5 1/2 Weeks Tour
Phoenix, AZ
September 22, 1999

Updated November 10, 1999

Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page

Tori performed in Phoenix, AZ on September 22, 1999 at the America West Arena during the Tori & Alanis Morissette 5 1/2 Weeks Tour.



Set List


God
Professional Widow
Black-Dove (January)
Cornflake Girl
Juarez
Little Earthquakes
Smells Like Teen Spirit (solo)
China (solo)
Spring Haze
Riot Poof
Crucify
Waitress

Encore:
Precious Things



Reviews

From Richard Handal

September 23, 1999 - Richard called me on the phone after the show. Tori was on stage from 8:20 until 9:40. The official written set list had Thank You listed instead of Teen Spirit and had Space Dog listed instead of Crucify. Richard got chills during Smells Like Teen Spirit. During China, he said that Tori played with the rhythm so much that the final bridge almost became a minuet. There was some great vocal soaring at the end of Crucify. Richard thinks this was the first show on this tour where Bliss was not played.

When Tori came out to do Precious Things as the encore, she was wearing a silver and black, harlequin-like mask.

Despite the fact that Richard loves the older material and the newer arrangements for that material, he sometimes feels we are in a one room school house and the first graders are holding back the eighth graders. He would enjoy seeing an entire set of the new material. We would have a deeper journey and a more psychedelic experience that way.



All Reviews Below Were Originally Posted On The Dent Forum

Special thanks to Laurie Daniels for her invaluable assitance in getting the reviews transferred to the Dent!



From electrochic:

Alright, here's the setlist:

God
Professional Widow
Black Dove
Cornflake Girl
Juarez
Little Earthquakes

Secret time:
Smells Like Teen Spirit
China

Spring Haze
Riot Proof
Crucify
Waitress

Encore:
Precious Things
(She was wearing some sort of silver mask)

Great show!!



From Thurese:

Fabulous show as expected! My friend Amanda ( Hi Amanda) has setlist but no real surprises except China. She played my three favorites from TVAB - Juarez, Riot Poof and Spring Haze...wonderful to hear live. She seemed to be having a great time with the band and seemed very comfortable playing the new songs. She, of course, looked incredible in jeans and white gauzy shirt but I swear she got her hair cut since last nights Leno appearance. Awesome seats (Thanks Amanda!) on the floor and from where we were, I would say majority were there for Tori. No Alanis Fan horror stories to report. We didn't stick around for Alanis' set. G'night All



From H_Moonlite:

The show was just amazing...
I knew we had something special instore for us when Tori opened with God...it was fantastic. With each song came more intensity , I felt like the place was a live wire. Just when you think it couldn't get any better than what you just heard...she broke into quiet time. Smells Like Teen Spirit (done to perfection) and with a pleasant suprise was China. I held my breath all through China. It was so beautiful and very moving...and because of that and my emotional attachment to the song I couldn't stop crying...words can't even describe how beautiful it was. *** MAJ I'm so glad I didn't miss that one*** The whole set was just outstanding...however The Waitress takes the cake. I've never seen Tori play with such a passion and conviction. She looked absolutely gorgeous (as usual) however...she looks a little round in the tummy area...hmmmm....could she be? Maybe it was just me. Anyways, it was a wonderful show...I can't wait until she graces us with her presence again.
IP: Logged


From Epona:

Wow, what a great show! I was so happy to hear Spring Haze and Riot Poof - and of course Smells Like Teen Spirit and Little Earthquakes I thought she was looking a little rounder too H_Moonlite, but the shirt she was wearing was kind of poofy i guess. The puffed shoulders were cute.

I stuck around for Alanis and was pretty impressed by her energetic performance, she has a really strong voice and stage presence. I left after the 1st encore (Thank You), did she do a second??

Oh, and did anyone get to the meet & greet?



From God:

God - there's a good reason why this is the opener - it's good every night.
Pro Widow somehow didn't seem to have as much energy tonight as it usually does; could've just been the ambient sound in the arena (terrible acoustics) - not sure. On the other hand, maybe I didn't have the energy I usually have after driving 7.5 hours to arrive at the venue at 7:30 (I was going to skip Phoenix and just hang out in Vegas for a few days, but got a little crazy and couldn't control myself).

Black Dove was GREAT - IMO it should make more frequent appearances; the Close Encounters lighting effect really works well here too.

Cornflake Girl needs to be in every set; just a perfect showcase and energy builder for the audience even if it doesn't wear quite as well as Precious Things on the thousandth listen. Personally, though, I would like to hear the CG intro on the TVAB live disk every time she plays this - that didn't happen tonight but it WAS GREAT.

Juarez just doesn't work for me very well live, maybe because Tori's vocal is too far down in the mix. (I like it a lot on TVAB.)

Little Earthquakes didn't seem to have the power tonight that it's had earlier this tour.

Before she sang Smells Like Teen Spirit, she said something about it wanting to be heard more and more frequently lately. Believe me when I say that this is a very good thing, even if it's not your favorite song (there must be somebody who thinks that). The first time I heard it this tour, I thought it couldn't possibly ever be done as perfectly as she did it. She's shown me twice now that I was wrong. Tonight's performance was the best yet!

China was beautiful, as usual, but is one of those songs which would work better in concert if it had more "secretime" company; it tended to change the crowd energy pretty drastically after the intensity of Teen Spirit.

I was very happy to hear Spring Haze, since it's become one of my favorites on TVAB (but somebody should convince her to play Lust and Josephine, please), and I DID enjoy it but it just doesn't seem ready for prime time yet - something there is just a LITTLE off; could be the mix again.

Riot Poof was great, but like Juarez the vocal was too far down in the mix to be heard clearly - mixing the voice this way is perfectly wonderful on the CD but doesn't translate to the stage that well. (Though I think Datura might be just fine in concert with an indistinct vocal.)

Crucify was great - after the intro. I'm just not getting into it till after the intro for some reason.

Waitress and Precious Things were amazing as always - and I loved the mask! I'm starting to get jaded again, though. I'm beginning to wish for the occasional appearance of a longer Waitress - let's say about 13 minutes - AND the occasional extra long grrrl in PT. (Maybe after Sunday)

All in all, this was my least favorite show of the ones I've seen on this tour so far. It was very good, and I'm glad I decided to go, but it wasn't the best. The crowd seemed to be VERY into it though. In fact, aside from the incessant screamers during Alanis' set, I thought Tori got an equally strong response overall. On a related note, apparently Tori is outselling Alanis in the t-shirt and program and necklace booth by at least 2 to 1 according to the people I've talked to.

Oh, and one more thing, I finally managed to stay for Alanis' whole set. (applause sign here). Partly, this was because I wasn't up front listening to several people screaming non-stop in both my ears from 2 feet away DURING the songs. Additionally, it might have been because I've finally given up trying to actually hear the lyrics. If I want to hear the lyrics, I'll just have to listen to the JLP and SFIJ CD's (which ARE in my record collection, btw, and I DO listen to them occasionally - like 'em both).



From sandy rizzo:

I am happy to say that I was pleased no negatives filled the air for this Phoenix performance of Tori's. I say that only because one time she was here (2 or 3x ago), she wrote "Hey Jupiter" in a Phoenix hotel room. Another time (1x ago), she had to deal with some obnoxious pre-show folks and seemed to have had something not well happen ("funny day"), but *this* time, she seemed happy, the crowd was happy, and this really was a stellar performance. I sincerely believe that I've not heard her voice so healthy and gorgeous in a long while. And as others have said, it seemed that a larger contingent of the crowd was there for Tori--a different and smaller number of folks stood for Alannis' set. However, Alannis was powerful, and did a fantastic performance as well. I will say that I wish (wish wish wish) that Tori had been second. The reason for this is that Tori's set was very boring, bland, and one can only take so much smoke blowing out of the sides of the stage. It had these large (I'll call them) solar blankets, large silver sheets that obscured the smoke-blowers and also acted as screens for the swirling visuals. But this was essentially it for props. On the other hand, Alannis had this incredible set. I would bet that if Tori had been 2nd, she could have indulged her stage with treats. Otherwise, though, TORI and the BAND were fantastic to look at, and my complaint only arises because other Tori tours had a little more variety. A wee complaint, however. Let's talk about music.
My highlight: Smells Like. I cried in this, it was intense, beautiful, she delivered this with perfection as others have said. Also China. (OK, it seems like I'm partial to quiet time...)

Spring Haze was beautiful. Cornflake was funky, and the arrangement of Crucify was oozy, bubbly, like lava flowing slowly--really different and pleasing. Waitress was incredible--(always is live), and she went on and on and truly, this was undeniably hynotic! This, I must say, was another highlight. I am less partial to this song studio, but it always gets to my soul live. Tori can really move you on this track.

The new stuff: I bought the CD as early as I could on Tuesday and spent as much time with it as I could. (I'll finish later--I must run to work.)



From wyndham:

Okay.. a couple things on my part for the Phoenix show.. Tori DID have a lot of energy and I really felt that this show was much better than last year's plugged show. While I still miss the old days at Symphony hall, I can say that I did not leave this concert disappointed like I did last year.
I enjoyed all of the songs, especially China, which is not really one of my favorite songs, but she sang it with such intensity and emotion, I could not help but fall in love. In my opinion, it was the pinnacle of her set.

Honestly, I felt that Crucify was butchered. I sat down for this song, because I felt that there was no emotion -- I could barely hear Tori over the band. This song left me sad and disappointed. Now that MikeWhy said that Space Dog was supposed to be in Crucify's place, I am sad that she changed her mind.

As for the Meet and Greet, it was my first, and so very, very, very disappointing and sad. I followed everyone's advice to get there early, and I was among the first 10 people. However, when it came time to go to the barricades, anyone and everone got in front of me to leave me in the very back row. Standing at 5'1", this was not happy. I had to stand on the barricade to even get a glimpse of her face and the security guards sent my CD cover back that I had sent up to be signed. The highlight, at least, is that some very nice tall boy who was much closer than I had agreed to take pictures for me, so when I get those developed maybe that will be a happy time. She only stayed out for maybe 10 minutes, but I don't blame her, Phoenix is damn hot!

Sci-Fi Lullaby is a great band! I suggest everyone who hasn't heard them should download an MP3. They have a lot of talent.

I stayed for Alanis' set, and it was very nice. I'm not into Alanis too much, and I only know her popular songs. She had a great backdrop, it was beautiful. I felt almost bad, though, because the crowd really did seem to have more Tori fans than Alanis fans. For the first two Alanis numbers, just about everybody was up. Then for the rest of the show, most people sat down, except for a few diehard Alanis fans. And I was so amazed by the number of people who left during Alanis' set. I left before the encore because I did not want to get stuck in traffic. But anyway, it was a good show and I'm glad I stuck around.

Tory



From alitza:

For me, the day started with the M&G...my first time going to one. The only thing I can say is that I will NEVER go to one again. I was really ashamed to be there because everyone acted so childish...pushing & shoving to get to the front of the line, running for the barricades, etc.
I think the M&G was over around 4pm. After that we just hung around America West until the show. I met the opening act, SciFi Lullaby (I think that was their name!). They were really nice...we got our pictures taken with them and chatted for awhile. We also met some other Tori fans, and for the most part everyone was really nice!

As for the show itself, SciFi was great! The lead singer is a bit obnoxious, but their songs were really good...I was impressed. They threw roses out to the girls in the audience.

Tori came on with God, followed by Professional Widow. Both really strong and energetic...I think whenever she first walked out on stage she kind of did this crotch thrust at the piano. Tori continued this energy throughout the whole show...her voice seemed very strong, and she just seemed very happy to be on stage! This is probably the best performance I've seen her do.

She played Juarez, Riot Poof, and Spring Haze off of the new TVAB...I thought Juarez was the best of these three, which was surprising because it it my least favorite song off of the album. But there was just something about seeing it done live...simply beautiful.

Cornflake Girl, Black Dove (January), and Little Earthquakes were all done very well, but not the highlights of her performance, in my opinion. Same with Crucify...I prefer the original to this new band version.

Secret time was wonderful...before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" she said that she hasn't been playing this one much the past couple of tours, but this time around, she just seems to want to come...it was very beautiful...China followed, which was a surprise to me...it was very moving! I've never heard that one live before!

The Waitress and Precious Things were the usual...concert staples now, it seems. Not that I dislike either, but I've heard them both before.

Overall, the show was really wonderful. I didn't stay for Alanis, which I kind of regret because I like her, too, but from what I hear her set was good also.

I also wanted to mention the Alanis fans...all seemed very nice & well-behaved to me! Maybe my experience was better than others, but I didn't encounter anyone being rude towards Tori...I did meet some people who constantly put down Alanis, though! The only truly irritating fan I met was this girl behind me who found it necessary to scream out things like 'I love you, Tori' and sing along through the entire show...she also pointed out all the people who were wearing fairy wings and made fun of them the entire time! So, maybe the Alanis fans aren't the ones who are rude...something to think about?

Hope everyone else had as nice of a time as I did...

Alitza



From pixiegirl:

My thoughts on the Phoenix show:
All I can really say is WOW! I loved this show a lot more than last year's Plugged show. Her and the band seem to be more synchronized. She played around with Jon Evans during the intros to a few songs; basically getting her groove on.

God: Just to hear her sing "God sometimes you just don't come through" off stage and then her entrance gave me goosebumps, and I knew that it was going to be a great show.

Professional Widow: This one just rocks and she just seemed to really be into it. Sometimes it looks like she's floating above her piano bench.

Black Dove: I was really surprised to hear a Choirgirl song, and I'm so glad that it was this one. Plus, she faced our side of the audience during the opening. Her voice was very strong on this one.

Cornflake Girl: Still a favorite and I love the longer intros to a lot of the songs.

Juarez: I knew this one as soon as it started. Very fabulous although, like someone else has mentioned, her voice got lost near the end. It almost seemed like they had Caton's guitar mic louder than Tori's and certain points. That's the crappy arena for ya though.

Little Earthquakes: Well, this is when the tears started. One of my all time favorite Tori songs. I know people wanted to hear the new stuff on the tour, but this one was so powerful that I'm glad it was included.

Smells Like Teen Spirit: She started off by saying that she had been playing this song a lot during this tour and that it just kept coming to her to be played. Gorgeous and I loved how her voice went deeper on the last "with the lights out" part.

China: Yet another one of my favorite Tori songs, and the tears kept coming!

Spring Haze: I wasn't really getting into this on the album, but boy does it sound great live. So, I'm giving it another chance and am loving it! I do have one question if someone can help me; what did she sing before the "I know it's just a spring haze" line? It didn't sound familiar.

Riot Poof: Another that I'm beginning to love after hearing it live. I love how her voice soars on "blossom, riot poof."

Waitress: Great classic live song, but a bit too long. I like the piano work she does on it, but near the end I was ready for the next song.

Precious Things: Very good and powerful. The crowd got into this one a lot. Still one of my favorites.

Overall, I really loved the show and only wish that it was longer and in a better arena. I do have to say that the security was very cool and let us move down from our rafter seats to the next lowest level because we couldn't see around the speakers. It was very cool and the show was ten times better since I could see her.

I didn't stay for Alanis' set because I wanted to be on my Tori wave for the rest of the night. I stayed for 2 songs and left. I will say that she has a great voice, but the pacing gets to me after awhile. I will go against other opinions and say that I think most everyone was there for Alanis. More people stood up and were grooving and screaming, etc.

Anyway, it was a touching show and I can't wait for her to tour again!

-Alina



From selfishman:

well.
it being my first tori concert experience and all, my views and REview may not necessarily be rooted in what you would perhaps term "fanatacism" but rather devotion and honesty for tori as an artist.

i showed up to the meet & greet. got there right at 2:00 and there wasn't much of a crowd but still i must say that whoever was organizing the barricade deal ought to have done a better job and given the fans more fence room to get near tori. for those who were there: don't you think that if the entire fenced off area (where we were and the area adjacent to it) were used it would've been a lot better? (subjectively speaking of course.) i think it prolly would've. anyway. i think i'm jus saying that tho cos i was a little tired of hearing people behind me complaining about "the little people back here not being able to see". "shit girly, the tall people weren't really given much of a sporting chance either so just be lucky you were even there." 'sides, i heard p eople saying that the people in the front couldn't move to let other people forward. AND i got there on time to hopefully avoid the crowded situation of yesterday afternoon but considering how it all happened, i sure as hell didn't go out of my way just to give up my place to someone who could've made more of an effort to get there on time if not early. but enough of that.

so the meet & greet turned out okay except for the not-so-nice people that i met (rather, DIDN'T meet). not much meeting and greeting going on i can tell you that right now. i swear, people there gave me one of three looks: 1. if they were gay they were checking me out (i'm ambisexual so this one isn't really a problem but come on, is that the only kind of look i get? no smile? not hello?) 2. they looked as if to say "are you lost or something? do you even belong here?" 3. they looked at me just to ignore me. so you can only imagine and never know the negativity that laced the meet & greet for this devotee. but i'm not complaining. i tried to be a nice person and help people out if their help was something i was willing to offer. i took some pictures for a few people who were glad that i did. so i guess i've gotta give if i want to receive. *shrugs.* so much for fan unity. but that's why i don't call myself a fan.

as far as sappy fan stuff goes, i'm at least glad that i got my album signed. kinda sucks tho cos she didn't even know who she was signing it for and had her security guard take it from me and hand it back to me. she didn't even look at me she just pointed at my album to indicate "okay i'll sign that one, get it". so yeah. that's prolly my only REAL complaint about the meet & greet.

so that turned out "somehow".

the concert was disappointing to be honest. first of all, the sound was something unflattering to tori's vocals and piano work during most of the songs. i'd have to say that all of them being considered, the solos were the best. the last song i was expecting to hear was 'smells like teen spirit'. it was somewhat odd hearing her play so much of her older stuff too.

not to discredit the band or anything, cos they're damn good at what they do, but so is tori and in my humble opinion, she is simply better better better solo. i haven't seen her solo outside of taped appearances on the telly and 'china' and 'smells like teen spirit' at the concert but i must say that for me, it's a real reminder of where her music comes from, what it means to her, and what it means to me.

so yeah. the sound kinda sucked. a lot of the time her vocals and piano were drowned out by the band. a friend and i who went to the concert together both agreed that the sound wasn't so great and she's seen tori live before. however, she said that last night's show was "better" than the last one she went to. she said it was something about the energy of the show overall.

i think tori's energy was fantastic. she sure knows how to get the crowd out of their seats and back into them when the time is right. which is another thing my friend and i discussed, the feel of the whole show. we both agreed that it seemed like she was a little hurried and i kinda have to agree with an ealier poster who thought that tori ought to have been second. it prolly would've been a whole different affair had that been how the show was organized. but alas alas. tori's set just seemed to whiz by but she is a good performer and it's just a shame that her there wasn't time to savor the flavor of her music. pero eso es vida.

so i guess overall, i was let down by my first tori concert. but then i remembered that it wasn't HER tour. and the sparse presence of songs from 'to venus and back' has got me wondering, as others have, if she is planning on touring in order to support the new album. if that happens i know that i'll make it a point to keep my eyes open and ears open for the tori that i heard during 'china' and 'smells like teen spirit'. if she does tour, i'll have to go again and hopefully not go thru all the crap i did yesterday.

but it wasn't all that bad as i said. the day and the concert had it's good points. oddly, one of them is the fact that i liked alanis' set more than tori's. i'm not sure why but it's as tho alanis' backdrop fit the song set so well and her sound was a lot better than tori's even tho her (alanis') voice isn't the best (hey, she does what she can with it) and i think that since tori's is so terrific, it deserves to have it's time and place in the spotlight. but alanis' set and sound had a good balance and it all worked well together. i heard the songs that i was expecting to hear (except 'ironic' which is something that would've brought that day to a logical close considering everything prior to that) and it was rather good i must say.

so yeah. that was an odd part of the show.

other than anything i've mentioned here, there's very little left for me to comment about as far as the meet & greet and concert is concerned. i still think that tori is a fantastic artist and a true performer when her strongest points are brought out rather than masked (which is a rather odd statement considering what she was wearing during the encore). mmhmm. think about it. her live shows, i understand, are the penultimate manifestation for any and all of her talent as a performer and her being able to transform the energy of hr songs and to translate the power that her albums contain is perhaps what i admire about her most and what keeps me coming back to her music. i appreciate it and all but i still don't think what i saw last night is what she's all about. she can do better. she prolly has. i just haven't been there to see it.

brian.


From Talula_27:

Wow. What an amazing concert. Far better than last years plugged, that had zero energy.
I went to the meet & greet around 11:00, and sat around in the shade. It was my first time attending. Around 1:00 someone came over to us, and asked if we could all just line up in the order we arrived in. We were cool about that, but many more people showed up. And when the barricades were up, it was chaos. I ended up a few people from the front. And all I can say is that there is some mean people up in front. This annoying little pre-teen up front stood on the barricade. Why? She's up front, she can see, she got her damn picture, and I'm sure that she's met Tori before, why does she need to block everyone elses view? Well I got some good glimpses of Tori. I got TVAB signed, but sadley, my friend, who took pictures for three different people didn't get anything signed, but got some great pics. But, wow, she's even more beautiful in person.

Before the show, my friends and I got on the radio. And my friend won two tickets, but she gave them away to some people that were following Tori, and had no tickets.

The concert:
God-Just amazing, great improve.

Professional Widow-I thought it was going to be Blood Roses, because there was some man's recorded voice in the begining. I wanted to hear this so bad, and I was so happy to. She did a cool thing with the mic at the end.

January Girl-This is my favorite off FTCGH. The energy in this song was great.

Cornflake Girl-A crowd pleaser. I like the live version better.

Juarez-My fave so far off TVAB. The band seemed so into it.

Little Earthquakes-As soon as I heard the first line I had goosebumps to the end. I've wanted to hear this live for years.

Secretime:
Smells Like Teen Spirit-Tori said that the song hadn't been played for awhile, but she wanted to be performed more. Some friends of mine in a different section said that some Alanis fans behind them said that Nirvana does this song better. I was so surprised to hear this, and now I know that Tori was going to play Thank You instead, I'm glad she made that decsion.

China-Beautiful. Tears in my eyes the whole time.

As the boys came back she did a cool little intro to Spring Haze, which was really cool, I really liked the "uh-oh, way to go". Steve did as little dance during it.

Riot Proof-The band and Tori seemed so into it.

Crucify-After watching it on Good Morning America, I wanted to hear it so bad. The crowd loved it.

Waitress-Mindblowing. The improv at the end was so great. Tori was in her own world.

Encore:
Precious Things-Tori ran on stage with a silver mask on. I was crazy at that point. The song was great, as always.

I wasn't that excited for Alanis, but I stayed. I like her. I prefer Tori, of course. But Alanis has so much energy. I was up dancing the whole time.



From Nixie:

Hello...
Hey who were all you guys at the M&G?? I'm not incredibly social and felt slightly out of place because I didn't arrive with a group of friends. I was wondering if you were there. I'm not totally sure, but I think I was a bit older than most of the groups hanging out. Boy, I feel old. I kinda pictured the whole m&g thing a little less clique-ish. Anyhoo, my hubby & I got there about 12:30. There was already quite a few of you there...Then someone came around suggesting we line ourselves up according to when we got there. We agreed to that, but apparently late comers didn't want to participate. Then it was mass chaos for the barricades. I attribute it to excitement...except for a couple girls I KNEW had just gotten there were near the front. Hey, I know there were people here before me, I figured I wouldn't get up front - but I don't think if you got there later then everyone you should be up front. I completely agree with Selfishman about why the heck didn't they give us more than 5' of "front" space. There was a whole section to the side that would have been just fine. Then everyone there would have been in front or second row to see her...I guess they like to watch us kill ourselves and yell at us for it. Other than all that, I met some nice people in back. I was right behind the tall guy with the purple shirt. He was nice, but TALL. I totally could not see Tori...but he did pass up my pic for me which was nice because I didn't think I'd be able to get it signed. I tried to take some pics, but they're mostly of everybody's hands & stuff. A couple came out o.k., but they're not great or anything. I guess I'm happy I got something signed. I really wish I could meet Tori sometime. I'm just not sure if I can deal with the M&G's anymore (this is the only one I went to) it's too hectic. OK, that's the end of my m&g saga.
The show was great. I had great seats (no rudeness), a great view and a wonderful time. Tori was absolutely stunning and once again intoxicated me with her presence and her voice.


From redhead:

I found the show to be surprisingly disappointing. This was the first time I have seen anyone at America West, so that could account for the poor sound, I dont know. It seemed that everything was very muffled and I assume that was due do the acoustics. Even the opening band sounded this way. In tems of her voice it was very pharyngil sounding, and not at all like her typically melodious sound. The format of the performace, and the songs were wonderful.I too found myself crying during China. I have seen her several times and I was dissapointed because I have seen better shows. Personally, I miss hearing some of the old songs, and I wish she would do more solo's. However, it is always hard for me to say anything negative about Tori, and if she is sick i appreciate that she did not flake on the concert, or cut her portion short. Oh, and to those who question a possible pregnancy , I also got the impression she is when she walked out on the stage. I did not stay for Alanis, though I wish I had



From frogboy:

hey WYNDHAM,
let me know how those pictures i took for you came out......

----
i e-mailed my review to Mike instead of posting it....damn, either i'll have to try and paste it or rewrite it.

someone did ask for Alanis' set list, here it is, i'll add comments later. and i agree, Alanis did steal the show tonight.

(NOT IN EXACT ORDER-BUT CLOSE)
-----
BABA
ALL I REALLY WANT
HAND IN MY POCKET
STILL
SYMPATHETIC CHARACTER
THAT I WOULD BE GOOD
THESE ARE THE THOUGHTS
YOU LEARN
FORGIVEN
SO PURE
YOU OUGHTA KNOW
UNINVITED
~encore~
THANK YOU



From A faerie:

This has been one of her best performances I've seen in a while! I was sitting front row center, and let me tell you, having Tori that close when she's at her Boosy is just about as close to a religious experience as you can get. My friend and I nearly passed out when she played Smells Like Teen Spirit, that song is always so goregeous....I almost thought her and the piano were gonna go have their own sexual affair and leave us behind! She's so hilarious. I'm really bummed though, I didn't get down to the Arena in time to get her autograph, but some of my fellow Ears With Feet did, so I'm living vicariously through them! Is it just me, but she hasn't played a lot of PELE lately, Professional Widow wasn't the best opener, but she closed with the Precious Things arrangement from VENUS, and the MASK was sooo coool....SPRING HAZE! Ahh! Hearing that live was like finally hearing perfection...by far one of the best of her new songs! Kisses for my fellow faeries! Bye! SUZANNE



From sandy rizzo:

I was going to get back and finish this note the day I wrote the last one. Looks like a *lot* later than I'd hoped, but here it is. After reading others' posts, I find it interesting how different people's opinions can be of one show. Someone who wasn't there could be reading them all and still wonder if it was a good show or wasn't. Having been there from Little E'quakes, I was minorly disappointed by last year's performance (also at AWA)(but remember, this is relative--how disappointed can one ever be by a Tori show???) only in its trying to do something that wasn't as intimate as past shows--I guess you could say I was disappointed with the Arena experience--but this time, I was accepting that that's the way it was gonna be, and I enjoyed it for what it was. Unlike others who dissed the sound, I thought it was really considerably good for a stadium show. (I've seen Peter Gabriel, the Cure, and a past Tori show there [plus a bunch'a games!] and felt this was the best sound I've heard yet) My friend felt Tori was a bit buried, but for me, the sound was good.

I think watching the band and watching Tori was fun--they looked like they were having such fun--Caton smiling all the while, Jon really smooth, and Matt---I want to play drums after watching him--he is such a warm and fluid player. This band is so perfect for Tori. I really believe this was a great show. I was mildly disappointed with a few of the song choices (would've preferred something besides Pro Widow and really think "Bliss" is a perfect stadium song--wished they'd played it), but I was and am truly happy I'd been at this show. I worried that Alanis (I wasn't much of a fan, couldn't even spell her name right in my last post) would wash away my memories of Tori, but the Tori memories stick!

I was talking about the new stuff. I ran out and bought the CD on Tuesday and tried to listen to it as much as possible before the Wed. show. This is a fabulous album! Everything she did from the new album was delicious (Juarez, Spring Haze, Riot Poof) but I think familiarity with things allows for a greater appreciation, and I didn't know anything (expect Bliss) well enough by the time of the show. I could identify them, but didn't know them to appreciate the interpretation she was putting into them live. What I did know is that I loved/love "Concertina" and "Datura" and think "Concertina" will proove to be a classic on this CD--just a little prognosticating Tori-style. (BTW, I finally listened to the live part of "TVAB" and wow!)

In addition to the white long-sleeved top with the upper see-through area, Tori wore very blue unwashed-look blue jeans and nice high strappy sandals. Her hair did look shorter than it did on Leno, but w/hair extensions these days, who can say?

Speaking of clothing, I loved what Alanis wore. She wore a purple top, see through where you could see a darker top underneath, and baggy purple pants, and this neat shimmery Indian-looking shirt with red and gold, and side-slits. Very cool. And she wore tennies.

I wanted to thank the above person for posting the Alanis set list for the earlier folks who asked because I did write down things in case someone asked and didn't know some of the songs myself! I borrowed the new Alanis before the show and listened to it once. Really impressive were "Baba" when she darted from one side of the stage to the other, her set design, as I mentioned previously, and "That I Would be Good" with the flute--What a beautiful song! What a great message. I wanted to add that after "Forgiven" (? taking it from the person who posted earlier--I checked song lyrics and all the Alanis fans around me knew this one, but I had no clue), she played a song she said was not on any album--I called it the "Thoughts Song."

I was amazed at how many people left after Tori and again how many left before Alanis was up. I mean, $50 for a show is no small change, and I was curious to see Alanis, and wasn't disappointed. I still don't think I can be a big fan, but her live show is worth the $. Being near Tori's age myself, I was amused at how I noticed the youth and exhuberance of Alanis and her band in contrast to that of Tori--it was refreshing and interesting. They were a great match-up, this was a great idea. Also, I told my friend I wished Tori had been second. "Why?" she asked. "Well, Tori has a longer career." But then it struck me. Alanis is one little hit-maker, and has sold billions of units. I guess in economic terms, it worked. Still wish Tori would'a been up 2nd though.

Now, all that being said, let's pray for some more intimate performances w/Tori, and if with the band, more like their "Sessions" performance. Let's hope Tori gets some rest after this tour, and thank you, Tori, for the new songs and the great show!

Sandy



From meganatrix:

Tori was great in pheonix...However security sucked...first off they double sold my tickets so I had no chair and securtiy called me a bitch and was trying to make me sit down...I started crying cuz I didnt drive 10 hours to deal with this shit...I complained to guest relations and the box office..I will get my money back...I did go to the meet and greet...and got to venus signed tori remembered me from concord and said hello..I only went to 3 meet and greets out of six shows..I wasnt being greedy..but it was hot and I came prepared... all I can say is i will never ever in a million years visit pheonix again...



From munky:

This was the first time I had seen Tori live. Every single song was absolutely amazing. The opening band for her wasn't that bad either. (Sci-Fi Lullaby)
Smells Like Teen Spirit literally gave me chills. And of course, Cornflake Girl was absolutely awesome.

I'll be going to every Tori show I can attend from here on in.


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