StrangeLittleTour
Phoenix, AZ
November 19, 2001
Updated January 7, 2002
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Tori performed in Phoenix, AZ on November 19, 2001 at the Web Theatre (formerly Union Hall) during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour. Set ListThe set list below comes from Richard Handal and Josh, who both called me after the show! '97 Bonnie & Clyde 1st Encore: 2nd Encore: ReviewsLatest reviews are added to the bottom of the page. Be sure to check the Tori Concert Reviews Forum for reviews as well! From Richard HandalAdded November 20, 2001 - The show began at 8:52PM and ended at 10:43. Tori performed In The Springtime Of His Voodoo for the first time since the Dew Drop Inn tour in 1996. Richard said he has never been to a show where he was shaking, doubled over in pain because everything was so gorgeous, and laughing all at the same time. He kept getting full-body chills the entire show, and there was lots of shaking on his part. Everything she sang tonight seemed new, and most songs had their own little intro or unique opening. At times the show was so gorgeous it was painful. There were a few deviations from the official set list. Black Swan was listed instead of Twinkle and Alamo was listed instead of China. Yes, Anastasia had an extended intro with the words, "Poppy you must understand" which she repeated over and over. Tori kept looking up to the sky, and was channeling energy tonight. She was endlessly repeating the "we'll see" part, getting more and more intense. Tear In Your Hand was slow and steady as Richard has never seen it. At the beginning of Cloud On My Tongue, Tori kept singing the line "we'll see how brave you are" from Anastasia over soft chording. Josephine began with soft chording, and he could not tell what it was at first. She played the entire Etienne on both keyboards at the same time, which she normally does not do. It was very atmospheric and textural. She started playing Butterfly while standing with an introduction that was an impressionistic pastische. She looked up and scanned the sky to the right during the line, "Daddy, dear, If I can kill one man why not two?" She did double time repeats at the beginning of the end section of Butterfly and mentioned Tasha at the end of Thank You. Before Talula, Tori did an insane improv while slapping lid of the whirly. From JoshAdded November 20, 2001 - Josh called me after the show with additional details. He mentioned how odd it was that Tori was singing part of Anastasia before Cloud On My Tongue, even though she had already performed Yes, Anastasia earlier in the show. Tear In Your Hand was achingly slow. The improv Tori did before Talula on the whirly lasted for a minute or less and was an upbeat thing about how she likes the desert. She sang something like, "I know its just a little song and you can snap along.", and this led to people actually snapping their fingers! There was weirdness going on in the middle of Butterfly. It seemed like Tori was almost rapping at times! Then at the end of Thank You, Tori went back into the last 30 seconds of the song and sang, "there will always be you and me, Natashya Girl." From DavidAdded November 20, 2001 - I just got in from the Phoenix Tori show and it was amazing. She played a few songs I had never heard live, like Yes Anistasia, Talula and Thank You. I was really impressed by Take to the Sky. Alot of people started to clap there hands and got up to dance. I think the best song tonight was In The Springtime Of His Vodoo. She started it with this really cute inprov song about her daughter and being in the destert. This was by far the best out of the four Tori shows I have been to. From Alicia ReevesAdded November 20, 2001 - I liked Rufus, he was fun. He had some great little anecdotes in between his songs, something about the plane flight and the security always thinking he's a terrorist, and then an interesting reference to old ladies and Bea Arthur...I felt bad for him because the audience was kind of rude during his part of the show, kept getting up and down, talking, etc. But he said we were one of his best crowds, so I don't know what that means... 97B&C: wonderful, chilling...except for being in the balcony seats you could see the stagehands through the holes in the curtain! But the music was amazing nonetheless. Past the mission: very unexpected! I actually initially wrote down "raining blood" because it sounded alot like that in the beginning...then she changed the tune a little bit and launched into, "I don't believe I went too far..." Tear in your hand: a personal favorite, it seemed a bit slower but I think that made it even more beautiful Take to the sky: fun, she would slap the piano during the chorus, and the audience clapped (I think people have mentioned this before at other shows?) Poppy intro (made me think Frog on my toe, but no) and then Yes Anastasia: very heartfelt, especially the intro, which added a nice touch to the song. Josephine: There are no words. I loved it! Etienne: I never thought I would hear this live, and then she did it and also played both the bosey and the organ at the same time. It was really gorgeous, I can't describe it (again: no words). Butterfly: awesome! she gave the audience a cute (devious maybe?) look at the "if I can kill one man why not two" Mary: Never have heard this one live, it was a nice treat. Sugar: I thought this wouldn't be the same without the band, because it was so wonderful on Venus, but she had alot of emotion with this one, you could tell she was really into it. Desert song: sounded like a cute little intro she just made up, I don't remember all of it but she said something about snapping along (which the audience did) and then something about her daughter having chocolate on her thumb and wanting to melt all day in the desert sun...did anyone get down more words than that? Talula: on the little stars and stripes piano, it was cute, and she kept singing "don't want to lose her now that I've found her" or something to that effect Rattlesnakes: This was really wonderful on the bosey only if I remember correctly. some of her songs earlier in the show had been more subdued (like mission and tear) but this one was even better than the recording and more emotional. Me and a gun: wow. it sounded like she was reliving the moment, it gave me chills. the audience was very good, I was happy for that. you could hear a pin drop on stage when she paused between words. she also, I noticed, left out, "you can laugh, it's kind of funny, the things you think at times like these..." anyone know why she is doing that? she also really accentuated the "pushed flat on your stomach" line Yes Anastasia intro (I thought to myself, did she forget she already played this?) "we'll see how brave you are..." but then when she launched into Cloud on my tongue: I thought the intro was effective, the two songs mesh well. It was a great ending after me and a gun, soft and pleasently happy. China: great as always Thank you: I heard her doing a sound check of this before the show, (when the security people were going in and out we could hear snatches of it) it was really well done Honey: another favorite and another loss for words Springtime of his voodoo: I was kind of surprised but I think it was the "winslow arizona" line maybe that brought this one out tonight. she played it on the organ and the bosey which was very effective I thought, and she repeated the winslow arizona part again at the end and finally Twinkle: what a great ending to a great show From Dominic GeinoskyAdded November 20, 2001 - "I'm just having a great day!" That's what Tori announced after the first few songsðtonight, and she held onto that joy the entire night. She just seemed so happy--much more than happy...simply esctatic. It was wonderful to see Tori on such a special night. Not only do we all get such an intimate tour this year, but the long wait for us Arizonans was well worth it because she seemed so content with life tonight. She said Phoenix was a magical place, and that was about it for dialogue with the audience. The show was an amazing set with each song like I've never experienced before. "Talula" was simply aching--the highlight of the night. It was much slower, and on the Whurly, and she improvised the lyrics...singing, "I'm not gonna lose her...no, not that I've found this love inside!" It was the most special moment of a very special night. I wish every Tori fan could have heard it. Before "Talula," she sang a little improv about loving the desert sun and "walking with my little girl with chocolate on her thumb." "Tear In Your Hand," began with her singing "tears" very gently, over and over. "Take to the Sky" was the most uproariously clear I've ever heard. "Josephine" has a beautiful "oooooo" march. "Etienne" (where she sang, "Maybe I'm a witch, Maybe you're a witch"), "Butterfly," and "Honey" were special treats. It was great to hear Tori sing about those Recovering Christians again with "Voodoo." And the beautiful, playful, and uplifting "Past the Mission" could easily replace "Cornflake Girl" as her signature live tune. Each song was so special. Lots of stuff on the Bosey, which sounded so wonderful tonight. I couldn't help but think how thankful (with thanksgiving around the corner)ðwe are to hear her music so intimately. With so much music from UtP, LE, and BfP, I was instantly taken back to the 1994 tour--and my painful high school days. But did we ever think we would hear some of these songs so bare and wild and precious? Without the band or even Caton, we all were able to see a very raw side of these song that I never thought we could see again. Many blessings for Tori doing such a small venue--with such a beautiful, inimate set. This is why we love her. From Sandy RizzoAdded November 20, 2001 - Tori's show was just beautiful last night. To me, she seemed very happy and relaxed. I was also stunned by the audience. You could hear a pin drop! For any other artist, I'd say the audience was dead, but for this show, they were absolutely attentive and respectful and you could tell Tori was enjoying it because she said that she was glad this show was near the end of her North American tour because it'd be hard to top this audience. She said something about how we were in her heart and she wished she could take us with her or something and she put her hand over her heart. The fun song (improv) was the cutest--it kind of built on something earlier. Early on, she said that she had the most wonderful day, just having fun and "pilling about" and she seemed to glow. Then, when the improv came later, it was about how she loved being in the desert sun, and that her daughter had chocolate on her thumb, and it was melting, and then she finished it and next went into Talula. She didn't do a lot of talking in this show but her songs spoke volumes. My favorites were Tear In Your Hand--just beautiful. I mean, totally insanely beautiful. Also Yes, Anastasia (it's the second time I've heard this live and Richard and Josh are correct, she taggedðthe intro of it onto Cloud on My Tongue, which was also a highlight--I knew she wouldn't do that song twice in one show, so was very interested to see where she was going). Yes, the openings on the songs were really really mysterious--you didn't know what was coming. Sugar and Honey were tremendous. Me and A Gun brought tears to my eyes, it was better than I've ever seen it, very slow and intense. I haven't been checking past set lists cause I wanted to be totally surprised (now I will), but I hoped she'd do another one or two from the new album. I know they're covers, but hoped to hear maybe one more--however, very pleased she did Rattlesnakes, a superb performance. And I noticed while she pulled fromðmost albums, she did nothing from Choirgirl. I think I was waiting to see Tori have fun last night and she had a few parts of that, but mainly, it was like a totally classy, deep performance. Oh, Voodoo was so good too! I wish I'd taken notes, but she looked beautiful and the voice was never better. Rufus Wainwright was good, he also mentioned how much he liked the audience at this show and that we were one of the best yet. He was a good opener. Thank you, Tori, for another awesome show. From moppyAdded November 20, 2001 - Josh and Richard got part of the Pheonix setlist wrong. The way it went was this: She opened with 97' bonnie and clyde, finished the song and the seaweed curtain dropped. She went over to the keyboards and started, not with Past the Mission, but with Raining Blood. She played the very beginning of Raining blood, "trapped in Bogota..." with the piano part and everything and -then- went into Past the Mission. These guys obviously weren't paying attention, and it's important not to leave crucial details out of a setlist like that. She DID do part of Raining Blood. It needs to be counted in there. Thank you. From The Arizona Republic newspaperAdded November 21, 2001 - A review of the Phoenix show appeared in the November 20, 2001 edition of the Arizona Republic newspaper. You can read it at azcentral.com or below. Be sure to check out the version at azcentral.com because it includes a small gallery of photos from Tori's soundcheck that day taken by Sherrie Buzby! Amos and Wainwright move audience
Tori Amos performed at the Web Theatre on Monday night.
Theresa Cano The last two times Tori Amos came to town she brought along an entire band, but on Monday night at the Web Theatre, she came armed only with her famous Bosendorfer grand piano, a couple of organs and of course the voice.
Amos has one of the most powerful and recognizable voices in the industry. The stripped down setting showcased not only her vocal talent, but also her command of the stage and incredible musicianship. As she performs, she becomes an instrument for songs take on a life of their own.
The show began with a cover of Eminem's horrifying and gruesome "97 Bonnie and Clyde." A photo of Amos in character as an all-American mother hung from the ceiling in front of a large, slashed drape. Beams of red and blue lights pulsed to the sinister soundtrack. Amos was out of sight, but she performed with such conviction that the audience felt as though she had actually become the woman in the song.
The intimacy of the Web Theatre was the perfect setting for a show with a darker tone. The stage design was minimal, leaving most of the theatrics to Amos' dramatic performing style--the mounting of the piano bench, hands flinging, legs and head whipping about.
Pulling numbers from her vast catalog, Amos' set list pleased not only her most loyal fans but also the casual ones. Digging out rare gems like "Honey," "Sugar" and "In The Springtime of His Voodoo" was definitely a treat for faithful devotees.
Moving moments included a poignant version of "China," a spirited "Past the Mission" and a heartfelt cover of the Led Zepplin classic, "Thank You." But The night's most emotionally charged number had to be the stark rendition of "Me & a Gun," a song in which Tori recounts her own experience with rape. The crowd seemed to be frozen as Amos sang the intensely personal song.
Opener Rufus Wainwright was a delight. Performing songs mostly from his latest release, the amazing Poses, including the title track, "Grey Gardens," "California" and "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," he was a great match for Amos' crowd. Without the help of a band, the troubadour effortlessly moved from acoustic guitar to electric piano as he sang with rich and often times soaring vocals.
Wainwright spoke to the crowd much more than Amos did, offering up humorous intros to most of his songs and once stopping mid-song as someone joyfully clapped during a dark song about death to say, "Did someone just clap? OK?" Hopefully, we'll be seeing Wainwright return to the Valley with his band to fully appreciate the cleverness and richness of his talent.
Wainwright set list:
Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk
Amos set list:
'97 Bonnie & Clyde
Encore 1:
China
Encore 2:
Honey From B. (Posted to the ToriNews mailing list)Added December 7, 2001 - Wow. I honestly do not know what to write about this show. It owned me. I have never seen Tori in such a mode as this. She was in another dimension, off in another realm or something. I really cannot describe it... but I feel like trying, so bear with me ;) As for the set list (and set lists in general), Richard Handal said it best before this show: "Screw the set lists." I totally agree. What really sets apart the shows that I personally have seen have been her mood, passion, and her overall AURA. Her energy, feistiness, overall flare. That's why Phoenix was so freakin' UNBELIEVABLE to me. She had the set list AND the energy. It utterly and completely BLEW MY MIND! I felt like I was on another planet when it was over. I really felt high or something. I had full-body chills and shivers the whole show, my mouth was gaping open almost every song... on the edge of my seat. OK. Here we go: 97 B&C - I mean, this song isn't ever very different from show to show, but still chilling. Really didn't make much impression on me this time. Past the Mission - Ok. First hint that something was up. I've heard this song many times already on this tour, and when I first heard those distinct opening chords she's been doing this tour I was sort of not that excited (I'm spoiled, I know).... BUT. This was different from the others. I wasn't sure why at that point, but I figured it out later. She simply was just in another dimension that night, and every song felt different and delicious and really almost sinful (dramatic much? not really, this night was insane!) Tear In Your Hand - HOLY WOW. I was dying to hear this (as I never had live, somehow), and so I was thrilled to hear it at all at first. But then...holy, I mean, it was just achingly beautiful... and she had this expression...oh my word, it was so painful... so glazed, as if she was feeling every ounce of pain that she felt in that song... it was slower, and her expression... I really just cannot describe it; it was painful, beautiful, unbelievably aching.... wow. -- she talked -- said she had a great day, piddled around, and how the whole area was magical, and that she wanted us all to live "here" and patted her heart :) It was sweet. She looked very happy, spunky, mischievous almost.... definitely very content. Take To The Sky - again, like PTM, I'd heard this many times. But this was even more powerful and passionate that it was before, and it's a pretty passionate song as it is. She was on fire - the lower chords were unreal. For a second I thought the Bosey's strings would break, it was that crazy. Yowsa. YES, ANASTASIA - ok. This song absolutely OWNED me. I knew we were in for something unprecedented when it started.... it was just in her eyes, in her body language, in the whole aura... and HOLY.... by the end of that song, my body was in shock. All I could think during the end, as she was NUTS on the "we'll see, we'll seeeee, we'lll seeeeeee, we'll see how brave you arrrre, yeeees, etc etc" (if you call it thinking. It was more like me desperately trying to tame my body and mind, haha!) was "holy SHIT... I am witnessing something for the history books"... MIND BLOWING. Josephine - well, I was in shock from Anastasia. But this was completely beautiful. I needed something more tame after Y,A or I would have died. She had a nice intro that I didn't recognize - I had no idea Josephine was coming. It was achingly beautiful again..... wow. Etienne - I mean, I swear I thought I wouldn't survive the show if it went on like this. I know I sound melodramatic, but my body was subjected to serious emotional overloads that I'd never experienced before! *wow* Etienne was simply GORGEOUS. I had heard it in Philly, but this was simply achingly beautiful again. I hate to overuse that phrase for fear of it losing its meaning, but it's true. I ached. It was unreal. Butterfly - Ok. As if I wasn't high enough. She started this one standing up, flaring her head and hair all around with a SERIOUSLY INTENSE intro. It was very staccato, very prickly, very electric, very beautiful. She then sat and was ON FIRE during it - it was played very loud, VERY passionately, very intensely. The "FRAMED AND DRIIIIIEDDD" parts were out of this world. Mouth still gaping, still literally on the edge of my seat (as I was the whole show!). Mary - I never expected to hear this - and not only was it a great surprise, it was beautifully done. SO passionate.... at the "Butterflies don't belong in nets", she BELTED it out, especially the second time. SO PASSIONATE! Sugar - holy moms and dads, I mean, this is (IMO) definitely one of the most energy loaded song she does live. She just lets it all hang out. So, you can imagine it in this line of songs and with this energy and fire she had that night. UN-REAL. Simply out the roof. yikes. Talula - SO beautiful.... so achingly beautiful. She did a really cute, fun Desert Sun song improv before hand, tapping her hands on top of the Whurly. It was SO CUTE, so fun, so spunky. So perfect for her mood and passion that night. Then Talula itself... I love this version she's been doing on the Whurly. She sings lines like "I don't' want to lose her, now that I've found her this time" and "I finally found this light inside of me" and all these little references that mean Tash to me, and it is SO BEAUTIFUL and so overwhelming... I teared up in DC when she played it, and I did again this time. She sings it with so much love and heart and passion for Tash, with her eyes shut and her heart pouring out... and I mean, I was on emotional overload at this point, I couldn't help but sniffle ;) Rattlesnakes - like PTM, I'd heard this many times already, but this was different. Everything this night was different. It was gorgeous, completely wonderful.... the lines "all you need is love, is all you need" and "its so hard to love when love was your great disappointment" were especially wow. Me and a Gun - again, done every show, but different. She captivated everyone, and was more intense than ever, and she belted out the "FLAT" part like she used to do all the time and everyone about jumped out of their skin. Cloud On My Tongue - GORGEOUS intro. SO BEAUTIFUL. Had lines from Yes, Anastasia - "we'll see how brave you are...", very slow, very emotional...she had her eyes closed during almost all of it... just feeling it.... then she started Cloud, and it ripped me apart. Her expressions... you could see it all on her face.... again, ACHINGLY beautiful.. I felt my heart being ripped apart (yeah I know I sound melodramatic, but I'm not really exaggerating all that much here! craziness). Encore 1: China - this is generally one of my lesser favorites, but not this night. It was so emotional, so fresh, completely amazing. I mean, Tori was simply on another level. Thank you!! - I was NOT expecting this. and it blew my mind. Just.... amazing. She got really into it, especially at the end.... and she mentioned Tash in the lyrics.... and it about brought me to tears again. It was gorgeous. Encore 2: Honey- again, risking sounding badly monotonous, it just so emotional... so painful... you could see it all in her eyes. It was so intense, so beautiful. Wow. IN THE SPRINGTIME OF HIS VOODOO - ok, I must say that this was extra exciting for me because I have been eagerly awaiting its return to a show (as I knew it hadn't been played since DDI), and I've been wondering when it would come back, and I was there at the M&G when a group request was put in for it, and I had heard that Tori had flipped someone off when asked to do it at an earlier M&G, etc etc. So this had a major history and thought process for me - I was DYING to hear it, would she play it?? It was Arizona after all, would she do it (Winslow, AZ line)??? So, that being said, when those thunderous, jazzy chords started belting out.... HOLY, I about wet myself. I went NUTS. She was SO into it, which made it that much better. She was grinning from ear to ear with this sexy look in her eyes, kept looking out into the audience at a lot of the people from the M&G that were up front (I was second row too), and was TOTALLY feeding off the audience. She was in another dimension. it was fabulous. Everyone was going nuts, SHE was going nuts, the song was so passionate and energized.... To me it was absolutely perfect. I was dying. And the slower parts... the "every road leads back to my door" and the "right there for a minute" parts were simply gorgeous.... overall, I couldn't contain my excitement - I apologize to anyone near me because I kept letting out little squeals and squeaks, I simply couldn't contain it. IT KICKED MY ASS. :) Twinkle - holy crap..... what a follow up. That complete OUT THE ROOF energy of Voodoo, to this breath of a song... so slow, so beautiful, yet still so emotional... it was such a perfect closer to such an OUT OF THIS WORLD show. It was necessary for us in order to come down and breathe after Voodoo. SO perfect. I saw the set list and she had Alamo in the place of China, and Black Swan in the place of Twinkle. But I'm personally glad she did it the way she did. The whole show was insane. It was insane. Out the roof. Off the hook. Over the top. Whatever little slang phrase you'd like to say like that - it was insane. It owned me, as it seemed to own almost everyone who came out of that building. I was looking around (sort of - in shock), and mostly everyone was just gawking, walking around like zombies, unable to talk or communicate. It was like everyone was high and unable to function normally. I saw Richard Handal afterwards and he was just giddy talking to MikeWhy on the phone. I heard him say, "full-body chills" and DAMN, was that right. I had them the whole show.... I know I sound repetitive, melodramatic, really even ridiculous in this email (I'm sorry!), but I really just tried to relate exactly what I was feeling and thinking during each song. It really was just that good. Tori owned me that night. It was so good it was scary. I've heard from people who were at Wallingford, CT also that those were definitely the two shows of the tour. As Richard said to me later, during DDI she couldn't seem to control what came out of it - it was untamed and raw. This tour.... it's as if she controls it all and can just unleash it on us at will. She owns us all. She's so good it's scary. And with that... I am going to have to cut it off. I'm sort of all worked up again just thinking about that show. I would like a copy of it, but I might die after living through it again. It was something else..! The reviews below were taken from the concert reviews section of The Dent Forum and added here on January 7, 2002Review by Alina (pixiegirl) What can I say? This show was amazing!!! She was totally on, and feeding off of the energy of the crowd all night! Here's a brief rundown: Rufus was really good tonight, but he seemed a little drunk. I've never seen him live before, so maybe he always slurs his words, but he was really doing it tonight. At one point, between songs, he put his wine class down so hard that it broke the bottom off so he decided to just gulp the rest of the wine down and keep going. He also said that he was the best crowd that he's had, and that maybe he should move to Phoenix. Anyway, on to Tori! First off, I'm just glad she wasn't playing the America West Arena, so I was all pumped. The place was super tiny (seats about 1800) and it was extremely hot, but it didn't take away from the experience. 97 Bonnie & Clyde- pretty much how everyone's been describing it since the tour began. I really liked the picture/curtain dropping effect. Past the Mission- switched between both piano and keyboard with amazing simplicity. I really knew her voice was on after this one. Tear in Your Hand- one of my favorites; not too different than the album to me. Take to the Sky- Right before she went into this, she told us that it was going to be hard to beat our audience and that she had a nice day just piddling around. She said that she wanted us to all live in here and patted her heart. It was very sweet, and she seemed to really have had a nice, happy day. Of course we all started clapping to the beat of the song when she started, and got into the energy she was giving off. She was just very sassy with her arm movements and hip swivels. Yes, Anastasia- Totally loved it! It was very powerful, and the intro really beautiful. Josephine- I really didn't expect to hear this one, so it was a pleasant surprise. It seemed much sadder live than on the album. Etienne-Wow! Just wow! She gave the cutest grin during the last "maybe I'm a witch" and, again, played both piano and keyboard effortlessly! Butterfly- The energy just kept coming! You could literally feel it in the air during this song. It was really powerful! After the second "pinned and dried" she did a little motion with arms that looked like she was being pinned, if that makes sense. Mary-She just kept coming with the good songs, and taking my breath away! I really love this b-side, and her voice was just really clear and beautiful on this one. Sugar- I've never REALLY heard this song like this before. It's now a new favorite! I love the "when they find you out" and the "you're just a pussy" part. Wow! Talula- She went over to the whurly, and decided to do a little improv. "this is just a simple song. everyone can snap along" and then she sang about the desert sun and her baby with chocolate on her thumb. It was very sweet and cute! I was so glad to see that she was really enjoying Phoenix this time. Anyway, I LOVE this version of Talula! It was slowed down, and very atmospheric on the whurly. She changed "your papoose" and "your fig newton" to "my" on both a few times. It still had the energy even though it was slowed down! Rattlesnakes- This was good, but very similar to the album. I can't complain though, because I loved it! Me & A Gun- I really didn't think it could be that quiet in a place, but it was eerily silent. I think everyone jumped a little when she belted out the word "flat" after it had been so soft and quiet. It just echoed through the whole place. A chills moment, and then the tears came! Of course! Cloud on my Tongue- My favorite UTP track, and she started it off singing "we'll see how brave you are" and then segued into the music of Cloud. It was such a heart wrenching version. China- Very beautiful and her voice really soared throughout. Thank You- I was VERY surprised to hear this one! This was very much for Natashya. You could see it on her face when she sang "there would still be you and me." She even mentioned Tash in the song. It just seemed that she had had a really nice day w/Tash and Mark, and that energy and happiness was being channeled to us. Honey-I loved hearing this live! The way she grabbed the mic when she sang "you always liked your babies tight" was fierce. In the Springtime/Voodoo- I'm not a huge fan of this song, but she changed my mind playing it live! She just got VERY sassy! I really think someone requested this because it looked like she was looking at someone in particular while she sang. This was just amazing, and she played the keyboard and piano at the same time during most of it, and if I remember correctly, switched to just piano for the "in the springtime of his voodoo" part. Twinkle- a great closer for the night, and she would look up to the ceiling like she was seeing the night sky. All around beautiful version. What an amazing night, and definitely the best Tori show I've been to. Everything was just on and so magical! Thanks for letting me rant about this amazing show! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Howling Zoe this concert was just a lovely experience from beginning to end. Lucy the Wonder Doberman and i picked up Josh at 4:30 at the airport (I think thats how he knew it was me, the doberman attatched to me)... we walked around the biltmore and had dinner at houlihans and then buzzed over to the web... and i didn't get lost once!! it was great being with josh since he knows absolutely everyone, and so i got to meet tons of people. the venue was as small as you can get without calling it a living room, and we had 4th row center seats, so we felt pretty good. The show was: heartbreakingly good as far as Im concerned. I thought the beginning of the setlist far surpassed the end, although even if i wouldnt have chosen those songs they were done exquisitely. she seemed to appreciate being in arizona, and we all agreed that it was overall just a wonderful show. i was happy to have more upbeat songs such as voodoo and talulah and even mary was up there. afterwards we beat a path to a somewhat unfriendly denny's where we compared notes, and i was told from those that attended the post m+g that this was a one time shot for voodoo... something about this girl was only coming out once. im sure someone will clarify. i went home xhausted, tired and happy. can't wait for SD, my plane takes off in 6 hours or so! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by LittleBlueAnastasia ahhh this was SUCH a good show!! I dont have much to add except that during Talula she kept saying something about how she had"found this loving part of me, i dont want to lose you, ive almost lost you now" or something in that nature. oh and the meet and greet wasnt too great- we were in the barricades for like three hours and people were literally about to pass out (myself included, thanks to everyone who scooted over so i could sit down and the girl with the water) everything was just... wow. i dont know what to say about it except that. tori looked amazing and was in a really happy mood. wearing some sort of layered sparkly gauzy shirt pant thing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by supernova This was my first Tori concert, and I was not disappointed!! I had a fantastic time. Tori did very little talking, but I was very touched by her comments about the area. She called it "magical" and seemed to have had a great day here. sufisdance--Anastasia had an intro, soft chords with "Poppy don't go", then she went into the 1919 part. I have to say that this song was one of the highlights of the show for me. The other was Voodoo; the bass part played on the piano was very strong, absolutely thrilling. Josephine also had an interesting intro, almost Celtic sounding I thought. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by derek (GlowstickBoi) Wow.. this had to be the best performance ive ever seen. I had nonstop chills up my spine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Rhae (lucid dreaming) I went to the show and it blew my mind. I was soaring when I left the venue. I heard her playing "springtime" before the show during the sound check, but I tried not to get too excited. It was so sassy she played it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by saturn I loved it so much, even though I was behind the speakers. I cried when she did tear in your hand. Rufus was great too! My friend and I got to meet him! Thanks so much for the set list! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Dor FYI: Phoenix was the BEST show of the tour. She was totally on. It's been a long time since I've seen her be that into the songs and the show overall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by Pelerugrat I'vebeen a slowpoke with my show reviews. actually, nevermind ive been driving and flying home after the shows. heh. Anyway, the phoenix show was so amazing. it was a close second to my favorite shows...the LA 3 was a hair better, only cuz tori played basically every song i wanted to hear on the tour. In general it was a great day. The meet and greet was run very smoothly, it wasn't tooooo hot, which was nice as well. The Web theatre is so tiny and so intimate. We were sitting about 6 feet from the stage! Tori was in the greatest mood, and it showed in her body language and playing. She was adding some spice to her songs, and her improv into Talula was adorable...Its probably on the reviews somewhere else, but ill just post it again. She got up from the piano and bunny-hopped to the wurly. then used her hands as accompianment and sang "I love the desert sun, my little girl with chocolate on her thumbs" (i have the words written in my journal but im too lazy to get up and get it. thats the basic idea though). Voodoo was such a surprise i dont think tori has done that live since DDI tour in 96! The crowd was a tad more rowdy than in LA, but honestly i think tori loved it, she was such a doll all night! Time to write other reviews, oh yeah, hello to all the tori people i met at the show. you were all so sweet, keep in touch with me! (its chrissie, the chick with the star glasses. oh and happy thanksgivng. i dont think i can eat for another month im so full. ugh). tata. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by DaisyPetals Wow. I honestly do not know what to write about this show. It absolutely owned me. I have never - EVER - seen Tori in such a mode as this. She was utterly in another dimension, off in another realm or something. I really cannot describe it... but I feel like trying, so bear with me First, ironically, I was talking with Richard Handel before the show, and we were discussing Wallingford and how it could have killed him if he had been any closer to the stage - because it was THAT GOOD. He was saying that Tori was simply on fire and that he was thankful he was only on row U that night because he almost couldn't survive the passion and intensity of the show from there, and thank god he wasn't on Row B or something. We talked about this show for awhile before hand. Ironically, because afterwards, I saw him while he was talking to Mikewhy, and he was practically beside himself while relating his notes to Mike. In the middle of the convo with him, he saw me, and told Mike to hold on for a second, looked at me and said, "THIS was with Wallingford." and then after he got off I asked him if it did indeed rival Wallingford, and he just took a breath and shook his head and said definitely. So, coming from someone who has seen practically every show in the past 3 tours, those two shows are definitely two of the best. As for the set list (and set lists in general), Richard said it best before the Phoenix show: "Screw the setlists." I totally agree. What really sets apart the shows that I personally have seen have been her MOOD and her PASSION and her overall AURA. You know? Her energy, her fiestiness, her overall flare. That's what makes a show, IMHO. I mean, it's undoubtedly wonderful to hear some of your FAVORITES.... but overall, most of her songs are beautiful or enjoyable on some level (I know everyone has a song or two that they might not like, but anyhow), so what really sets shows apart is her energy and feeling. That's why Phoenix was so freakin UNBELIEVABLE to me. It utterally and completely BLEW MY MIND. I felt like I was on another planet when it was over. I really felt high or something. I had full-body chills and shivers the whole show, my mouth was gaping open almost every song... 97 B&C - I mean, this song isn't ever very different from show to show, but still chilling. Really didn't make much impression on me. Past the Mission - Ok. First hint that something was up. I've heard this song many times already on this tour, and when I first heard those distinct opening chords I was sort of not that excited (I'm spoiled, I know).... BUT. This was different from the others. I wasn't sure why at that point, but I figured it out later. She simply was just in another dimension that night, and every song felt different and delicious and really almost sinful (dramatic much? not really, this night was insane!) Tear In Your Hand - HOLY WOW. I was dying to hear this (as I never had live, somehow), and so I was thrilled to hear it at all at first. But then..... holy, I mean, it was just achingly beautiful... and she had this expression.... oh my word, it was so painful... so glazed, as if she was feeling ever ounce of pain that she felt in that song... it was slower, and her expression... I really just cannot describe it; it was painful, beautiful, unbelievably aching.... wow. Take To The Sky - again, like PTM, I'd heard this many times. But this was even more powerful and passionate that it was before, and it's a pretty passionate song as it is. She was on fire - the lower chords were unreal. For a second I thought the Bosey's strings would break, it was that crazy. Yowsa. YES, ANASTASIA - ok. This song absolutely OWNED me. I have never felt so completely owned, helpless, drunk, high, whatever - I felt like I was compltely helpless. I knew we were in for something unprecendented when it started.... it was just in her eyes, in her body language, in the whole aura... and HOLY.... by the end of that song, my body was absolutely in shock. All I could think during the end, as she was NUTS on the "we'll see, we'll seeeee, we'lll seeeeeee, we'lll see how brave you arrrre, yeeees, etc etc" (if you call it thinking. It was more like me desperately trying to tame my body and mind) was "holy SHIT... I am witnessing something for the history books"... Absolutely MIND BLOWING. Josephine - well, I was in shock from Anastasia. But this was completely beatiful. I needed something more tame after Y,A or I would have died. She had a beautiful intro that I didn't recognize - I had no idea Josephine was coming. It was beautiful, achingly beautiful again..... I mean, wow. Etienne - I mean, I swear I thought I wouldn't survive the show if it went on like this. I know I sound melodramatic, but my body was subjected to serious emotional overloads that I'd never experienced before. Etienne was simply GORGEOUS. I had heard it in Philly, but this was simply.... simply achingly beautiful again. I hate to overuse that phrase for fear of it losing its meaning, but it's true. I ached. It was unreal. Butterfly - Ok. As if I wasn't high enough. She started this one standing up, flaring her head and hair all around with a SERIOUSLY INTENSE intro. It was very staccato, very prickly, very electric, very beautiful. She then sat and was ON FIRE during it - it was played very loud, VERY passionately, very intensely. The "FRAMED AND DRIIIIIEDDD" parts were out of this WORLD. Mouth still gaping, still literally on the edge of my seat (as I was the WHOLE show - literally). Mary - I about died. I never expected to hear this - and not only was it a great surprise, it was beautifully done. SO passionate.... at the "Butterflies don't belong in nets", she BELTED it out, especially the second time. UNREAL. SO PASSIONATE!!!! SO MUCH ENERGY ALL THROUGHOUT THE SHOW!!!! Sugar - holy moms and dads, I mean, this is (IMO) definitely one of the most energy loaded song she does live. She just lets it all hang out. So, you can imagine it in this line of songs and with this energy and fire she had that night. UN-REAL. Simply out the roof. yikes. Talula - SO beautiful.... so achingly beautiful. The Desert Sun song improv was SO CUTE, so fun, so spunky. So perfect for her mood and passion that night. Then Talula itself... I love this version she's been doing ont he Whurly. She sings lines like "I dont' want to lose her, now that I've found her this time" and "I finally found this light inside of me" and all these little references that seem to definitely mean Tash, and it is SO BEAUTIFUL and SO overwhelming to me... I cried in DC when she played it, and I cried again this time. She sings it with so much love and heart and passion for Tash, with her eyes shut and her heart pouring out... and I mean, I was on emotional overload at this point, I couldn't help it. Rattlesnakes - like PTM, I'd heard this many times already, but this was different. Everything this night was different. It was gorgeous, painfully beautiful, completely wonderful.... the lines "all you need is love, is all you need" and "its so hard to love when love was your great disappointment" were especially wow. Me and a Gun - again, done every show, but different. She captivated everyone, and was more intense than ever, and she belted out the "FLAT" part like she used to do all the time and everyone about jumped out of their skin. Cloud On My Tongue - GORGEOUS intro. SO BEAUTIFUL. Had lines from Yes, Anastasia - "we'll see how brave you are...", very slow, very emotional... she had her eyes closed during almost all of it... just feeling it.... then she started Cloud, and I mean, it ripped me apart. Her expressions... you could see it all on her face.... it was again, ACHINGLY beautiful.. I felt my heart being ripped apart (again, I know I sound melodramtic, but I'm not really exaggerating all that much here). Enocore 1: China - this is generally one of my lesser favorites, but not this night. It was so emotional, so fresh, completely amazing. I mean, Tori was simply on another level. Thank you!! - I was NOT expecting this. and it blew my mind. Just.... amazing. She got really into it, especialy at the end.... and she mentioned Tash.... and it about brought me to tears again. I mean, it simply was gorgeous. Encore 2: Honey- again, I mean, I know I sound so monotonous, but just so emotional... so painful... you could see it all in her eyes. It was so intense, so beautiful. Wow. IN THE SPRINGTIME OF HIS VOODOO - ok, I must say that this was extra exciting for me because I have been eagerly awaiting its return to a show (as I knew it hadn't been played since DDI), and I've been wondering when it would come back, and I was there at the M&G when a group request was put in for it, and I had heard that Tori had flipped someone off when asked to do it, etc etc. So this had a major history and thought process for me - I was DYING to hear it, would she play it?? It was Arizona afterall, would she do it??? So, that being said, when those thunderous, jazzy chords started belting out.... HOLY SHIT, I about wet myself. I went NUTS. She was SO COMPLETELY INTO IT, which made it THAT much better. She was grinning from ear to ear with this sexy look in her eyes, kept looking out into the audience at a lot of the people from the M&G that were up front (I was second row too), and was TOTALLY feeding off the audience. She was in another dimension. it was UNBELIEVABLE. Everyone was going nuts, SHE was going nuts, the song was SO passionate and energized.... I mean, it was absolutely perfect. SO perfect. I was dying. And the slower parts... the "every road leads back to my door" and the "right there for a minute" parts were simply GORGEOUS.... overall, I couldn't contain my excitement - I apologize to anyone near me because I kept letting out little squeals and squeaks, I simply couldn't contain it. IT KICKED MY ASS. Twinkle - holy crap..... what a follow up. That complete OUT THE ROOF energy of Voodoo, to this breath of a song... so slow, so beautiful, yet still so emotional... it was such a perfect closer to such an absolutely OUT OF THIS WORLD show. It was necessary for us in order to come down and breathe after Voodoo. SO perfect. I mean, the whole show was insane. It was insane. Out the roof. Off the hook. Over the top. Whatever little slang phrase you'd like to say like that - it was insane. It owned me, it owned everyone who came out of that building. I was looking around (sort of - in shock), and everyone was just gawking, walking around like zombies, unable to talk or communicate. It was like everyone was completely high and unable to function normally. I saw Richard afterwards and he was just giddy talking to Mike. I heard him say, "full-body chills" and DAMN, was that right. I had them the whole show.... I know I sounded completely repetative, melodramatic, really even ridiciulous in this post, but I really just tried to relate exactly what I was feeling and thinking during each song. It really was just that good. Tori owned me that night. It was so good it was scary. As Richard said over and over, during DDI she couldn't seem to control what came out of it - it was intamed and raw. This tour.... it's as if she controls it all and can just unleash it on us at will. She owns us all. She's so good it's scary. And with that... I am going to have to cut it off. I'm sort of all worked up again just thinking about that show. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Review by kjoette I attended the Phoenix, AZ show (Section D, Row 4) and I figure I'll make some comments rather than post an actual review, because from what I've read from other toriphiles about the show, I couldn't have said it better myself. I was extremely pleased with the audience and everyone's overall behavior. Us Phoenicians kick ass because we showed Tori the upmost appreciation and respect as we should. There was one stage rush when Tori came out, many couldn't hold in the excitement in their chair after such long anticipation during "Bonnie & Clyde." But, it didn't take but 30 seconds and everyone went back to their seats. Very little unnecessary comments were screamed during her show, except an occasional, "I love you Tori!" Can you blame them though? I'm surprised I kept my mouth shut, except between songs of course. The reaction from "Me and a Gun" was amazing, I agree. The dead silence was beautiful, and I'm sure it warmed Tori's heart a bit too! The set list was fantastic and such a mesmerizing, flawless performance by Tori, once again. The sound of her voice and music was an absolute crystal clear gem that just drove right into me, allowing me to feel it to the fullest extent. Thanks to Tori, Mark, the audience, and the Web Theatre, for I will always be an avid fan of small venue's! Arena's are poopy. I had goose bumps on and off, and my eyes filled up from time to time when I just couldn't believe how powerful Tori still is, moving me emotionally pretty bad every time. Oh yeah, to the dude sitting next to me in seat 2, why the hell would you come to a Tori show to sleep!!!!!!! Every time I glanced over I couldn't believe it and just wanted to beat you over the head. Sure, none of my business, but there are some mysteries in life I will never understand and that was one. I don't know how Tori does it, these tours, the energy, flawless performance after performance. I know she loves her work, and as fans we only hope she understands how much she means to us and how one of a kind she really is. A beautiful woman with a God-sent talent that will blow anyone away if given the chance. After Tori left the stage to come back and do her 2nd. encore, my sister and I left early (she had to drag me), I never dreamed of leaving any Tori show early. But, it had to be done because I felt it was my night to meet her after the show. So, I hauled ass outta there, while my sister went to my car right next to the meet-and-greet gate to grab the camera. By the time everything was shuffled around for Tori's protection and it was announced she'd be out shortly, we rushed the gate, my sister and I right smack in front. About an hour later, Tori came towards us, asked how we were doing, (uh, how does she think? ) Cloud nine for me to say the least! She was right there in front of me, right there, all gorgeous and so cute the way she spoke to everyone in front giving them personal attention. I got a few close up pictures of her, apologizing for the flash, and Joel said, "That's okay hun." My sis and I both got our autograph, and then I just stood there (as advised) watching Tori's every move, wishing the moment would never come to an end. But, before I knew it Tori was waving goodbye, and inside I was crying, saying , "No." Afterwards, the crowd was thanked for being so cool, collected, and most of all, quiet (since there was a baby sleeping on the bus, awhhh. ) The experience was complete inner bliss, and I love just going back to it all in my mind when I need to. Now, I'll just try to wait patiently for the next Tori Tour like everyone else. Unfortunately, I can't hold out too long! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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