash. I am so glad to see her so happy!!!!The improv about the girls coming and going in response to a request for Tear In Your Hand was wonderful I Don't Like Mondays. I don't know what to say about this one. The first time I heard it, I cried like a baby. This time was no different. It did lighten the mood when she messed up the words...adorable:) I didn't expect to hear Sweet Dreams, but that made it all the more incredible. I love that song slowed down. In one of the repetitions of "sweet dreams" toward the end, she said "I want to have sweet dreams..." or something to that extent. Again, I am trying to get past the trance that she put me in to remember all of this.... Doughnut Song hit a soft spot and all I could do was cry. I have never heard this song so intense...the feeling I got from her was incredible. She sang "you can tell me it's over, over..." over and over again...AMAZING. Concertina is one of my favorites from Choirgirl, and I was so happy to hear it last night. I actually don't think I have heard any live versions of this song before, so it was a nice treat.Something happens inside of me that I can't describe when she says "this I swear, you're the fiercest calm I've been in..." Not the Red Baron was absolutelybeautiful. Another one that drove me to tears... Ah....Flying Dutchman. I never in a million years would have guessed that she would play this one, but I am sooooo glad she did. It was, in my opinion, the most intense moment of the night. I really can't begin to put this one into words...it was a feeling. You had tofeel it. Daniel was perfect. The song itself hits a painful chord in my life, but tonight it was almost therapeutic. Only Tori.... Talula was so beautiful on the whurlitzer...I have always loved the harpsichord, but this was a nice change.Her insistent "I don't want to lose her..."was incredible and reallydrovehome the meaning of the song... Mother. WOW. Her voice was strong and beautiful. When she whispered, "he's gonna change my name," my hearttrembled. It's funny. I don't listen to Me andA Gun all that often, becauseit's so sad and I have ahard time dealing with it. Butbefore the show last night, I said, "you know...I think I am ready to hear Me and A Gun live."Unbelievable. That's all I can think to say. She didn't emphahsize the word "flat", but I think that made it even more scary...she seemed so calm.Chilling to the absolute core. Time is my favorite song on SLG, and it was so powerful last night. Frog on MyToe was a wonderful song for the first encore. Again, I didn't expect it, but that made even better... Jackie's Strength. Fantastic. At this point, I knew the end was coming and the tears started falling.... Imagine was perfect.Everyone came together and helped her when she asked for it. The entire audience was standing and singing with her. She got a great response when she sang "brotherhood of man...and woman"...it's no surprise that everyone remained standingfor the rest of the show after this song. Mary isALWAYSamazing live. The fact that it was so close to the endmade it that much more powerful. Twinkle was the perfect end to the show.It pulled everything together andwas absolutely beautiful beyond all belief. Icried because it was over, but couldn'tstop smiling because it was the single most amazing experience of my entire21 years... Ifirst heard of Tori Amos in 1994, right after Under the Pink came out...I've only seen her twice before--the Dew DropInn tour and the Choirgirltour. So I have waited almost 8 years to see heralone on stage with her piano. And it was worth every second of the wait. I have never felt closer to her than I didlast night. I couldn't even do the show justice with these words, but those who were there understand. From Richard Handal (As posted to various Tori mailing lists)Added Oct 15, 2001 - I'm starting to feel like an idiot when I talk about the concerts on this tour. I mean, I've seen lots of amazing shows since 1994, and as for public comments, I have always tended to discuss the better shows and to remain quiet about a concert unless it was either pretty damn good, or there was something special to mention. So, maybe I never left adequate room to describe shows that might acheive heights no show has before. Such is my current dilemma. This Wallingford concert was so far off the scale of any show I have ever seen that there is no possible way to not sound like a flaming lunatic when discussing it. I know it wasn't just my own distorted view of things, though. To a person--including friends who've seen twenty- or thirty-some concerts and one who, as myself, has seen a hundred-some--EVERYONE I saw afterwards was astonished at the sheer force of power and deep emotional expression of this concert. Folks were absolutely flipping out. There's nothing like the high of seeing a show where she has just hit one out of the park into the next county, and looking at the faces of friends as their jaws are dragging the ground in amazement. '97 Bonnie & Clyde was delivered with the most concentration of intensity of any night on this tour. Past the Mission began with huge, crashing chords on the lower register of the Boesey which were answered with supple, organlike tones from the Rhodes. Then it was time for the first appearance on this tour of Sugar. This was not the lovely, soaring version of Sugar from the Dew Drop Inn Tour. This was essentially a piano reduction of the band arrangement from the '98 and '99 tours--sledgehammer powerful still with "just" the piano and her muscular chest voice. Wow. How fantastic it's been when the old favorites have shown up on this tour for the first time! The (for me) long-awaited appearance last week of Little Earthquakes was a real breath-taking moment for me. By the time she was into Doughnut Song with its increasingly strong repeats of "you can tell me it's over," I was shaking in my seat. At this point I want to mention that this show had one of the neccessary ingredients for an astonishingly good show--a great audience. Folks were darned quiet during the songs but explosively enthusiastic after they ended. Without this there's no way she can do a truly top notch concert. My notes for Mother say "tons of rubato but it still seemed natural, appropriate, and enhanced the expression." I see I also noted how wonderful it was the way she had such wide-ranging dynamics, such as when she whispered "he's gonna change my name" during this Mother. If I'm ever gonna finish writing this I best skip to Imagine. She had supposedly told someone in New York that she would play it there, and of course last Tuesday was the anniversary of John Lennon's birth so why she skipped it there and brought it out in Wallingford I don't know, but the effect was staggering. She prefaced it by saying something like "If you could help me sing this it would be good." Perhaps eighty to a hundred folks streamed down to the stage area and formed a warm cocoon for the performance of what HAD to have been THE most overwhelmingly emotional version of this song--ever. I know this sounds like bloated hyperbole but I'm not kidding. Remarkable. She also slipped in a change once to make the line into "a brotherhood of man--and woman." The first version on this tour of Mary and then Twinkle, and we were done. The brother of a friend of mine had a ticket to this show but didn't attend because the last several shows had already taken their toll and he didn't think he could take anymore. He made a wise decision to skip this show, because surely, it would have at least put him into the hospital. So, if you're feeling none too stable these days and have tickets for a show yet to come, steel yourself before you go with a barrel-full of resolve at the very least. Yikes. I'm not even sure how much more of this *I* can take and I ought to be used to this by now. From JasmineAdded Oct 15, 2001 - This show was AMAZING! I only went to one other show this year, NYC's Beacon on 10/09, and although that show was beautiful, some kind of magic was lacking that was present in full force last night! I don't know what to say, the piano was so full and rich and Tori's voice so strong and gorgeous, but there was definately something surreal happening that I can't describe. I think a good part of it had to do with Tori's mood. She didn't interact verbally with the crowd much at all, she seemed to be really focused on playing. I had 8th row seats and could see her very clearly and she was just smiling almost the whole time she was playing. Highlights were: Sugar, Flying Dutchman, Frog on My Toe, and Daniel. I must confess I left before the last encore to do the post meet and greet thing, where I was right up front and took some AMAZING photographs of her-I will e-mail you one I think could be FEATURE PHOTO worthy when my hubby gets home and helps me with this scanner. One more thing-little Tash was present at this show. I also attended the pre-show meet and greet, and Natashya was carried off of the bus and into the venue. She is so tiny and cute! I don't know if she goes to all of Tori's shows, or if her presence had anything to do with what happened last night....I literally had chills during the whole show. It was just-magic. I can't say it any other way. By the way-kudos to the folks at the meet and greet-they were great and NOT ONE person took a picture of Tash. Well there you have it. I have seen Tori 14 times and this was definately up there as one of THE best shows. From AlexAdded Oct 15, 2001 - hey mike. big fan of the page. here's the review. so after showing up late, my friend melissa and i got to our seats about 5 minutes before the show started. i've only seen tori once before, and that was on the PLUGGED 98 tour, in SPRINGFIELD, MA. wow, i was not ready. i've read everyone's comments that the lighting is awesome, but you don't believe them until you're really there watching the red and blue lights change to the bass line of '97 BONNIE AND CLYDE (which I thought was really well done, if thought tori didn't "preform" it). next up, crazy beautiful improv in PAST THE MISSION, which took my breath away. SUGAR! sugar sugar sugar. formerly my favorite b-side, and then after all the live versions with the band I let her go- but now she's back. tori "hammered" the piano during the song, which was amazingly powerful and cut the music like a knife. next she did a little chat with the audience, about being there before and someone yelled tear in your hand. tori sang an improv about the "girls comming and going when they want on airplanes". she was reacting beautiful with the audience, which i didn't get at the 98 show, so i was thrilled. I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS. incredible. she messed up, and she went back. i've only heard her do it on bootlegs, so that made the song perfect for me :). SWEET DREAMS came out of nowhere, and i flipped out. melissa (my friend) and i thoroughly enjoyed this classic. DOUGHNUT SONG. wicked good. CONCERTINA. the best lights of the show, i do believe, at the beginning, she was shrouded in orange fog. the projections were very nice for this as well. NOT THE RED BARON. hit me hard. i said earlier that this was the only song i really wanted to hear last nite, and she took the girl home. everytime she sang a word it had such meaning. nothing was thrown away. FLYING DUTCHMAN, is not my favorite song in the least, but if you couldn't enjoy this version you were cracked out. DANIEL. should be recorded and released from this show. on a b-side, whatever, it was off the charts. i can't even say how amazing she was. she now goes over to the star spangled piano (sorry i can't remember the real name) and talks about it being from the real woodstock, and how she likes to take the old songs. and some girl yelled, she likes to take it. and tori turned to her and said, "maybe she can give it in ways you've never dreamed (i think.). into TALULA, which was beautiful. way down tempo. gorgeous. and totally about TASH. "what you want is in the blood" got a lot of attention and improv. it added a new dimension to the song i've never pick up before. MOTHER, made me cry. it was full of improvs and tweakings. and the most beautiful version i've ever heard. it worked really well after TALULA and the tash reference. ME AND A GUN. i was a bit worried at first, cuz people were yelling through the first fews words, but then silence fell, and you could hear the entire audience wispering along. the lighting was perfect- a wide side light only. sillohuette of tori, which projected to a beautiful shadow on the wall. TIME, was the perfect "ender". very true to the album version. FROG ON MY TOE, was a complete surprise, like S. DREAMS. it seemed different than the single version, slower with some new words, but i don't know the song well enough to list the exact changes. JACKIES STRENGTH, came on as we were leaving for the meet and greet, and was filtered into the lobby while we were running to the m + g. it was nice. the concert was also my first meet and greet, and i've only imagine what they'd be like. it was a little crazy, but i met wonderful people, and got a hook up cuz i didn't have a camera. (thanks rob). i did get to talk to tori shortly, and told her how wonderful she was, and she was like, i'm just along for the ride, it's you. i loved it. i got my UTP booklet signed and got to stare for about 15 minutes. she was adorable. and it felt like a movie. i also got struck by how loyal and loving all the EWF are, as a boy lost his ride home and was offered a ride with many people. touching. THE MOST WONDERFUL TORI EXPERIENCE EVER! From Devil DollAdded Oct 15, 2001 - I can't believe i actually went to the show at the Oakdale yesterday. i don't even LIKE Tori Amos' music anymore (aside from Strange Little Girls, which is very cool, I haven't listened to her albums in over a year). I'm sorry, but I was completely OBSESSED with her for about 4 years (ages 12 to 16), and then something strange happened to me and i just dropped her like a ton of bricks I grew up is what happened!!! now listening to songs like "Mother", "Girl", and especially "Flying Dutchman" just takes me back to this incredibly awkward time in my life where I felt like I was being victimized by the world. No offense, but that's why now I associate Tori Amos with feeling like a victim it has NOTHING to do with "Me and a Gun" or whatever-- it would be just the same if, say, Nick Cave or Lydia Lunch - was my chosen idol. It was only my second Tori show (and my second concert ever!), and my first meet and greet, so I had no idea how they worked. I waited for an hour, and when Tori came out she really seemed like she wanted to get the fuck out of there. She went to the left side of the crowd (my side!) first, but some of us were too far over, and we didn't get our autographs. we did pass them to the people up front, but Tori had moved on by then. well at least I got to see her-- she was like 4 feet away from me!!! I also got the white "strange days-- slg" t-shirt, which I love. I hope I don't grow anymore-- I grew out of my Liquid Diamonds shirt!! There was a LOT of improvising throughout the show, which I have always loved. Some girls behind me were screaming for Tear in your Hand, and Tori sung her response: "Let me think about that one-- sometimes the girls come-- sometimes they don't" or something like that. I never heard "Daniel"-- and i thought i had heard it all!! I really liked that one. And i never knew "Frog on my toe" was such a good song. hmmph!
Silence for "Me and a gun". "Imagine" was quite a sight, especially in light of all that's happened. want to hear the best part? When the lyric said "brotherhood of man" she quickly added "and woman". HA!!!! Someone behind me was crying and praying (!!! not to Tori, I hope--). THAT made me queasy-- maybe I just an insensitive prick but if everyone joined hands (which was the next thing they would have done-- yes, there was lighters aflame and singings-along!!)-- i would have split!!!!! And oh yeah-- I liked Rufus Wainwright!!!!!! a lot!!!!!!! He was funny. I really wanted to meet him after he finished but I thought I would miss tori so I just had a smoke. He was wearing an FFA (future farmers of america) jacket, and asked if they had it in CT. he said he getting more attention for his jacket than for his butt. Well I like your butt rufus-- and *I* was in the FFA, and it WAS fun!!! Until they found out I was queer. Ouch!!!! When he sat crosslegged on the stool he said he was squishing "everything"-- and then thought maybe he should sit more like Tori, and spread his legs BAHAHAHAHA, definatly the funniest moment of the show!!!!!! From Coreen O'BrienAdded Oct 15, 2001 - In regards to the show itself... She played "Sugar" which is most definitely one of my favorites, and I loved the smacks she gave the piano. "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" was extremely powerful. But I think my favorite part of the show was during the second encore when she played "Imagine", especially with what's been going on lately.ƯAnd since I was in the front row, I was right against the stage it was the best experience in my life. I had goosebumps through the WHOLE show. Oh and also, I love Rufus Wainright, he rules. He has a little bit of Thom Yorke from Radiohead in him, which is awesome because I'm in love with Thom.. but anyway, go Rufus you rock. From valAdded Oct 15, 2001 - as everyone else seems to agree, a beautigful show. I had seen her 4 or 5 years back at the oakdale and I believe she was with the band then, also at the tweeter center a few years later. but for a fan of oh, 5/6 years now, to see her, just her out there, I felt a presence that I hadn't experienced before. she was so little up on stage, but so powerful. "imagine" was exactly what we all needed. it could play forever and we would sway and sing along. general concensus of the group I went with was, this was a treat, b-sides, new stuff, old stuff, meandagun...wonderful setlist. no one had mentioned the lighting yet...I think it was insynch with everything but especially "time"..there was a gorgeous fractal everytime she sang the word. I hope everyone out there is still basking in the afterglow of the oakdale concert, I know I'm charged for quite a while. From Elf (Elaine & Lucien Fauxbel)Added Oct 15, 2001 - we got off to a late start and missed the greet and meet by an hour. at least the 70 mile drive was colorful. took a hike up the sleeping giant discussing which tori favorites we might hear. from the earlier set lists and reviews, we were pschyched for a great night. this was also a b-side spectacular. again, i may seem main stream, but these songs missed the lp cut for a reason.there were five.( i'm ashamed to admit i don't even have mary or the flying dutchman.) this leaves seven, only three of which were on my wishlist. enough belly-aching, on with the show.
bonnie and clyde is played with a huge curtain resembling stain glass.the bonnie girl poster is lit up on the side. red and blue lights flashing through and turning yellow during "just the two of us".
she hit all the high notes of sugar fiercely. someone yelled a request and she went into a little improv of "let me think about that for awhile, the girls come and go, sometimes they come, sometimes they don't." sweet dreams was "sweet" with shooting stars flying across. i loved the doughnut song, which had a nice little piano intro. it ended with some intense "you can't tell me it's over". my highlight was tori playing concertina, one hand on each keyboard, legs spread, facing staight ahead. (delicious!) some interesting fan like shapes were revolving in a circle during the red baron. first time i hear the flying dutchman.some excellent piano pounding and some very loud "flying". daniel-aghh! nice silouette of the "bos" on one of the panels. she goes over to the wurly and tells about it being played at the real woodstock by country joe."she, (the wurly) can give it in ways you might never think of". (i can dream about that one)
talula is just not the same without the harp. tori did me and a gun sitting wih her legs crossed one arm crossed to her side, looking straight out, her face lit up. no one moved or made a sound. it was eerie. tori seemed to get very emotional doing time. it was beautiful, clouds in the background. first encore frog on my toe was my lowlight. jackies stength was powerful. second encore
i imagined i would hear something else. not too much crowd singing, some lighters lit. From Brian-from Penn StateAdded Oct 16, 2001 - Hi, sorry for the late review of the show, but I just got back to school from Connecticut today. Tori was AMAZING, better than I ever could have hoped for. This was my first time seeing Tori, amd I'm so glad it was at THIS show. Granted there are some songs in the set that I would have replaced with others, but overall it was one of the best things I've ever experienced. I was in chills the whole show and got teary-eyed several times. She sounds SOOOO amazing live. And tonight she sounded even more beautiful then I've heard her in any recording. I don't want to sound cheesy, but she truly has the voice of a goddess. Rufus was also very good, he's very talented and has a great voice. The intro with 97 bonnie and clyde was a nice build-up to Tori's entrance. Past the Mission was very pretty, I loved how she kept switching between the Rhodes and the Bosey. Sugar was AWESOME. This song is so much better when she does it with UMPH!! and puts all that feeling and emotion and POWER into it. Much better than when she plays it light and soft. Definitely one of my faves of the night. I Don't Like Mondays was very pretty, but I would have much rather heard Rattlesnakes or Enjoy The Silence. Sweet Dreams. Tori really got down with this one, and gave us some soul. It was great. The Doughnut Song!! One of my faves from Pele. This was the first of FOUR whole songs she played from Pele. She played it beautifully of course. Concertina. Again, one of my absolute favorites from Venus. It was beautiful, I grabbed my friend Bonnie when I recognized the song, and we both screamed. It was awesome, one hand on the Rhodes, the other on the Bosey. Not The Red Baron is a lovely song, especially live, but still not one of my favorites from Pele, i was hoping she would break out Caught A Lite Sneeze, haven't seen that girl yet on this tour. Flying Dutchman absolutely blew me away. She put sooooo much power into this one, she totally wailed it and belted out, "Flyyyyyying Dutchmaaan!!" I can't believe this woman. This was a best of the night for Tori. Daniel.....when the words "Daniel's leaving tonight on a plane..." came out of Tori's mouth I literally POUNCED on Bonnie and screamed. I love this song sooooo much. And we had heard Elton John's version earlier in the day at some random pizza place. We took it as a sign, and i guess we were right, I'm soooooo happy she played this one for us. Talula is a great song and her improv version toight on the Whurly was interesting, but I would have taken Horses over this one anyday. The absence of Horses was a big let down for me. Mother was....yes, BEAUTIFUL, I was so happy, Bonnie loves the song and was hoping and wishing to hear it tongiht. Me and a Gun was very moving, the crowd was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Time was a great last song. This one grows on me everytime i hear it. Frog On My Toe was a cute surprise for the first encore. From what I hear it was resquested beforehand. My friend kate who was also with us was very happy to hear this, since it's her favorite B-side. Jackie's Strength YAY!! One of my favorites from Choirgirl, very happy to hear it. Done beautiflly, basically the same as the album version. Imagine was amaaaazing, I couldn't believe she broke this one out for us in the second encore. It was so awesome, lighters were lit, the crowd was singing as Tori had asked us to, people were hugging, there was definitely something in the air. This added even more feeling and emotion to our show and made us feel so special. Mary was absolutely breath-taking. Twinkle, a lovely song, even more beautiful when you hear it live, of course. I was so sad that this this was the last song, I was just wishing and wishing for her to come out for a THIRD encore, but alas, the lights came up, and that was the end of the BEST SHOW OF THE YEAR!! I wish I had taken part in the meet & greet. I was sooo disspointed, we snuck a camera in, and I gave it to our friend who was sittin in the 8th row, and he didn't take ANY pictures..but i'll live i suppose. From anomicaAdded Oct 17, 2001 - I have no idea how many concerts I've been to in my life. Scores, probably, including six Tori shows before last night. I'd maybe once written an review before, a few years back when I was more "into" music. These days, it's not like me to take the time to express my opinion about a little ol' show, with so much else going on in my personal world, and in the bigger one that we all share. And I really wouldn't bother today, except...last night was just too special to ignore. It felt like something important happened there in Wallingford, and I've never left a show with such a feeling of love, compassion and unity before. I don't know how long the sensation will last, but I'd like to keep it in my pocket for a while. I've been to concerts that were fun and energizing. Daring and raucous. Mellow. Even disappointing and dull. I've been to a few shows, including a couple of Tori's, where the musician(s) was so able to convey emotion through music that I was moved because I felt that she/he had successfully opened herself/himself up to me, and that I understood the artist's point of view. But I'd never gotten the sense at a show that a musician had specifically made herself available for ME, like a private one-on-one session with a singing psychologist. That she was able to tap into MY psyche and direct her attention to the weights upon MY shoulders, as if the things that mattered the most to me right now mattered the most to her too. Unexpectedly, that has now changed. Yesterday evening in Wallingford, amidst these sorrow-laden days when our existence seems so uncertain and wearying as we shield ourselves from threats of terror, disease and war, the welcome sensation that someone was tending to my own emotions and perspectives kept passing through me, over and over and over as the evening went along. No, Tori couldn't answer any of my burning questions, but the questions seemed to be heard and understood. Now it feels as if we all talked about my worries for an hour or two, and were soothed by admitting that we all shared the same fears and feelings. It was a profound experience. Maybe the events of the past month have left many of us sharing a common feeling of disbelief and sadness, which made it natural that we'd be thinking along the same wavelength last night. Maybe Tori and I just happen to be at similar places in our lives right now, in the sense that each of us has gained something incredibly valuable over the last year or so, and we both feel an unwelcome sense of horror at the notion that the globe has seemingly chosen this moment to begin spinning on a more erratic axis. Maybe the sense of communion among everyone in the face of our local tragedies leaves everyone ripe for empathy, and makes us look for connections. Or maybe I just got plumb lucky with the set list. But whatever Tori and those who inspire her did last night for us...for me...really and truly touched me, and left me with a few moments of peace. By the time she reached the end of the main act with Tom Waits' "Time," which I'm sure I will forever associate with September 11th and our efforts to heal emotionally from the still-growing wounds of that devastating day, I had already been overcome with the invigorating sensation that I was uniquely fortunate to be present in this audience, before a gifted artist reaching the acme of her potential in the face of an unprecedented social crisis here in North America (and, really, around the world). The encores (emotionally culminating in "Imagine") further elevated the evening to an almost karmic level, as if this night were a defining spiritual moment in all our lives. Maybe that won't make sense to everyone reading this, because my perceptions in that regard were visceral rather than rational. But, in some strange and soothing way, I felt as if everyone there understood our common pain and our peril, and silently commiserated that we would share the burden of undertaking a monumental but vital effort to find whatever hope still lingers beneath all of this explosive, numbing, disorienting chaos. This morning, our jet fighters are still bombing Kabul. A few blocks away from me at Hartford Hospital, lab technicians are still pouring white powder out of envelopes into petri dishes looking for anthrax, smallpox, god knows what. Kryptonite, maybe. I can't say that a true catharsis was achieved last night, because my feelings of concern for this fragile earth are still with me in my office on this rainy Monday. It's nice to know, though, that there are many, many others who recognize that our collective fear is rapidly escalating into an unreasoning fury that is both futile and dangerous. It's even nicer to know that so many of us truly feel that life is worth living--everyone's life--and wonder where this tragic conflict will lead. Can we point ourselves in the right direction before our "eye for an eye" instincts indeed blind the whole world? I don't know. But I feel a bit more hope today than I did yesterday, and that was definitely worth the price of a $50 ticket. Anyway, that was the most meaningful concert I've ever seen, and will probably ever see. Wish you had all been there. Thanks for being so awake last night, Tori. From RaisingirlAdded Oct 17, 2001 - This was my fifth tori show and by far the absolute best. First off the theater was incredible. It has a little cafe and bar, which really added to a relaxed "gathering" atmosphere. We were able to bring our drinks into the theater itself and I sipped champagne the entire show.
The concert opened with "97 Bonnie and Clyde" in the most spectacular way to date. Tori was hidden behind a black cloth that covered the stage and had rips in it revealing splashes of colored lights. In front of the cloth was a large framed picture of the mother from "97 Bonnie and Clyde" with a constant spotlight on it. This was a very dramatic way to present it and she really added to the tragedy of this song. I was stunned; my jaw hit the floor and stayed there the whole show.
The set list was spiked with b-sides and rarities including "flying dutchman", "sweet dreams" and even "Mary". I was a little disappointed that she didn't play "rattlesnakes" but her performance of "Time" made up for it. This song was so filled with emotion and pure perfection that I cried uncontrollably through it. I just lost my dad and this song about death was played beautiful enough to raise spirits, I felt very connected to the other side by tori's pure musical magic.
Tori also played "me and a gun" to which the theater went completely silent. She had honey in her voice tonight and sang this song way better then it is recorded on the album, I think all would agree on that.
To touch on her clothes a bit, she wore the best outfit I have seen her in! She had on fire red net tights (I had on black) and sparkling wristbands which made it really easy to follow her hands on the piano, a true treat. Her hair was unusually light red and straight but looked great. Her figure is the thinnest I have seen it, I looked in awe thinking to myself "Tasha was actually in that tiny stomach at one time"?!!! She also mentioned Tasha to our delight by saying that the last time she played at the OakDale she was really unhappy but now she has Tash and things are okay. The crowed just screamed.
She came out for two encores with out hesitation and started off with "Frog on my toe" I couldn't believe it! She played "Imagine" for the second encore and insisted that the crowed sing along with "you guys have to help me with this one". She then motioned with her hands for us to come closer; we all stood, sang and were united. The tears flowed yet again, and I have never cried at another concert. When she got to the lyrics "brotherhood of man" she added "and woman" in a way that made me feel it coming before she grinned and sang it.
This performance was simply amazing. I have never been so pleased by her and so sad to leave another show. I think it is safe to say that although she said little it was her best show. From ladytorilenAdded Oct 17, 2001 - i honestly felt that this show, while not the first tori show i've seen, was definitely the best. the energy in the place was fantastical, almost like we were outside of time. i went with my boyfriend dan (who's also been to see tori before), my friend missy and her boyfriend jim. we laughed our way through the opening act--we didn't think he was too hot--but we were absolutely speechless with tori. from the moment bonnie&clyde started, we were hooked. we were so excited for sugar, sweet dreams (that was me screaming at the "when your daughter comes home nine months pregnant" part), mission, dutchman (i can't believe she played that! that's jim's favorite song!), concertina, mother, doughnut (i am so hooked...), daniel (for my sweetie), and all the rest. imagine! how wonderful! of course, gun was superb, i forgot to breathe for thirty seconds. the whole concert was phenomenal. however, the best part was when she played mary. missy has a wonderful three-and-a-half year old daughter named mary, so it was terribly meaningful for us. also, i got to hug mark! i didn't get the set list, but that's okay. shoutout and love to cami and sarah, who i met at the concert. later! From The Hartford CourantAdded Oct 17, 2001 - anomica and Amy Guthrie sent me a link to a review of the Wallingford show that was printed in the October 16, 2001 edition of The Hartford Courant newspaper. You can read it online at ctnow.com or below. It was written by Roger Catlin, a Courant Rock Critic. Tori Amos Enthralls
Tori Amos goes out of her way to be someone else on her new album, "Strange Little Girls." Besides singing the songs of others, she adopts a different visual persona for each track on the album as well.
And though she began her show at the ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford Sunday by playing her rendition of Eminem's "97 Bonnie and Clyde" accompanied by one of those portraits, the main "strange girl" presented at the show all night was Tori herself.
After several tours accompanied by a band, she was (once her Eminem cover was over) back to performing solo on a piano, able to show the depth of her talent even as the songs began sounding the same after a while.
With a mighty power on the piano, she's able to match it with ethereal voice and lyrics of a wounded psyche and mysticism. Only a few songs from the "Strange Little Girls" album were played, as it turns out. On her version of the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays," she had to stop to recast a tricky verse ("the bullhorn cackles and the captain tackles"), but it was about the only mistake all night.
Her take on Tom Waits' "Time," which closed the main set, was a stately coda to the times. She was almost as generous with cover songs not part of her all-covers album. Elton John's "Daniel" looked to the bravery of a brother riding on a plane; her take on Lennon's "Imagine" in the second of three encores was a more universal call for peace.
Pensive ballads in florid language were the order of the night. She moved effortlessly to a ringing electric piano for a different sound and, while playing "Concertina," played both the electric and the grand piano simultaneously.
The most stunning number came when she abandoned her piano altogether for a hushed a cappella reading of "Me and a Gun," as if it were an old Irish ballad rather than a first-person account of rape. During its performance, the reverent audience of 2,500 in the sold-out theater was absolutely breathless.
Rufus Wainwright made a strong impression in his opening set. His singular voice helped carry his own vivid songs of golden states and disillusion, though he joked easily with the approving audience, mentioning that as a Duchess County, N.Y., youth, he used to shop at the Danbury Mall, and plugging his dad, songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. From Angel KilcherAdded Oct 18, 2001 - This show will hld a very special place in my heart forever. Other than Toronto 99, it was my first Tori shows, and it was my first solo show. Throughout the tour until that night I had been eyeing the sets and hoping, wishing, for just a few of the amazing songs being played. This night, Tori played almost half of my dream setlist. Te power and intensity of the night were phenomenal..... I attribute this to the fact that last time Tori played the Oakdale, she had just miscarried again. The setlist choices reflected that mood. I walkd out thinking no one else would find it such a powerful night, only to hear from well-experienced concert goers that it had been a standout night. 97 Bonnie and Clyde: Absolutely venemous. I first hated this song, and have grown to love it. Tori's voice was dripping with hate and anger and malice this night; chills ran down my spine. Past the Mission: Wonderful.... The prison towers alteration was in evidence again. Sugar: I was thrilled to hear this, as it was its first appearance on the tour and it's a favourite. Tori's rendition was emotional and angry, particularly the "You're just a pussy!" An audience member then yelled for Tear in Your Hand at this point, to which Tori replied by singing an improv beginning with "Let me think for a while", continuing about how the girls come and go. She then slid into.... I Don't Like Mondays: One of my favourites off SLG. Tori slipped up at the "captain tackles" line and said "let's try that again" and started the verse again. :) Sweet Dreams: I felt like a kid in a candy store at this point. Sweet Dreams has always been near and dear to me, and I have forever been wishing she'd play it more. Absolutely delicious lighting. Doughnut Song: This one holds manay personal memories, and was heartbreaking, moreso than bootleg versions I've heard. Tori almost sounded like she was verging on tears, the emotions were that evident and raw. Concertina: Played on keyboard and piano at once. Lovely, beautiful version. A break from the angry and sad mood thus far. Not the Red Baron: I was wondering why Tori hadn't played this song much on the tour given the tragedies in September. I had a very hard time with those events and NTRB was a huge comfort to me. Beautiful version as well. Immaculate. Flying Dutchman: A request by Rachel, a girl we met during the M&G. It was her last show of the tour and she was thrilled (she was a couple rows ahead of us and we saw her). Powerful particularly at the "they can't see". We called Alli (Back2Venus) and let her listen to it. Daniel: I'd never heard this song at ALL before, and it was so sad. It was almost a goodbye to Tori's lost little ones. Talula: Done on the Wurley. Heart wrenching version, with plenty of improved add-ins like "I don't want to lose her; I know how precious she is; gonna hold her tight and keep her safe". I was teary-eyed. Mother: At this point, I thought I had to have died and gone to heaven, because the set reached a peak. Beautiful and strong. Me and a gun: Wow. No words to describe it. Wow. Time: I'm admittedly not fond of this song, but it was beautiful live. The lighting during the chorus reminded me of a portal opening to heaven (think the movie Ghost). Frog on my Toe: A treat. YUM!!!! Jackie's Strength: Tis version was particularly great. I'm glad they ditched the echo affect on the chorus they'd been using live, because I found it fake and annoying. Imagine: So appropriate.... gorgeous Mary: I love this girl. Tori poured her soul into this one.... and finished with Twinkle: I don't care much for this song, but the version she played, you couldn't help but love. Gorgeous.... almost coming full circle... from the anger to a hopeful future. Perfection The reviews below were taken from the concert reviews section of The Dent Forum and added here on January 7, 2002Review by IceCreamAssassNJust got back from the CT concert, what a night. Tori wore the same outfit from the Tonight show with Letterman. The sound was awesome and her voice was on key all night. SHe was in a very good mood...song by song. Bonnie &Clyde- very good lighting and stage set up...suspenseful. Past The Mission- played on piano and keyboard, basic, but fun. Sugar- Very loud on the "pussy" part, me and my sister loved it. At the end of the song she said "Hi", and talked about the last time she played in CT and what a hard time it was for her personally, then someone yelled "Tear in your hand", then she said "what?" and they yelled it again...then she went into a short improv that said something like "sometimes the girls come, and sometimes...they dont" and everyone laughed, then she went into... I Don't Like Mondays- awesome sound, she messes up on the "bullhorn cackles" part and stopped and said, "lets try that part again" Sweet Dreams- very surprising, awesomely done with banging on the piano. Doughnut Song- crowd went wild, with the "come in houston part" Concertina- played on both the piano and keyboard at the same time! Was fantastic. Not The Red Baron-very loud bass, but like the album. Flying Dutchman-to die for. Daniel- SO wanted to hear this. Talula- before she played this, she said how she got the red, white and blue keyboard that was once owned by Country Joe, who played in woodstock..."The real one" she said! And then said that is was old and beaten when they found it. Then a girl yelled out, "she likes to take it!" to which tori replied, "I dont think so!... I think she can give it in ways you've never had it"...the crowd went wild! Right into Talula. Mother- Very surprising, didnt think she would play it 2 nights in a row. But I didnt think the night could get better...but it did. Me And A Gun-Everyone was stone quiet. Tori sang SO SLOW and steady. Took a long time to finish...chilling to all of us. Time-basic Encore 1: Frog On My Toe-how cool. Jackie's Strength-good tone, very loud. Encore 2: Imagine- Tori told everyone to sing along with this one, so everyone went to the stage and sang along. Highlight of the night. Mary- so awesome, very powerful. Twinkle-the chrrrrrrry on TOP!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Eric (atlantic83095) just got back from the wallingford show...AMAZING! You all read the setlist and saw how wonderful it was...here's my $.02... Past the Mission - slower than usual. still a good opener. Sugar - the most powerful song i've ever heard live. i had to call my friend on my cellphone and play it for her that i was so blown away mondays - so happy to hear this one. dutchman - so excited, wanted to hear it in NYC. powerful ending. concertina - she played the bosey and keyboard at the same time! not like switching back and forth, at the SAME time! time - gorgeous IMAGINE!!!!!!!!!!!! - no words can describe this. Tori actually motioned for everyone to rush the stage (which they did). There was a real sense of pride in the room. Twinkle - perfect ending
what a great show....cant wait for Boston tomorrow....if she plays Juarez I may die
Not The Red Baron - just perfect. Nothing else that can be said. I am so thankful that NYC got this song on the 11th, because it's so perfect, and i feel blessed that we got to hear it.
Mother- beautiful, of course. Some sparkling thing was reflected on the wall. Was distracted because i was thinking about when i heard her play it in '98. I don't know why.
I might write a bigger, even longer version of this for my personal website at a later date.
Aright, Tori.
-This was my first Tori show.
the ONLY bad thing about the night, was that durring the pre-show M&G (we got there late, she was already out! ) I handed up a note with that Chainmaille necklace in it. It got passed to Joel instead of right to Tori, and he folded it in half along with a bunch of other notes that were coming forward! I was so upset. And I've got myself absolutely convinced that a link must have bent or something. I didn't get close enough at the after-show to ask her about it. But I could see her, and said 'hi' so it was ok. |
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