StrangeLittleTour
Washington, D.C.
October 6, 2001

Updated January 7, 2002

Tori performed in Washington, D.C. on October 6, 2001 at D.A.R. Constitution Hall during the 2001 StrangeLittleTour. This was the first of the two shows in D.C.

Set List

'97 Bonnie & Clyde
Icicle
Rattlesnakes
Take To The Sky
Daniel
Spring Haze
Concertina
Enjoy The Silence
Leather
This Old Man
Lust
Crucify
Jackie's Strength
Me and a Gun
Baker Baker

1st Encore:
Purple People
Pandora's Aquarium

2nd Encore:
Never Seen Blue
Playboy Mommy
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 Mikewhy

October 7, 2001 - We had a hell of a time getting to D.C. We drive most of the night to get close to the city, but we were unable to find a hotel anywhere due to college football and other things. We slept the night before at a Rest Area. But the show was well worth the effort we endured to get there. I must also say that driving in Washington D.C. is a real experience for this Louisville, KY native!

We were pleasantly surrpised to hear Daniel, which was the first time she played it on this tour. She began the song with a long piano intro that I have never heard her do when playing that cover previously.

Before Spring haze, Tori performed one of her famous, short improvs, singing in part the words ,"Don't tell me it's over..." I hope someone else sends in all the words she sang during that fascinating improv.

After Concertina, Tori started playing the start of Leather, but then stopped and said to the audience that she was messing up her set list and that she might need glasses. She then played Enjoy The Silence. Earlier in the show, Tori told us she was happy to be here and that she wanted to play more than one night in Washington despite the fact that they were trying to avoid multi-night performances in most cities.

This Old Man was amazing because she did the final verse in a strong, loud voice that I never heard her use on this song before. Many will say that this was an intro for Lust, but it was long enough to be considered a separate song in my opinion. Tori did 4 verses of This Old Man.

The show began at 9:10PM and was over at 10:50PM. Tori was on stage 1 hour 40 minutes.

I really enjoyed this show. Kissimme/Orlando remains my favorite of the tour so far, but Tori was very strong tonight. I look forward to seeing how the show will vary the following evening.

From rYan sudick

Added Oct 14, 2001 - Tori was playing HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN at soundcheck yesterday (Oct 6) just on piano with IMAGINE intertwined. SOUNDED AMAZING! Wish she would have played it that nite. She was playing it over and over, so it sounds like it's in the works for the future.

From Paul Powell

Added Oct 14, 2001 - Tori appears to be very focused and in control. The reports from each show have a common thread. A very tight performance and for a lack of a better term a new spiritual plane.

When Tori got to Take to the Sky (4th song), she started off by banging on the Bosey, keeping time, channeling the girls what have you. The audience started to clap along it was fine for awhile, they appeared to have gotten a little off time. Tori changed the timing a tad, and left them behind, no more clapping out of time. Very gracefully done, that's what I believe occurred.

Daniel was amazing, prefect, I think she pegged it solid and tears from the crowd seemed to echo that sentiment. The acoustics of the hall could not have been better for this song.

A rarity done in truly high, my bud Mel (a cool, gal opera singer from Philly) mentioned after the show regarding the hardwood floors and the sound resonating back. It was quite apparent on this song, hearing this tonight made up for a whole year of skipping church.

Richard Handal's comments regarding Me and a Gun, being the second to the last song of the set and following with a song of healing. Tonight it held true again and Tori rubber-stamped it as sealed and delivered by playing Baker Baker. I can't think of a better follow up to fit that "healing" model.

Also my observation from a few shows back that Precious Things was not appearing still holds true. Slight prediction coming on this one.

Tori made a similar comment about the appearance of her WHURLEY as she did in the London show. That she's not revamped its appearance and it had belonged to Country Joe and the Fish, from Woodstock. Pausing to add, the real one, the first one. Something to that effect, everyone seemed to catch on and laugh. Sometimes I'm not sure about these jokes as I'm 42 (before you cough don't forget Tori's age). But I was pleased to see everyone "got it" (I hated to have to tell her at a Meet and Greet, dear in some cases the fans are half our age, ouch!)

I believe the comment about the Whurley was made before she started Crucify.

At a previous show Tori said in reference to Crucify. "This song wanted to do something different with herself, wear a different dress for a while."

And it would appear that this is also a highlight of these shows Crucify preformed on a Whurley (with the original 60's trimming no less) as opposed to the Bosey. Checking back on the show reviews, it appears to have been the Whurley each time. This is significant and fits in with my view regarding Precious Things, right after that Crucify would be the song I'd pick as the one that gets the fans in that "jazzed" mode. I used Jazzed before and now I take a crack at defining it better. Jazzed zone is getting the maximum heart rate above 90% Tori appears to have us pegged around the 80% level, safe to exercise and no one gets hurt.

This is in no way a negative thing, its wonderful she's delivering each show as total performance and its an incredible ride. I believe this also supports Richard's model of Me and Gun's set list placement.

OK, revamp on my Precious Thing prediction, if and when it appears it will be on the Whurley. (Hey, its only a guess..)

From Gruagach7

Added Oct 14, 2001 - WoW!! That is it. That sums everything up. WoW!! WoW!! WoW!! WoW!! and, well, WoW!! Seeing Tori solo and live was beyond any idea I had, any experience I thought was going to occur to me and beyond any of my greatest dreams. This is truly a night I will never, ever, ever forget.

I must say, before going any further, that Rufus Wainwright is an incredible musician. I hardly expected to be interested in his opening act but his set blew me away as well. I couldn't believe I had never listened or heard of any of his songs before! Actually, one of the songs he sang tonight was on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, a song I enjoy very, very much so it was a welcomed and pleasant surprise!!

With that said, Tori was...there are no words for it...she just *was* and that is everything I could have hoped for.

She began the night with 97' Bonnie and Clyde, like she has on all of the shows on this tour, and (if I type WoW!! again you'll probably stop reading this all together, huh?) the song was so much more angry, aggressive and succulent live. You could hear every breath; the sounds she made with her throat enveloped the song. Every whisper, slurp, syllable and noise was audible. Opposed to what the recording on Strange Little Girls the live version was vicious not desperate. When lines like, "Stay in your car seat, quit trying to climb out," came up she barked them out with vengeance. Truly incredible. It actually made me frightened. On the stage was a black curtain with shreds and holes on the top and middle portions while the bottom part of the curtain was solid black. On the right side of the curtain was a picture of the 97' Bonnie and Clyde character. Through the gaps the different colored lights washed over the enraptured audience.

After finishing 97' Bonnie and Clyde, Tori came on stage and the crowd went absolutely crazy. I mean *crazy*! Constitution Hall was nothing but a loud roar of claps and screams. When I thought the crowd couldn't become more vocal, Tori started playing the opening notes to Icicle and we showed our pleasure with raising the volume of our cheers. She added a lot of heeeee's between vocals, which was very cool. It elongated Icicle and you felt her passion even more. She was so into playing, though!! She stood up, flung her hair and pounded on her Bosendorfer! I was in heaven and Tori was jammin'! When she would finish a verse she would hit one high note and it would leave you hanging there for a while until she started doing her heeeeeee's again. I love how she can hit one note and make me feel shivers. She had the prettiest blue light shining on the stage for this song.

At this point, I was in awe. I couldn't believe I was watching Tori solo!! I was so happy I wanted to cry and I was so awed and amazed I wanted to jump out of my seat cheering.

The one thing that was themed throughout the concert was the feeling of being rushed, which didn't take away from the concert but it was something I noticed. As Tori flew out of one song, she would immediately start playing the next never giving me, or anyone else, a chance to catch our breath. As soon as Icicle was over she sat facing the audience and began playing both her Kurtz (I'm not sure if that is what it is called?) with her right hand and the Bosendorfer with her left. Right away I knew the song was Rattlesnakes. This is my second favorite song of the new album; I had really wanted to hear this and it was beautiful. Tori would play only the Bosendorfer for the "on the waterfront" chorus and there would be a three second pause between the verse she was singing and the chorus. I'm not sure if it was just me or if I'm weird or what but that tiny silence in the song added so much for me. It let me breathe in what I was listening to and what I was about to listen to. As the song closed,she added an extra long "heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy."

At this point, she said, "Hey everybody, how's it goin'?" and we all cheered and screamed. I can't remember word for word what she said exactly but I will do my best to ad-lib: "So I haven't seen some of you guys in a while. When we were planning this tour the promoters didn't want me to do multiple nights in one city except for in New York and Los Angeles because well, blah, blah, blah but I said, 'Sure, but that doesn't count for Washington!" The crowd went wild and she continued, "So I know most of you are friends here and that's good. How are you and your parents and your cousins and your in-laws? I missed you guys and, well, I love you!"

Zooming into Take to the Sky she slapped her right hand on the piano and played with her left like she usually does. Since she started playing solo shows again Take to the Sky has became fairly standard so I wasn't very excited about hearing it, however, I was stupid. Take to the Sky was most definitely a highlight of the night for me. The amount of energy Tori put into playing that song was brilliant and, yet again, I was in awe. I had read a review from one of the previous concerts where somebody had written you can actually *feel* the low notes radiate in your chest and that is 100% accurate. I hadn't expected that but, my God, it literally took my breath away and my breath had all ready been taken from me since the beginning of the show! However, my complete favorite part of the song was when she started bellowing, "If you don't like me just a little why do you..." and she repeated that like once or twice and then she finally held the "you" and screamed it for a while. Bringing her voice down a few octaves, breathy and dark she sang, "take it, take it, take it...boys, why do you take it, take it, take it." Amazing!!

Never taking a moment to pause between songs, Tori fiddled with her piano for a moment or two and after a while I recognized the melody of the song, but I was certain I was mistaken. I wasn't. I think the crowd was too shocked to scream or holler when she began Daniel. I know I was but, yet, I was so grateful to hear it. I love how tender she plays that song and how meaningful it comes out. Beautiful isn't really the word, it's a few notches above that. She could have burped into the microphone for the rest of the night for all I cared. Five songs into the concert and I was totally and utterly satisfied and content with my first Tori solo concert experience.

For the next song she was going to perform she added an intro, with deep, heavy bass keys. What she was singing sounded like, "You can tell me it's over and I know you know that it's not...You can tell me whatever you want..." I was sure she was going to play Doughnut Song but instead Tori began Spring Haze. I had really wanted to hear this one so, again, I had this overwhelming feeling of content and satisfaction wash over me. Spring Haze is a lot more powerful solo than I thought it was going to be. I was ready for her to start belting her words out when she made her transition into the "Ut-oh" chorus but she didn't. She began the chorus slowly then built up the intensity until at the end of the chorus she was hitting the high, loud notes, which were all wonderful tonight!

Concertina was the first song of the night I didn't care for. Don't misunderstand me, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something I wanted to hear. Honestly, I don't like the new arrangement she has for that song. Sometimes it is hard to hear the Kurtz and while she plays both that and the Bosendorfer for the entire song it takes a lot out of the song...well for me, anyways. Usually the piano melody for Concertina has a strong tone and tonight it was muted. The lights I remember being orange and sort of floating out into the crowd.

Leather popped its head out after Concertina was through but Tori apparently had made a mistake with her set list. She was hitting the one note, as always with the start of Leather, but stopped and said, "I just messed up my set list! I cannot see! Are there any doctors in here? I know there must be like 27 hundred doctors here! Can you help me? I cannot see anything. I want to play another song first. Don't worry I will still play Leather but I want to play this little song, which I enjoy very much, and you, of all people, should understand it." When Tori stopped playing a song because it didn't follow the setlist I was very surprised. I know how she speaks about how she can't let a setlist control what she plays. I was taken aback when she was worried about following the setlist. Anyways, the song she opted to play instead was Enjoy the Silence, another one of my favorites off the new ablum. The piano had much more of a presence live than it does on the studio version. There was also an echo added to the sound of the piano for this song. Her voice became rough and breathy. It wasn't a highlight for me but I took great pleasure in hearing her play this.

*Now* it was Leather's turn! I have never seen Tori perform this before and I didn't realize how into this song the crowd became. She crossed her legs and kind of fiddle faddled around with her body to fit the mood of the song, playful like. I was especially fond of the piano solo.

I had no idea what to expect next. She had finished with most of the songs that have become regulars on this tour. This Old Man was not something I had ever expected to hear at a Tori concert and it was so cool! I'll admit I don't understand how she can become so passionate over that song but it is fun to watch! She was hopping up and down out of her stool, shaking her hips; at one point of the song she actually growled the word "ten." She almost made the song dirty. Far-fetched but I wouldn't anticipate anything less from Tori!

This Old Man was almost an intro for Lust, which I had also wanted to hear. I'm telling you I was having a wonderful night! She hit a lot of lower notes on the keyboard, unlike on the studio recording. Also, before the last verse she sang, "remember, remember, I think it's time you remembered who you really are, remember, remember, don't you think it's time? Don't you think so? remember, remember..." I have only seen her with the band so all of this improvisation and spontaneity was a real treat!

Walking over to her "wurly" for the first time in the night, she told us the usual Country Joe + Fish/Woodstock story. After which, she played low notes and drew out the following: "chains, chains, I can feel those chains, can't you feel the chains?, we are in chains, yes, chains, chains..." It was so striking; it was the perfect opening for Crucify, which was totally redone on the wurly. The organ like tone of the wurly gave Crucify a more layered sound, which was more melancholy but also hopeful at the same time. I can't explain it -- it's just how I felt when listening to it. Almost like I know that some tough stuff has happened but there is hope at the end, there always is. I prefer this version of Crucify to all others I've ever heard. Also, while singing the verses she drew out the end of every line. "Every finger in the room is pointing at me" and then she would draw out the me for a long while. "I want to spit in their faces, then I get afraid of what that would bring" and bring would be spread out vocally, etc...etc... It had an amazing effect on the song, though. The lighting for this song was low and deep purplish. At the end as she was howling, "NEVER GOIN' BACK!! NO WAY!! NEVER AGAIN!! NOOO!!" is when I gave up trying to fight it and tears streaked down my face for the first, but not the last, time tonight.

Tori pranced her way back to the Bosendorfer, sat down and rushed right into Jackie's Strength. I have mixed feelings about this song but I am glad she played it. The "if you love a lot" lines touched me more than usual and, in the end, it was worth hearing.

Having sung quite a few songs I knew the main set was almost over and I wasn't surprised when she picked up the microphone and sat directly facing the audience.Me and a Gun was coming; I knew this but I wasn't ready for it. I cannot even begin to describe what I was feeling when she was singing Me and a Gun. This was the first time I had ever experienced this and, again, it is something I will never forget. I should say that Me and a Gun never really affected me the way it affected other people. I knew it was a sad song and I knew that many a number of people found great solace, strength, and comfort with this song but I had never felt that way personally. I'm an 18-year-old boy, who has never had to deal with anything as traumatic and life altering as rape. I respect Tori for singing it, I have great admiration for every thing Tori as done as a result of being so honest and I feel nothing but total reverence of Tori and Me and a Gun because of these reasons but I have *never* felt anything like I did tonight. The second Tori breathed, "5am" everything stopped -- I mean everything stopped. People ceased to move in their seats, people coming in and out of the exits stood still, no one said a word, no one cheered, no one hollered...everything came to a halt. It was so silent. I would bet you Tori had the attention of every single person in that hall. The atmosphere was frigid, artic even, and the silence only intensified that. Not a peep was uttered. I do not know how to explain how quiet this place was. It was so still. Some people did take pictures at the very start of the song but that immediately stopped. You could actually feel the harsh honesty coming at you. This was so unexpected for me and so out of the blue that it really hit me. I was frozen because that's how it seemed everyone else was. I was numb. Literally, I was numb. Never have I felt anything like this...never.

As soon as Me and a Gun ended we applauded her. Because of this experience I have a much better perception of why I revere Tori and a new found knowledge of why I connect with her music the way I do.

Tori did allow a few seconds before returning to the piano. I did not know what to expect but when she began Baker, Baker I lost it -- I totally lost it. Tonight was the third time I have watched Tori perform Baker, Baker. This may sound very idiotic to a bunch of people but I, literally, felt blessed (that isn't the right word but I cannot think of another to take its place) to be sitting in my seat. This is a concert review and not a journal entry so I won't begin to write what an effect Baker, Baker has had on my life but that is *my* Tori song. I don't mean that as in I "own" the song. It's more like Baker, Baker is *the* Tori song for me. I can relate to every single line in that song and everytime I listen to that song I truly feel like I have been given a piece of wholeness, a piece of something I could never have had before. To have heard that song for the third time live!! Could I be any luckier? My favorite song three times? Every tour I have seen Tori on -- Plugged, 5.5 Weeks and this one -- I have seen her perform that song. I just cannot explain how much this meant to me. I wasn't hysterical crying, I wasn't bent over sobbing, but there were plenty of tears streaming down my face. I just cannot believe I am that lucky to have heard my all time favorite song live for the 3rd time. An interesting note about this song: the lights were the brightest they had been all night. The whole stage was lit up very strongly and it backwashed on the audience. Stunning...

During the first encore I recovered from Baker, Baker. Tori played two songs I did not like very much. First up was Purple People, which was pretty and the stage was bathed in purple light (in fact, a good number of the songs had purple lighting -- definitely more than half) but I just didn't care for it that much. I did like how when she sung, "thunder wishes it could be the snow" the word snow would echo and the piano would still be playing. The vocals and the piano together were beautiful. The second song for the first encore was Pandora's Aquarium. Eh. One of my least favorite Tori songs ever but there is some amazing piano solos included with that song and I had the benefit of listening to them.

The second encore was much better. She started off with Never Seen Blue, which was another song I had wanted to hear! A great b-side and Tori is so gentle while singing that song, which is a side of Tori I don't think we really get to see that much. Following that, Tori strolled over to the wurly. I was hoping we were going to hear Cool On Your Island but, instead, she began Playboy Mommy. I wasn't aware that she sung Playboy Mommy on the wurly on this tour so I was a little surprised. With the wurly, Playboy Mommy tones down a little bit and the focus is more on Tori's vocals than on the music. I don't care for this version of Playboy Mommy but listening to Tori's breathy singing made the song great. Last song of the night: Hey Jupiter. This was done, for the most part. on the Kurtz. I wasn't aware she played Hey Jupiter on the Kurtz, either, so another surprise for me. During the "ooooo" sections of the song she played both the Bosendorfer and the Kurtz but you couldn't really tell the difference when she played both instruments as compared to when she just played the Kurtz. She did sing the 3rd verse (thought I knew myself so well...) and I was hoping that she was going to sing Hey Jupiter in its entirety. The last lines (Are you safe? Now we're through) make the so much better for me. However, she ended with a tender "hey Jupiter..." and walked off stage to roars of delight and thanks.

The one and only negative comment I have about this concert was all of the camera flashes! ARGH!! Okay, I can understand a picture here and a picture there but, Jesus, every three seconds somebody was taking a picture. Wild, white flashes coming out of nowhere are distracting as all hell and there were three and four of them at a time. Not that it made the concert bad in any way, just very, very annoying...

I had no idea I was going to write this much when I started this but, like I have said a hundred times, this is something I'll never forget. What a night and the best part is I still have three concerts to go!! WoW!!

From Diana

Added Oct 14, 2001 - After walking the streets for a long period of time, my date and I finally came accross DAR Constitution Hall. We had to wait in line as security checked peoples bags for cameras, (which didn't seem to stop too many people....I regret not bringing mine) and then finally ventured into warmth among the masses. The fantastic thing about this venue is that it only seats 3000 people so no matter where you sit, you're in a good spot. The last time I saw Tori, which was three years ago, (three days before I joined the Navy) I could only see Tori's red hair and that was about it. I was going to make up for it this time with seats thirteen rows back from the stage. After '97 Bonnie & Clyde, Tori came out, motioned a "Thank you" to the crowd and then stated, "Since most of you are friends , I hope your families are doing well. I'm sorry I haven't written.....I'm crap." She sat down at her piano, commenced with a very long intro that turned into Icicle. Her musical companions that night were her piano, and keyboard, and honestly, it was far more riveting than any backup band, or orchestra could ever accomplish. I don't believe that one single person could not be touched by her sound. I had hoped to stick around the venue after the concert in hopes that luck would come my way, and I could finally thank Tori in person for such an inspiration she has been in my life. However, hunger had set in on my date. For three years that I have been in the Navy, I have thought, or listened to her music to get me through the rough points. Apparently it has had an effect upon myself since I have only 10 months to go. I would say to any person reading this that has toyed with the idea of seeing Tori but lives near a sold out venue; call the ticket brokers, talk to the scalpers, do whatever you have to do to see Tori. It might not be the same since I was part of her hometown crowd, but let me tell you, you'll be glad you spent the money in the long run!

From TURTELLHEAD

Added Oct 14, 2001 - I have been a Tori fan for years. This was my 5th time seeing her. The first time I ever saw Tori was at Warner Theater in DC on her Under the Pink tour. She was amazing. I think that this show would have to be ranked up there as one of my favorites. I just simply love when she plays with her and her piano only.

The Oct 6th show had so many great songs played. My favorite was when she performed Take to the Sky. I have never heard her perform that song live. It was amazing. I also loved the "whirly" that she brought along on this tour. I have heard Tori perform Crucify many times before but when she played her (Crucify) on the whirly. I had chills all over my body. You know I have always said that over the President or even the pope.... the #1 person who I would love to meet in my lifetime would have to be Tori. She is one of the most amazing individuals ou there. I just know that my expectations would be met. I can't wait to see her again soon!

From tony t.

Added Oct 15, 2001 - hello fellow toriphiles in cyber land

First i need and want to thank everyone at the meet and greet who helped me get alittle closer to the baracades... YOU WERE ALL SO NICE... and because of you i had my first chance to meet and talk to tori-- for those of you standing next to me that might remember I was the dimwit who said something like "your talking to me... your really talking to me" in which tori replys "thats what we do here". WOW. (a special hello to berry, and the other girls standing around me and a few of those really nice boys-- how yall doing)

This was my fourth tori show and it was amazing to see it with just Ms. Amos and her keyboards. And if it wasn't for my friend Jeff i would not have had the seats i had-- i forget what the seat number was... i think i was in row N. Anyways.. I was eerily suprised by B&C... amazed by the lighting... did anyone else notice that like as soon as the girl gets thrown in the water the lights fade alittle-- its almost like the lights dictate how alive she is-- or am i just like slow and thats a totally Duh where have you been comment??

Anyways...

So than she went into Icicle... WHAT?? Seeing as how UTP is my most fave tori album... I must admit i had no qualms hearing this song at all... Actually i was so happy i could have splooged me pants :) She sounded amazing... of course.

I am just gonna skip around from here-- cause everyone else has reviewed the concert...

Daniel was the most amazing suprise-- to hear that song in DC at this time in the nations history... i felt blessed.

M&AG... was such an intense thing for me cause i had never heard it live before and i can't press the skip button you know-- so i went somewhere else when i was lsitening but it was amazing to hear it and to see her perform it-- i have never expierienced such an intese concert moment, ever.

I think thats it for my review-- Once again to all the amazing people i met thankyou, you added to my concert expierience and my first trip to the capitol... lots of luvs and hugs

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

as always, a great show!!

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

Review by pdjennings

hi all glad you all dug my pager idea. it was fun to think it would hit the board while she's still playing it!

Great show.... hello to everyone I saw (or my mom saw!).

I won't do a play by play cuz we're all getting used to that.... but I will say that Daniel knocked me on my ass. When i sent the page in, I swear i must have stuck about 25 (!)'s after it!

Acoustics were GREAT in this place..... we were 8th row center.... couldn't ask for better.

The only sucky thing about tonight was THE FUCKED UP SECURITY. Christ... they were running around harassing EVERYONE for N-O-T-H-I-N-G. This one snotty bitch (sorry) was making everyone in the row stand up so she could see if anyone had a camera. Later, she walked by & got all pissy cause I had my pager in my hand. Ugh.

Anyway.... all in all.... a wunnerful night. See you all tomorrow night again!! We're giving the pager thing another go 'round!!

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

Review by bluebelle

hey all!

wow.

again, wow.

This was my first Tori concert, and it was incredible! First off, those of you who have seats numbered 102 at DAR tomorrow, you're in for a fab concert no matter what she plays. It completely feels like she's looking at you the whole time! It's intoxicating, I swear. You get all these little winks and gestures that nobody else sees!!!

I was shaking during B&C...now i know why she did that. wow.

Icicle was wonderful. That girl still knows how to get frisky with the bosie... I really never believed it until I saw it...

Fashion mavens note: Sheer green top thing with leafy things attatched n' satiny champaigne colored pants under green skirt/pants/thing. Black shoes, pointy.

Enjoy the Silence was beautiful....she said, after starting Leather, "you know, I just screwed up my setlist. I can't read. Maybe i need glasses. Listen, you guys will get to hear leather, she's always there, but first I want to play this, because you guys understand it better than anyone." and she played Enjoy the Silence. And it was so gorgeous.

So maybe it wasn't the b-side studded extravaganza that everyone expected...but I was honestly and truly blown away...the only song I didn't like was her mixed up version of Jupiter....but it's Pele....and I love Pele....

I just love Tori. And I love all the Denters I met tonite!

Just a note: She played purple people b/c the DC Toriphile group is named Purple People, and at the M&G, their name was really big on the card everyone gave her, and she looked at it and said, "hmmm."

so yeah, this was fantastic.

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

Review by bloodyrosemary

I was very impressed with Bonnie and Clyde, it was far more theatrical, more like a monologue in a drama than a song. Also she started leather then decided to play enjoy the silnence instead, had funny little blurb about not being able to see, needing a doctor, there were 27 doctors in the house? I thought icicle was great, the added little humming song thing and the intensity. She had so much energy and was so focused on every note.

The security was bitchy, kept talking about how we were lucky they were even performing in DC and how police didn't want them to go on with things.. but I must say there was a lot of flash photography going on in the front, very distracting.

the improv to spring haze was slow and steady and haunting, almost a whispered hush, she played one note i think and sang "i know i know, you're right behind my ear, right behind me, behind my ear, i knw i know" something like that? than begun "Well I know it's just a spring haze"...

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

Review by Violet Night

OK you guys I have to say out of all the shows I've been to this was THE BEST!!!!!!! OMG DANIEL!!! It was so beautiful. She didnt do Siren but she made it up by doing Never Seen Blue, I almost pissed my pants. I started sobbing on Me and a Gun, so amazing. Concertina was wonderful. Rattlesnakes sooooooo beautiful. Enjoy the Silence was even better than the album. Then she did Hey Jupiter, now this song used to be my closest friend, I mean the song I told all my deepest darkest secrets to, then lately we've lost touch, well tonight when she plkayed it, we found each other again. IT was like, WOW long time no see... so now she's back in my life and I feel all warm and fuzzy again. We're gonna go have tea now....

I've never seen Tori look so beautiful. I'm sure everyone already talked about what she said and what she wore so I wont get into all that. I mean I havent read the other posts because I couldnt wait to share so if not then I'll post it tomorrow.

I met some cool people waiting to go in, I know one of their names was Daniel, I forget the girls names sorry. But he had reddish hair and we talked about my new friend Chuck the rat who was hiding under the bushes...... so um if you guys read this (i dont know if they're on the boards or not) EMAIL ME!!

I bought SO much stuff I'm broke now but thats OK
I got the Beanie Hat, the Satin Worship shirt, the baby doll tee, the bleu shirt with the twins, a tour program and both necklaces.

OK im gonna go now...Tori, thank you for tonight, thank you for everything you are!

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

Review by WaterColor Stain

First of all, I have to say I had an absolutely wonderful-mesmorizing time-not just because of Tori of course, but because of the wonderful people I met and hung out with during the day! Hello to Dawn, Maryam, Berry, Tony, David, Your Nose, and MIKEWHY!

This was my first Tori show and meet & greet, and although I didn't meet her or get anything signed (by about 2 people) I did get some fabulous pictures!!!

When the show started I could stop crying. I cried all the way through to Rattlesnakes and then I told myself to shut-up so I could see her without being all blurry.

She was perfect....her voice was amazing and the set list was pretty good, especially the encores. My favorites included Icicle, Never Seen Blue, Baker Baker, Pandora's Aquarium, and Hey Jupiter. I would've loved to hear more from Pele...but for my 1st concert of 2...I am thoroughly pleased and looking forward to tomorrow!

Oh and Rufus kicked so much ass! I loved him...and I totally converted my boyfriend into a Tori person. yay!

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

Review by dewdropfaerie

it was amazing.

baker baker made me sob.. (sentimental), my best friend is converted (so is my lil sister), but not the boyfriend. hehe..

tomorrow my mom and I will be in row F orchestra. im not sure the seats, tonight we were in EE orch, awesome venue.. beautiful show.. will never forget it.
Everyone has already said it.. but wow.. Daniel...

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

Review by king virtue

Just got back from the tori concert. I must say it was the most peaceful/curtious concert I've ever been to! I met so many cool people.

Tori's set was really good. I really enjoyed it. A few of my favorite peroframces were "This Old Man" (especially when she went off with the 'This old man he played ten' part), "Crucify", "Icicle" and "Rattlesnakes"

this was my first tori concert and one thing that really stuck out in my mind was when Tori sung "Me And A Gun". The room was so quiet you could hear the air/fans running, i'll bet you could've heard a pin drop.

this was really cool and i was amazed how well behaved everyone was.

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

Review by luminous

i am so content right now. after riding the metro with eviepants and asking a bunch of strangers how to get to constitution hall, we finally made it there and took our seats.

rufus wainright was cool. got me interested enough to want to buy a CD of his. he was cracking a lot of jokes and making the audience laugh.

i'm just going to spill out bits and pieces of the night.

bonnie and clyde was incredible. tori had so much power in her voice tonight. her presence was amazing.

take to the sky was very bass-y in the beginning and then toward the end she raised her voice an octave and sang the refrain beautifully. she knocked her hand against the piano and the audience clapped along.

baker baker sent chills down my spine and made me sob.

she played this old man, and when she reached "this old man, he played ten.." her voice got very loud and powerful and forceful and she almost sounded angry. it was funny to hear her scream "this old man, he played ten" like she was mad at the old man or something to that effect.. then she segued into lust, and it was absolutely perfect.

she played crucify on the wurlitzer (sp?) and the lighting on her face was beautiful. she changed around the melody a bit but stuck with how it traditionally goes during the refrain.

she made a funny comment about how she thinks she needs glasses because she can't read her setlist. she also said "you people would understand this more than anyone right now" and began to play enjoy the silence.

everyone was dead silent during me and a gun. i was so proud of us.

daniel was just gorgeous.

tori was wearing this light green dress thing with shimmery pants underneath (correct me if i'm wrong, i couldn't see that well) but in contrast to her red hair, it just made her look like a faery.

after the show, i went to the meet and greet area with eviepants and there i got to meet happyphantom, purplemonkey, nose, daisypetals, violetsuede, and a few others. coolingboimd and sniffinasharpie were actually in the box with me. we all took a bunch of pictures with each other, which will be posted soon, i'm sure.

it was a magical night....to be continued tomorrow.

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

Review by watrfae

The meet and greet had a smaller crowd than I thought. It was a little irritating because when we were told to move back, people stopped moving (I guess they knew where they would be first in the line) so those of us behind then had to walk around (the tour guy was yelling at us, and there was no other way to move) and squeeze between this tree, and tour bus. So I didn't even get a glimpse of Tori, but I did get to pass up my chapbook of poetry that I brought for her.
During all the walking around before the show (and the metro ride back) I met the following Dent'ers
Earthquakes
Piglet
Swirlsiren
Ophiliabywater (yay, I got her laminate to her on time!!!)
Boyforpele (thanks for keeping me awake on the metro.
I also ran into some friends, and ex, and had to hide from another ex. It's always like this for me at Tori shows.

So I had the WORST seats in the world, directly viewing the curtain, and not much else, but Tori still had enough presence to carry through. Rufus Weignright did a great set; he's got a really good stage presence.
We did get to see the stage set up, the coffee table with the pictures of 'strange little girl' 'raining blood' and 'rattlesnakes' are these pictures changing at each show.
I also got a great view of the light show, what they used to sweep the audience with really really pretty.
I also got to watch Mark mixing each song for Tori, he was working as hard as she was during each show, and just as into it.

Tori Set-List
~~~~~~~~~~
97 Bonnie and Clyde
***This seemed much faster than the CD version, almost angry.
Icicle
***Very Long intro. I guess like she has done at the other shows
Rattlesnakes
***after this song she chatted about how she had to do 2 dc shows, and that we are all friends, and that she hoped all our friends and family were OK.
Take to the Sky
*** did she add in the line "you can fool yourself?" I'm so out of it I can't even remember the original but I made a note of it during the concert.
Daniel
*** I think that's the name of the song, is it an Elton John cover?
Spring Haze
*** a really neat intro.
Concertina
Leather intro.-then she talks about fucking up the song, needing glasses and how there must be 2,000 doctors in the house...she then says something along the lines of "I am sure you really need this song, I think you guys just get it"
Enjoy the Silence
Leather
This Old Man
*** whoa- is all I have to say
Lust
**then she talks about her whurlie being from country joe fish
Crucify
**this is done on the whurlie, much slower... I really liked it. The 'never going back' almost improv part was amazing
Jackie's Strength
Me & A gun
Baker Baker
~~*~~ Encore 1 ~~*~~
Purple People
Pandora
~~*~~ Encore 2 ~~*~~
Never Seen Blue
Playboy Mommy
Hey Jupiter

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

Review by therewasacatch

i can't write much because i've got to run but it was the 5th time i've seen tori and THE BEST. the crowd i thought was good- a lot of cheering but not a lot during the songs, and during MAAG it was dead silent.

Did anyone else think that this old man had the same feel as precious things during the DDI tour? i mean it was so intense it was almost scary.

Daniel had a long beautiful intro, i cried during icicle, and she looked incredible.

i was 3rd row center, piano side and it seemed like she was looking at me the whole time
it was SO WONDERFUL......mmmmm.....
and she payed never seen blue!!!!!!!!!
man it was so worth the drive up and back....

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

Review by weatherjeff

Just got back home to New York an hour ago. Last night's show as AMAZING (but what else would one expect it be?).

I met up with my friend, Tony, around 11:30 at Union Station. We arrived at the venue about an hour later and there were only about twenty people there for the M&G. The crowd slowly got larger but by the time Steve set up the barricades around 2:30 pm I would estimate there were still only about 50 people or so. Everyone seemed really civil at this M&G...but I just don't know what got over me. I kind of quietly slipped out of my place and decided to watch it from afar. I could have easily met Tori but I just don't know...it seemed like she was a piece of meat and that everyone wanted a piece of her (even though this one of the more polite M&Gs, so I have heard). Tori emerged around 3:30 pm wearing a funny shirt with a picture of a dog sown into it (it looked like felt material from where I was sitting). I thought it was funny because right after she came out, her hubby snuck in and no one seemed to notice...I wonder if they do that on purpose, lol. Tori seemed in good spirits, and stayed outside for about 20 minutes or so. Someone asked her to do Purple People...and she ended up doing it as everyone knows by now. My friend, Mike, asked her to do Butterfly and she said that she probably could not do it tonight because it will take some time to get the lighting right. But she said "maybe tomorrow" (that's awesome for all you lucky folks tonight...I have a feeling it will be played tonight). Tony asked her for "Spacedog" but she looked confused and said that she hasn't been around lately.

So it was over by 4 and then we met up with some fun people (randomly) for dinner in the mall. [Hey, Berry!] I think we pissed off at least one waiter in that place. But then he was replaced by another hot European one...so Tony and I didn't complain.

Then it was soon time for the show. The venue was really nice. I had awesome seats (8th row dead center) and my aisle ended up being the one with the most leg room. So Jeff was quite content.

Rufus came out at 8. Ehhh...I dunno how I feel about him. Songs were ok. Voice was ok. God, he is SOOO gay. He would be so much cuter if he cut that hair and washed! Tee hee. And damn him for getting that "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" song stuck in my head. Like a bad number from a musical... Well, maybe his stuff will grow on me by the time New York and Philly shows roll around.

Intermission was longer than I expected. So I took that opportunity to get a tour booklet and an SLG shirt. Program booklet is a rip off. Actually, I think most of the merchandise is a BIG rip this year. I mean, come on, THIRTY dollars for a t-shirt, FORTY-FIVE dollars for a long-sleeve t-shirt, and TEN dollars for a peice of string with a bead on it?!?! God, the country we live in...

So the goddess came out at 9:10. She was wearing this green "thing". Dress I guess you could say. Looked like pieces of sparkling sod were sewn into the chest part of the dress. Underneath looked like a gold slip-type dress. Both had slits up the side (she has got HOT legs!). Black high-heel shoes (I miss the Steve Madden sandals!). Hair was nice and curly. Oh yeah. And red.

Since I took good notes, here's a song-by-song:

'97 B&C: I thought the cd version was ten times more terrifying than Eminem's version. And I thought last night's version was ten times more terrifying than her cd version. 'Nuff said.

Icicle: Pretty much stuck to the script (thought she would give the same old speech about the "getting off" part, but no).

Rattlesnakes: My fave on SLG. My fave song in concert by far. Absolutely beautiful.

Take To The Sky: Knew either this or Sweet Dreams was coming. She added "you can fool youself" after "you can say it one more time" and "take it take it take it BOYSSSS-AHHHH" was interesting to say the least. With high heel up on the piano. Classic Tori.

Daniel: Well, THIS certainly was a pleasant suprise. Elton would have been proud (or maybe he wouldn't have been).

Spring Haze: Nice intro. Improv with lots of "don't tell me that it's over" etc.

Concertina: Standard.

Enjoy the Silence: Cute screwup when she began Leather first by accident. And the lighting guys were struggling to figure out what she was doing. Ha...and what was with asking if there were 2700 doctors in da house, cuz that is what she heard about DC? Well, I was SOOO happy when she did the higher octave in this song for "here in my arms".

Leather: Standard. The two syncopations in place as usual. Could have done without...

This Old Man: Pleasant. Everything was normal until she belt out the line with "ten". I think everyone was caught by suprise on that one.

Lust: Beautiful. Added "don't you think it's time?" right before the "remember remember remember..." part.

Crucify: I like the new version. Wurly adds something. Sad and slower. One may think some lyrics are repeated a bit much, however, it keeps it interesting somehow. And the improv at the end "never going back again...no way...uh-uh...no way...no matter what we go through...".

Jackie's Strenth: Standard.

Me And A Gun: I am sooo happy the audience was well-behaved. My friend said a cell phone went off but I didn't hear a THING. The curtain got caught on the "set"...crew was trying to get it off while she started MaaG but had little success. They eventually gave up on it. But I liked how it looked...looked messy, chaotic, unplanned and somehow fitting.

Baker Baker: This seemed soooo completely appropriate following M&AG. It acted like a follow-up story.

-- Encore 1 --

Purple People: Wish granted. I bet you there were some happy people in the audience after she whipped that one out.

Pandora's Aquairium: Interesting. Nice hand movements as she climbed the scale at the end.

-- Encore 2 --

Ok. It's cool for people to rush the stage or whatever so they can touch Tori's pinky finger or something when she is going off. If it is fine with her, then it's fine with me. But PLEASE PLEASE sit DOWN before she returns to the stage for the second encore. I couldn't believe my eyes when these people just stood there, even a couple MAKING OUT as she came back on and did NEVER SEEN BLUE!!!! Ok, ok, if it was Leather or some shit like that, then fine, run around naked on stage for all I care (I am being fecetious). But when a song such as NEVER SEEN BLUE is being played, PLEASE be respectful to Tori and to everyone else sitting behind you.

Never Seen Blue: WONDERFUL. Improv lyrics: "said, yes, I know it is time" and "I know you still believe in me". Wow...lots of references to time tonight and yet "Time" was not played. Heheh.

Playboy Mommy: AMAZING on the wurly. At first, I thought it was Cornflake Girl for some strange reason...sounded like the same key. I could feel the tears building... It was cool because this huge usher lady came out of NOWHERE and took out the crowd that was standing in the aisle in front of everyone.

Hey Jupiter: And then I lost it. Song will always remind me of someone. And the breakup that followed. It was amazing.

And THAT was THAT.

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

Review by Lin lin

I don't have all my thoughts collected yet on the concert--I am exhausted from the trip home and walking around D.C. forever and ever. The concert was amazing--everything I could have hoped for. Plus, I did meet such great people. Mikewhy and Novinha were soooo friendly and nice, and the first two people I recognized when I got to the DAR.

I had dinner with a group of denters and had a great time--I didn't get a chance to meet Tori as I got a little lost in Rockville trying to find the Metro Station, but I still made it to the concert nonetheless.

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

Review by UpsideDwnGirl

Hi Everybody,

This is my super-late posting of the 10/6 D.C. show... sorry I took so long! Driving back to State College, PA, just took all my energy.

I know Mike Why already posted the setlist, so here's my quick review:

Before the show began, security for the DAR Constitution Hall began moving the EWF on the tier around because Tori's set didn't let everyone see her well. Some of the luckies got to move to the front row!!!

Tori's outfit was really cute -- a green tunic over flowing pants with black Manolo Blahnik stilettos and green sequin wrist cuffs

97 B&C: Really amazing. I've been following the forum threads, so I knew what to expect. I really liked the purple lights in the background... purple was the perfect intense color for her tone. She had the B&C character up on the black netted curtain, with a white spotlight on the character as she sang. There were good effects, like the sound of slurping water ("spit"? "blood"?) in the beginning. Tori started to get really into the song, and she began to speed up too much. She had to add in a bunch of really intese "Me and My Daughter" refrains to get back to the music Her voice got really angry at the part where she tells her girl to put the knife down, just like a mommy would At the end, her voice was more desperate as they got to the pier. Oh, and the lights went yellow at the choruses. Perfect!!

Icicle, Rattlesnakes, and Take To The Sky were all wonderful. The audience really loved TTTS. Icicle had a white backcurtain up w/ beautiful blue lights, kinda like a spring day. The white curtain dropped after Icicle.

Can I just say how much I loved everyone sitting down and being respectful? There wasn't too much shouting and interupting at all!!

Daniel: OH, I was so happy! It made me get really into the show. Daniel has always been one of my favorite girls.

Spring Haze: The girl directly in front of me ( I was SecD, RowJ, Seat7) MADE A PHONE CALL here. She was talking back and forth to the person for a minute. Spring Haze was a very nice, beautiful song tonight, and having a bright, LCD-screened phone being used in front of me ticked me off. I tried to shrug it off, but I'm just gonna ask everyone to please not do that to anyone else at other shows! Please!

Concertina was such a nice girl to bring out next. I loved the orange lighting -- I always think of orange w/ Concertina

Tori Speaks: She apparently confused her setlist, b/c the lighting for Leather came up and she started playing the note, and then she stopped and said, "You know, I think I need glasses. I completely screwed up my setlist!!" Then she asked about doctors in the house, and said something about how much their salary is per year, and I don't know what all. Then she said, "Don't worry, I'll play Leather. She's always around." and smiled so prettily! Then Tori said that the audience understood the next song maybe more than anyone else. She said that when organizing the tour, she insisted that D.C. have more than one show b/c we all have friends, and they have friends, and she hopes that all our friends are okay. So cute and twisty, but we all knew what she was saying.

Enjoy the Silence was the girl she said we all understood so well. Perceptive Tori!

Leather, of course, was well received.

This Old Man was great. It started out as she would sing it to Tash, then developed in feeling until it was perfect for Lust. I felt like the two went together well, since TOM was for Tash, and Lust for Mark... kinda a Family Suite, no?

Tori introduced her Wurly next... showed off the exterior and mentioned its Woodstock roots (original Woodstock, she emphasized).

Crucify had its new "Chains" intro. I noticed that Crucify has become a more laid back girl. Tori only began to pound it out at Never Going Back Again, which was so fitting! This intese ending, plus the questioning, introspective beginning, worked with the family theme of TOM/Lust.

The white curtain from Icicle went back up for Jackie's Strength. Tori had extra reverb on the choruses, which helped convert JS from a band girl to a solo girl. Tori's so smart

Me And A Gun. Wow. Such a voice. The spotlights came in from the side to light up her hair, but they also shone directly on us!! I had to listen to her w/ my eyes closed, which was no problem. Would've liked to see her expressions tho. I'm pretty sure they didn't mean to do that tho, b/c I saw the set guys try to fix it.

I'd like to interupt my own commentary to mention that SOMEONE'S CELL PHONE WENT OFF HERE. Who leaves their ringer on during a Tori show?? And during MAAG?? ARGGHH!!!

Back to MAAG, Tori added an extra Carolina refrain, which was great -- my favorite part

Baker Baker: I've been longing to meet this girl in person for a while now. But not all of Baker Baker visited... Tori skipped the "I coulda/shoulda" part, and changed the "his turn this time" to "his time this time".

Encore 1:
Purple People made so many people so happy, I was happy for them (Hi Chrissy!)

Pandora's Aquarium was fab. I was surprised to see her, and it drove home Tori's family theme of the evening. I definitely got the sense that her "lost" girls were waving hello today.

Encore 2:
Never Seen Blue was a girl I wasn't expecting. It was nice!

Playboy Mommy: I'm very attached to this girl for a variety of reasons, and she made me cry. What can I say? I'm a silly. Tori played her on the Wurly with a green and red lighting backdrop. Again, I think Tori's girls were waving hello today.

Hey Jupiter: OH MY GODDESS. I thought for sure she'd close with Time. I was shocked, in that happy happy Tori-inspired way. She sang the ooos so hauntingly... more tears!

Meet And Greet:

Tori came out about 15 minutes after the show to say hello. I was struck at how thouroughly she listens to her EWF. I mean, if she's listening to you, nothing breaks her concentration. We got kinda silly in the back of the crowd, and sang Mr. Zebra to her. Hee hee!! She started conducting us Joel pretended to sing along, and she rolled her eyes at him (got a picture of it...watch the Dent for it)! Joel also lifted her up so the whole crowd could see her (she screeched in surprise). Thanks Joel!

That's my review!

Special thanks to Marianne, my personal photog, the bush that held her up as she shot pics, and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Room 730 EWFs: Tim, Andy, Jen, Scott, and Ray!

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

Review by AnotherPilot

WoW!! That is it. That sums everything up. WoW!! WoW!! WoW!! WoW!! and, well, WoW!! Seeing Tori solo and live was beyond any idea I had, any experience I thought was going to occur to me and beyond any of my greatest dreams. This is truly a night I will never, ever, ever forget.

I must say, before going any further, that Rufus Wainwright is an incredible musician. I hardly expected to be interested in his opening act but his set blew me away as well. I couldn't believe I had never listened or heard of any of his songs before! Actually, one of the songs he sang tonight was on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, a song I enjoy very, very much so it was a welcomed and pleasant surprise!!

With that said, Tori was...there are no words for it...she just *was* and that is everything I could have hoped for.

She began the night with 97' Bonnie and Clyde, like she has on all of the shows on this tour, and (if I type WoW!! again you'll probably stop reading this all together, huh?) the song was so much more angry, aggressive and succulent live. You could hear every breath; the sounds she made with her throat enveloped the song. Every whisper, slurp, syllable and noise was audible. Opposed to what the recording on Strange Little Girls the live version was vicious not desperate. When lines like, "Stay in your car seat, quit trying to climb out," came up she barked them out with vengeance. Truly incredible. It actually made me frightened. On the stage was a black curtain with shreds and holes on the top and middle portions while the bottom part of the curtain was solid black. On the right side of the curtain was a picture of the 97' Bonnie and Clyde character. Through the gaps the different colored lights washed over the enraptured audience.

After finishing 97' Bonnie and Clyde, Tori came on stage and the crowd went absolutely crazy. I mean *crazy*! Constitution Hall was nothing but a loud roar of claps and screams. When I thought the crowd couldn't become more vocal, Tori started playing the opening notes to Icicle and we showed our pleasure with raising the volume of our cheers. She added a lot of heeeee's between vocals, which was very cool. It elongated Icicle and you felt her passion even more. She was so into playing, though!! She stood up, flung her hair and pounded on her Bosendorfer! I was in heaven and Tori was jammin'! When she would finish a verse she would hit one high note and it would leave you hanging there for a while until she started doing her heeeeeee's again. I love how she can hit one note and make me feel shivers. She had the prettiest blue light shining on the stage for this song.

At this point, I was in awe. I couldn't believe I was watching Tori solo!! I was so happy I wanted to cry and I was so awed and amazed I wanted to jump out of my seat cheering.

The one thing that was themed throughout the concert was the feeling of being rushed, which didn't take away from the concert but it was something I noticed. As Tori flew out of one song, she would immediately start playing the next never giving me, or anyone else, a chance to catch our breath. As soon as Icicle was over she sat facing the audience and began playing both her Kurtz (I'm not sure if that is what it is called?) with her right hand and the Bosendorfer with her left. Right away I knew the song was Rattlesnakes. This is my second favorite song of the new album; I had really wanted to hear this and it was beautiful. Tori would play only the Bosendorfer for the "on the waterfront" chorus and there would be a three second pause between the verse she was singing and the chorus. I'm not sure if it was just me or if I'm weird or what but that tiny silence in the song added so much for me. It let me breathe in what I was listening to and what I was about to listen to. As the song closed, she added an extra long "heeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy."

At this point, she said, "Hey everybody, how's it goin'?" and we all cheered and screamed. I can't remember word for word what she said exactly but I will do my best to ad-lib: "So I haven't seen some of you guys in a while. When we were planning this tour the promoters didn't want me to do multiple nights in one city except for in New York and Los Angeles because well, blah, blah, blah but I said, 'Sure, but that doesn't count for Washington!" The crowd went wild and she continued, "So I know most of you are friends here and that's good. How are you and your parents and your cousins and your in-laws? I missed you guys and, well, I love you!"

Zooming into Take to the Sky she slapped her right hand on the piano and played with her left like she usually does. Since she started playing solo shows again Take to the Sky has became fairly standard so I wasn't very excited about hearing it, however, I was stupid. Take to the Sky was most definitely a highlight of the night for me. The amount of energy Tori put into playing that song was brilliant and, yet again, I was in awe. I had read a review from one of the previous concerts where somebody had written you can actually *feel* the low notes radiate in your chest and that is 100% accurate. I hadn't expected that but, my God, it literally took my breath away and my breath had all ready been taken from me since the beginning of the show! However, my complete favorite part of the song was when she started bellowing, "If you don't like me just a little why do you..." and she repeated that like once or twice and then she finally held the "you" and screamed it for a while. Bringing her voice down a few octaves, breathy and dark she sang, "take it, take it, take it...boys, why do you take it, take it, take it." Amazing!!

Never taking a moment to pause between songs, Tori fiddled with her piano for a moment or two and after a while I recognized the melody of the song, but I was certain I was mistaken. I wasn't. I think the crowd was too shocked to scream or holler when she began Daniel. I know I was but, yet, I was so grateful to hear it. I love how tender she plays that song and how meaningful it comes out. Beautiful isn't really the word, it's a few notches above that. She could have burped into the microphone for the rest of the night for all I cared. Five songs into the concert and I was totally and utterly satisfied and content with my first Tori solo concert experience.

For the next song she was going to perform she added an intro, with deep, heavy bass keys. What she was singing sounded like, "You can tell me it's over and I know you know that it's not...You can tell me whatever you want..." I was sure she was going to play Doughnut Song but instead Tori began Spring Haze. I had really wanted to hear this one so, again, I had this overwhelming feeling of content and satisfaction wash over me. Spring Haze is a lot more powerful solo than I thought it was going to be. I was ready for her to start belting her words out when she made her transition into the "Ut-oh" chorus but she didn't. She began the chorus slowly then built up the intensity until at the end of the chorus she was hitting the high, loud notes, which were all wonderful tonight!

Concertina was the first song of the night I didn't care for. Don't misunderstand me, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something I wanted to hear. Honestly, I don't like the new arrangement she has for that song. Sometimes it is hard to hear the Kurtz and while she plays both that and the Bosendorfer for the entire song it takes a lot out of the song...well for me, anyways. Usually the piano melody for Concertina has a strong tone and tonight it was muted. The lights I remember being orange and sort of floating out into the crowd.

Leather popped its head out after Concertina was through but Tori apparently had made a mistake with her set list. She was hitting the one note, as always with the start of Leather, but stopped and said, "I just messed up my set list! I cannot see! Are there any doctors in here? I know there must be like 27 hundred doctors here! Can you help me? I cannot see anything. I want to play another song first. Don't worry I will still play Leather but I want to play this little song, which I enjoy very much, and you, of all people, should understand it." When Tori stopped playing a song because it didn't follow the setlist I was very surprised. I know how she speaks about how she can't let a setlist control what she plays. I was taken aback when she was worried about following the setlist. Anyways, the song she opted to play instead was Enjoy the Silence, another one of my favorites off the new ablum. The piano had much more of a presence live than it does on the studio version. There was also an echo added to the sound of the piano for this song. Her voice became rough and breathy. It wasn't a highlight for me but I took great pleasure in hearing her play this.

*Now* it was Leather's turn! I have never seen Tori perform this before and I didn't realize how into this song the crowd became. She crossed her legs and kind of fiddle faddled around with her body to fit the mood of the song, playful like. I was especially fond of the piano solo.

I had no idea what to expect next. She had finished with most of the songs that have become regulars on this tour. This Old Man was not something I had ever expected to hear at a Tori concert and it was so cool! I'll admit I don't understand how she can become so passionate over that song but it is fun to watch! She was hopping up and down out of her stool, shaking her hips; at one point of the song she actually growled the word "ten." She almost made the song dirty. Far-fetched but I wouldn't anticipate anything less from Tori!

This Old Man was almost an intro for Lust, which I had also wanted to hear. I'm telling you I was having a wonderful night! She hit a lot of lower notes on the keyboard, unlike on the studio recording. Also, before the last verse she sang, "remember, remember, I think it's time you remembered who you really are, remember, remember, don't you think it's time? Don't you think so? remember, remember..." I have only seen her with the band so all of this improvisation and spontaneity was a real treat!

Walking over to her "wurly" for the first time in the night, she told us the usual Country Joe + Fish/Woodstock story. After which, she played low notes and drew out the following: "chains, chains, I can feel those chains, can't you feel the chains?, we are in chains, yes, chains, chains..." It was so striking; it was the perfect opening for Crucify, which was totally redone on the wurly. The organ like tone of the wurly gave Crucify a more layered sound, which was more melancholy but also hopeful at the same time. I can't explain it -- it's just how I felt when listening to it. Almost like I know that some tough stuff has happened but there is hope at the end, there always is. I prefer this version of Crucify to all others I've ever heard. Also, while singing the verses she drew out the end of every line. "Every finger in the room is pointing at me" and then she would draw out the me for a long while. "I want to spit in their faces, then I get afraid of what that would bring" and bring would be spread out vocally, etc...etc... It had an amazing effect on the song, though. The lighting for this song was low and deep purplish. At the end as she was howling, "NEVER GOIN' BACK!! NO WAY!! NEVER AGAIN!! NOOO!!" is when I gave up trying to fight it and tears streaked down my face for the first, but not the last, time tonight.

Tori pranced her way back to the Bosendorfer, sat down and rushed right into Jackie's Strength. I have mixed feelings about this song but I am glad she played it. The "if you love a lot" lines touched me more than usual and, in the end, it was worth hearing.

Having sung quite a few songs I knew the main set was almost over and I wasn't surprised when she picked up the microphone and sat directly facing the audience. Me and a Gun was coming; I knew this but I wasn't ready for it. I cannot even begin to describe what I was feeling when she was singing Me and a Gun. This was the first time I had ever experienced this and, again, it is something I will never forget. I should say that Me and a Gun never really affected me the way it affected other people. I knew it was a sad song and I knew that many a number of people found great solace, strength, and comfort with this song but I had never felt that way personally. I'm an 18-year-old boy, who has never had to deal with anything as traumatic and life altering as rape. I respect Tori for singing it, I have great admiration for every thing Tori as done as a result of being so honest and I feel nothing but total reverence of Tori and Me and a Gun because of these reasons but I have *never* felt anything like I did tonight. The second Tori breathed, "5am" everything stopped -- I mean everything stopped. People ceased to move in their seats, people coming in and out of the exits stood still, no one said a word, no one cheered, no one hollered...everything came to a halt. It was so silent. I would bet you Tori had the attention of every single person in that hall. The atmosphere was frigid, artic even, and the silence only intensified that. Not a peep was uttered. I do not know how to explain how quiet this place was. It was so still. Some people did take pictures at the very start of the song but that immediately stopped. You could actually feel the harsh honesty coming at you. This was so unexpected for me and so out of the blue that it really hit me. I was frozen because that's how it seemed everyone else was. I was numb. Literally, I was numb. Never have I felt anything like this...never.

As soon as Me and a Gun ended we applauded her. Because of this experience I have a much better perception of why I revere Tori and a new found knowledge of why I connect with her music the way I do.

Tori did allow a few seconds before returning to the piano. I did not know what to expect but when she began Baker, Baker I lost it -- I totally lost it. Tonight was the third time I have watched Tori perform Baker, Baker. This may sound very idiotic to a bunch of people but I, literally, felt blessed (that isn't the right word but I cannot think of another to take its place) to be sitting in my seat. This is a concert review and not a journal entry so I won't begin to write what an effect Baker, Baker has had on my life but that is *my* Tori song. I don't mean that as in I "own" the song. It's more like Baker, Baker is *the* Tori song for me. I can relate to every single line in that song and everytime I listen to that song I truly feel like I have been given a piece of wholeness, a piece of something I could never have had before. To have heard that song for the third time live!! Could I be any luckier? My favorite song three times? Every tour I have seen Tori on -- Plugged, 5.5 Weeks and this one -- I have seen her perform that song. I just cannot explain how much this meant to me. I wasn't hysterical crying, I wasn't bent over sobbing, but there were plenty of tears streaming down my face. I just cannot believe I am that lucky to have heard my all time favorite song live for the 3rd time. An interesting note about this song: the lights were the brightest they had been all night. The whole stage was lit up very strongly and it backwashed on the audience. Stunning...

During the first encore I recovered from Baker, Baker. Tori played two songs I did not like very much. First up was Purple People, which was pretty and the stage was bathed in purple light (in fact, a good number of the songs had purple lighting -- definitely more than half) but I just didn't care for it that much. I did like how when she sung, "thunder wishes it could be the snow" the word snow would echo and the piano would still be playing. The vocals and the piano together were beautiful. The second song for the first encore was Pandora's Aquarium. Eh. One of my least favorite Tori songs ever but there is some amazing piano solos included with that song and I had the benefit of listening to them.

The second encore was much better. She started off with Never Seen Blue, which was another song I had wanted to hear! A great b-side and Tori is so gentle while singing that song, which is a side of Tori I don't think we really get to see that much. Following that, Tori strolled over to the wurly. I was hoping we were going to hear Cool On Your Island but, instead, she began Playboy Mommy. I wasn't aware that she sung Playboy Mommy on the wurly on this tour so I was a little surprised. With the wurly, Playboy Mommy tones down a little bit and the focus is more on Tori's vocals than on the music. I don't care for this version of Playboy Mommy but listening to Tori's breathy singing made the song great. Last song of the night: Hey Jupiter. This was done, for the most part. on the Kurtz. I wasn't aware she played Hey Jupiter on the Kurtz, either, so another surprise for me. During the "ooooo" sections of the song she played both the Bosendorfer and the Kurtz but you couldn't really tell the difference when she played both instruments as compared to when she just played the Kurtz. She did sing the 3rd verse (thought I knew myself so well...) and I was hoping that she was going to sing Hey Jupiter in its entirety. The last lines (Are you safe? Now we're through) make the so much better for me. However, she ended with a tender "hey Jupiter..." and walked off stage to roars of delight and thanks.

The one and only negative comment I have about this concert was all of the camera flashes! ARGH!! Okay, I can understand a picture here and a picture there but, Jesus, every three seconds somebody was taking a picture. Wild, white flashes coming out of nowhere are distracting as all hell and there were three and four of them at a time. Not that it made the concert bad in any way, just very, very annoying...

I had no idea I was going to write this much when I started this but, like I have said a hundred times, this is something I'll never forget. What a night and the best part is I still have three concerts to go!! WoW!!

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

Review by Melanie (PurpleMonkey)

This show was so incredibly amazing. Icicle really affected me. More highlights for me were Rattlesnakes, Daniel, Spring Haze, This Old Man, Crucify, and Never Seen Blue. I didn't like how some people came up to the stage when Never Seen Blue came on because it was distracting.

When she did Icicle, I just about lost it. I'm serious I almost fainted.

I love how powerful Tori's performances are and how she is so into it. The way she's doing this tour with the diverse setlists and her solo reminds me of the earlier shows, but I think these are even better because she has so many more songs to choose from. I think we are all really blessed she is doing so many rarities and b-sides. What a treat!

Rattlesnakes is one of my personal SLG favorites. I agree with people saying when she pauses right before the chorus and on the Bose it made it more powerful.

It was so cool to have met all the dent people! It really made the experience so much more fun for me and Jesse to meet some fellow Tori people like us. Now, I can associate an actual real person with posts! Tori fans are so nice.

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

Review by fufuu

alright so my reviews a little late but i havent had time to write one until now.
97 Bonnie and Clyde -
this was definitely the recorded version. i dont care what anyone says lol
Icicle -
this one was really powerful and i wouldnt have asked to hear this one but i'm glad she did.
Rattlesnakes -
definitely the highlight of the night. very different and much prettier than the album version. the piano part was just classic. was so happy to hear this i almost cried. hehhee
Take to the Sky -
in this one where the recorded version says 'what you dont like' she said 'come on now' and ' you can fool yourself' it was good
Daniel -
i wouldnt have ever *dreamed* she would play daniel, i wanted to cry. its one of my faves and when i heard the intro i really thought i was hearing things and i said 'no way it cant be......... IT IS!!!!' lol
Spring Haze -
cool intro saying 'dont tell me this' or something. powerful
Concertina -
neat.
Leather INTRO -
started to play leather and said she couldnt see. and said you guys understand this song better than anyone else right now.. (into enjoy the silence)
Enjoy the Silence -
wonderful! so much better than the album version. much more alive and the piano was almost as beautiful as rattlesnakes. near the end she sang the 'all i ever wanted' part in a high note. loved it.
Leather - eh could have lived without this one too
This Old Man -
pretty short, but exciting
Lust -
beautifulllllll
Crucify -
other highlight of the night. so different than i have ever heard it before. slower and prettier.
Jackie's Strength -
beautifullll again lol
Me & A gun -
so powerful. there was this light glaring from behind her and it was soo bright and as she sang it got brighter and if you were on the left side of the stage up in the seats, it looked like the light was vibrating around her. very cool glad she did it.
Baker Baker -
almost cried but contained myself lol
~~*~~ Encore 1 ~~*~~
Purple People -
very cool. glad she played it!!!
Pandora's Aquarium -
nicely done.
~~*~~ Encore 2 ~~*~~
Never Seen Blue - JUST beautiful and near the end she said 'you can see through me...' *sigh*
Playboy Mommy - wonderfulll
Hey Jupiter - so i couldnt contain myself during this one and a tear escaped lol
she played the third verse, and did a LOT of hoo hooing.(which i lovee) sooo powerful and emotional. i loved ittt!!

After show: went into the lounge part, she came out after 20 minutes. and i have to say. in pictures and on tv and even on stage she looks like she would be taller or at least have broader shoulders. but she was no taller than i am, (5'3, 115 pds). and she was a little skinnier. i thought her hands and hips would be bigger too. but she was very miniature and looked very young. took some pics with her. and when i hugged her it was like hugging a little bag of bones. she was so cute with her white skin and soft auburn hair that smelled fruity. she smelled a mix of fruit and sweat lol. and it was a privelage staring into those transparent crystal clear green eyes of hers, telling her it was SO nice to meet her. again, wonderful to meet someone thats in such full bloom as her.
*floating awayyy...*

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

Review by YourFace

The D.A.R. Constitution Hall was beautiful, but apparently Tori told them to turn the A/C off and I talked to the building manager and it was 82 degrees in there on Saturday. I don't know how hot it got on Sunday, but I was more prepared for it. Especially on Saturday, I was SO hot and uncomfortable that I had a hard time really listening and enjoying the show. I had jeans on and had them hiked up to my knees and I had my shirt undone, but I just wish they could have done SOMETHING to cool it off there. Maybe they should have just made it REALLY cold before the show and up until the time Tori came on and then turn it off...or open the doors or something.

Also, leave your friggin cell phones and cameras in your car! It REALLY got on my nerves that I heard several cell phones ring and saw lots of pointless and rude flash photography going on. I can see bringing your camera if you were in one of the front rows and could turn off the flash, but otherwise SPARE ME!

I also want to add that although I have complained that I don't like Rufus Wainwright's voice very much, he is obviously VERY talented and writes wonderful lyrics and melody. I couldn't get many of his songs out of my head. His stories were cute too. Not that it matters because I want him to do whatever makes him happy, but I agree that he looks better with short hair. I also really like the french stuff because it reminds me of when Melanie and I took a car trip around Quebec and listened to the songs on the radio.

Finally...my thoughts on the songs...

97' Bonnie and Clyde
* I like the way she does this with the ripped curtain and lights and the picture from the CD. It looks like water and the light pulsing on the picture is kinda like the mother's heart beating even though she is dead. It was chilling, but would be even more chilling if I had never heard it before.

Icicle
* THANK YOU TORI! This has always been one of my favorites. This was the best version I have ever heard.

Rattlesnakes
* THANK YOU TORI! This is my current favorite SLG. I feel a little ignorant about Simone De Beauvoir and Eve Marie Sainte because I don't understand the references, but I did pick up a Simone De Beauvoir book at Emilie's house and spent 30 seconds trying to understand what it would mean for a woman to read it. I need some help here. Also, the line about her never-born child chills me in the same way that Northern Lad and Playboy Mommy do. I think this song is for anyone who has been hurt before or has seen others hurt in relationships and is afraid to let go of fear and let love in.

Take to the Sky
* OMG! I don't think I have EVER heard this live but when I got a tape of it years ago, I loved having my ass kicked over and over ever time I heard it. For me, it's about wanting to be desired and being afraid of rejection. It's about thinking about leaving when you desperately want to stay.

Daniel
* OMG! I NEVER thought I would hear this song live. This song is SO beautiful. I can't wait to hear a boot!

Concertina
* This was NOT one of my favorite songs from TVAB, but
it was WONDERFUL tonight. I liked how she kept repeating the line "I've got a fever above my waist, you got a squeezebox on your knee". I also feel this song as vulnerability. It's about having intense desire and being afraid of rejection or feeling at home in a storm.

Spring Haze
* I LOVE this song. I feel like it's about how we are afraid to face our problems and we sometimes feel like giving up even though we know if we don't deal with our problems that we will never be happy.

Enjoy the Silence
* This is my other favorite song off SLG. Again, it's extremely personal. I am a sensitive person, so I have a hard time dealing with myself when people are critical of me. I am working on that. I like the contrast between "words are meaningless and unforgettable" and "words are meaningless and forgettable". I love how this song shows how much words can hurt and that the damage that is done when you say harsh words to someone can't be easily undone, even if you didn't mean to say it. It makes me want to be a kinder person and to watch what I say to people because I don't want to create wounds that may never heal. And again, it shows how no matter how much you have been hurt, you can put it all behind you and accept love.

Leather
* Fun! If you aren't being honest and real, what's the point?

This Old Man
* Holy Sh*t! I have seen other people react the same way to this. I think I have heard this song three times and it was a COMPLETELY different song each time. On this show, it was a really positive sexual and powerful song. I could hear the passion and arousal rising in Tori's voice as the number of fingers and paddy whacks rose, and when she went straight to Ten, I felt the orgasm. Screaming! It was SO appropriate as an into to Lust! On Sunday, it was TOTALLY different; it was still sexual, but about being disrespected and hurt and when she got to ten, I felt a lump in my throat because it was like, "you mother f*cker, how dare you hurt me like that!"

Lust
* I love this song. I love how she really drew out "And he waits 'till she can give, and he waits... and, and he waits." This is one of my favorites from TVAB. In fact, we had it on our wedding mix. I think this is where she added the "remember, remember, I think it's time you remembered who you really are, remember, remember, don't you think it's time? Don't you think so? remember, remember..."

Crucify
* THANK YOU TORI! I LOVED the "chains, chains, I can feel those chains, can't you feel the chains?, we are in chains, yes, chains, chains... intro. Why do I crucify myself and take everything so personally? Why do I take criticisms and use them to torture myself? My heart is sick of being in chains....In the end, "I'm never going back" and all she did to emphasize that, I felt hopefull, like I don't have to continue to crucify myself. I can grow beyond that state. Thank you, Tori!

Jackie's Strength
* Nice, but not one of my faves. It reminds me that even if we are afraid to be vulnerable, we are happier when we open up and let love in.

Me and a Gun
* Chilling as always, and I am SO glad that people are respectful during this song. But turn off your cell phone!

Baker, Baker
* An appropriate follow up to MAAG because it's about trying to move on even if you are afraid of being hurt again. Make me whole again and help me to be vulnerable and let my heart feel love again.

Encore One:

Purple People
* Not one of my faves musically, but I like the lyrics. Love and passion are available for all of us if we just give up our fear.

Pandora's Aquarium
* Fun. Passion and desire cannot be hidden. No matter
how much you try to restrain yourself from saying or doing things, it's obvious that you still want it. We are all part of the same body and our waves of energy affect each other.

Encore Two:

Never Seen Blue
* You can't deny he's cute and that you're attracted to his confidence. He wants to wear your color and infuse your soul and heal your wounds.

Playboy Mommy
* THANK YOU TORI! I always cry when I hear this song. Tori, you've got more than a few friends

Hey Jupiter
* Sometimes we are hurt, and sometimes we use it against ourselves...

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

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