StrangeLittleTour
Chicago, IL
October 23, 2001

Updated January 7, 2002

Tori performed in Chicago, IL on October 23, 2001 at the Arie Crown Theatre during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour.

Set List

I, Mikewhy, attended this show and recorded the set list.

'97 Bonnie & Clyde
Real Men
Hey Jupiter
Devil In A Blue Dress improv
Silent All These Years
Flying Dutchman
Not The Red Baron
Rattlesnakes
Little Earthquakes
Doughnut Song
Bachelorette
Bells For Her
Here. In My Head
Me and a Gun
Windows Of The World

1st Encore:
Butterfly
Pretty Good Year

2nd Encore:
Tear In Your Hand
Sister Janet
Baker Baker

Reviews

Latest reviews are added to the bottom of the page.

Be sure to check the Tori Concert Reviews Forum for reviews as well!

From Mikewhy

Added October 24, 2001 - I attended this show and I must say the set list tonight really blew me away. The show was full of surprises and unexpected turns. I am not ready to say this was my favorite performance of the tour that I have seen so far. (I think I still give the nod to the Orlando and second DC shows.) But this was definitely a rich show which contained the most exciting set list of any show I have witnessed this year.

Tori was very playful tonight and gave some adorable smiles. She was not very talkative, but she said volumes with the music. The show lasted for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Here is a song by song listing with comments.

'97 Bonnie & Clyde - Nothing new to report with this one of course!

Real Men - A stunning surprise right off the bat. I had heard that she soundchecked this one, but I was still shocked when I heard it. I had a feeling right away that this would be a concert full of surprises. This one really comes across live very well. I was waiting for this song to be performed, and tonight my wait was over! After she sang, "You can wear the uniform and I can play along", she gave an mischievous grin.

Hey Jupiter - Tori rarely performs this one so early in the show, so this was another surprise!

Devil In A Blue Dress improv - Tori then spoke to the audience. She told us that she did not know what she was going to be for Halloween. She then told us that Tash was going to be Tinkerbell. Someone I think suggested to Tori that she could be a devil in a blue dress, which led to an amazing improv on the piano where she sang about a Devil In A Blue Dress and at the end said something about getting ready for an extra horn. The crowd was roaring and it was very funny and well done! I hope someone else can post more of the lyrics she sang for the improv.

Silent All These Years - a rather standard song sang tonight with a little something flair. She really emphasized the "I can hear them" part.

Flying Dutchman - She began this one with a beautiful introduction where she sang "Keep them spinning in their own little world." This b-side is always a pleasure to listen to.

Not The Red Baron - This one has a long, gorgeous piano intro and seemed extra poignant to me in light of recent events.

Rattlesnakes - Tori played both the piano and the Rhodes on this one. I always love watching her as she plays both keyboards at the same time. It looks impressive.

Little Earthquakes - Beautiful.

Doughnut Song - My favorite Pele song and she performed it very well. I really got into this one; It was so rich with feeling and emotion.

Bachelorette - In the past when someone mentioned wanting to hear her sing this, I always shrugged and assumed it would not be a big deal. However, I enjoyed this one so much! Tori was extra playful, and her facial expressions and body language were priceless. At times she played as she hovered over the piano bench without really sitting on it. I promise you this one is better live than you might expect!

Bells For Her - Another surprise. She did it at her Whurly, and she began the song with a little improv where she sang something like "this is a little something new here on the whurly girly for Dor, Lisa and D." I am sure the people she mentioned during the song were shocked to hear their name on stage! This song comes across very powerfully on the "Whurly" as Tori calls it.

Here. In My Head - All I can do when I hear this song is think of my friend Stacey Russell who passed away in 1998 and who loved this song dearly. It touched me profoundly as usual.

Me and a Gun - Tori strongly emphasized the word "flat". There were some people taking flash photos during this song. Not cool.

Windows Of The World - I thought at first that Tori was doing another improv here, but it was a full version of a cover that I don't think she has ever performed before. I was told that someone at the meet and greet requested it. This is a Burt Bacharach song that has been performed by Dionne Warwick and perhaps others. You can see the lyrics to this song here. Tori had the words to the song taped to the floor and seemed to be consulting them sometimes while singing. It was stunning and beautiful, and I think I sat there with my mouth open the entire time. Windows Of The World turns out to be the name of a restaurant that was on the top of one of the World Trade Center towers, and was likely one of the factors that influenced Tori to play it. (Thanks for the URL Cynthia Howes.)

Butterfly - Tori started the first encore with this one. She strongly emphasized the words "framed and dried".

Pretty Good Year - I was glad to hear this one.

Tear In Your Hand - Tori started the second encore with this song. The crowd really loved it, and so did I.

Sister Janet - Nice.

Baker Baker - She started this one with a special intro I never heard her do before where she sang, "Make me whole again."

Tori followed her official set list almost exactly, except that she had Pandora's Aquarium listed for the final song, but ended the show with Baker Baker instead.

There was only one negative to this otherwise stunning show, and it was many of the people in the audience behind me. During most of the songs, people were singing along very loudly. I felt at times like I had been seated in the choir. I see no reason why people can not sing along softly or quietly without disturbing the people around them. I paid to hear Tori sing, not to hear some off-key people with bad harmony behind me. The other thing was all the flash photography that was going on. It was distracting and hurt my eyes. In addition, I had someone behind me taking pictures with one of those disposable cameras where you take the photo and then you hear a loud clicking sound as they advance it to the next picture. All of this was incredibly rude. (I was sitting in the second row in the pit on the left side.)

Despite the rude people, I had a great time at this show and will remember it for a long time. The only thing that kept it from being a perfect evening was the fact that my girlfriend Amanda was not there to see the show with me.

I can hardly wait to see what Tori comes up with during her future shows!

From Lauren Elizabeth Perez

Added October 27, 2001 - i thought you might like the tonite's chicago set list, so here it is:

'97 b+c
Real Men
Hey Jupiter

Devil in a Blue dress (tori talked about being indecisive as to what to be for halloween- she shared that tash is going to be tinkerbell (she chose that herself) and someone in the audience suggested devil in a blue dress, so she made up (i think it was made up) a song..very cute, very funny)

Silent all these years
flying dutchman
red baron
rattlesnakes
little earthquakes
doughnut song
bachelorette
bells for her (on the whirly-girl, no less)
here in my head
me and a gun

and a song i cant figure out, but the lyrics went something like "the window panes of the world are covered in tears, and we all know (so maybe you know, mike)

1st encore
butterfly
pretty good year

2nd encore
tear in your hand
sister janet
baker, baker

it was a great show, great acoustics, although she didnt talk much and seemed a little hurried.

From Krin, Littlepelegurl

Added October 27, 2001 - Hello there. My name is Krin, littlepelegurl from the forumz. I just read your review from the Chicago Show and i just wanted to tell you that i agree with you 100%. I am from missouri and i flew to Chicago Illinois monday night to see Tori last night. She was absolutely amazing. It was my first show EVER and i was also in the 2nd row of the pit. I had balcony seats and when i was heading that direction, Steve asked me if i wanted to switch him tickets. Of course i said SURE. I am said to say that i didn't see you there, or i would have introduced myself. Anyway, i was in the 2nd row seat 25. And yes i had VERY loud singers behind me too! it sucked, but the whole night was amazing and i would redo it all over again...

From Chris

Added October 27, 2001 - you probably already know this, but windows on the world was the name of the restaurant at the top of the world trade center. perhaps that is why she sang that.

From Julianna

Added October 27, 2001 - Hey Mike, I wish I would have known you were going to be at the Chicago show, I would have kept my eye out for you! I think you did a great job of describing the songs at the Arie Crown, here's some added notes from the balcony:

During the first 30 seconds or so of '97 B&C, there were a few people scurrying around behind the curtain, but it was brief.

For me, the song Real Men started at the WGN Studios. My fiance and I woke up at 5:30 to get there for her appearance. We weren't even allowed to park in the parking lot there, but we were greeted across the street by two guys waiting for her to come out of the t.v. station. When we saw her, we waved and called her name and her driver pulled right up to the curb in front of us, and she got out of the back seat. She said Hi guys, and signed some stuff for us (one guy who got out of the car too said "No pictures," so we didn't get any). As she was signing my poster of Real Men I asked her if all the girls would be on the tour. She said no, not all of them fit into this tour and I said, Oh, this one's my favorite as I pointed to the poster. She paused then said, "Are you going to the show tonight?" and I said Yeah, of course and she started talking about how the song was ready but, "It's not all about the music," and then she started talking about getting the lighting right for every song. Then she said "I think you'll hear her very, very soon" and kind of smirked. I shook her hand and thanked her for stopping to visit with us. I was super psyched cause I've seen her in concert six times, but this is the first time I've met her!

Anyway, you can imagine my excitement when the curtain fell, she walked onstage, and the first song was Real Men! Then, Hey Jupiter, what a great opening to the show!

She told the audience, "I have this dilemma, I don't know what I"ll be on Halloween....so Tash is gonna be Tinkerbell. She picked it out, imagine that. If you have any ideas, that would be really good, just let us know." People screamed out Toto, Wonderwoman, Devil in the Blue Dress. Tori said, Devil in the Blue Dress, Oh."

Here's what I can make of the lyrics:

Devil in the Blue Dress, what do you know
Something I didn't think to wear to my show
Devil in the Blue Dress, used to wear a gown (?)
If I get to Texas, watch 'em run a-, run around.
Devil in the Blue Dress, Here I come
Husband get ready for an extra horn
Devil in the Blue Dress watch her come
And she can and she will and she does

She stood up and swiveled her hips during the song and the crowd was cheering and clapping, so I may have misheard a few words, maybe you or someone who was sitting closer heard her better.

I was hoping this was setting us up for her talking to us a lot between songs, but most of the songs flowed from one right into the other. Some other things I remember, she was singing "Keep him spinning...in their own little world" then hit the piano and said "Hey" before singing Flying Dutchman. At the end of Rattlesnakes she leaned back from the mic while singing her last word, "here," so her voice faded out. Very effective.

I loved hearing the bridge during Donut Song, "you can tell me it's over, you can tell me now and you do...come in Houston." It reminded me of the '96 tour.

She was sassy during Bachelorette, a lot of facial expressions and it seemed she couldn't quite stay seated for long (imagine that)! The crowd cheered when she sang, "When she said mmm inside my hmmm and then she mmm'd and I mmm'd her, yeah."

I agree with you that there was a lot of flash photography during Me and a Gun. Where I was sitting, it was also as if everyone decided to cough during the song too. All in all, I was excited to hear so many b-sides that I haven't heard live before. A truly solid performance, although I was a little disappointed not to hear anything from Choirgirl. But hearing her perform Windows of the World was worth it. When she sang about boys growing into men and wondering when their country would call, it was fitting, as if to say, let's not forget this other stuff going on in our world too.

It was a special night for me...I was sitting between my fiance and my best friend in the perfect setting of a Tori show...it was a night I will not forget.

Added October 30, 2001 - A review of the Chicago show appeared in the October 25, 2001 edition of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Thanks to LA for sending it to me. Read it at the Chicago Tribune web site or below.

Tori Amos reverts to some old habits

By Robert K. Elder
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 25, 2001

It's a risky business, touring behind material that's not your own.

But then again, Tori Amos has sculpted a career and gained an immensely loyal audience by doing things her own way, no matter how esoteric that may be at times.

Wednesday night, a capacity crowd of 4,500 packed the Arie Crown Theater to witness the pixie songwriter's new experiment: covering songs by male writers--from The Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun" to Tom Waits' "Time"--off her new album "Strange Little Girls." It's a concept album of sorts, with each of the 12 songs performed by 13 female perspectives (personified by Amos, including a set of twins) to satisfy the songwriter's love of the role-playing and poetic irony.

Amos' much anticipated set began not with a bang, but a whimper. After the curtain fell on Rufus Wainwright's goofy, touching set of ballads, Amos raised it again--only to be nowhere in sight. Instead, fans got a (possibly pre-recorded) cover of Eminem's misogynistic murder fantasy, "97 Bonnie & Clyde," half-spoken by Amos--against a black, ripped curtain. The effect was eerie, bold and anti-climatic.

To Amos' detriment, much of the evening followed suit. Wasted was the chance to perform songs as different characters, as Amos' 2 hour-plus concert suffered from lack of variety and tone. Rarities such as "Flying Dutchman" and "Here. In My Head" made welcome appearances in an otherwise paint-by-numbers show.

A talented singer/songwriter, Amos is at her best when sticking to the natural structure of a song, and her own worst enemy when slowing the tunes down, turning them over on her tongue--making them all sound the same. On every outing since Amos' problematic "Boys for Pele" tour, she's delivered more disciplined performances, resulting in more searing and bombastic sets. Touring with a band behind the mini-masterpiece "From the Choirgirl Hotel" a few years ago, Amos was in top form and challenging her artistic range.

Sans a backing band this night, however, Amos fell on old habits.

A compelling solo performer, just Amos' voice behind a piano can be enough, as demonstrated by a rendition of the haunting "Bells for Her."

A master of creating intimacy, even in large theaters, the redheaded siren seldom takes a breath off microphone, giving her songs a passionate immediacy. It's what made her solo debut effort "Little Earthquakes" such a revelation. Five albums later, the technique still packs a punch--until she employs it too much, on every song, drowning the tempo with over-articulated vocals and nuances.

Still, thousands of fans whispered the lyrics to every song, a quiet pledge that they'll be there, even through the failed experiments.

From Tim Kocher

Added November 1, 2001 - I saw Tori last night, and very much enjoyed and agree with your review of the show. It was a real powerhouse performance. Sometimes she does shows where the mood is all over the place, but last night she was ON - I mean, totally focused and giving every song 100%. It reminded me of Dylan's Sydney performance in 1966 (not that I was there, but I know the CD by heart) - every song had a different mood, and all done with perfect clarity and real fire. And the song choices were interesting - with very few exceptions, it was an extremely heavyweight song list - not a lot of minor material, they were heavy hitters. it was a real emotional rollercoaster, and her performance of "Me and a Gun" was a real shocker for me - I haven't heard her do it since the second Rosemont Theatre show many moons ago, and I had thought that was the best reading of it I had ever heard. I think last nights may have changed it...

Added November 2, 2001 - A review of this Chicago show appeared in the October 24, 2001 edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. Thanks to Jsberghorst for making me aware of it. You can read it at suntimes.com or below.

Tori Amos at the Arie Crown Theatre

The stage is dark and a haunting voice wafts through the theater. Tori Amos is backstage, whispering a tale of rage and murder. The victim in her song is desperate and full of despair. Her boyfriend is killing her, and their daughter later unknowingly helps him dispose of her body.

Sound familiar? Multiplatinum rapper Eminem wrote this song for his debut album. But when Amos sings "'97 Bonnie & Clyde," the material is heard from a dying woman's point of view: "No more fighting with dad/No more restraining order," she hears him say. "Momma's in the trunk."

The chilling song sends shivers down listeners' spines. It refutes Eminem's rationalization that the song is just a song and doesn't condone violence against women. From her unique perspective, Amos shows how powerful words can be.

There is a hush before the audience breaks out into a roaring ovation. With that opening number Tuesday night at the Arie Crown, Amos had the sold-out crowd enraptured.

In her first tour without a backup band since 1994, Amos at the keyboards proved a great voice doesn't need embellishment.

Some of her best material was done a cappella. For "Me and a Gun," Amos curled up at centerstage and sang the song, in which she recalls being raped. The song doesn't depict her as a victim, but as a survivor who did nothing wrong to incite the act: "Yes, I wore a slinky red thing/Does that mean I should spread for you?"

One of pop's most boldly original artists, Amos made an unexpected career move releasing an album of covers for her latest release, "Strange Little Girls." The disc features the Eminem song, as well as Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," the Beatles' "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and the Stranglers' "Strange Little Girl." But the album's title doesn't refer to that tune. Amos has always referred to her songs as her "little girls." These songs are others' "strange little girls."

Onstage, Amos was an earth mother and a diva. She was a friend and an icon. When she plays her piano, she exudes the same type of sexuality that Keith Richards used to when he stroked his guitar. But it is her flawless, pristine voice that captivates and draws you into the stories she unfolds.

In his half-hour opening set, Rufus Wainwright gave the perfect preamble to the Amos concert. Glib and goofy when he talked, his beautifully melancholy voice mesmerized.

Jae-Ha Kim

Added November 3, 2001 - I just found something in the Dutch magazine Oor which I think is really a nice coincidence. A couple of shows ago Tori played Windows of the World by Burt Bacharach remember?

Well, I was reading my old Oor Magazines for no reason and saw a review of a Bacharach album in an issue of the magazine from 1999 and the review starts with:

"I asked Tori Amos a while ago which song she would cover if I were to make my own Bacharach Tribute album and she said Windows of the World".

Isn't this funny? She talked about this two years ago and now she did it!!!

Added November 5, 2001 - Missy Flood told me about a review of Tori's Chicago show that appeared in the Illinois Entertainer. Click here to read it at illinoisentertainer.com.

The reviews below were taken from the concert reviews section of The Dent Forum and added here on January 7, 2002

My only disapointment was the absence of songs from FTCH and TVAB. I would have loved to hear jackie's Strength or Northern Lad or Playboy Mommy. Or Concertina, Spring Haze or Josephine. I mean the only song from either of those eras was Bachlorette and she didn't even play the whole thing.

Don't get me wrong, I love the first three albums much better, but it would have been nice.

I can't put into words exactly what I'm feeling right now. Toriphoria I guess you could call it. It was a spectacular evening and I wish I ould go to more than one show. Maybe next time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by stephoness

This is a brief revciew, I'm gonna do a huge one later, I was taking massive notes and impressions during the concert.

The M&G was great, but I was cursed as usual and ended up there late. When I showed up the candy and snacks were pretty much already devoured. =( But I did get to make my gaudy-ass sign so that the other people from my group (SHOUT CHICAGOLAND TORIPHILES) and the other side said something cheesy as hell like 'Chicago Loves Tori'.

Anyway, I was feeling giddy and I think everyone else pretty much was too. We all tried frantically to get everyone's stuff signed, but security has their system. I got a few pictures of (I HOPE) Tori (and not just random heads or the sky). I was able to sneak around the side and get a shot or two from the balcony area and say Bye to Tori. I also was probably yelling other stuff, trying to convince her to sign stuff. Oh well, it was great anyway. I got to get squished with a bunch of really nice-smelling people. =)

In between I mainly just screwed around until the bar opened and then went in during the last 2 songs of Rufus' set. And he was definitely full of beer (looked like Heinekens to me, nice choice).

I'm not gonna do the setlist, but I CAN tell you for a fact Pandora was suppossed to be last but she changed it to Baker. (I got to talk to a chick who snagged a setlist). Windows Of The World was 1st verse, 2nd verse, then 1st verse again (from my notes and what I remember). Also may I say Bells For Her and Bachelorette (which had tons of ass, and she didn't forget the words she was making noises from parts of the song, that's what I thought). Her sound was PERFECT. Her stage setting was great, and she was hardcore tonight. More later, I really, really sleepy...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by andrea (amaltheagray)

yay!

happy happy concert!

i got to the arie crown at around four fifteen... hadn't really intended on making it to the meet and greet anyway. i ran into some people - mikewhy and my friend eric and two people frantically looking for a girl in a wheelchair. eric and i were Very determined to hear the sound check some how. we knew there had to be a way. we ended up wandering around on the second floor of the theater, trying to open doors or find a vent or something, and finally found one (door, not vent) that led into a staircase. we ducked in, closed the door and at that minute tori started singing "enjoy the silence." she worked on that, "silent all these years," "real men," (which i was SO thrilled to hear and so excited that she did tonight), "bells for her" on the whurly, a gorgeous improv vocal warm-up (i could listen to an entire album of her just tinkling with the piano. i felt like i was in her fucking living room or something), "jupiter" and "windows on the world." i might have missed something. yeah, bachlorette. basically (oh wow i'm tired) it was so cool, to be sitting in a little stairwell hearing tori's voice echo and boom through the door in front of me.

afterwards i wandered around and saw numerous old friends from high school, dor, richard, mikewhy, the rmta crowd, northwestern people and etceteras. i didn't end up giving joel the book and letter i had for tori... i dunno. i could have, but i just didn't feel like it.

the show itself ... well, i had a splitting headache during the entire thing. one of the worst headaches i've ever had. and honestly, i think if it weren't for that i would have enjoyed the show more. also ... tori's not bleeding on stage like she used to. she isn't projecting. it's not like in '96 when "blood roses" would start and i would be cracked in pieces, sobbing, wrecked. i was also 16 or so during those shows, and that might have had something to do with it. but it feels like she's a lot more controlled, a lot more performative. she has a lot to be happy about, and it shows. i didn't cry. i left feeling uplifted. i mean, "here. in my head" and "little earthquakes" i felt were sure to get me. but it was more like looking through old photographs and smiling rather than being transported back in time. i left feeling healed, uplifted and, as my friend matthew so eloquently put it, "well fucked."

"bonnie and clyde" - she sounds so much angrier live than she does on the cd. like the girl in the trunk is saying, "i have been in this goddamn trunk saying these goddamn words for way to fucking long now and not only am i almost dead i'm totally running out of oxygen and i just need to fucking scream already and it's very nice that this nice red-haired lady gave me a voice but for god's sake i want OUT."

"real men" - blew me away. so much stronger on stage than during the sound check. i think this may be my favorite song on the album... "man makes a gun, man goes to war, man can drink and man can kill and man can take a whore" was very intense, with a Lot of sexy undertone to the word "whore." hard to describe. gorgeous. a great shout-out during "so don't call me a faggot unless you are a friend." a perfect daily dose of gender theory in a song. ;>

"hey jupiter" - the usual. i like this song but it's not one of my favs. it was, however, very *present* tonight, and it was nice to hear at the beginning of the set rather than the end.

she told a story about not knowing what to be for halloween... tash is gonna be tinker bell, clearly, and any suggestions for her would be welcome. someone yelled out "devil in the blue dress" and she did a Fabulous sexy (lots of sexy at this show) improv about it. hopefully it'll be mp3reed (my new favorite verb) soon.

"silent all these years" - lovely. as my friend eric said, there's a reason why this song is overplayed.

"flying dutchman" - oh yum. one of my favorites of the night. she started with an improv on the line, "keep the boys spinning in their own little world," way up on the piano's high keys. before she started singing i thought it might be "icicle." this song is just so cool and i'm delighted that she's bringing it out again. i remember listining to it on the bus on the way to eigth grade and thinking, "yes. yes! i KNOW!." *laugh* a friend mentioned that she did a lot of boy stuff... dutchman, pretty good year, windows on the world, real men. i liked that. it's not just about the girls and the men who damaged them, if you know what i mean. i think, reflexively, slg is Such a boy album.

"not the red baron" - this was great. a very powerful statement. it goes so well after dutchman. i was hoping for "daniel" to finish off the trilogy. *that* would have been amazing. instead we got...

"rattlesnakes" - i love the way she plays both the keyboard thingy and the bosie during this, and jupiter. it's amazing. it blows me away when she does that, and how she used to on "caught a lite sneeze." it's like she's got one hand on each keyboard, straddling these two powers.. i dunno, it's mostly a visual thing. so cool.

"little earthquakes" - this one brought me back to the '96 arie crown show. unfortunatly my headache started getting really really bad just then. but gorgeous.

and i'd like to mention that i did not hear a PEEP from where i was sitting. not one "i love you tori!!!" no cell phones, no singers, no talkers. i was in shock. it was like i was sitting in my living room. (wait, i don't have a living room. i live in a dorm. i really AM tired.) beyond a doubt the best crowd experience i've had at a concert. EVER. chicago is da bomb.

oh wow, this is a long post. you can stop reading if you want.

"doughnut song" - i love the riddles in this song. the trick, the kick, the letter. the double meaning in the line, "you told me last night you were a sun now, with your very own devoted satelitte, happy for you and i am sure that i hate you, two suns too many, too many able fires" and the copper and steel and hinge that has faltered... come in houston. it took me wandering for a while.

"bachlorette" - YUMMY! so good, so hot, she was so into this song.

"bells for her" -i got all warm and fuzzy when she introduced this for dor and danica and the others. i love how good she is to her people. the song was dark, powerful and *different* somehow. i think the meaning has changed for her a bit. i'm not sure how, though. i'd never heard it sung in that tone before.

"here. in my head" - this was a wish of many years come true. and it was everything i could have wanted, minus a repeat button so i could hear it again immediatly. the "do you KNOW HEY do you KNOW what THIS is DOING TO ME!?!?!?" was appropriatly gorey.

"me and a gun" - very slow. very drawn out. very painful. very beautiful. one of the things that has ALWAYS struck me about maag is how strikingly gorgeous the melody is. she belted out "flat on your stomach" and made the entire audience feel it.

"windows on the world" - yes, this was sap. but it was GOOD sap, dammit!

"butterfly" - my friend tony was really wanting this one and it made me all fuzzy that she played it tonight. again, i was so in pain at this point that it's a bit of a blur. :<

"pretty good year" - oh. melt. i wasn't expecting this at all. i figured "enjoy the silence" would show up, although i'm slightly glad it didn't because it wouldn't have fit the tone. it was nice to hear it at soundcheck, though. pgy... well, tori hit all my big ones tonight, i think. or just about. no horses, but that is So forgiven.

"tear in your hand" - another unexpected song that is part of the vocabulary of my emotional psyche. nuff said.

"sister janet" - another biggy. so beautiful. again a song full of riddles, to be climbed around in and looked at from several angles. i just want to go to the show again, after popping two excedrin, same seats, same setlist, minus draining headache.

"baker, baker" - she did that improv-esque "here... here..." thing she does when waiting for a song to come. i almost thought she was about to go into "graveyard." baker was an excellent tone to end the show on. "if you see him say hi." yeah. i will.

so there you have it. a more mature, happy, whole tori. she has held both life and death, she has come out the other side, she, in my opinion, ought to come out with some new stuff reflecting that joy and completeness that exuded off of her tonight.

if i had money i'd ask if anyone wanted to drive to st. louis with me. *sigh* someone asked if i was going to be around this week (i think it was dor) and i just sighed. i wish. i wouldn't want to do full tour. i think that would be too much for me. but two weeks or so ... yeah. i could handle that. most definatly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by kamui26

Oh, man. I don't even think any review I could write would accurately summarize tonight's events.

It was incredible.

'97 Bonnie & Clyde: even more disturbing live than on the album.

Real Men: I was amazed when she played this, and it was just an all-around great performance. As someone else mentioned, the crowd cheered at the "Don't call me a faggot, not unless you are a friend" lyric.

Hey Jupiter: Just beautiful. I think she went a little out of the lines and added some more "oooh's," but don't quote me on that.

Devil in a Blue Dress: I wish I could remember the lyrics, they were so saucy! I think it ended with "and she comes."

Silent All These Years: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I really like how she's doing it this tour.

Flying Dutchman: She did a little improv about "boys spinning" before this in the high register that almost sounded like the introduction she does to "Doughnut Song" sometimes. Tori seemed to really get into this song, as did the audience.

Not the Red Baron: Lovely, and seemingly appropriate for our troubled times.

Rattlesnakes: My favorite track off SLG, and I wasn't disappointed. Nice use of the Rhodes and piano simultaneously.

Little Earthquakes: Very powerful. I think the crowd really enjoyed all the LE-era stuff.

Doughnut Song: What's not to like about DS? The "come in, Houston" part was especially good.

Bachelorette: She had so much fun with this! You could tell she knows it, but not that well, but she likes playing it, so she's going to, damn it! Her facial expressions were priceless during this, especially when she said, "And then we hmmmm," and raised her eyebrows.

Bells for Her: The highlight of the show for me. I would have never expected this, and it was gorgeous on the Wurly. (I hope someone got a good boot of this show!)

Here. In My Head: I think the crowd really enjoyed this old favorite. A nice performance, but nothing extremely special.

Me and a Gun: Some girls started screaming at the beginning of this, but luckily, they quieted down. Just like 97B&C, this is so much more powerful live, especially when she starts breaking the words and whispering. On the downside, the flash photography during this has to go.

Windows of the World: It was funny to see everyone in the audience trying to figure out what the hell she was playing! I don't think she knew the lyrics, she kept looking down like they were written out. Three premieres at one show!

Butterfly: This was excellent, she really stressed the "framed and dried" parts.

Pretty Good Year: The crowd went wild when she started this song, and with good reason; it was just so good!

Tear in Your Hand: More LE! We ate it up.

Sister Janet: I knew a lot of people that wanted to hear this (myself included), and I don't think anyone was disappointed. I never really liked the studio version of this, but I really like it played live.

Baker Baker: Like "Sister Janet," it's not a song I normally listen to on UTP, but it seemed to take on a whole new life when performed live.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by Antigone (just a comment...not actually at the show)

FWIW, Windows on the World was the name of the restaurant atop the World Trade Center. Many men and women who worked in that restaurant died.

I wonder if Tori was thinking of them when she chose that song. I also wonder why she didn't play that or Imagine or New York State of Mind in NYC...

Nice setlist folks

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by januarygrrl27

How do I love thee, Tori? Let me count the ways...

1) Silent all these Years - almost peed my pants
2) Real Men - yessssssss
3) Tear in your Hand - cried cried cried...
4) Bachelorette - HELLL YEAH!!!
5) DEVIL improv - hysterical
5) Little Earthquakes... *sigh*

...etc, etc.... I could name them all but I won't - they were all so fantastic... even the Windows song that I didn't know... I was just so amazed that hardly any new ones (just 3 from SLG) were played - it was mostly the old girls...

Also, I was definitely singing along (softly) to myself during the concert - I KNOW I was on key though and definitely kept it down out of courtesy to everyone around me. But on that note, don't you think it would've been great if she had the audience sing along to one of the choruses or something? Since she did so many "classics" - I know I was wishing she'd have us sing with her on a couple parts (especially Little Earthquakes)... it was SO hard to hold back....

Lastly - How freaking quiet was it during Me & A Gun?? You could hear a pin drop! And I think a good portion of everyone around me had their eyes closed. *sigh*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by witchyflickchic

Okay, I didn't really become a real Tori fan until a little less than a year ago (thanks to my ex-boyfriend). But ever since then I've been totally obsessed with her and her music, she's one of my favorite things in the world. So, yes, this was my first show and OH MY GODDESS! I'm so upset my stupid tape player is broken, otherwise I could (excuse me, WOULD) be listening to the show right now!

First, Rufus was hilarious and anybody who had anything to do with Moulin Rouge (he played the song of his that's in the movie and on the soundtrack) is automatically extremely cool! He was real friendly and fun and he said our city made him feel like he was in Paris. Some people may have been offended, but I thought it was hilarious when he burped in the middle of one of his songs.

Ah...Tori...hmmmm...sorry, I'm back, had a little concert flashback there for a minute. I'm back I swear!

'97 Bonnie and Clyde: I was suprised by how differently she sang this from the album. She's so soft and subtle on SLG and I think that adds to the affect of turning the song around on the character that Eminem had originally created for it. She sounded so angry and harsh thorughout this live version. Just hearing her voice, I felt like I was floating.

Real Men: One of my absolute favorites off of SLG, plus I think the "man makes a gun..." verse is very fitting for our current political state. Love it on the album, loved it even more live (plus the fact that she hadn't played it all this tour made it completely unexpected). Loved when the crowd cheered at "don't call me a faggot not unless you are a friend" and she the aforementioned verse was done with much passion. Exquisite!

Hey Jupiter: Okay, there's a whole long personal story about how I first started listening to Tori associated with my love for this song, but I'm just going to simplify it by saying that this is one of absolute favorites of hers. I've been know to well up just listening to it on BFP, so seeing her do it live (especially with the added effect of the Rhodes) was so emotional for me. This was one of the songs that I really wanted to hear tonight and so did my Lauren (my best friend and concert buddy). We totally clenched each other's hands during this thing because the song means so much to us. As soon as she sang the first words to this song, I knew the conert was going to be amazing...three songs in and she was already playing my favs. She was so cute when she lost the lyrics a little at the beginning and just kept humming for awhile and looked out at us with a telling, mischievious grin. ADORABLE!

Devil in a Blue Dress: I'm just going to say, Tash has great taste in Halloween costumes, I've been wanting go as Tinkerbell for years, she one of my absolute favorite Disney characters. So, Tori was saying that she didn't know what to be for Halloween and somebody from the audience yelled "Devil in a Blue Dress." Tori almost immediately jumped into the amazing, saucy, sexy improv that I soooo want a copy of. I loved the bit about the extra horn in the bed and the way she ended it was so intense.

Silent All These Year: This is one of those songs I always write off, because when you tell non-Tori fans that you're a big Tori fan, this is always the only song that they know (okay, some of them know Cornflake Girl), but it really is such a great song, so beautiful and poignant and she was so into it.

Flying Dutchman: Not one of my favorite bee sides, but it really is such a fun song and it's really fitting for live performance, the studio version just doesn't get it done for me. Plus there was the added bonus of the "keep the boys spinning" intro she added. A very high energy song, big fun!

Not the Red Baron: Once again, not one of my favorites...until tonight. I didn't realize how well it suits our current state of affairs. Very somber, very beautiful.

Rattlesnakes: There are a lot of songs that I really love on SLG and this is another one. It's just such a great song and she does it so well and it's always fun to watch her play two instruments at the same time.

Little Earthquakes: I always found this to be such an intense song, the way it builds gradually until it kind of explodes near the end...I love it! A great live song.

Doughnut Song: Such a beautiful song and the little emblishments she does on it in live performance is just exquisite. This was just heart-stopping.

Bachelorette: How much fun was this song!? She totally killed it! You could tell she was having so much fun and so the crowd was having a blast, too. So glad she did this one.

Bells For Her: This is always such a beautifully haunting song and it sounded so amazing on the wurly. Her little improv before it saying that it was something new for "wurly girl," and then she said it was for all the girls and someone in the audience yelled "Thank you!" A nice little dedication to her fans.

Here. in My Head: Such a great song and it was just fabulous and her cradling her head at the end...very emotional.

Me and a Gun: This song always gives me goosebumps. People were a little noisy for the first couple of seconds but they quickly got the picture (except those flash photographers, GRRRRRRR!). I think she left out the "you can laugh, it's kind of funny..." bit. Not that it mattered, there's no way you can't be moved by this song.

Windows of the World: I was frantically searching the faces of the people around me to see if anybody knew this song. Another very fitting song. It was very obviously not an original Tori song (a little too trite for her imagination) but it was still a very sweet, folky song.

Butterfly: Such a great bee side! She had such great expressions during the song, too. During the "if I can kill one man, well why not two" she sat back and crossed her arms a little...too cute! This was another one she had a lot of fun with.

Pretty Good Year: Another girl that hasn't showed up a lot this tour...a very pleasant surprise. She really got into it.

Tear in Your Hand: Everybody just went nuts when she started playing this song. She was really playful during this one.

Sister Janet: This song is so much better live than on the album! I was still singing it to myself when was back at home and going to bed.

Baker Baker: Nice little intro with "make me whole again." It's always such a beautiful song. It really fit the mood as the last song: bittersweet.

So, yeah, that was my first Tori concert experience...I can't wait for my next. Wish I could have met her, but there were too many people by the buses after the show and she couldn't get to everybody (honestly, I was happy I got to see her up close...that was enough).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by piano_girl76

WOW! It was such an amazing show!!! I'm still in a state of shock! I got a bunch of pics but I don't know how they are going to turn out. I didn't use flash but had 800 film. I couldn't believe all the flashes! Like the flash was even going to help from the back of the venue and the balcony! I had a few tears during silent all these years, little earthquakes and here in my head. It was so amazing! The Devil in a blue dress improv was so friggin funny!! She always does cool stuff for Chicago and I'm so glad I was there!

The people next to me had their lovely cell phone on and it went off during me and a gun! HELLO!!! He wasn't even answering the calls! I think his woman made him shut it off after I gave them this mean look. lol

I was kinda sad about the meet and greet though! I was like the 15th person there and some people who showed up at the last minute rushed up and I was like 3 people behind Tori and didn't get anything signed. People were feeling really bad about that and so was I. Met some cool people and we went and had a few beers to take off the edge after the meet and greet. PUSHY PEOPLE! I couldn't believe how rude people were being and shoving and screaming at Tori like they personally know her. No wonder she is nervous about meet and greets.

Anyways I'm going to get to say hi at the St. Louis show darnit!

I saw Mikewhy and Kamui but I was too chicken to say hi. lol

The show was just awesome though!! WOW!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by tbgal

WOW!!!!!!!
I am still on such a high from last night. Tori was so amazing. And the set list was a dream come true. She played some of my favs. It has been my greatest wish to here Silent All These Years live, because the first time I saw the video on Mtv 11 years ago, I was hooked. When I heard the first few bars of the song, I started to cry and I cried through the entire song. God, it was so awesome. I almost shit myself when she did Rattlesnakes, cuz thats my new fav! I could go on all day about how wonderful it was last night!

The only problem was the flashes hurt my eyes, I have a astigmatism (is that how you spell it) so it really hurt my poor eyeballs, and there were these stupid dumb girls behind us, who not only couldn't sing on key if their lives depended on it, they didn't know the lyrics. Pissed me off a bit.

But otherwise, WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

-----------------------

Review by Firenze

This was the best concert I've ever been to. The setlist, of course, was amazing (although I noticed
a lack of Choirgirl and Venus... on purpose?)...

I thought the audience was pretty nice... some girls wanted to sit together, so they switched seats with my boyfriend and me... a few rows up. yay! (still in the middle back, though ) I was the girl with unreasonably long hair, in the black and glitter (if you're curious.) And there wasn't too much singing around me... I sang a little, but softly.

Rufus Wainwright (sp?) was very cute... the word that comes to mind is "earnest." Sounded very pretty, especially on the keyboards.

Tori sounded great... I know there have been a million reviews, so I'll just pick out the highlights (well, they were highlights for me).... sorry about the mixed-up order:

Real Men... not much I can say that hasn't been said. It has a very strong stage presence.

I thought Hey Jupiter was the best I've ever heard... it was mostly on the Rhodes, with a little piano here and there. Bells for Her too... the Whirly was so darling. And the little intro. She said something about
"for all the girls out there" and someone in the audience shouted "Thank you!"

And the Tash story... I'm obsessed with kids, so maybe my opinion doesn't count, but wasn't that exceptionally adorable? I can just picture a little 1-year-old toddling over to a costume and pointing. I thought Tori should go as Peter Pan, to match. But the Devil in a Blue Dress improv (it was an improv, right) was oh-so-cute.

Really tinkly intro to Flying Dutchman. I thought it was a new version of CALS, at first. Then she started singing.

Bachelorette... very fun, seductive style. I think all the "mmms" were on purpose. Kind of like "I COULD say what she does, but I'll let your imagination run wild."

SATY has kind of become a staple, but I really liked the bridge this way, with the flanger and all.

I thought Windows of the World was gorgeous and sweet, whether or not it's Burt Bacharach. It kind of had a vocal-pop-with-a-twist feel.

The 5 encore numbers were nice. Someone near me said, "Just GO already, woman!" I think he was kidding.

The only bad thing about the day was that I missed the 10:27 Metra by 3 minutes... so I had to wait an hour. But that's ok.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by teresa (Afterglow)

Okay, I know by now anything I say will be a moot point, but I made this logon SPECIFICALLY to post a review of the show, so here goes.

First- this was my first Tori show, and I went with a friend from high school who I hadn't seen in 4 years... she's a little less of a fan than I, I think, but we had a great time, and it just made it all the more special that we got to reconnect over Tori...

Second-- I thought the audience was so well-behaved.... There wasn't any singing around me, and no cell phones/screaming at inappropriate times. Chicago- you're my kind of town!

Rufus: Very adorable. Played Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk, Greek Song, Poses, California, Grey Gardens, Rebel Prince, and I think one from his 1st CD. Kind of a short set, but he said Chicago reminded him of Paris, and that he was "full of beer", which caused him to burp in the middle of a song.

Tori! (sorry if they're out of order)
Bonnie & Clyde- I thought my heart was gonna pound right out of my chest!!

Real Men- I was so happy to hear this and was so overwhelmed when she sang "If there's war between the sexes there'll be no people left" that I started crying.

Jupiter- Lovely, pretty normal, I thought.

Then she said hi, told the Tash story about Halloween, and asked what we all thought they should be... I think someone yelled for Devil in a Blue Dress, so she did a short improv
Rattlesnakes! I can die happy now, having heard it live. (my fave from SLG)

SATY- beautiful, beautiful, beautiful

Baron- also so beautiful, another fav from BFP

Dutchman- never actually heard it before, but liked it

Donut Song- SO Gorgeous! ! I was hoping she'd play it- did the alternate "houston" bridge towards the end

Bachelorette- a big surprise, and so playful! It was like Tori *knew* she was being adorable

Bells on the Whirly. not a fav, UTP is my least fav album, but it was nice

Here In My Head- nothing more to say

MAAG- it was like a vaccuum in the theater.... beautiful but chilling

Window on the World- don't know it, liked lyrics, but it was a lot to digest

Butterfly- was amazing, haven't heard it before either

PGY- like I said, UTP is not my heartthrob, but I thought this was a particularly heartbreaking rendition, given recent circumstances and all...

Tear- my friend was estactic- this was her fav, and she didn't know many of the other songs so....

Janet- haven't ever heard it, so no comparison... (Actually, I seem to have no memory of what it sounds like at all.... Sorry-- 4 hrs of sleep here!)

Baker- nice intro, nice. Just, nice.

And then...
It was over. I could've sat there and listened forever. She was so *on*, and what presence! She was wearing a pink (?) sequined top with light pants with the slits way up the sides, and these *HEELS* like you wouldn't believe-- must've been 4 inches. And as my title says: God, I know she's tiny, but when she was up there playing, I'd've sworn she was 10 ft tall, she sounded that big...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by SpacecakeHigh

Anyways, I think this show was my favourite of all the shows I've seen! She is just so happy in her life right now i think, and it shows. I was so happy to hear Real Men! And the venue was bigger than I thought it would be, felt sorry for those way up in the balcony

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by bluebelle

Hey Chicago!

Whichever person/spirit/random thought it was that got Tori to do Bells for Her on the wurley, THANK YOU! I was hoping she'd play that in Chicago. I'm a transplanted Chicagoan, and there's a girl out there who won't ever get to see Tori, but I know she was listening. and that means something to me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by LemonPie

A few of my thoughts on the m&g- it was amazing to me to be that close to her, even tho I didn't get to meet her.
There were indeed some rude people there.
My friend thought those guys helping with barricades were on the crew or something!
One question- if they weren't legit why on earth didn't Steve or someone say "get the F*** out of here," when they went to "help" with the barricades???
I mean, thats such an obvious scam!
What was up with Mr. ScaryRedEyes anyway?

It really upsets me that people like that are the ones who get to meet her, and the people who are respectful of her (and truly in awe of her), and kind to other fans get screwed. It really is unfair.
(And Stephoness- there WERE some people who rushed the barricades at the last minute).
There was one girl who literally busted in front of me and tried to take me spot at the side barricade saying "exCUSE me!" in the most nasty way.
Otherwise, though, most of the people were very nice.
Alisha(sp?)- thanks for the snacks!
And thank you Anna for getting my stuff to Tori.

Some thoughts on the show:
Everyone has said it already- simply amazing- I was blown away.

Devil in a Blue Dress- she sang "husband get ready for an extra horn!"
(Wonder if Mark was blushing! hehe!!)
And it ended with "and she comes, and she comes" (I think). Veddy sexy!

Bachelorette- did anyone notice the end where she seemed to be singing
"and you die, and you die, die, die, die"?
Was I hearing that wrong? I wonder if she's telling the bachelorette to die now that she is happy as a wife.
Thoughts anyone?

Sister Janet- she seemed to glance at Mark during the
"and an Englishman" line!

Elasia- you were there?? Wish I could have met you!

Did anyone here go to the post show m&g?
If so, what was it like?
Oh- and one last question- how on earth does one get orchestra pit seats?
That would be heaven!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by spf566

I just have to say that this show let me remember just how much power music can have, couple thoughts:

- 97 B&C was chilling and unnerving, as her voice just gained intensity as she kept going through the song.

-Real Men was wonderful...i was stunned she played it, and i just couldn't stop fidgeting it got me so excited.

-Jupiter...she played Jupiter!!!!! I figured this would be the peak for me, since really only one other song moves me more than this one. This was the first time she broke me down into crying during the show!

-the improv bit really made me smile after being so moved just before.

-SATY! I had just kinda composed myself when she got me doing the kinda crying you do when you don't want anyone to know you're crying...so beautiful this song....

-Dutchman was one i had only heard once or twice before...suffice to say i have listened to it at least 20 times since that concert ended....i still keep hearing the refrain "take a trip on a rocketship...." in my head

-Red Baron always just makes me mellow...though I think there's something so heartbreaking in the way she sings "not charlie's wonderful dog..."

-Rattlesnakes....eh, it's an interesting song, but honestly i was so whipped around that I didn't pay a whole ton of attention to this one.

-LE!!! OHMIGOD! The tears again started to trickle out with this one....just such a heart-rending song...so much pain inside it.

-Donut song is always kinda fun to listen to....i liked her playing it, but again, nothing more than that.

-Bachelorette was so damn cool...the way she vamped it up and was so playful with it....she makes me smile so much when she has fun on stage.

-Bells is so cool sounding on the whirly....

Here in my head....another song i hadn't heard really but a couple of times....but have sure heard a lot since then...

-Me and a gun....i don't think this will ever lose it's ability to emotionally impact an audience...you can't help but be at rapt attention as she does that piece

-WOTW is a song i never heard, but i kinda liked her version of it....i'd dig it as a b-side.

-Butterfly caught me off guard, as it really was not a song i expected her to do live....no complaints about it, just surprising

-PRETTY GOOD YEAR!!!!! this has been MY song (MINE MINE MINE!) for so long now....if i could only hear one song again all my life, this would be it....I just lost it with this one....wept like a small child....i know she won't see this, but thank you so much Tori for this song....

-Tear got me worked up again after calming myself between encores....it reminds me of such bad times and how her music helped me through

-sister janet....one of my favorite b-sides...."all the wizards...black and white...."

-Baker! She got me crying one last time before the show ended. the longing in that song is so brutal and strong....it's one of the saddest songs i know.

Well, that set had almost every song on my personal best of tori cd...if she'd played 1000 oceans and putting the damage on, i might have spontaneously combusted in the arie crown theatre. Music can move you to tears, it can save your soul and break and heal your heart. I'm a big boy, and not ashamed to say it did all of the above for me tues. night. Here's hoping something happens after Europe so we get one more crack at seeing her again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go Back To ToriNews

Go Back To The StrangeLittleTour Schedule & Reviews Page

Please give me feedback, comments, or suggestions about A Dent In The Tori Amos Net Universe. Email me (Mikewhy) at mikewhy@iglou.com