StrangeLittleTour
Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2001

Updated January 7, 2002

Tori performed in Los Angeles, CA on November 17, 2001 at the Wiltern Theatre during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour. This was the third of three nights of concerts in L.A.

Set List

The set list below comes from Richard Handal, who called me after the show.

'97 Bonnie & Clyde
Juarez
Marianne
Rattlesnakes
Siren
Silent All These Years
Real Men
Merman
Space Dog
Doughnut Song
Bachelorette
Playboy Mommy
Me and a Gun
1000 Oceans

1st Encore:
Cooling
Cool on Your Island

2nd Encore:
Famous Blue Raincoat
Time
Pandora's Aquarium

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 Richard Handal

Added November 18, 2001 - The show began at 9:15PM and ended at 11:04. The show was very calming, casual, and relaxed. It was like being in a smoky nightclub. Tori stood while playing Juarez and part of Doughtnut Song.

She told an amazing story before Playboy Mommy and mentioned her velvet Pradas. "You guys may remember the music that was on while you were doing it. I remember the shoes I had on."

From Sarah

Added November 18, 2001 - Hey, Mike. It's Sarah (from Florida). Just to let you know in case you don't, here is a list of celebrities at the last 3 LA shows:

JARED LETO and Cameron Diaz

Rose McGowan

Jamie Lee Curtis

Andy Dick

Matthew Perry

Singer of Buck Cherry

Winona Ryder

and ALANIS Morissette, whom I had a little conversation with.

From Chrissie

Added November 18, 2001 - Hey Mike, saw that there was only a brief review so far, so I thought I would add one. This show was my favorite show of any of the Tori shows I have ever been to. Tori seemed very focused and extremely playful. She was wearing the usual pantsuit outfit like the rest of the tour...This outfit was black with black sparkles on the pants, the fishnets and red high heels. Before Rattlesnakes she told a little story how she used to live in a little house behind a church in Highland, and said that by the church there was a sign saying if you wanted to come in you had to leave your weapons at the door. Real Men was incredible, with the same passion as on Kilborn. Spacedog was a treat, that was one of the songs I was wanting to hear tonight. During Bachelorette Tori was adding some swing to it, dancing around a bit. I have never seen a performance of Me and A Gun that was so trancelike. There was the annoying cell phone that went off (luckily wasn't too too loud), but besides that it was dead silent, and so bone chilling. Cooling and Cool on your Island were gorgeous, and Famous Blue Raincoat was a treat as well!! The show all together was so wonderful!!! only downfalls were the assh*ole(s) who decided to smoke in the Wiltern, and the wierd man who jumped into the pit while tori was playing her encores and was practically drooling on the stage. Well, time to go to bed! Must drive to phoenix tomarrow. sweet dreams.

From MysT

Added November 18, 2001 - I didn't write the last 2 nights. Figured I should tonight. I'm sure someone else gave you the set list but I'll list it below anyway. Tori looked lovely in her black dress with red bra peeking through & high, sexy black heels. Tonight's highlights: 1. Meeting Nancy (Beene) & Peggy. 2. Juarez - Kept singing "No Angels Came" like a chant while reaching in the piano - plucking and banging the strings with her fingers/hand. Intense. 3. Real Men followed by Merman. Tori said a few words about Sept 11 and how she's been playing this song for Matthew for years and she just needed to play this song tonight. Very strong pro-gay aura in the auditorium. I don't cry at Tori shows, but Merman had tears in my eyes tonight. 4. Bachelorette & Siren - VERY sexy - Tori purposely crossed her legs to show leg on both - to the audiences approval. Heavy bridge on Siren was thunderous. 5. Rattlesnakes - The most beautiful song tonight, in my opinion. The tempo was slow & low, breathy. Almost mystical.

Time (I *timed* this one: 5:57)

Oh and my daughter talked to Andy Dick. So freaking what. LOL :-)

From Johnny Endicott

Added November 18, 2001 - Alanis Morissette was in the fifth row tonight, November 17 (actually seventh including the two pit rows), two seats to the right (looking at the stage) of the center aisle. Because of some disrespectful gawkers who "outed" her, she hid out until '97 B+C began, then snuck in in the dark. She was gone at the beginning of the first encore. Amazingly, the only time I turned around to catch a glimpse of her (I was in the second row, three in front of her - YIPPEE!) she was either talking or laughing during a song, possibly Rattlesnakes. It seemed kind of - I want to say disrespectful - but maybe I caught her at the one moment when she wasn't enthralled like the rest of us.

I can confirm that Andy Dick was there, and there were rumours that "Friend" Matthew Perry was also there. Friday night, Jamie Lee Curtis was in the audience. I heard that Winona Ryder was there ion Friday, but again I can't confirm that.

On a VERY PLEASING personal note, while I could go on and on about the three shows here in LA (I'll leave that to the other reviewers),ðI was INCREDIBLY surprised that here, in SoCal, where concert goers are REMARKABLY rude during concerts, blabbing away on cell phones, or trying to out-shout the performer during a song in order to discuss the great deal they got on asparagus earlier in the day at the market, all three nights at the Wiltern you could hear a mouse walking across the floor during Tori's songs. It was so quiet that I thought my tears during songs like Landslide, China, and Time would be heard in the balcony as they slid down my cheeks.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Los Angeles. Let's see if we can maybe remember this the next time Ivy (you know who you are, you blonde wannabee blabbermouth with the cell phone, palm pilot, pager, and inflated stories about your involvement in the record biz! Sheesh!) or Emiliana Torrini play at the Troubadour .

From Marissa Perez

Added November 18, 2001 - Wow. The show was amazing. Some would call it mellow, but it was very powerful. She sang every song I talked about in the car on the way there! I really enjoyed Siren and Bachelorette, you don't here those live too often. Space Dog had some altered lyrics, I think she was influence by the current war. She told a great story about how she used to live somewhere that had a sign that said if you want soup check your guns at the door. As far as celebrity sightings Andy Dick was there last night. The opening of the show with 97' Bonnie and Clyde was haunting and beautiful. The crowd went nuts. At one point during Silent All These Years someone yelled out in the audience right before the line "I can hear them" and she turned to the crowd in a deliberately forceful voice and said "I can hear them" which got a chuckle. It was very laid back, but one of the best Tori performances I've seen. Anyone going to a future show should pick up a program, it's a 2002 calendar with the girls from the cd! Neato! Tori is just one hell of a performer. She never ceases to amaze me. She looked fabulous by the way in her fishnets and strappy red heels. Yowza!

From Damon Intrabartolo

Added November 18, 2001 - Last night marked the ninth time I've seen Tori live (the second on this tour) and the evening was superior by all accounts. The show was less smoky nightclub and much more intense, energetic Tori-and-piano, Tori implemented a technique of holding down the sustain pedal on the Bose while "playing" the inside of her piano with her hands for "Juarez". This song when stripped bare is one of the most daunting of her compositions - "No Angel Came" resonated brilliantly. Her right leg went up on the bench and she looked out during this song as if to deliver an ultimate "fuck you" to the no-show angels. The set list just blossomed after that. The tribute to Matthew during Merman was all too simple and chilling: "This happened to Matthew - before September 11th - here, in this country". Tori also went into a little story about how she used to live on Highland Avenue here in Los Angeles, and how a sign outside read "If you want free soup, leave your weapons outside". She paused a bit and satisfingly smiled, saying, "I LIKED that sign!" She was definately going through portals, and the energy for each song was very much of those moments, not reflections of those songs past. Following an INTENSE performance of "Bachelorette", Tori sat down at the Wurly and began a story. "Speaking of champagne...Beenie, where were we? That should tell you how much we had! We were in champagne, I think. And Peggy, you were there too smoking like a chimney I remember..." She went on to discuss how she remembered the SHOES she did "it" in (Velvet black Pradas) vs. how boys remember the music they were doing it to. She continued: "So wearing these platforms, I walked down the barrister, and you'll never guess what happened there...'IN MY PLATFORMS I HIT THE FLOOR' - all of a sudden "Playboy Mommy" kicked in - WHAT a prelude.

Suffice to say, Tori once again rightfully claims her status as the greatest living female singer-songwriter alive. As if there was ever any doubt...

From Paige Nilson

Added November 18, 2001 - I went to all three Los Angeles shows and, for me, each one got better. It's not that the quality of the performance improved, or even that the selection of songs was more meaningful, it's just that on the last night she was the standing, stomping, piano-as-percussion instrument Tori that enchants me the most. Thursday most of the songs started out with the repetition of the drawn out "here" that she does at the beginning of Rattlesnakes, and it seemed that there were effects on the mics. of the Bose for many songs, giving the show the feel of a more syrupy lullaby. I'm disappointed that no one has mentioned the presence of Christopher Guest (Jamie Lee Courtis's husband) at the show Friday (sidenote: they were sitting in the seats I had on Thursday). You act like none of you has seen The Princess Bride or Spinal Tap, come on now! But I digress. Tori was also the most open and talkative on Saturday, giving the show the feeling that she was playfully sharing stories to catch up with old friends, which she was. I'm going to try to retell her story from before Playboy Mommy (my apologies to those of you who remember it better than I; it also bothers me when she has been misquotedÛThursday she didn't say that the "good news" was that she was a mommy she said "And the amazing thing is--I'm a MOM--good with food--bad with diapers"):

"Speaking of champagne OH!! [throws head back] Beenie, where were we? Where were we? Were we IN Champagne I think; that tells you just how much we had! We were there with one of Beenie's friends--who wasn't a friend, you know who I'm talking about girls, those friends who aren't friends...bad people. And Peggy, you were there too smoking like a chimney I remember--And I was running from room to room with bottles of Cort [? she was talking about some kind of champagne], geeze, how many bottles of Cort did we have? Handing out bottles to everyone. It was like being in Kansas, you know? The answer is IN this bottle. So I was running around in my velvet, platform, Prada's [cheers from the audience] you know guys, you may remember the music you were doin' it to, but I remember the shoooooees I had on. And anyway, I open this door and there are stairs leading dooown to the boudoir [in a cute little accent] and what happened was--In my platforms I hit the floor--" A simply delightful moment ;)

This was my ninth Tori Amos show (starting with the Dew Drop Inn in Denver, what a couple of SHOWS!!) and I have never made any attempt to see her. My enjoyment of her music is just a private thing, and I don't think I would really have anything to talk about with her in a meet and greet setting. But this night I was with a special friend who seemed interested in waiting around after the show. I would do anything she asked, so we waited. We got pretty close to the front, 3 people back from the barricade. For both me and my friend, our goal was just to see her up close (I've never had really good seats to a show). Tori finally came out and started making her way across the front of the crowd. She came to stand in front of me, looked past the first two rows of people, looked me in the eye and said "Hi, how are you?" (in that completely familiar and sincere way that you all know about, but just can't be believed until it is experienced). I said (with the smile of a delighted elf): "I'm good. How are you?" as I sheepishly handed her my ticket stub to sign. "Good" (she bent down to sign it). As she handed it back I said "Tori? Would you say hi to my friend Jesse?" (who was a couple row back in the crowd) Tori leans in, the crowd parts, and she takes Jesse's hand. Jesse's face is suddenly wet with tears and Tori cocks her head to the side, makes a friendly, knowing frown, then smiles and blinks deeply and she comforts Jesse and tells her to do "double blinks". Jesse manages to get out a "thank you." I wish I had the presence of mind to explain that Jesse is also a survivor of rape at gun-point, but I think Tori may have had some idea, and the moment was wonderful as it was. This woman just has so much to give that it leaves you amazed. I would like to know what she eats ;)

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

thursday's LA show was an appitizer. friday's show was a hearty main course. and tonight's gig was death by chocolate.

with all honestly, the sets of the last two nights seem so perfect, I have no idea how san diego can possibly be any better. I can't wait to find out

I'm jealous of everyone going to the phoenix gig, it's so odd that's she's going all the way out there, it'll probably be special. hopefully she'll save 'alamo' and 'liquid diamonds' for san diego

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Review by chelly

another note...my friend was at the show and said that leonard cohen was there...rufus mentioned it and of course tori did FBR...

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Review by kamikaze

Alanis was there??????????

anyway, it was my frist time seeing Tori.. friday's show was a little bit boring to me.. but last night was AMAZING! both of them together were PERFECT!! except that she didn't play 'caught a lite sneeze' i wasn't at the thursday show but i think that setlist and saturday's were better that friday's. and i had BINOCULARS last night (thanks Chris) so I ENJOYED the show a lot. wow, i never knew how good those things are..i could see her facial expressions and that's what made sat's show better, i guess (the seltlist excuse isn't a good one, lol)

i cried like a baby when she sang '1000 oceans' and i have NO IDEA why.

highlights/songs i wanted her to sing:
bachelorette -wow@her mmm's (i never really liked that song but now i love it)
rattlesnakes - my #2 fav from SLG
real men - my #1 fav from SLG
1000 oceans - cause she made me cry
siren - just cause
cooling - i saw her saliva shining and it almost dripped off of her lower lip by the end of the song. i thought that was cute (that's how close i could see with binoculars from loge EE #20)

and the "meet and greet" went *snickers* pretty well i guess. i didn't MEET her..i got yelled at 3 times while people were lifting me up high/me climbing up those (what do you call them?) and hanging onto the bushes to take pics. i think i was a bit annoying but i did take tons of closeup pics and get my cd signed . it was a 50 minute thing of just moving around like crazy..it got so hot! it was FUN tho!!

and for the ones i met there, you were all a cool bunch of people.. all of you (altho i didn't talk to some of you)

anyway, this was great..

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Review by Whippoorwill

Yummy ass show! I loved when she would break for little stories. That is the Tori that I LOVE!

Anyways, I must be the only person unimpressed with Bachelorette. I thought it was too short and the mmm's and mmmm's sounded more like she forgot the words so she was making stuff up.

Space Dog sounds so good with the alternate lyrics as an intro. The bridge to Doughnut Song was a little bit longer than usual. She told some story before Merman about how she used to sing this song for Mathew. But she didnt want to today, and something about how this horrible thing happened in our country before Sept. 11. I dont really remember anything else.

And she told the cutest story about lots of champagne, and Tori was getting boxes of it out and running all around with huge Pradas on. All of her dedicated fans knew that Playboy Mommy was coming!

Wow, so many celebs! I did see Chandler, he is still kinda chunky. And Amber Benson was there too, I saw Andy Dick, his friend was way hotter than he was. One of the guys from Nine Inch Nails was there, because PrttyH8Machine freaked out and was acting like a 12 year old girl at an NSync concert.

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Review by Chris (PrinceFamiliar)

Here is my full concert review of this....

#1 - Meet and Greet: Very great experience, not one I want to do again like I did it. I was able to get her to sign my Professional Widow 12" vinyl single. I am extremely pleased! I was really bitched at by Joel for passing up things from people from the back, and I didn't really see the problem with that, because I am 6'4 and I could reach the stuff to her...so I got as much up as I could before he kept yelling at me to stop. Then I hovered between across the street and back over. Then he bitched at me for standing on a crate to take some pics of Tori for this one girl in her camera. Needless to say, I don't like him very much at all. Big Party Pooping Meanie. I'm interested in what people requested up at the front if anyone knows. I'm sure some of this fabulous setlist had to be wonderful requests of you guys. Anyway, I saw ONE Dent Laminate. Thanks for wearing it PrettyH9Machine. 'Twas nice to meet you. And while I was across the street I hear "REMEMBER THE ALAMO" and knew right off that it was Glo. I put the request on the PW single (along with Mary) and mentioned you specifically in the letter I passed up. Hopefully she'll do it soon for you. (BTW, were you there when she did it in Las Vegas 98?)

Now to the Songs - I was seated at Orch B 121

Bonnie and Clyde - I should have written 11/16 first, but my impression of the picture was that it was really huge and took up more of the stage, I was surprised. But this lip licking slobber thing she's got going on just really is the scariest thing ever. I think this song is a good way to open the tour.

Juarez - I was talking to the girl next to me before the show started about what we expect to hear from her tonight - and I said Doughnut and Real Men and she wanted Merman. And wow are we really good predictors or What! But, when she came on, I half expected Siren first. Juarez blew me away...I was just rocking back and forth going "omg omg omg omg" It was simply brilliant.

Marianne - This was so gorgeous and unexpected for me. I didn't think in a million years she'd do it, and I was so pleased. It was an amazing performance.

Rattlesnakes - I was so looking forward to this, since I didn't go to the 11/15 show. And I was kinda surprised the audience didn't react as favorable to it. I mean, the song is outstanding and she was spot on. I just loved every second.

Siren - well, my hopes were crushed after the first song, and I absolutely flaked out and didn't recognize it when she started it. The girl next to me (I forgot her name) told me what it was. OMG, it was simply amazing. I was so happy to get it.

Silent all these Years - Ok, she did this for me in Vegas 99, was I disappointed, no, why, because this was 10 times better than it was in Las Veags. The way she changed the bridge was simply to die for. It sounds so much better that way - at least it did to me. And the roars from the audience were so appropriate for this classic. I really loved every second.

Real Men - ok, whoooooooooooo. She started that basey intro and I'm like, wtf is this? Then SLAM. "Take you mind back...". It's my favorite of the SLG's and I just revelled in every second...oh, I don't don't what else to say.

Merman - I was so happy for the girl next to me, she wanted to hear this so badly. She did say she sand it for Matthew Shepherd, but then made it into a worldwide thing by saying how since September 11, she realized that stuff is happeneing everywhere. I was touched, and the performance was flawless.

Space Dog - During Merman, I kinda conjured up that she'd start into Space Dog. No lie, it actually came into my head that she was doing this next. BOOM. Into the background lyrics from the very end for the intro. And this song live is better than any bootleg or album can show. My heartbeat kinda paced itself to the basey riff she was playing. And that last line "grouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnd" just hit home like nothing can.

Doughnut Song - This is my 2nd favorite Tori song. I reveled in every second of it. Tasting it like, um, not to be cliche, but like fine wine!

Bachelorette - Flake moment #1 - I had no clue what this was from her intro and not until she said the words. But this is really wonderful the way she does it. It's so goth and very provocative. "you put your "mmm" inside my "mmmm"" I was laughing so hard at that part - it was just wonderful.

Playboy Mommy - "speaking of champagne" this had to be one of the best stories ever. Communicating with Beene and Peggy in there was ultra sweet and brought this concert to such a personal level. I really wanted to hear this tonight and it was so beautiful. Especially how she grabbed herself in her arms for the last line. Oh, so great.

Me and a Gun - I might be one of the few who think this song should be done every night. It's just appropriate. Tonight was much more respectful than last night - the only thing that has to go is that white light they put on her that blinded me.

1000 Oceans - Flake moment #2 - I thought it was Cool On Your Island. I actually said it to the girl next to me, well, I was wrong...but this was very powerful performance. Very fitting after MAAG. A very memorable and dynamic way to conclude the fine main set.

First Encore:

Cooling - spmeone requested this (pink haired girl where are you) at the post concert M+G Friday night, she was SCREAMING it. I secretly hoped she wouldn't get it, because I thought she was rude, but I'm glad we got it anyway. This song is something else live, especially the ending which gets me on teh recordings, but live it just made my heart stop.

Cool on Your Island - ok, this time she went to the Rhodes and I KNEW it was Cool On Your Island and yippeee. This is the one I wanted to hear. I love this song, I love love love love it. It was wonderful.

Second Encore:

Famous Blue Raincoat - if this song wasn't a cover, but a Tori original, it'd be top 5. Needless to say, I never ever forsaw this song. When she started, I died. I died in this moment. It was superb!

Time - I knew we were getting this one, I had a feeling, and I told Iman (kamikaze) about it before the concert sometime. I actually thought it'd be the end of the concert actually, and that made me a little sad, but then it wasn't. Regardless, this is one of the best cover songs she's ever done.

Pandora's Aquarium - Alright, this was the perfect way to end my Tori weekend. This song is her, hands down, best way to close a set...always has been, always will be.

After the concert, we left kinda quickly, the post concert things seemed like a zoo and the venue security people were being dicks. So I left.

I hope you all liked what I had to say

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Review by prettyh8machine

AHHHHHH YES!!! I just got home and last night ROBIN MOTHER FUCKING FINCK WAS THERE!!!! Yes I was acting like a 12 year old N Sync fan and I STILL AM!!! I am SUCH a fucking nerd and I totally made an ass outta myself with my "Excuse me Robin, you are fucking AMAZING" speech I gave him but holy shit girls he is BEAUTIFUL. He was there with his wife so I didnt really wanna be too forceful but GOD I want him....*sighs* BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL eyes that man has...oh my god....

ANYWAY, the show was great, I was REALLY bitter about the meet n greet Rach and I got there at like 8:45 am (granted I didnt hang around ALL day but Rach did) and we still got pushed to the back by the people that showed up at fucking 2pm and got in front of us. The oakland meet n greet I attended was MUCH better.

I hate LA...the audience at the shows were VERY VERY rude. Some people were STANDING in the aisles during MAAG.....ugh...

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Review by boy interrupted

i'll add my 2 cents later, but Amber Benson from Buffy was also there! but i didnt get to see her but all my friends did, feh

i still think the 2nd LA show was a bit better, but this show had really really good versions of these songs...and i got to hear Bachelorette and Cool on your Island for the first time ever, yay!

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Review by glitterspitter

hey don't hate on l.a. just because of some l.a. tori fans! it's the greatest city in the world. oh yeah, but i'm thinking maybe they shouldn't let just anyone come to tori shows here (sorry, still bitter about the girls singing behind me even during MAAG on 11/16).

i loved this show!!!!!!!! i can't even say anything else. i cried like a wee one as well. i was sitting in orch BB! everyone around me (esp. Naughty Jewel *waves*) was so cool. no problems at all. we were towards the left, but she was right near us when she told th cute platform story! it was so awesome.

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Review by slagpit

so yesterday's show was freaking cool! tori has just been so on lately, just perfect. wont go into any boring synopsis, just highlights:

bonnie and clyde 97 was once again the most chilling part of the show for me, it just takes me to hell and back.

juarez i'm so happy i got to hear this live, she's turned it into such a horrendous spectacle, what Juarez the town is, it's amazing. and it sounded so perfect, the pounding on the piano strings.

cool on your island was so beautiful, i was singing along(quietly ) when it started, yet i had no idea what song it was! i'm lame

siren & bachelorette were so cool! tori is the non-stop ultimate on these two songs, her hands on the piano are magic!

well that's it, there's my less than average review. it was great! just splendid!

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Review by vampandora

I asked for "For Emily" which i also asked for in Oakland and she said "I think she's back with Art"...oh well.

Someone also requested Yes Anastasia and another girl brought a bag of british treats to get her to play "London Girls"...Tori said she gets an A for effort

This was my last show and it was a perfect ending, she closed w/ Pandora...i couldn't have asked for anything more.

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Review by satan gave me a taco

Ahhh the show was so good. Me and my friend went to the meet and greet after the show and we waited for like twenty minutes and she started whining coz her parents would get mad we were making them wait etc.. I was really mad. Did anyone see me? I had short black hair in pigtails and I was acting pretty obnoxious because I was excited as hell.

I'm so glad she played Siren though, and Pandora's Aquarium omg.. and Juarez was amazing, I don't care for the album version that much but it was wonderful live. This was my first Tori concert, our seats were kinda bad, like 3rd row from the back but then some nice queer men gave us their seats which were a few rows in front coz i guess they wanted to sit together. The seats didn't matter though, it was still wonderful. Her voice is so amazing! I kept getting chills, literally, and I almost cried during Siren ? I think it was.

Rufus was wonderful too! He's so cute and funny. I saw him open for Beck to like a year ago. I love Poses.

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Review by Proserpina

Here's what I wrote up in my journal after I got home from the concert:

I just got back from the concert! Oh my Lord. Tori's voice, live, just cannot be duplicated. I've never heard anything like that in my life. And Rufus was just so fucking cool, and his music was beautiful, and I'm buying his album tomorrow. I'm just...completely overwhelmed by the whole experience.

We were way back, in the mezzanine seats, so everyone was totally little to us, but I could still see enough to know that Tori is beautiful, and Rufus is gorgeous.

The songs I remember Rufus playing were "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk", "The Freak Song," "Complainte De La Butte" (from Moulin Rouge) and "Poses" (his closing number). One of the songs he said he wrote when he was living in the Oakland (?) Hotels in LA, when he was poor and watching Golden Girls on Lifetime, and pretending Bea Arthur was his surrogate grandmother, and then he told us about how he told that story to Bea Arthur when he met her and she said, "I'm not your fucking grandmother" and walked away. Also, for one of them, he couldn't remember the name of it, but he said, "I'll just start playing it anyway." Then the lighting went totally red and he said "This is called...The Red Song!" And when he moved from his keyboard to get his guitar, everyone went, "Woo!" and he called us all "sex freaks! But then, this is LA." And he called himself the Gay Elvis. *sigh* I'm in love.

Tori opened with "'97 Bonnie and Clyde", which is just chilling live, especially since she sang it offstage, and onstage was this huge ripped black curtain that lights were flashing behind, and a picture of Bonnie's mom. When the last note of the song played, the curtain fell, and Tori walked onstage. She was wearing a suit like the one she wore on Leno, with the sides of the legs cut open, only it was dark gray and sparkly. She also wore a sparkly red bra, high-heeled red shoes, and I think diamond earrings, because they kept shining pretty brightly in the light.

[Then I posted the setlist, but its already up on here, so...)

I did, in fact, start crying at two different songs. Before Merman, she said, "I played this song for Matthew [Shephard], and I wasn't gonna play it again, but that happened to Matthew before September 11th, so..." That was my first time hearing it, and it made me cry, because it was so beautiful. "Go to bed, the priests are dead, now no one can call you bad."

I also cried at Playboy Mommy, because it reminded me of my mom, and before that she was talking about a party she'd been to a long time ago, and she was running from room to room with her arms full of champagne, and it was actually in Champagne. She talked to Beanie (who I guess was in the audience) and said, and she said Peggy was there too, "smoking like a chimneystack." And she said that she was wearing a pair of Prada velvet platforms, and "Boys, you may remember what music was playing when you did it, but I remember what shoes I was wearing." And she said she was running from room to room, and there was a staircase "leading down to the boudoir. And then what do you think happened?" And then she started playing Playboy Mommy.

Also, before (I think) Marianne, she said that she used to live out by Haighton(?) Park behind a church, and at the church there was a sign saying, "'Leave your weapons at the door if you want some soup'. I liked that sign."

During Doughnut Song, she improved something like, "You can tell me that we're over, so I guess we're over. Houston, we got a problem, you're going down." And in Playboy Mommy she said, "Don't judge me so harsh, little girls", which reminded me of how often she speaks directly to girls in her songs, like when in Merman she says, "he don't need your voices, girls" and in Bachelorette she says, "What you do, girls, to your bachelorettes". In "Siren" she said "southern lands of gold." Also, during the chorus of Bachelorette, she pointed between her legs and sang something like, "You can't put your 'uhh' in my 'mm', I can't put my 'mm' in your 'uhh.'"

Oh! That was just...oh. yes. I'm so fucking happy right now, you have no idea. And I was sending her little brain signals the whole concert, like "Play 'New Age!' Play 'New Age'", which she didn't, but she played "Pandora's Aquarium," so I guess she picked up on something. *g* And she played "Bachelorette" which is I think my favorite song of hers. *happy sigh*

This was my first Tori concert, and my first concert whatsoever, so I was just so, so happy to be there, and it was overwhelmingly beautiful.

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Review by Lunachick

Alrighty, I pretty much explained how awful the audience was for both L.A. shows, but I have to say the meet and greet was not that great on Saturday (I was there since 9 AM, with about 15 people ahead of me, and by 2 PM, there was about 35 people in front) because I got pushed to the back. I did not see her at all. I had this HUGE tall guy take some pictures for me (he cut in front of me as well, but he's forgiven for taking the pictures and passing up what I wanted signed to Tori).

I got my promo signed, thank the lord, but god, some of you people really do suck balls. Bad ju ju! You know who you are, so no need to mention names, but I was really sad that my first ever meet and greet experience sucked because of fuckers who show up a half hour before she comes out just to have pictures of them and Tori signed! You people already met her probably a billion times, so it's okay to cut in front of people who where there for 6 hours who have NEVER met her or got an autograph before? A big FUCK YOU to those horrid people. But what goes around comes around...

Now that I got that off my chest, now to the show!

'97 Bonnie and Clyde: Okay, I think I've had it with this song. I don't see how people can follow her on tour if she keeps doing this song over and over again, every freaking show. I liked it at first, but by the fourth time, I was ready to throw in the towel for this song.

Juarez: HOLY SHIT! I heard this on a London '99 boot, and I never thought I'd hear this one on this tour! Better than the album, hands down. Just awesome! So good, so rad, so incredible. GREAT start to a GREAT show!

Marianne: So gorgeous. Add an orchestra to this one, and WOW! But of course, solo was just incredible. The solo parts made me very excited.

Rattlesnakes: Much like the album, much like the one in Oakland. But it's my fave off of SLG and it rocked. Love love love that song.

Siren: I have offically heard all the songs I wanted to hear live on this tour. Of course I wanted to hear every song imaginable live, but hey, I had to narrow it down somehow! Although I found this version a little on the slow side, the performance was absolutely FLAWLESS.

Silent all these Years: I'm glad this song came out. Pretty standard, but gee this song is so powerful to me. Very empowering, and very well done, especially the "years go by..." part!

Real Men: Not a fan of this one, so not much to say except that I do like the lyrics to this song, and the way she sang them...very cool.

Merman: Jeez, if Matthew only knew how much Tori devotes this song to him! If you're out there Matt, you are certainly thought about! This song was so intense, parts of it so powerful I was on the edge of my seat!

Space Dog: YES! UTP! Can't get enough of it! The lighting for it was cool and the song is cool and damn, the performance was DAMN COOL! A highlight for me, oh yes.

Doughnut Song: Such an interesting title to such an amazing song. I could hear this one over and over...just superb live. Heard this one in Oakland as well, but I certainly did not mind hearing it again. SO GOOD! This one was rockin' tonight...another highlight.

Bachelorette: As I mentioned in Oakland, I'm not a huge fan of this song at all. But this time around, I'm getting to like it more and more. She really gets into this one, and that's what makes the performance even more great.

Playboy Mommy: ON THE WHIRLY! SO glad to hear more from Choirgirl, especially this song. There's not much to say about it except WOW. Get a boot of this one now.

Me and a Gun: The green face is next to this song just because of the audience. BAD JU JU to those who screamed like crazy during this song. After, yes, but right before and during...makes me sick to my stomach. She pours her emotions out in this song, so it's not a good time to shout and holler. Ugh.

1000 Oceans: I sobbed like a baby during this one. I don't know why, really. So emotional and wonderful. I simply have no clue why people don't like this song. Different strokes, different folks, but this one is just SO GOOD live. I enjoyed it very much!

First Encore:
Cooling: What a treat this was to hear live for the first time! Bootlegs do not do justice! Ya gotta hear this one in the flesh. One of my all time favorite b-sides and I enjoyed this song immensely live. Again, make sure you see this song live sometime in your life.

Cool on Your Island: Would have loved to have heard "Entienne" (DAMN YOU ARIZONA!!), but hearing anything from YKTR is a very special thing, so I am glad to have heard this one, even if I had heard it already. The song is so simple, yet pretty. Just great.

Second Encore:
Famous Blue Raincoat: Would have rather heard a new song I haven't heard yet, but wow, this cover just gets me every time I hear it. I'm glad that the L.A. peeps got to hear this one, because the Oakland one was rad too.

Time: Pretty standard. I think it's a great song to close with. Very soothing, yet intense. I was ready to have this show end when she got into...

Pandora's Aquarium: YES YES YES!!!!! This was probably the highlight of the show, because WOW this one was absolutely incredible! I couldn't have asked for a better closing show to this tour (well, it was the last show for me anyway!). Her vocals were so amazing in this song...gave me chills even! Great great great!

And that, my friends, is the end of my adventure! The second Oakland show still is the greatest show EVER in Rachel's world, but man what a good time I had meeting such great people and experiencing such wonderful performances from Tori. Seeing 4 shows this tour sure has been incredible, and I'm looking forward to going to more next time around. Thanks to all who made this experience so memorable! I'll mention these names in the tour forum within the next coupla days. Happy Turkey Day everyone, and it was so awesome meeting you guys n' gals this tour! Until next time!

Side note: I met Alanis! I'm not the biggest fan, but I very much respect her work, and I acted like a complete doofus asking for her autograph, but I would have kicked meself in the behind if I didn't talk to her, but anyway, it was great! What star-studded evenings! Andy Dick (ew), Alanis, Jared Leto (meow!), Rose McGowan, Jamie Lee Curtis...wow! I felt so celebrity-like!

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