StrangeLittleTour
Nashville, TN
October 3, 2001

Updated January 7, 2002

 ToriNews
 Toriphiles
 Articles
 TV/Radio
 Tour Info
 Music
 RAINN
 Merchandise
 Extras
 
 Dent Forum
 Search / Map
 Entry Page

Go Back To The StrangeLittleTour Schedule & Reviews Page

Tori performed in Nashville, TN on October 3, 2001 at the Ryman Auditorium during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour.


Set List


'97 Bonnie & Clyde
Icicle
Rattlesnakes
Winter
Sweet Dreams
Doughnut Song
This Old Man
God
Raining Blood
Frog On My Toe
Spring Haze
Talula
Here. In My Head
Me and a Gun
Time

1st Encore:
I Don't Like Mondays
Cooling

2nd Encore:
Leather
Sister Janet
Hey Jupiter


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 Caitlin Lyon (as posted on her web site)

Added Sept 14, 2001 - I have to say just a bit about my day before I tell you about the show -- it's pertinent, stay with me. I live 2 hours from Nashville, decided I'd take the dog for a walk before jumping in the car with my partner and my sister to head north. We walked at our usual trail, right near my apartment, out to the old railroad bed and back. On the way out, I heard a noise unlike any other; sort of the sound a cicada makes when the cat's gotten it down on the porch, playing with it, but louder. My first thought: "Rattlesnake." Then, "Nah, surely not." But I called the dog back all the same and looked toward the noise. Oh yeah, it was a rattlesnake, rattling like hell at us and about as big around as my forearm. I got a good zing! of adrenaline and we just calmly walked on down the trail and home. A sign, I thought, for the show.

Now, I've always wanted to get to one of the meet and greets that Tori does before some shows. But since I live in a small Southern town, I'm always having to drive to the Big City to see her -- and I can't ever leave early enough. Anyway, we headed to the Ryman, made it about 20 minutes early, but she was still sound checking, we were told, so the show started late. Well, hell, I don't care, but some folks seemed irritated. I'm just glad to be there.

We had balcony seats, on the far right side, which turned out to be good, even with the incredibly bright blue or white light that would shine over her shoulder and right into our eyes at times. I've seen Tori twice before -- once on the Under the Pink tour in Atlanta (had 7th row seats, amazing!) and again during the From the Choirgirl Hotel tour. It was great seeing her with a full band, but I was excited to hear that she was touring solo this time. Anyway, this show was by far the best of hers that I've seen. She was in top form and the crowd was really responsive and not too screamy. Rufus Wainright opened. I enjoyed some of his set, but I though the sound was muddy and some of his songs are a bit rambly for me. He reminds me a lot of early Tori, though.

Let me interject here also that the Ryman staff were incredibly nice and professional. Just before her set started, an usher came to our section to tell us that those on the far, far end probably wouldn't be able to see her because of where her piano was on stage. Anyone who wanted to move farther up and in to some folding chairs could. We were even allowed to purchase food, pizza, beer, mixed drinks and take them into the performance space. Unheard of! Even with all the alcohol, the crowd never got out of hand. I think it's a measure of her fans -- we were all really there to hear the music. That said, someone just in front of us had apparently bathed in patchouli, and my sister had to sit next to a screamer/sing-along-er. Oh, well, nothing's perfect.

So, her set opened with '97 Bonnie & Clyde. A black, strategically torn curtain hung in front of her equipment and instruments, backlit and a huge picture of the character from the album hung on the right of the curtain. The entire song was just this curtain, the lights and the picture. She was somewhere, singing/speaking, and I'm guessing the strings were on a loop. I thought this song on the album was just kind of creepy, but hearing it live, it was positively sinister. Not my favourite track, but she got her point across. The curtain dropped dramatically at the end of the song -- very effective -- and the crowd went crazy as she walked out onstage. She was wearing some kind of black and white, uh, thing, dress, pants, wait you're both right; and, of course, outrageously high heeled shoes. But she manages to pull off those kinds of outfits. And it had sparkles. Her hair was loose, longer than I've seen it in a long time and also a very natural looking red. I'm not even going to try to recount the entire set list; I'll just hit some highlights, and suffice to say that she played for at least an hour and a half, and did 3 encores.

After hitting the stage, she went straight into "Icicle" and then into "Rattlesnake." See, I told you it was a sign. Now, "Rattlesnake" is my favourite track off the new album, and I completely blown away by this live rendition. I can't even describe it -- if ever a show deserved to be bootlegged, it was this show. By far the most impressive performance by Tori I've seen. Ah, I'm repeating myself -- well, get over it, we didn't make it home till 1 a.m. The only instruments she had with her were the Bosendorfer, some kind of electric piano right next to it, a la the harpsichord on Boys for Pele, and a Wurlitzer - which, she informed us later, used to belong to Country Joe and the Fish. That would explain the very 60's Stars and Stripes paint job. She did just 2 songs on it. The Wurly sounded so great, I wanted more.

So, after "Rattlesnake," she stopped to say hi to the crowd and ask if her brother, cousin and uncle were there. Yes, apparently they were, but no, her cousin did not bring any apple butter. "Too bad," said Tori. "It's a big hit with the crew." She wasn't as chatty as I've heard her sometimes, but she did say her uncle used to tell her "You ain't nothing until you've played the Grand Ole Opry." The Ryman was the original home of the Opry, so it was "magical" being there. She performed a lot of older material, as far back as "Sweet Dreams" (what a treat) and "Here. In My Head." Many songs were played with one hand on the Bosendorfer and the other on the electric piano, with some switching in the middle. Her piano work is quite complex and I'm always surprised at how sophisticated a line she can play straddling the bench with a hand on 2 different instruments. I guess if you do it all the timeä

The song that most impressed me was "Raining Blood," not my favourite cut from the album. However, hearing it live was amazing. That is as accomplished a piece of work as anything else she has done, and I've never heard her in better vocal form. She has really learned how to used the entire range of her voice and she has a beautiful grasp of form in her songs -- nice progressions without being predictable. And, oddly enough, it was on this piece that I could most hear her classical training and years of skill. Who'd have thunk it, out of a Slayer song! (No offense, Slayer fans!) As she sat at the Wurlitzer for the first time, she told us that some of the "girls" like different things now, and she began a song. Well, she couldn't get the key right, tried to sing it out with a little nonsense, but, "I'm having a brain fart!" she laughed. Launched into "Talula" instead. It's nice to hear famous, accomplished musicians make mistakes. Makes them human again, especially when it's handled with grace.

Other highlights: "Frog on My Toe," for her Papa; "Sister Janet" (gorgeous live); "Cooling"; "Time" and "Leather" (sung with cowgirl hat on). And she did "Me and A Gun," which surprised me for some reason. It was all great, all incredible. I was especially happy to hear "Frog on My Toe" and "Sister Janet." It's as though she heard all of my psychic requests, and that the entire show was played with me in mind. But that's her gift -- I'm sure everyone else in the audience felt the same way.

Since I can't ever seem to make a meet-and-greet, I made up my own, just to amuse myself. She'd stop to talk to me, extend her hand, and I'd say, "I saw a rattlesnake in the woods today. I think it was a sign." And then we'd just smile real big at each other. That's it. Tori, if you're out there, you come into my home a lot. We have dinner, drinks, sometimes we cry, sometimes just sing. You don't know me, but you've been with me through some tough shit and you're my friend anyway. Thanks for a great show.


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

Review by termite

hey everyone...it was a very good show. she told a story before frog on my toe, about pappy, and how he lived in rockwood Tn. and she said they bought tash her first cowboy boots and talked to her brother and cousin in the audience. highlights: me and a gun, frog on my toe, icicle, leather VERY good and sensual

another thing: she played an improv that while she was trying to figure out what key talula(?) was in...it had the audience laughing our asses off..

"Bb major? husband?? what key?? oh i HATE c! i have a brain fart" etc
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review by THE sisterjanet

TORI'S OUTFIT:

black pants split up in the side with WHITE underneath

her top was black, kinda like the I'm not in Love picture, sheer and sparkly

her shoes where TEAL blue strappy with high heels

THE cowboy hat people have mentioned was BLACK

she wore it when she came on stage and during the second encore...LEATHER

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

Review by blackbird

i'm going to say a lot of things you guys already know i bet. but oh well.

the concert started REALLY late for some reason. like an hour late. and the programs are twenty fucking dollars!!! i mean, we love you tori, but jesus...

anyways:

97 bonnie and clyde- the thing with the tattered black curtain and the picture of the woman. i think this is a really moving tribute to the individual, if you know what i mean. because no one really seems to give a shit about that any more, in the age of supposedly expendable middle-easterners. (notice i said supposedly.) yeah. she put variations in how quickly she read the lines: at times, rushed, giving the piece more of an urgency. she also changed some of how she did the "just you and me" part, making it more eerie than before. it hit home, i thought. the whole thing makes it feel like this should feel: that tori has taken on a project (strange little girls) that was close to her, and is now taking it out on the road to explore the parts of it that are still kind of hidden. mm.

icicle- oh my fucking god. this was the shit. tori enters and begins icicle!!! how do you top that?! she kind of oo-wee'd along with the piano intro and the parts in between. she put a lot of emphasis on "feel the word" and all of that. it was gorgeous.

rattlesnakes- i felt kind of sorry for rattlesnakes tonight because she was sandwiched between icicle and winter. i mean she's just a little girl, for gods sakes, still getting her stage legs! anyways... 'twas of course beautiful. i couldn't help but notice that tori pronounced "simone du beauvoir" a bit clearer. and oh! she sings "all she needs is therapy. all you need is love is all you need." i never knew that before. it was very clear tonight. the whole beatles' all-you-need-is-love thing was kind of a theme tonight, it seemed.

winter- i mean, i've gone back and forth with this song. it's one where of course you love it. then you wear it out, kinda. but then after going without it awhile, well, you just cant not recognize its power. and wow. this song was absolutely amazing. with beautiful flake-like, tear-ee, little spot lights on the wall.

sweet dreams- a fun one to follow winter. it was really kinda powerful with all the strength she gave "your house is on fire." i know youre thinking 'sweet dreams? powerful? ha.' but it really was. with fire colors for that part in the lighting, and little white circles for the chorus. hee!

doughnut song- this song is just gorgeous. i felt like it was a trip to a certain place. this certain destination in the course of boys for pele. a very worthwhile and beautiful journey. "you can tell me it's over/ you can tell me it's over/ maybe it's over/ (repeats)/ come in houston/ (...)/ just remember" was the improv. i think i've heard it done similarly before. but yes. gorgeousness.

this old man- lots of anticipation wondering what this was leading up to. she did a little piano interlude after the "ten" part, then did it over again.

god- it's really nice with just the piano. and tori is so damn energetic with it. she really made it nice.

raining blood- i was somewhat surprised when this began, for some reason. it was very nice, though. not something i was looking to hear when i came, but quite worth it. if i talked anymore about this, itd just be about the song itself. not about this particular performance, so i'll stop.

frog on my toe- she introduced this saying her papa was born in rockwood, tn. and she missed him more than she'd missed anything, she thought. but he was with her, on her shoulder, she said. also, um, earlier, she asked if her brother was in the audience. he was. then another family member - i think her cousin. she told whoever the second was that she hoped they'd brought their apple butter because her crew really liked it. ha. all this and i don't really have anything worthwhile to say about the actual song. i just remember thinking some time around here how nice tori's hair was and how the look in her face/eyes really does seem different now. and looking at her, i just suddenly felt that she was truly one of the most beautiful people i've seen. and i'm not one to be all about the image and that shit. it was just there.

spring haze- oh my fucking god, tori! why didnt you do this solo to begin with?! she's substituted for the electronics the most wonderful little piano movements, and pulled more power from the song tonight than i thought it capable of. fuck yeah. tori rocks.

talula- someone says "julie loves you" and tori goes "i love her, baCK." hee. again, she told the story of how the wurly was from woodstock (the real woodstock), and how she hadnt changed it - "on the outside!" then, about how sometimes the girls liked to do different/new things. she tried it out for a bit, trying to find the key, started it, and made a really funny laugh/stop, asked mark ("my husband") about it. he said C; she said "but i hate C!" and then finally into the song. there is much less movement now in it. with emphasis on the line "dont want to lose you." and, continuing the love theme, she sang "what you want is in the blood" then something like "what you want is love, boys/ what you want is in the blood senators." it was a nice change on the original. but i'm glad we still have the old one. hee. pretty.

here. in my head- very powerful, like most of the stuff tonight. i'm just not in sync with this particular feel at the moment, so, yeah, it's me... ha.

me and a gun- tori really makes this her own, still. the performance was truly disturbing and moving.

time- the difference here with the album version was that the lines are more lain out, each one. not at all in a detracting way. it's just different. mm.

i dont like mondays- this song never seemed so sad before.

cooling- hell yeah. cooling and winter.

leather- very playful, with her cowboy hat on. hee.

sister janet- i was SO fucking excited to here this one. resonant, a place, moving. yes.

hey jupiter- kind of leaning toward the dakota version. all three verses played.

tori seemed very into it tonight. much more so than the nashville five and a half weeks show, by far, i thought. she said that she really liked the venue, and that her uncle from "gaylax" on the virginia/tennessee border used to tell her "you aint nobody until youve played the grand ole opry." ha. she played to the balcony (where i was) much more than i would have ever expected. it was really nice. she was on. obviously.

i don't get to many, but i feel safe saying this was a really really good show.

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

Review by Aphrodite_18

this show fucking rocked...she was very playful with the audience and seemed so happy and to top it off..I MET HER!!! the meet and greet went well..everyone was respectful and helpful...(u guys rock)..she was gorgeous..she's so tiny! anyways...she was so on tonight and it was definitely one of the best shows ever.

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

Review by nicANDjethro

Okay. My head is buzzing. I'm at work, after driving back to Memphis 3.5 hours of sleep UGH!

Yesterday was a magical, amazing, wonderful day for me. I cried again this morning

We got to the venue around 9:30am. There were 3 of us, and we ran in to 3 others from the Memphis area they were the first ones there or the first VISIBLE ones(hey guys! Chelle, Jennifer, Andy!)

I met some BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING people at the meet and greet yesterday for those of you I met for the first time please keep in touch. I won't name them all, for fear I might miss someone you know who you are! *kisses*

We all hung around talking and sharing stories for quite some time. When we saw them start to move the barricades, we all rounded the building to where they were and stood in a bit of a line in a stinky garbage alley behind the venue.

*edited graciously to end arguements*

When the barricade was ready, Steve told us to WALK up there. We walked fast however, there WAS pushing a few people fell it is honestly getting ridiculous. Thank god the people around me walked well most. No one darted in front of the people around me however, we were all VERY smooshed once we got up there.

A few minutes later, Tori emerged from the building. SHE LOOKED AMAZING! GLOWING AND BEAUTIFUL! She was wearing this light purple sweater thingy, these FAB jean Capri pants that had a zipper that went from her hiney all the way to the front, then a flappy thing that folded down at the waist. She had on a pair of white and shiney purple Adidas and ankle socks. Her hair was down and her makeup was amazing she was absolutely breathtaking. That baby has shined a new light on her. She is radiant, and it just shows!

She started on my side of the line. There were a few people down the side of the barricade that she spoke with a few she recognized. One of the people handed her a minirecorder with their child's voice on it, saying 'hi' to Tori. She would answer it, like, "Hi...Fine...Really?" It was very cute. I think the boy's name was TJ.

She talked to a few others and, then to the girl next to me (Chelle - who was one of the first 3 there) - I took Chelle's pic with Tori...J She talked to Stephanie (I AM COOL), who came with us and signed her Ears With Stories book and stuff... *sigh*

Then, she got to me. Now, this was my 7th show. And, yes...I've gone to a meet and greet every time. I've spoken to her on a handful of occasions, and it's so funny that every time, she lights up like she's known me for a million years...It ALWAYS takes me back.

She walked up to me, and said (going on memory here), "OH HEY SWEEEEETIE!! How ARE you?" SHE hugged ME! LOL! I think she said something like, "Where have you been? or How have you been? or It's been a while." It directly meant that she recognized me...no guesses,,,and THAT amazes me! She put her hands on both of my upper arms, sort of hold me as she talked to me. I'd befriended a wonderful girl named Sharon earlier, who'd never talked to Tori...and she even said at one minute, that she wanted to leave because of the ridiculousness of the meet and greet...I encouraged her to stay and kept pulling her next to me in line, since she was there so early. When Steve said, "go", we got separated...But, Chris (my boyfriend) had her CD booklet. She wanted it signed, and I was determined to ask Tori to do that before anything.

So...back to the story - I handed Tori the CD booklet and said, "There's a girl here who's never talked to you and she's somewhere back there, and she wanted you to sign this...her name is Sharon." Tori signed it to Sharon. Then, I started to hand her a letter, saying, "This is from a guy online who wanted me to give this to you"...She looked up at me and said, "Honey, where's YOUR stuff?" I smiled at her...and when I looked her in the eye, I began to cry...I haven't done this since the first time I met her.

I looked her in the face, and said, "Tori...the elements of magic that Natashya has brought into your life is SO apparent - you LOOK beautiful, you SOUND beautiful - I just wanted you to know that." She, I think, had her hand on her chest...looking at me...about to cry. I was BAWLING by this point...

I looked at her again, and said, "I met you for the first time in Birmingham, during the Plugged Tour and I showed you a tattoo of a frog - on my toe." She interrupted me with a smile, and "I know...I know - I remember!" And, I said, "You played it that night...and you talked about your Poppa...and it deepened my love for the song...Well, I lost my grandfather a year ago"(I was really, really in tears here...she was almost in competition with me! LOL!) "I was wondering if there was any way...if you could play "Frog On My Toe" tonight - before I could get it out of my mouth, she was nodding...so sweetly...and said, "Oh ABSOLUTELY...ABSOLUTELY" and wrote it on her hand. FROG. is what it said.

**edited in**
HOW DID I FORGET THIS???

At the meet and greet, after I talked to Tori about my Paps, she took the book I brought for her (Tash) and said, "Is this yours?" I smiled, still crying and said, "No...it's yours...for you".

She looked it at and held it to her chest, and smiled really big and said, "For Tash Tash??"

I smiled and giggled and said, "Yeah".

**end of edit**

I don't remember going in for the hug, but we hugged again...shared another sweet smile and she started to move to the next person.

Just as she started to, she looked up - Chris was standing about 3 people behind me, and she recognized him (we're usually side by side) and waved and said, "OH HEY, DOLL!!"

As she continued to move on, I took a roll of pics. They will all be from the side, and since her hair was down, they might even be a bit hard to see her face...but, I'll share them when we get them back. I'll take them tonight.

After the meet and greet, we all went to Blackstones to eat. (I hope I don't forget anyone) Me, Chris, Mikewhy, Sharon, Alisha, Snowflake (Sean), J'ason (yessaid), Andy, Jennifer, Kara (Iris Magpie), Stephanie (I AM COOL), Brooke (Rabbitmoon), Chelle (Toriluvr) - ACK! This was the other end of the table...I HOPE I didn't forget anyone...We hung out with a guy named "Phil" (Merman4), but I can't remember if he was at dinner...ACK! I'm sorry, guys! Oh...I what about ULA? *kisses*

Anyway...we all ate...chatted...had a wonderful time...and went back to the venue!

. . . . . . . . . .

(back to the venue)

The merchandise was pretty cool. Here's what I saw: A black Tori Tshirt with the SLG face and dates...a light blue long sleeved shirt, a dark blue (COOL!) "Anniversary" shirt with a microphone on the front that had all her albums and said 1991 - 2001, a "Satin Worship" jersey shirt (the one I got!), a white tshirt with a few of the girls on it that said "Strange Days" and "Strange Little Girls" and dates on it, another black tshirt with Tori's eyes, a black babydoll with "Strange Little Girl" in sparkly stuff...a hooded sweat shirt...hm. I think that's it...can't remember. They didn't have any necklaces when I got there...I'll get one eventually. The tour books are pretty cool, they are calendars with lots of dates on it (including Tori's birthday (it says "be nice to faeries day"), Robert Plants birthday, and even the Pagan holidays!!! WOO!

So, I nabbed a Tshirt and a program and found our seats.

(((God, isn't this the LONGEST review of the day EVER??!!!)))

So. We found our seats. I don't think there could've been a BAD seat in that place...it was TINY!

We were in the middle section...row 11. They were really good seats. I never heard a phone...however, the people who SCREAM during quiet times get on my nerves...and the drunk guy in front of us who didn't know who Tori was, was politely asked to HUSH during a song...as he kept drinking, he got LOUDER and LOUDER. UGH. Stay HOME!

Anyway...on with the show.

Rufus played...I sorta dug him...he seemed really fun and told a few cute stories...

ALL ABOUT THE SHOW

Okay...on to Tori...hehehe...

The jagged curtain was there. On the left side of the curtain is the picture of the character for B&C.

'97 Bonnie and Clyde
In my mind, the effects of the curtain were WAY more dramatic, but it was still beautiful...The way Tori performs B&C is breathtaking. It's so much MORE intense live...and, I didn't think THAT could be possible!!! There was, I think, BLUE light at first...when it first came on...then the instrumental "bum bum bum bum" part came one...the strings...the lights moved across and through the curtain in time...SOOOO AMAZING! As the song ended with the sudden strings ENDING, the curtain drops...

Tori walks out in her COWBOY HAT!!! She's wearing the (I think) "I'm not in love" shirt...and a pair of layered pants. They're black on the outside, with white "slip" type pants inside. They had a split up the sides and she was wearing a pair of slinky, light colored kitten heels...hehehe...SHE LOOKED GREAT!

On the right side of the stage, there was a table, with framed pics of the "Time", "Strange Little Girl" and "Enjoy the Silence" characters on it. There was a wine bottle (which she hung her cowboy hat on) and a pair of faerie wings that one of the girls from the meet & greet had given her (Sara?). Every time they would play a song from the new album, a white spot light would shine down on the table...displaying the girls..the stage set up was 4 white screens that reflected light beautifully and curtains...light and dark that they changed at times to create different lighting effects behind the screens. WOW!

Icicle
The lighting was blue...this was INCREDIBLE LIVE!!! *sigh*

Rattlesnakes
Again...AMAZING! It's so cool to hear her do this by herself, sans the band...well...without the studio instruments and what not...

After Rattlesnakes, she says, "Is my brother here?" And then asked about her cousin...she said, "Did you bring the apple butter? 'Cause it's a hit with the crew". LOL! She then said something about her "Uncle Woody" who lived on the border of Tennessee and "Virginna" (*giggle*) "waaaaay over...you know, where the meet?" And she said something like, he was from "Gaylax" and then said, "no...he was from Penniwinkle" - (I'm doing what I can to remember, so this may not be exactly - I scribbled it down in the dark, but wasn't writing it all down, as I was pretty caught up in WATCHING and not WRITING). Anyway, she said her Uncle Woody told her "You ain't nothin' until you've played the Grand Ole Opry". HEHEHEHEHE!!! She said something about the walks...the snow...and how she and her Dad used to take walks...

Winter
The lighting was again light blue...with beautiful white light patterns moving across the stage...

Sweet Dreams
COOOOL! The lighting for this was really GREAT! (Lana - if you read this...I'll bet YOU asked for this one, didn't ya? IT ROCKED!)

Doughnut Song
WOWOWOWOWOW!!! The "come in Houston" improv...WOWOWOOW!

This Old Man (long intro) - God
I can't say enough about how cool this is with her alone....And, she'd play both her keyboard and the Bosse....*swoon*

Raining Blood
The lighting for this was intense. I don't usually listen to this one on SLG...well, I *DO*, but not as often as the other girls...and, it really made me appreciate the song more...VERY intense.

Frog On My Toe- **My request...(TEARS AND TEARS AND MORE TEARS!!!)** - I hope I'm remembering most of this correctly - Okay. So...she ends "Raining Blood" and the light go down. They 'talk' lights come up...and she begins by saying, "So...my poppa...he was my favorite person...I miss him more than anything...He was born in Rockwood and he was part Cherokee, you know." "But, all the things he told me...I still hear them...And, you know, he's always RIGHT HERE...RIIIIGHT HERE" (She was holding her hand, making a gesture as though he were right next to her). She then began to play...She sang this achingly tender and precious! Her voice was so sweet and it really touched me deeply...And, when she go to the part where she sings, "Slap them boys when they're naughty", she stuck her legs out and folded them, and turned her head down and looked at the audience...almost "sassy" - it was PRECIOUS!!! She changed the words around a little...it was very personal...very beautiful...and I can't stop thinking about it!!! *sigh* Absolutely amazing...another memory for my bag, and another beautiful moment in my life.

Spring Haze
I really liked this! VERY powerful solo!!! The lighting was really wonderful, too! She sang bits of it with GREAT power...WONDERFUL!

Tori talking - "So, we bought "Tasha's first cowboy (did she cowgirl?) boots today" - she was smiling...it was ADORABLE!

Talula
She walked over to the Wurley (sp?) and started a little tune...She told us about how it was at "Woodstock"the first one"the REAL one" and that it belonged to the Fish? band...I know the name, I've just forgotten...she began playing and singing a little and stopped and said (looking to the back of the venue) "Husband, what key is this? B flat? C??!! But I hate C!!!" She would tinker around...playing and singing notes...she was really playing around! She stopped and said, "God, I'm having a BRAIN FART!" She'd play some more...and she stopped and just sort of giggled...then, she went into Talula.

Talula was AMAZING! She kept emphasizing the line, "I don't want to lose you" - it was SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!

Me and a Gun
The lights weren't so bright. Just her. Her hair was swept straight back, her ears were even peeking out a bit...she looked breathtaking. I've never seen MAAG live. It was AMAZING! The way she'd look..the way she'd sing and emphasize certain words. She even sounded a bit choked up at one point. If someone asked for this song..Goddess bless you - I know she was singing it for you.

Time
At this point...after MAAG, my friend Steph was in tears...then to follow it with "Time" was just perfect. It was tender and soft and BEAUTIFUL! There was a darker blue light on her...I think...*sigh* I LOVE THIS SONG! God...it was great!!!

ENCORE TIME! She walked away from the instruments and touched hands and blew kisses and did her little wave thingy...

She left...we all stood up and cheered...stomping on the wood floor...and she came back out.

I Don't Like Mondays
I LOVED THIS! God! This is amazing live!! Her voice, again, was very tender....

Cooling
With this being one of my favorite songs...well...it was simply beautiful. And the way she does it live, when she's singing the "Cooooooooling" part, it made me get all teary eyed again...it was so touching.

She did her little "goodbye" stuff and walked out...then came back...after we hooted and hollered and stomped again...

ENCORE NUMBER 2!!

Leather - WITH THE COWBOY HAT!
So, Tori walks back out, goes over to the table, and takes the cowboy hat from the wine bottle she hung it on and goes to sit down. SHE LOOKED HOT! She's "pose" with her hat on...sort of looking down...putting her hands a certain way...and the lighting was impressive the way you could, at times, only see the bottom half of her face with the hat...WOWOWOWOOWOW!

Sister Janet
I was so happy to hear this, as was my girlie J, I'm sure! I really loved this live!!!!

Hey Jupiter
OH MY GOD! I was crying again! I'm glad she played this, as Chris loves this song... Her voice when she's singing out the long notes...it's simply chilling...I can't help but to get all misty eyed and cry when she's singing thing...it's just so amazing!!! This was one of my faves of the show, too.

The end
She kissed her hands bowed at her bench stood up and did her last goodbye rounds. It was such an amazing show!!!!

After the show, I wrote a note (on the back of a Tammy Wynette International Fan Club Registration form LOL!) that said:

Tori,
I know he listened.
My heart belongs to you.
All my love,
Nic
(the girl with the frog on her toe)

I ran up to the stage and called Joel over. He and I talked a bit during the meet and greet, so I know he knew my face. He squatted down to listen to me. I handed him the piece of paper and said that we had to leave...I said that she'd played "Frog on my toe" for me and asked if he would PLEASE get this to her.

He smiled and said, "I'm going back there right now...I'll see her in just a minute...and I'll definitely give it to her."

I smiled again, looking him in the eye even trembling a little...I said "Please" (holding my hands to my heart) and he smiled really big and I said "thank you" and walked away.

We all met in the lobby...hugged and said our goodbyes...

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT!

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

Review by IrisMagpie

I had every intention of posting my ruminations last night, but frankly, I was tired! So here's my useless pontificating....

Meet and Greet-you know, i think I may be too old to do that sort of thing. Me and my friend Brooke got there about one, and met up with NicANDJethro and her lovely man Chris, Steph (I Am Cool), Michelle (Torilvr), and Mikewhy showed up not long after. We were just chillin' out in front, everything was all casual. There were probably about 20 people there. But then they started moving barricades around the back, and the crowd went around back. There was this guy Snowflake who kept saying "let's keep the vibe good, if you were here first get in front, but let's not cut in line, ok?" But of course by the time Tori came out (about 3:30ish I think), a BUNCH of people who had gotten there after us had migrated in front. I saw like the corner of her head. We did get our flowers passed to her, and I saw her wave them, so that was cool. But I guess I'm just old and grumpy. Waiting outside for 2 and a half hours, getting there super early, and these rude people jump ahead of you. Plus, I've got a bladder infection at the moment, so I probably was all dehydraded by the end of it, which made me tired for the show. I mean, it was a GREAT show, and I was into it, but I probably would've been more into it if I hadn't been so wiped out. But c'est la vie. I think I'll leave the m&g's to the more adventurous who have stronger bladders. There were some cool people there tho. I saw Sara (I can't remember her screen name) who I met at the Memphis gathering last year, and she had some faerie wings for Tori with a note attached. They got passed up to Tori, and lo and behold during the concert, the wings were sitting on stage on a table beside the Bosey!!!!! I was so happy for her!!! You know Tori has a special rapor with her fans when she does stuff like that.

So we met up at Blackstone's, and had some artichoke dip, and in depth conversation about my recurring bladder infections (LOL). After some food and like 10 glasses of water, I was feeling a little more perky. So we headed back over to the Ryman for the big show....

The merch was cool, but *expensive*! Damn. I bought a program, but ran out of money before I could get a "satin worship" shirt. I want one of those tho. can't wait to see 'em on artist direct! The more I looked at the program/calendar, the more I like it. I LOVE how there are pagan, islamic, jewish, hindu, and buddhist holidays on there. It's funny to see "Ostara" written on a tori calendar. Rock on!

So we sit down and rufus comes on almost an hour late. But he was quite charming. I must say, his voice is kinda intoxicating.....Oh, he told a funny story. He said "i've heard the first funny thing about sept 11th." There was this guy who worked on like the 100th floor, and his wife was at home, and when the planes hit, she called him to see if he was ok. He said "oh I'm fine I"m at my desk." WEll, obviously he wasn't at his desk, he was in a hotel having an affair. Needless to say, he got caught. Some of the crowd groaned, and he said "hey, I thought it was funny." and then they laughed. I thought it was funny.

But enough crap, on to the good stuff!!!!

97 Bonnie&Clyde There's a big black torn curtain, and a scrim with the b&c character on it, and she does it offstage. Man that was creepy. I kept straining to see if I could see her somewhere behind that big torn curtain. I pictured her sitting in like some little box backstage performing it. It's like you keep looking for her and she's not there. The torn curtain falls at the last string flourish of b&c, and Tori walks out, in cowboy hat as mentioned. There was a table to the left of the bosey with character 8x10's on it (Time, SLG, and I Don't LIke Mondays I believe), the wine bottle she hung her hat on, and THE WINGS!!! that Sara gave her. That one gesture made my night, seriously. We were standing next to Sara at the m&g, and she was so sweet and funny and really wanted tori to get em, and for tori to put them on stage..... makes my heart sing.

icicle Oh hell yeah. This is one of my favorite UTP songs, and to do this first! (well, technically second, but you get the idea). I knew it was gonna be a good show. I'm gonna say something about the Ryman here. My friend brooke's from Alabama, so she had no idea that it was the "Mother Church of Country Music". It used to be a church when it was first built, then when the Grand Ole Opry started in the 30's or 40's (?), that was where it was until 1974 when they built the opry house out by the airport. This place is STEEPED in musical tradition and good vibes. Plus the acoustics are absolutely wonderful, and it's very small, so even in the back row of the balcony you get a good view of the stage. Every person I've ever perform at the ryman has acknowledged the magic of that place. The Indigo Girls, Sarah McLaughlin, Ani DiFranco (twice!), and now Tori. If someone is playing the Ryman, you can pretty much guarantee it will be a wonderful night. That place loves performers. So to hear this song, in this place.....magic I tell you.

rattlesnakes One of my favorite songs off of SLG. Fabulous live. All you need is love is all you need.

winter The story about her uncle and stuff. Apple butter. Mmmmm. WHen she started saying "we used to go for walks" I thought "shit she's gonna play Winter." Very intense and beautiful. When she went into her high register and it echoed in that room....wow.

sweet dreams I remember one of the plugged shows in '98 she played this, and said something like someone asked her to play it and she wasn't sure she could remember it. So I thought it was a nice parallel with that show. I love this one live. It's so spunky. The "your house is on fire" was very powerful.

doughnut song Oh hell yeah. My friend brooke who was with me, is going thru some relationship stuff, and all these relationship songs she played were so PERFECT. I love this song. Wonderful.

this old man--->into god How does she do that where she plays two keyboards at once straddling the piano bench? It's amazing. "God" was really powerful, again with being in a church and all. The "will you tell her if you decide to make the sky fall" whacked me upside the head, reminded me of recent events and all. Anyone else notice how fucking *appropriate* a lot of tori's songs are after sept 11th?

raining blood I haven't been able to get into this song so far, but I must say live it is much different. More...I don't know, just I get it now.

frog on my toe I cheered for nic for this one. I didn't know she requested it especially. I don't have a copy of this song, so I"ve only heard it 2 or 3 times. I need to get me one. Wonderful, and very sassy.

spring haze One of my favorite songs off of TVAB. Very good live and solo. Wow wow wow.

talula The whole thing at the organ was priceless! I gotta get a boot of this show. "Husband? What key is this in? C? It can't be C, I HATE C!" Anyone else think that the whole "I don't want to lose you" emphasis on this song makes it a song to Tash? "Wrapped in your papoose". It just seemed like she was singing to her daughter, which made it even better. Plus she talked about the cowboy boots for Tash! Adorable!

here in my head I think this was one of the many times I turned to brooke and said "holy shit!" Wonderful wonderful wonderful.

me & a gun The house went stone silent for this one. Reminded me of the UTP tour, the first time I saw her. Moving and haunting and healing all at the same time. Just the intensity of a line like "I haven't seen barbados so I must get out of this" whacks you upside the head when she's there LIVE singing it.

time VERY healing after me and a gun. beautiful.

encore1
mondays Again, so fucking appropriate these days. very beautiful.

cooling Yep this girl loves to be played live. All the high notes reverberated around the room and penetrated my friggin' brain. wow wow wow.

encore2
leather ADORABLE in the cowboy hat. It made this song very mischevious. Ride 'em cowgirl!!!!

sister janet another "holy shit" moment. I can't believe she played this song. It was the total and complete highlight for me. It made me vibrate. followed by another holy shit moment...

hey jupiter the "whoo hooos". in that room. with that marvelous sound. love and warmth and sadness and just the sheer presence of her washed over me. when the lights went up, Brooke said "well, I want her to come back out, but hey, she probably figures 'how can you top Hey Jupiter?'"

I went by and saw my boyfriend after the show. He was working poor boy, and just hugged and kissed him. I needed to share some of that energy with him. I needed to look in his eyes. Wow.

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

Review by sweetest cherry

ok, i'm just going to give the highlights of the show for me since everyone else has already posted pretty in depth reviews.

i decided not to go to the m&g. i've already met tori, and i always cry when i go. plus, the atmosphere among fans (not all) really brings me down so i thought i'd enjoy the show more if i did not go.

now, this show was different for me than any other tori show i have been to before. lately, i haven't really liked what tori has been doing (from venus forward). i like a lot of it but not all of it like i do her past albums. this is the reason i decided not to go to more shows. i was originally going to the florida shows, atlanta, nashville, charlotte, and the d.c. shows. i sold all my tickets, though, except for nashville and the d.c. shows.

so i went into the ryman expecting a good show but nothing special. i had always missed seeing tori solo because i was so young when she came to nashville for le, pink, and pele.

our seats at the ryman were row d seats 4 & 5. at the ryman, there are 2 rows in the center that do not stretch across the whole stage. then there are pews that form half circles around the first two rows so that the two ends of each semi circle are right next to the stage. does that make sense? so our seats were at the left end of the semi circle, and we were 2 feet from the stage-we were the first people she faced when she sat at the wurley for talula. let me say i love the ryman.

anyways-

b&c 97-i loved the curtain-it really added to the violence of the song...i thought dropping the curtain was pretty dramatic, too. there was, of course, a picture of the b&c girl on the curtain. so i guess this is what she meant by debuting characters during the tour. so does this mean that the opener will change at some point and a new girl will be featured?

icicle-ok so now i'm thinking that i was wrong and tori is going to blow me away to tonight. all i can say is that i realized where i was and what was happening.

i'll be doing some skipping although i did enjoy all of the songs.

winter--i knew from the minute she started talking about her dad that winter was coming, and i started crying. i couldn't help it. it's funny how i have such a hard time naming my favorites. i always say i love them all because it is so hard to choose. winter is right up there for me, though. the piano and emotion are so powerful on this song. for some reason, i never thought i'd hear winter live. it's kind of like silent---one of those songs that she just doesn't play that much any more. i'm so grateful that i got to hear it though.

sweet dreams-she played this at the grand ole opry (the newer one) in 98 for some girl. i just thought it was kind of funny that she played it again.

doughnut song-this one ranks with winter for me. it just tells it like it is.

spring haze-i just love listening to how she sings the words of this song. its all so smooth and light.

talula-my boyfriend's favorite...he was happy. tori was facing us. i'm usually not the type of person to say things like "omg she was looking at me during the whole fucking song!!" b/c that usually puts me off, but damn we made a lot of eye contact during that song. it's not something i want to brag about so please don't take it that way. it wasn't just talula though-it was also leather-she kind of tilted her head with her hat on and looked to her right and just looked at me and then during hey jupiter when she was on the organ-why was she locking eyes with me? now meeting tori at a m&g is surreal, but when she really looks into your eyes at a show, it's like your being plugged into this current of emotion and life that is music. i think what i finally understod is how tori says that concerts are a give and take situation-where she gives and we give back to her. i was taking so much from her at those moments, and i was so confused as to how to give back as much as she was giving me. is that possible? so i just gave her my undivided attention and really listened to the music. after hey jupiter she came over to me, and everyone was fighting to hold her hand so i just looked and let everyone else have theirs. then she left and that was it.

i loved sister janet, too-another i didn't think i'd have a chance at hearing. mondays was also great but should be i don't like tuesdays.

you all know how powerful the songs are so i really don't need to say anymore especially not about maag or cooling.

so anyways, overall, last night was special. tori solo is amazing. tori solo at the ryman was amazing. i'm a dork, but i love going to different venues. i can't wait to see tori at constitution hall. i just can't wait to hear music in constitution hall.

everyone at the show seemed well behaved, quiet, respectful. the girl next to me was singing, which distracted me. someone from the front row kept leaving to get beers.

rufus called some people out during his last song poses (??), and asked them if they minded not talking.

if you don't want to watch the opener, then go sit in the lobby or outside. if you don't want to go to watch and listen to tori then go home and sing along with her on your stereo.

on a sidenote-the poor usher that had to seat everyone in the front told some people behind us that the doors didn't open until late b/c tori's soundcheck ran late. the usher said tori does not want *anyone* in the hall while she is soundchecking so the ryman staff couldn't set up chairs or whatever else they have to do while she was soundchecking. so after her soundcheck i guess they had a lot of setting up to do.

when were were allowed to go to our seats, i kept seeing rufus and other tour people peaking through the curtain-i think we had to wait for him b/c he wouldn't come out unless most of the venue was full.

so anyways, i hope everyone else enjoyed last night. tori blew us away.

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

Review by cathedralheat

So I too am dead after driving back to Memphis after the concert last night, I wrote out my review and hit a wrong button and it was gone. The reviews I've read (especially nic's) are completely accurate and I felt the same way, this was my first Tori concert and I'm still in AWE!

One thing that bothered me was how incredibly pushy, rude, and just UGLY a lot of the "Fans" are! My friend who heard Tori for the first time tonight said "are most Tori fans this pushy?"...it's really ashame, I was incredibly upset at how disrespectful to Rufus Wainwright a lot of the audience was--I enjoyed him SOOOO incredibly much but i found it hard to listen with all the LOUD talking going on, at one point in his set he even asked some poeple up front to "stop talking"...if I weren't already a fan of his, I would be after seeing him in Nashville.

Tori was just...well you know how she is...BRILLIANT! No big surprises in the set list but I got over that lol. "I Don't LIke Mondays"--a song I always skip on the CD was just beautiful and touching live...it was amazing. The cowboy hat was so great. Let's see...Spring Haze gave me chills--of course BONNIE AND CLYDE creeped me out and that curtain dropping at the end--WOW!

TALULA sounded so fresh and new, I kinda missed the PELE version but this version holds its own completely.

Hmmm audience sang along to LEATHER and then started to sing along w/ HEY JUPITER which I'm SO glad didn't continue because it just wasn't time for a sing along haha. The woman beside me sang loudly through a lot of the songs but somehow I was able to tune her out.

Great show--I will never forget it--thank you to all the GREAT people I met and the rude people...get over yourselves jeez. :-)

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

Review by Logan (Bluest_Merman)

that was just ... it wass.... that was just something else wasnt it ? i mean her strutting it out there at the first , i totally lost it , i mean i grabbed my sisters hand and i was like sqeezing it til blood came ou t .. lol ok but before i get inot this

B&C , threw me to the floor , i mean you could feel it in your belly ! and the lights shining through the slits , and I saw her bose through them , and i was likr oh my god im gonna shit in my pants , its her piano ..!!! and eventhough i had to pee SO BAD ! lol i should have went tot he bathroom during the little intermission thing , but i couldnt miss my Tori !

so anyway icicle , bawled and bawled , i couldnt get it into my head that she was really there , I mean i could see her toenails !! and might I add that her leg muscles ! oh babe she's got em !

and did you guys notice how she was kinda teasing us with the cowboy hat ? like she was gonna throw it out to the crwond but she just dropped it , ..

and one more thing cause i feel like im starting to get annoying ,, when she was trying to find that note befroe she played talula and she just couldnt get it and she looked up and did her little giggle ? TOO SWEET !

So to Kelli , so wonderful to meet you ! choir , i hate to have missed you i thought about you though and to all the ppl i must have stared at trying to figure out who you were i swear i was staring at ppl lol im sorry i was just trying to see you i want anohter tour soo bad so right now ,, But this magic is gonna last for a longgg timeee

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

Review by KYSmurfette

It was an amazing show! I'm so happy I was there. I don't think I can add anything more about the songs, but I thought it was cool that Tori's brother and cousin were sitting directly in front of me. Before I knew who they were I kept thinking this guy sure looks a lot like Tori's dad in the face. I guess I should've put it together!

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

Review by Sara (tearinhand)

I was there.. if you were at the meet and greet I had the faerie wings in a bag.

the show was so amazing.. I couldn't believe she played Winter.. that is my favorite tori song.. I getting all teary eyed during Winter and it just didn't stop till I left the building..

If any of you noticed the wings on the table with the picture and the hat.. Those were the wings I gave her during the meet and greet =)

hehe the lady next to me asked me what i gasped about and was getting excited about and i was like omg i think those are the wings i gave tori.

Seeing that and hearing Winter I was just like this is the most awesome concert.. Then she pulls out Frog On My Toe, This Old Man, Sweet Dreams, Here. In My Head, and Cooling.. it was just the most amazing thing I have ever heard and seen. I will never forget it

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

Review by Brook (Rabbittmoon)

We got there at 1 & there was maybe 20 people there- I really believed I was going to meet her... or atleast see her, an autograph or something- I had butterflies in my stomach- the whole works... THEN the rude people showed up & before we knew it there was 50 people in front of us! People were blatantly braking in line in front of us... the rudeness, the pushing... RUDE PEOPLE: you know who you are & all I gotta say is, "karma baby, oh yes, karma" so have fun, assholes.

But, there were many, many sweet people that I met in line- the lovely TEARINHAND who later on we got to see her WINGS she gave Tori on the STAGE!!! yay! Im so happy for you girl! That was sooo cool! amazing!

As for the show, thought it was amazing (what did I expect right?). First time Ive ever heard her play "Here, in My Head" in concert.. was beautiful & I almost died... met a lot of my kin-folk from the new age & pagan forums.. & snowflake & mikewhy & jason... ahh was lovely...

Tori got our flowers & I did get a pretty good glimpse of her & I whispered I love you & blew her a kiss. she didnt see or hear me, but hey, I feel good about it! Only thing is the bitter taste in my mouth from the uncivilized people at the meet & greet. I really wish they would learn some manners. Made me sad really. Well, Long Live Tori! Yay, she rocks!

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

Review by ABoy4Pele

Nashville: AMAZING. I've seen her 4 times. Twice in Louisville (1996 and 1998), once in Cincy (1998), and now once in Nashville at the Ryman. It was the best show yet. I had no idea she could be so powerful, especially after seeing her with a band the past 2 times. INCREDIBLE. Went to the meet and greet hoping for an autograph, but the selfish fuckers at the front wouldn't move their lard asses once they were done ogling. Love to you all.

Here's the setlist, done by album:

SLG: 97 Bonnie and Clyde, Raining Blood, Rattlesnakes, I Don't Like Mondays, and Time.

Venus: Spring Haze.

Choirgirl: nada.

Pele: Doughnut Song, Hey Jupiter, and Talula (on the Wurly).

Pink: Icicle, God.

Earthquakes: Leather, Me and a Gun, and the best version of Winter I've heard yet.

B-Sides: Cooling, Here in my Head, Sister Janet, This Old Man as an intro to either God or Icicle (can't remember).

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

Review by ark

FYI: This Old Man was the intro to God, I can remember clearly. ^^

I loved Winter too, it's always been one of my select favorites. That and Hey Jupiter at the end made the 3 hour drive (and going into school today with NO sleep) all worthwhile.

Jesus, and you could've heard a pin drop in that place during Me and a Gun, no? ^^

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



Review by Stephanie (I Am Cool)

Tori virgin no longer! Woo!

I was in a funk all day...kinda recovering from seeing Tori last night, and the lack of sleep, and the fact that I had to drive for 1 and a half hours to get back to school from my friend's house in Memphis at 8 in the morning with icky traffic. Gross! Like everyone in the department knew I was going to the show, and all my buds asked me how it went...and I replied either with the "rock on" hand signal thingy (pinkie and forefinger pointed up, ya know?) or "It was fucking awesome" in a soft spoken voice...I wasn't very talkative until about 5 o'clock when the effects of the night before started to wear off...and the fact that I got some food into me. Hee!

OMG the show was fantabulous! my only problem is that I have to wait to get my pics developed 'cause I'm a broke ass since I bought a $40 shirt at the concert! OY! I'll never do that again! It was such a spectacle show! the lighting was wondermous! They had some "smart lights" (what I like to call 'em) the kind that move, and rotate colors and all that good stuff. Some nifty goboes (kinda like cookie cutters...they project shapes onto a stage), and what seemed to me to be a couple of those special glass type goboes with a marble-y effect on one, and leaves on the other...Oh and kill me now for talking about the lighting! It's all Paul's fault. hehe...I couldn't help but pay attention to it, though, it was very powerful, and supported the music 200%!

God I could go on for hours about the show...I'm just excited I got to see her...at the Meet and greet before the concert I got to talk to her and she signed by "Ears With Stories" book.

~sigh~ The concert itself was amazing...she played "Me and a Gun", and the whole crowd was silent, and I just cried and cried. And boy did I need that cry..the song was very pretty. I asked Nic if she had any more tissue left. She told me "It'll be OK" I love that girl. And then she went into her cover of "Time" and I just kept on crying 'cause that's one of my new favs off of her new album. And Nic held my hand, and was so wonderful.

Anywho...I've been up for a very long time, so I'm gonna go now...

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

Review by Phil (Merman4)

Okay, so I finally got back home early this morning, and my computer is still giving me fits so I'm writing this at work in between phone calls hoping my boss won't catch me. *grin*

This was my first Tori concert ever. I've been a devoted EWF for many years, but I just never had the means financially to go see her perform live until now.

I was really looking forward to the M&G and I just kind of ignored the horror stories I had heard before.... so I showed up kinda early, around noon I think. I now know that the only advantage to showing up early are the wonderful people you meet. Nic, Chris, Stephanie, Ula, Andy, Michelle, Snowflake... I know there were others too, but I can't recall their names right now. You were all soooooo great!

I'm not the most aggressive or assertive person you'll meet, so it's no suprise that I got left in the dust. I was closer to Tori than I ever thought possible, though, and I got a few good pics. I probably only got as far as I did because Andy and Stephanie kept urging me to get in front with them.

I was pretty bummed afterwards that I didn't get anything autographed, although the encouraging words from Chris and the hug from Ula cheered me up a bit, so I just wandered back to my hotel room and sulked for about an hour. Then I realized that I had nothing to be depressed about. I was still going to get to hear Tori SING LIVE!!! I took my pics to a 1hr photo place and got them developed before the show and that cheered me up even more.

Her performance definitely made up for it all! The only negative things I can say about the show were that those old wooden church pews were uncomfortable.... esp. when there are 8 people sitting in a pew that's only supposed to hold 7... I don't know where the extra guy came from (but hey, he was kinda cute so I didn't complain too much *grin*). Also, from the section I was sitting in anyway, there was this one spot light that kept shining in my during some songs, like MAAG, that was really irritating. Other than that, it was great!!

One more thing, though... I'm a huge Rufus fan too, so that made this concert even more memorable, but I was kinda upset by the rudeness of some people during his set. So, I couldn't help cheering when he basically told them to shut the fuck up! I had a couple oppurtunities to get his picture and probably his autograph and stuff too, but I was just so in awe of seeing him in person for the first time, that I just kinda stood there with my mouth hanging open... ah, well, that's just shy lil' ol' me I suppose.

I showed Nic and some of the others my pics after the show and then went outside to smoke. I heard a commotion in the alley and I went to investigate... Tori was signing autographs again, but there was no way in Hell I was going through all that again.

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

Review by angeles

Hi. I guess I will post my review also.

The concert was good. I had superb seats because I was an auction winner (it took the box office damn long enough to get my tix and backstage passes though!) Me and my boyfriend arrived at the Ryman at 5:00pm. My only regret is that I couldn't bring my son with me (Tori would have loved him! ) yadda yadda yadda. My favorite song of the night was probably winter. it was beautiful.

anyway, after the show all the backstageers hung out by this one set of doors on the right side of the auditorium. there was about 10-15 of us. I talk to the other auction winner. I told her my whole story about how I really won these tix on accident. My boyfriend starts to get on my nerves because I had been up since 6 am (EST) and I was working on 3 1/2 - 4 hours sleep. I sit by the wall waiting, waiting, waiting. They couldn't take us all back there together because the backstage area was way too small. So this one group of people go in. I'm starting to get anxious. and then Steve pops his head out the door and asks for another round of backstageers to go back. It wasn't our turn yet though. After about 5 minutes Joel opens the door and says "Rainn people". I pop straight up and we head towards the door. when I got back there it was all tiny and cramped and filled with this yellow light. Joel guides us towards a door and he opens it and I peer inside and who in the world do I see? It wasn't Steve, and it wasn't Joel... give up? why of course it was Tori! AS soon as my eyes latch onto her I head towards her with my arms wide open and I start to heave. I was on the verge of crying mental but my biological mechanisms just wouldn't let me. Damn it... and I tell Tori I feel like crying but it just won't come out... and then I start giggling and she saids it's okay to laugh, laughing is good. And then we hug. And she was so pretty! And her voice... it was just so comforting, a way a momma's voice should be, ya know? I told her I was so happy that she had become a mommy and she said she was happy she was too. Then I said, "I'm a mommy too!" "How old is your baby" "He is two and he is such a doll, he is just so cute" She liked my hair! she said "I really like your hair! it looks really good!" and then I go into this great big long explanation why I got my hair cut (all the while my boyfriend is talking to Joel... My boyfriend isn't a Tori fan, but he came along with me to support me and just be there with me. I love him!). I was just saying stuff on the top of my head, ya know. I was just captured by the moment and how surreal it was. the way the room was lit, very musky and low, and how small the room was (we were in a dressing room). I told her I had to get my hair cut because my son kept pulling on it when he was younger and that I always had long hair until then, and you know how that feels, right tori? She understood what I was talking about. Then she looked down and asked me if there was anything in the bag I was carrying, and I said, yea, I got some stuff for ya! so I took out this little "parenting" advice book made by children I had found for her and I go and tell this story about how I found it. I was just freaking dumb! I told her I was at school the day before and I was just so excited that I had to do something so I went to the bookstore and found this. I think she liked it. Then I pulled out "The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" and I told her that that was for her and Natasha. I didn't say Tash because it is not my place to call her that. Anyway, she was happy I got her a book for Natasha because she said they always need stuff like that for her (I guess because she can be a little rambunctious at times ) . Then I handed her my and my best friend's letters and i ask her to sign my Cool On Your Island vinyl. As she is signing it I ask her if I call my best friend on the phone because she couldn't make it to the concert would she talk to her. She looked at Joel and she said she would and to call her up while she talked to the other girl. So while she is talking to the other lady I call Kim (Beenie on the forums) up and am like, "in a few minutes Kim." Kim asked me what she had played and I told her she played frog on my toe. She was like "oh, I wanted her to play that for me!" and I'm like, "yeah, I know!" So Tori finishes up talking to the other girl and as I give her my cellphone (TORI USED *MY* CELLPHONE! YAYAYAAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!) I say, "Her name is Kimberly" and Tori goes "Hi Kimberly, how are you"... and you could hear Kim on the phone she was so excited! I can't remember what all was said, it's kinda a blur to me. Then they finish up there little talk and we have to say goodbye to Tori. We all say goodbye and Joel hussles us out the room and out of the building. It was really magical. And all this happened in at most 5 minutes. I know that she read my letter because she told Joel to put it in the box so she can read it on the bus in the letter I told her about my son, and about how much I appreciate a certain song by her. When I see her in Indianapolis I think I'm going to take my son with me. Hopefully she will be able to see him at the M&G. I just want her to be able to put a face to the name, because then it gets personal, ya know.

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



Go Back To ToriNews

Go Back To The StrangeLittleTour Schedule & Reviews Page

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