1999 Solo Tour
London, England
October 29, 1999
Updated December 10, 1999
|
|
1999 Solo Tour |
|
Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page Tori performed her only major 1999 concert in Europe on Friday, October 29, 1999 in London, England at the Royal Festival Hall. The show was historic because Tori did the entire performance solo without a band, and she had not done that since 1994.  Set ListMe and a Gun Encore 1: Encore 2: |
ReviewsFrom Theo van DijkDecember 10, 1999 - I know I'm a bit late with this (well wait til you see what I'll send you in a few moments LOL) but I would still like to add my review to the London show!! After spending an entire night in a really tiny bus from Holland to London, where we even had to get out when we entered the Eurotunnel cause the French people tought that we were taking drugs to the UK, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that suddenly I was in London. After finding Kim, a UK EWF where I was going to spend the night, we were all set to go to the venue. When we came at the Royal Festival Hall there were already a couple of people present. We joined them and spend the day by looking at each others foto's from earlier Tori experiences and by just being fucking cold!!!! At about 4 pm the crowd was a lot larger and people were pushing and stuff to get in front for the upcoming meet and greet. This was the only part I hated for this day. We were there from early in the morning and there were people that just arrived who were going to end up first in line. So we called the security and they told the crowd that they had to move back a little and several of us made it to the front row at the fences. I was fortunate enough to be one of them!!! Tori was, as always very nice to us and really took her time for me. I got some autographs and we made a great picture. Then the show itself... My god what can I say. It was as if Plugged and 5.5 Weeks had never happened. I loved her with the band last year, but it was also soooooo great to see her solo again. She looked like she really enjoyed it herself as well. The really great thing was that the crowd was so polite. When she started the show with Me And A Gun there was no-one in the audience that made noise, you could almost think that no-one was breathing. All the songs were really great, but my personal favourites were Father Lucifer (which seemed to be played somewhat different than normally) and Smells Like Teen Spirit. I even started liking SATY again, even after hearing it 26347256 times!!! Suede was also very great with the keyboard and the drum loops!!!! After the show I was still in complete shock and Kim and I missed the last train to Cambridge so we had to spend the night in a really sleaze smelly Bed and Breakfast in London, but I didn't care, I was going to see Tori again in just a week in Hilversum!!!!! From Emma Taylor + Andy TebbuttNovember 22, 1999 - We walked past the Royal Festival Hall at 9:30am (on our way to drop our bags off at our accommodation) , and to our surprise there were already a small group of 5 or 6 fans waiting by the stage door - this panicked us as we hadn't planned to get to the venue ourselves properly until at least 10:30am, so we decided to stay put ! At British shows people very rarely show up before 12noon, but with this being a very special one off solo show - and with so many people on the 'Net saying they were also coming early - we settled down on the pavement, happy to wait ! (the group of Americans had been here since 6am !! ) As the day went on and more people showed up everyone was well behaved and cheerful - sitting calmly in the order they had arrived. Hi here to Darrell, Paul, Melanie, and the UK regulars - Andrew, Lucy, Peter, Mike, Nic + Lise ! Hi to Jenny too, who somehow recognised us as 'SkyBlueGirl+BlueBoy' off the Dents forum ! It really was a nice atmosphere - and everything went smoothly until 2ish with the arrival of an over zealous motorised street sweeper , who made everyone get up and move , and took glee at blowing dirt up at anyone in his path... From here on everyone just stood around in any order... John Witherspoon and Andy Solomon appeared, and seemed in deep discussion over the best way to set up barriers for Tori. One barrier was set up and everyone just pushed forwards toward it, it wasn't good... Andy Solomon explained more barriers will be brought - they even sent a fork lift truck off to get some (no one with "fans" ever really plays the Royal Festival Hall, so the venue only had the one !!!) 5 were set up in a curve, and that's when it went wrong... People just pushed, the people who'd been there the longest were at the front - including us luckily - but it was so tightly packed, never been so squashed at a meet & greet before... despite this, there weren't as many people as we'd expected. However, 2 of our friends were stood directly behind us, and we promised them somehow we'd move out of the way so they could get to speak to Tori after we had, and not be left out...*if* we got to speak to Tori that is !!! At 4pm Tori's car pulled up, and out came Natalie, followed by Tori. She looked so wonderful, she really did : ) John was in charge, and when she got to us we were both so happy, she remembered our names and seemed so happy herself, it was fantastic... We kept our promise to Lucy and Andrew, and I (Emma) leant as far to one side as I could, and Andy amazingly just dropped down - crouching below the barrier so everyone else behind could see and take photos !!! Everyone seemed amused by this - especially Tori herself, who kept patting Andy's hand while talking to other fans as he clung below the barrier ! Hope all of you got some good photos then ?!?!? Her hair was shorter than of late (no hair extensions !) and had been crimped, and our friend Andrew asked if this was her 'new look' - she replied " it is for today !" As she moved down the line everyone seemed to get their things signed / chatted to her and no one seemed to miss out , which is always nice. By 4:15 Tori had gone in, the happy people now dispersed ! Andy Solomon said Tori would not be coming out after the show, and also explained that Joel wouldnt be coming over for any of the European promo appearances. (Note: We'd like to say here to everyone on the forum who expected Steve Sanchez to also be with her, that he has *NEVER* acted as security for Tori in Europe, only in America. Joel has done Europe since Feb '96, Steve joined later on the US '96 tour, but has never been needed over here in the UK / Europe. Hope that clears that one up !?) Anyway, we finally got to drop our bags off at our accommodation (what a hell hole that was !! ), and got something to eat , before getting back to the venue by 6pm. The one and only merchandise stall was run by one poor soul totally rushed off his feet - he only had limited stock as they were selling leftovers from the 5 and a half weeks tour, which everyone wanted !! We took our seats at 7:30, happily watching Mark come and go in his "Northern Scum" t-shirt (being Northern ourselves we would like to say Northerner's are NOT scum !! ) Emma fancies Mark by the way !!! (it's Andy typing this bit now - thought I'd embarrass her !!). Tori's parents were sat about 8 rows back too. This rambling review is already long enough (!) so we're not going to write much about the concert itself... what can you say about something that was so wonderful ?... 2 hours have never gone so fast, one fantastic favourite song after another... Tori played from 9 til 11... "Me And A Gun" was so intense - how people could take photo's during that we just dont know, you could see Tori's eyes welling up fighting back tears, and she wasn't the only one... We were lucky enough to be sat front row centre... There's so much to say about the show, she seemed so happy and playful, doing a very funny pose when someone shouted in a french accent ! There is no highlight to this concert - it truely was ALL fantastic... it can never be bettered... as much as we love the band she just does not need them - this took you right back to the 'old days', you had to be there - even the bootleg won't do it justice.... "Merman" was incredible, Emma had asked her to play it in a letter she gave Tori in the afternoon - though we'll never know if she planned to play it anyway, and hearing "Yes, Anastasia" live at last was so fantastic - it just blew us away... We dont know what else to say without going on and on and on about how amazing this concert was.... so we better leave it here ! From philip bakstadNovember 17, 1999 - i'd just like to say how much i agree with mike gray about the behaviour of a certain number of people at the meet and greet on the 29th october in london. it was luverly to see people like lees and nikki and mike again since i haven't seen them since wolverhampton last year but the attitude of the americans there was atrocious. yep, fair enough, that's the way they do it in the states but what they didnt seem to realise is just how pushy and rude they were being to people. they gave the impression that they were, y'know, "THE GREATEST FANS EVER!!!" and they knew exactly tori wanted it. well, babies, this is england and we do it differently here. you gotta give respect to gain it so when me and lees started getting a bit pissed off i think we were totally justified. anyway gripe over with. a superb gig, best ever. words cannot describe jsut how good. nice to see old and new faces and make some new friends. tori, as always, made everyone feel welcome. she made me feel special just by talking to me. god, im gonna stop. From LauraheyNovember 7, 1999 - it started with the meet-n-greet. (yes, there was one.) tim -- that's solari to you -- and i arrived around 1pm and found about 20 others outside the artists' entrance. we sat down. --> my first thought was that it was werid not to know anyone. i'm so used to seeing some of the american regulars (or just the NW regulars)... dor, carolyn, richard, tamena, joe. i didn't like not knowing anyone. i shook it off, though, and started introducing myself. people seemed pretty nice, but not as open as usual... i got this sense of superiority from a lot of the people, like they had a wall up that said "don't talk to me about loving tori, because you can't top me". i think it was also a bit strange for me that people didn't know *me*. even those on rdt... didn't know my name. that's okay, i haven't posted in a long time. it was just different than usual. it made me feel, though i know it shouldn't have, small. i guess i was used to being not just a tori fan, but one of The Tori Fans. whatever that means. as time went by and more people arrived my sense of the whole thing started to get a little bit bitter. i started thinking about some of my past meet-n-grett experiences; the 96 ones that pre-dated the barricades, when only 5-10 people would show up... and then of course the time at the radio station when i found myself in a room with tori alone, crying and laughing and shaking, and she wiped my tears away and put her hand on my stomach and said "huggles". it made me feel sad and far away to realize that my peak of tori-excitement has probably passed; because really, what could ever top that? i had to take myself away for a while. i walked round the theatre and i sat myself on a bench by the thames, looking out on st. pauls' cathedral and watching the water. it was a beautiful day and there were children playing loudly around me. it was so gorgeous andd i knew i was going to see tori and yet somehow -- i was feeling like tears might spill out of my eyes at any second. i made myself breathe. tori has been a very large part of my life for over 5 years now. she has been with me through all of my experiences as a grown woman -- everything from my first boyfriend to my first sexual experience to my first love to my first death... from suicide attempts and blistering flowers on my stomach and arms to writing and rebirth, learning to support myself emotionally, psychologically and physically; from the day i went on my depression medication to three years later when i stopped taking it, to now, over a year after that, when i still have not relapsed; from california to mexico to italy, greece, france, to spain, to college, to canada, and now into london. she has brought me strength, wholeness, gravity, happiness, calmness, beauty, passion, and ecstasy. she has, in person, through her music, and as a concept, generally helped to shape who i am now and helped me to like who i have become; she has led me to some of the greatest friends that i could ever imagine having. (you know who you are.) tori has been one of the most influential forces in my life, for over a quarter of my life. most of my friends have not even been in my life that long. something occured to me that day, sitting by the water under the sun in the london wind. tori may not know me, by face, name, or presence; but that does not mean she is any less of who i am, who i will be, who i have become. there have been times in my life when i needed tori not only to sing her songs where i could hear them, but to reach out to me, to touch me or hug me, to smile for me, to look in my eyes and say "sweetheart" or "huggles" or even just "hello". friday, i did not need that. i had come to the royal festival hall early that day thinking i did so to talk with tori briefly before her concert; but by the water i came to the conclusion that that wasn't the reason i was there at all. i was there, in truth, not to talk to tori but to support her, to be there in the background only as another body, one who would't push and didn't need to be up front, didn't need her contact but wanted to give her mine, show her that old fans never die, they just get quieter and let her do her thing. i stood on the outside of the group when tori did finally arrive, touching and hugging and signing for everyone she could; but when she walked past my section of the barricade without looking at me, i just let her go. no pen in the face, no screams of her name, no pleas for her attention. i let her go to the ones who needed her that day the way i needed her that day at the radio station, when her attention really did make me feel whole. when, at 7:30, we found our seats, excitement in me really began to grow. row E of the terrace was NOt way high up, i realized; it was the 31st row of the whole place, and the seating was raked so i could see tori *perfectly*. right in the center with the sound console directly in front of me (but not blocking), i knew i was in the place where the sound would be maximized and the show would come across the best. i squeezed the arm of my chair, anticipating. a spotlight. tori, standing, in front of a microphone... simple. minimal. natural. everything tori needed to be... except the piano, which was still shrouded in darkness. the cheering was hard, full, loving. "5 AM," tori exploded, and the cheering stopped sudden, coming to a dead halt without so much of a screech of tires. then the audience sat rapt, entranced by the performance of the song that in many ways, defined tori's birth as an artist. not a peep from anyone till she was done. "...get out of this," she finished, and after a fractional beat of pure silence, the crowd erupted once more. tori at her finest, a cappella, nothing between our ears and tori's voice except the simple mechanism of amplification. Like sex without a condom, minus the danger of disease. Bliss was next on the bill. The song did not suffer in the absense of the band with which tori has recently been performing it; on the contrary, the elements of passion and heat tori surely bled into Bliss in composition flooded out, in notes impossible to discern when combined with guitar, bass, and drums. it was perhaps the skeleton of the song released on "To Venus and Back," but there seemed no lack of flesh and sinew in this version. Take To The Sky followed. Tori seemed to find particular joy in the words, "this sword in my hand", and the "rhythm section" she provided by smacking the piano sufficed to keep the beat of the song. An old song for tori, one of the first post-yktr; but there was no feeling that it might be the least bit stale. as we all know, she has th most incredible ability to rebirth her girls, one by one, every time she performs them. Now came the first break in the show -- Tori's story of her first real performance at royal festival hall. it seems that back in the days before little earthquakes, she was called by Al Stewart to fill in for his piano player last minute for a show. But since she was having passport issues at the time, he introduced her to his audience as Villanous Slivoskaya... or something along those lines. she told the story with a trademark giggle and a hint of babytalk, endearing herself to the whole crowd, before launching into a gorgeous rendintion of Cloud On My Tongue. Concertina, Not The Red Baron, Cooling, Father Lucifer: a Venus, a Pele, a B-side, another Pele. This set proved Tori's ability to drift back and forth between eras, swim between genres, and maneuver among her daughters of all different ages. each piece had its personality, distinct and personal... and yet the transitions between them were hardly recognizable. pure liquid music... a tori amos specialty. Something i never knew before (bad tori fan, laura! bad tori fan!): Merman has become associated with matthew shepard, the gay university of wyoming student murdered for his sexual orientation just over a year ago. tori eluded to this, calling wyoming a "horrible place" and equating it with hemmerhoids... yucky words, but illustrative of her hatred for the event that took place. and then a suitable moving piece of music: "he's a merman, to the knee," uninturrupted by the crowd, who were properly appreciative of the gravity of the statement. As she transitioned into Beauty Queen and then into Horses, i was reminded of the first time i heard Pele and the love, in particular, that i feel for Horses. it was meant for the piano. i remember hearing a really rocking version of it once with the band, and although it was a really awesome pice of music, it never eally did move me the way it does when tori connects with her piano on it, and then with me. thought i might cry, when the first notes of that song hit my ears. Winter followed, bringing forth a smiliar reaction; one of my very fist big tori loves was Winter, which she played as her only encore at the very first show i saw -- over 5 years ago. The tone changed when Tori went from carressing her piano on Winter to pounding it, proceeding into the most true-to-album version of Professional Widow i have ever heard her play. I was particularly surprised to hear it because in 1996 Tori told someone at a meet-n-greet that she sould never play it the way it was released on Pele... she would only play in on the harmonium, which she did *not* bring to royal festival hall. I felt very lucky to hear it this way; it felt like a concession, something Tori might not ever do again. We'll have to see about that, come next millenium. Leather and Lust came next, a pair of L's, both resonating in their low notes and letting tori's ironic contrast of deep sexual passion and dark sexual anger to seep seductively out into the nostrils of those of us in the room. It was hard not to feel a mix of fascination and slight discomfort that forced intimacy brings. Playboy Mommy was preceded by the oft-heard story of falling down the stairs, drunk in her platform shoes... she laughed at herself -- easing anyd tension remaining from the previous pair of songs -- and allowed the audience to laugh along with her. The song was touching, personal, gorgoeus -- butagain, what else would you expect? 1,000 Oceans, and Yes, Anastasia -- two of my favorites. the newness of Oceans played off quite nicely the classicism of Anastasia.. the fisrt honest and folk-like, the second dark with historical tragedy and adolescence. I barely recognized Juarez at first... tori placed her hands inside the piano, attacked the strings from ths inside. It was like watching her put her hands in an open wound, like they shouldn't go there at all, like it would hurt the piano somehow. But when the music started, distorted and haunting, it was clear the piano needed it, allowed it. Tori was not taking liberties with the instrument that it did not allow, she was stroking it, fondling it. It was bizarre, but it made odd sense to me. In any case, the song was new and fascinating. When it was done, Tori sat for a moment and then was gone. Of course applause brought her back, and she sat wit her back to the piano -- this time facing a keyboard brought out wpecifically for Suede. She used both, as only she can do -- facing us, straddling that bench, one hand on each black-and-white body. And she sang. The second and third songs of the first encore -- Purple People and Smells Like Teen Spirit -- were relaxing. Began the close of teh show. This time Tori bowed before she left -- but we weren't fooled. The audience roared, and out she came again. Silent All These Years was the masterpiece it always has been, and nothing could have made it better than following it with Upside Down. I fell in love with these two songs together, back in 1994, when my friend Annie had the cassingle fo Silent and we would listen to it over and over and over on our walkmen during math class. Hearing the two played together friday night felt like being 15 again, and remninded me of Annie -- who I have not spoken with in over three years. Pandora's Aquarium finished the show the way it finishes Chorigirl Hotel: it left me feeling content and full, but like I couldn't wait to start listening all over again. If the first rule of show business is "always leave them wanting more," Tori is the master of show business. ******************* Only one show in my 11-show history of Tori compared to this one, and that was experiential more than musical (I was in the center of the 3rd row in the theatre i grew up thinking was the most beautiful place in the world, and tori looked down and spoke *to* me three times during the course of the show). Friday's show at royal festival hall was absolutely the best concert, set-wise, that i could ever have imagined from tori; it felt like a greatest hits show, even though she didn't play most of the hits. there was no cornflake, no spark, no crucify, no precious... but you can't say there was no god in that room, because damn it, if god exists, he wouldn't have missed this show. From Mike GrayNovember 1, 1999 - Hi Guys, Well, here's my (bound to be long, I'm afraid) account of last night's show. Tori took us on a journey which seemed to lead down a number of darkened back streets, and quite often there was more than a whiff of danger in the air, especially on Juarez - but I get ahead of myself... here's the complete set list (100% certain as I'm listening to it now!) Tori Soundchecked: (definitely - she probably soundchecked more but these are the ones that I heard) Cloud On My Tongue Seeing as I haven't seen anything on the list yet... I saw Tori's own set list (which was marked out with a number of different keys that she was planning to play more 'difficult' songs in) and it was not deviated from at all, although I must note that it was changed at the eleventh hour (there was some rushing about on stage to change it) Me And A Gun But rewind some nine hours to my arrival at the Royal Festival Hall - because I have a bone to pick with some people regarding their behaviour yesterday. On arrival I was informed that we were to be using the "American" meet 'n' greet system today - a decision that had, apparently been arrived at by a group of Americans - and I don't recall anyone giving their consent. To those of you who've never been to a UK Tori show, meet 'n' greets are generally relatively stress-free, fun events. People sit around chatting to their friends, then when Tori arrives they amble slowly up and everything gets sorted out. Not so yesterday... and it wasn't because of sheer volume of people - there were approximately as many at the Plugged '98 show in Wolverhampton. It was quite simply because these people had appointed themselves judge, jury and grand high executioners, a decision which ended in a meet 'n' greet which left many who were near the front in a good deal of pain (the girl in front of me, in fact, couldn't breathe and ended up having to take her inhaler...) so to those people, I offer a hearty "Fuck off!" for ruining what should have been a pleasant meet 'n' greet. What it was, in fact, was a bitchy, pushy nightmare which I don't think was condusive for a good atmosphere for anyone - Tori *or* the fans. Which was a real, real, shame. Flash forward now some three hours to inside the Royal Festival Hall - the merchandise stand... it was basically the complete range from the US tour : Purple Shirt By the end all but the black shirt with the piano had sold out entirely. A this point, the little group I was with wandered upstairs to the bar and had a listen to the soundcheck through the wall - the songs she played are above. Amusingly, one of the (probably fifty-something) stewardesses turned round to us and said "Is that Kate Bush in there?!" .... :) Now ffwd to the show... Tori came on at around 21:05 and finally left at around 23:00-23:05. The stage set up was somewhat peculiar to us as we sat waiting, and the presence of a solo microphone at the left of the stage seemed somewhat odd. I think we all knew what was coming, but everyone was speculating "Guest vocalist" or some such ... while at the back of their minds, they knew it was going to be Gun. When Mark (who was wearing a "Northern Scum" T-Shirt) was asked at around 8 whether he would give someone his set-list, he said that he was unsure whether there was even going to be one... Tori's parents were in the auditorium, and I'm sad to note that once this was realised, they were somewhat mobbed. The show was due to start at 8:45, but in fact only began at 9:00 - Tori soundchecked late and this pushed the performance back some... so down go the lights, the crowd go wild, Tori walks on the stage... wanders up to the small microphone on the right, closes her eyes and... "5 a.m..." - you could hear a pin drop. She was visibly shaking and kept moving her hands uncomfortably around the microphone stand, and was just... I don't know - I wondered if it was the right thing to do to put herself through it, honestly. Just another point (I'm not anti-American, I'm just anti-Idiot, BTW) a further "Fuck Off!" to the American girl who shouted something to Tori after every other song. It was incredibly annoying - after Me And A Gun, for goodness sake, you do *not* shout out to Tori! It seemed a very emotionally charged show, almost deliberately obtuse choices of songs in places which left a few furrowed brows. That shouldn't really have been the case considering there were no adverts, and it was basically a show sold by word of mouth. I don't think anyone expected anything like a 'straight' show and we expected the unexpected and got it, really... The songs all worked well with the piano, especially Juarez which was insanely frightening, actually, where at the end, Tori was pounding at the piano, yelling "No angel came for my little girl.", "No angel came for my little love" repeatedly... Tori seemed to be crying during Smells Like Teen Spirit too. There were a lot of audience interruptions, I thought - far too many smart-mouthed little comments... notably during Silent All These Years when a French guy yelled out "I love you Tori" and she had to stop and start again because everyone was laughing. Talking of laughter, Tori told the tragic story of Playboy Mommy - of how she was drinking champagne in France and fell down a spiral staircase, and people were laughing... at least until she started playing the song and they realised... there were a few looks of "this is *so* inappropriate" between those of us on the front row! She also told a story about a place in America that she can't stand - I've forgotten where - I'll e-mail it in when I listen to the tape again... Anyway, that's all for me, for now... I'll probably think of more later. Review of the London gig from "The Independent"November 1, 1999 - This review was sent to me by Mike Gray. All inaccurate comments and glaring omissions are entirely the critic's own, I just didn't think I could put [sic] after virtually every sentence... "Lust For Married Life" Now five albums into her career, Tori Amos has never had any qualms about matting her personal life in her work. When 1998 From The Choirgirl [sic] was largely informed by her miscarraige, parts of her latest album To Venus and Back find Amos reassessing her sex life as a married woman. Can lust survive the nupitals? Can a wife be both Madonna and whore? Amos answers "yes" to both questions. Privy to such knowledge, one feels a little voyeuristic when considering her relationship with Mark Hawley, the Englishman who is her husband and sound-engineer. US-born Amos now lives in Cornwall, but tonight's performance was the first on British soil in support of her new album. When she co-headlined a recent US tour with Alanis Morissette, she was accompanied by a three-piece band. In stark contrast, this was stripped down affair with Tori performing solo at the piano. Successful as many of her more avant-garde excursions are, this undoubtedly the context in which she flourshes and her fans enjoy her most. Her hair freshly crimped, she took to the stage wearing a loose-fitting purple smock, then stood atht emike for an a-capella version of "Me and a Gun". Confidence wise it was a real show of strenght, and the audience were immediately in her thrall. Next came Bliss, the first single to be taken from the new album. Paradoxically, Bliss sounded twice as powerful when it was stripped to its bare bones; the voal urgent and passionate, the piano playing fluid and agile. What was striking was just how relaxed Amos seems to be on stage these days. If she splits the critics the ones who continue to cast her as a manquee Kate Bush don't seem to be getting her down. At one point in her performance she related the story about how she's once deputised for Al Stewart's piano player and this venue, and unsure of the year, she asked her mum - who was sitting a few rows in - to confirm the dates. Tori's father, the Reverend Amos, was also in attendance, and as far as I could make out, neither parent flinched when their daughter peppered her introductions with the f-word. Ecumenicalism begins at home. Set highlights included Professional Widow, still surprisingly powerful minus its four-on-the-floor drum loop, and her cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which transformed *the* grunge anthem of the early Nineties into a beautiful threnody for Kurt Cobain himself. As a critic, I'll confess that sometimes I'm tempted to tone down my enthusiasm for an artist after reading negative reviews elsewhere. I came her tonight to be a little tougher on Tori Amos, but once again, she won me over. Put simply, you can't stop a diamond from sparkling. James McNair, The Independent, Monday 1st November 1999. From Doron VidavskiNovember 1, 1999 - Your set list on the site is accurate and as you can probably guess from it, it was an absolutely unbelieveable event. The best bits were Juarez which Tori played by banging on the piano strings in the same rhythm of the album-version's drums. It was breathtaking. Also, Lucifer was quite different in the sense that the piano refrain was changed slightly and the melody slightly altered. The biggest surprise was Widow which was totally loyal to the original album version, only playedon the piano in stead of the harpsi. Oddly missing was Glory, especially as it is released here today. Tori's parents were both in the audience (which begs the question - was she not embarrassed using the F word in fron t of them so often? - it was quite funny). As when we were waiting for Tori to come out after the show they both came out and Dr Amos thanked us for coming to see the gig. They were so lovely! From CalvinNovember 1, 1999 - I live in London, but it is thanks to your site that I found out about Tori's solo show and got myself some kick ass seats (8th row centre). I wrote this for a couple of friends who couldn't make it and I thought I would forward it to you to do with what you wish. I'll start by telling you what she played in the order she played it: Me And A Gun Okay, so the lights go down and we can just make out movement as Tori walks on to the stage. The spotlight comes up and she is not sitting at her piano. She is standing off to the side of it, at a microphone stand. The crowd goes wild, flashbulbs are going off like no-one's business and she stands there for a few seconds and lets it happen. Then we get "5am, Friday morning, Thursday night, far from sleep." All of a sudden you could hear a pin drop. It was awesome. I haven't heard Me And A Gun since 1994, so it was quite intense. If there was a perfect way to open an acoustic show, then this was it. So she finishes and then goes and sits at the piano and plays Bliss and this is when I get an idea of just how mindblowing this is going to be. I had not been able to imagine how all her new stuff would sound played just on piano and it's a good job too, because this is not like anything I would have been able to imagine. Then she plays the intro to Take To The Sky, playing the keys with one hand, and banging the piano like a drum with the other. It is at this point that I began to lose my mind with the sheer joy of it all, and we are only three songs in. You see, there are many Tori songs that I adore but had pretty much given up hope of ever hearing her play live, and Take To The Sky is one of them. Along with Cloud On My Tongue, Professional Widow, Playboy Mommy, Yes, Anastasia and Upside Down. So you know already just how much more fun I had, don't you? So after Take To The Sky, she has a little bit of a chat and tells us how this is not her first time playing the Festival Hall but the first time she did it, she did not have a work permit so she did it under an assumed name. Very amusing and then she does Cloud and I start to think that maybe I should write down the songs she's playing as my mind is being so blown away that I won't be able to remember them when she's done. So he does. Concertina is one of my Venus favourites and she played it perfectly. Not The Red Baron and Cooling were as wonderful as they always are, only more so. Father Lucifer was tops. You know how you can just tell when someone is blatantly loving singing a certain part of a song? Well, she sang "How're the lizzies, how's your Jesus Christ been hanging?" a few more times than was probably necessary, but with such apparent glee it was priceless. Then she stops again and talks about Wyoming and how shitty it is and how much she hates it. Someone yells out "where's Wyoming?" (I know, I know) and Tori replies "where the haemmaroids are, baby. The ends of the fucking earth. And I am gonna blow the fucking place up anyway, so I'm just telling you. It's a fucked up place." She then says how they did a shitty thing up in Wyoming and how, ever sonce they did it, she has been playing this song for they boy they did it to. And she plays Merman. It is the first time I have heard this song and to hear it in this context just destroyed me. Beauty Queen and Horses are wonderful, the proper versions as well, not that bizarro fucked up version she played on the Plugged Tour. Winter is Winter is Winter, but I just about peed myself when she started playing Professional Widow. That is one song I thought would never work acoustically, especially after hearing that very strange live version on the American EP. Well, it does and she played the shit out of that piano. Some of the notes she hit when she was singing "running in the family, " well, they were so fucking incredible, I am just surprised my brain didn't start leaking out of my ears. Her head voice is really very impressive. Leather was a nice surprise and she played it in a very sinister fashion, never speaking the word "God" above a whisper. Lust is a really beautiful song at the best of times. When it is just Tori and a piano then it is even more so. And then we get another story about how she lost her little creature while she was in Champagne with her girlfriends (very funny sidebar here when she is talking about how her girlfriends had a fight and "you know how weird that is, especially when you get caught in the middle. Actually, guys, you have no idea what I am talking about, do you? But that's okay as you don't get haemmaroids either.") and explaining about the shoes and the stairs. Then she plays Playboy Mommy. There really isn't anything more to say about that. Very, very moving. 1000 Oceans, is a beautiful song at the best of times as well, and again, when it is played live on a piano, it is really very lovely indeed. And then the lights go down, and she is playing and playing and playing and I am thinking "I know this, I know this," the lights come up and she sings "Thought I'd been through this in 1919." And then finishes the rest of the song. Most satisfying indeed. And then she finishes that and repositions herself much closer to the piano. Then she leans in and starts drumming the piano strings with her hands and sings Juarez. For the "no angel came" bits, she plays the keys, but for the rest, she is drumming the strings. You have no idea just how many different ways you can play one piano until you have seen Tori in action, right? So she is getting to the end of Juarez and is singing about how no angel came when she goes off on a tangent as she is want to do. She goes from singing about how no angel came, very softly, to yelling in Tori stylee (I know you know what I am talking about) "no angel CAME for my little girl." Wow. For Suede, they brought on the keyboard thing, or a version thereof, that she had for the Plugged tour and she sat between the two of them, switching from one to the other for the "oh little sister" bit. Now, there is not much more that I can say about the last five songs that I have not said already. It was just so great to hear them played so beautifully after such a long time. She held the final note in Pandora's Aquarium for so long, I thought my brain really would explode and then she was gone. I have to say this. I hope she continues to record with her band and release material with the band. But I hope she never tours with them again. Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but after last night, she has demonstrated that she CAN play live without them. I know that I have said how great the Plugged tour was and how great it was to see her with a band and a whole new sound and so on and so forth. I know that I have also said that I preferred this to her acoustic style. Well, when I saw her on the Dew Drop Inn Tour in 1996, she was not very good and was obviously having a very hard time performing the new stuff on Pele. And then when I saw her in 1998 on the Plugged Tour, she was quite clearly loving every minute of it. So that made a difference and that is why I said I prefer her new full on band sound to her acoustic style of old. Well, after last night I have a whole new opinion. There really is nothing that comes close to spending two hours with just her and her piano. It was truly awe-inspiring. From Jonathan OakeyNovember 1, 1999 - Thanks again for making me aware of the London show, it was EXCELLENT! I know by your web-site that many people have sent in reviews already and some of the Tori speak is probably not correct, but I thought I would send it anyway. Has anyone mentioned that they bootlegged the show? If they have please, please, please send me their email address! I was in the balcony 6 rows back, which wasn't as bad as it sounded as you are not that far from the stage, and I had a good view. I cannot remember the name of the support, I know he was Irish and played guitar, but I only heard 1 1/2 of his songs (which sounded pretty good I must admit) as I was fighting to get my programme and T-shirt in the lobby for 20 minutes. She did a really long show approx.. 2¼ hours a total of 25 songs! with 2 encores of three songs each! She only played the piano, apart from one song on the Kurzweil synth. She came at 8.50pm in a light purple top, like silk with a royal blue belt tied round her waist, dark blue (denim?) trousers and black strappy shoes went off for the first encore at 10.30pm and finished at 11.05pm Set list Me and a gun - solo under a spot light, what a way to start Bliss - so powerful I had shivers all the way through it Take to the Sky - brilliant she made the bass line at the start by slapping the piano with her right hand Then she said "Hello, how ya doin, OK!" and said it wasn't her first time at the Festival Hall and told a story about how she had been asked to play piano for Al Stewarts band as their piano player had caught Russian flu. She asked her mom who must be in the audience "Which year was it Mom, 1991?" when she was doing London shows, and was worried that someone would ask to check her passport to see if it was ok for her to play at the Festival Hall cause she said "I've got to open for 7 acts at the Mean Fiddler later, and I can't afford to mess that gig up, I can't appear as Tori Amos" so after he says that it's unlikely that anyone would even care, he says ok we'll call you (have to guess this as it didn't come across too clearly) "Valencia Turmosky" Cloud on my tongue - lovely Concertina - definitely now my favourite from Venus, should sound awesome on Jools tonight! Not the Red Baron - I know she hardly ever does this and she had the talking bit as a backing tape Cooling - absolute heaven Father Lucifer - "everyday is my Wedding day" Talked about being "trapped in a toilet for 4 hours in Wyoming", said something like it was a "fucking hell hole" and would "like to drop a bomb on the place". While everyone is still laughing someone near me shouted "Why didn't you" and she thought they said "Where is it?" so she replied "What, where is it, somewhere near the Haemorrhoids!" Merman - absolute heaven again Beauty Queen / Horses - she actually had the Lesley cabinet on stage for this, switching it on and off with a button with her foot to the right of the piano. Do you know if she has done this before? Winter - could it get any better? (yes it can) Professional Widow - not many times you hear "Starfucker" in the Royal Festival Hall methinks much applause from the female members of the audience at the end "peace, love and a hard cock" Leather - it just got better! Lust - this one is growing on me Talks about going on holiday to Champagne with some of her girlfriends after she "lost a certain creature" to forget everything and basically get plastered,and her friends started getting majorly bitchy between themselves she said "Boys you have no idea what that can be like, believe me" and to get away had to negotiate a "how do you say it" gesturing like a spiral staircase, until someone shouts out "spiral!" then everyone guesses what is coming and starts laughing. Then she says "No, I had really big heels, (more laughter) NO, like THIS BIG!" and shows them to be about a foot tall. "Anyway, I go tumble, roll, tumble, roll, and arrive on my back at the bottom of the staircase" then she goes on to say she walks up to her mother and recites this verse which she made her promise she will never repeat, to which her mom replied "Honey, you need more medication" Can you guess Playboy Mommy - big shivers all the way through especially at the line "I can't find those churchbells that played when you died" 1000 Oceans - beautiful Yes Anastasia - God I love this song, started on "Thought I'd been through this in 1919" Juerez - played the verse by slapping on the insides of the piano with her hands, sounded amazing! Went off for a little while they wheeled out the Kurzweil synth 1st encore Suede - I must admit I am not that keen on this, but it came across really well live, all the backing was played by the synth (I think) and she played the melody over the top. Purple People - not my favourite, but sounded much better live than on CD Smells like teen spirit - brilliant Went off again for a minute or two 2nd encore Silent all these Years - drowned out by applause at the start, excellent Upside down - I am dead and have gone to HEAVEN! Pandora's Aquarium - still think the verse is bit so-so but I love the chorus. The great thing was about the concert was I missed the first show in Birmingham in 1991 and this made up for it by playing allot of the songs she would have played then. I think I enjoyed the previous shows with the band better, but maybe I just looked forward to it more at the time as I hadn't seen her live for 2 years plus then. From Chris BolandNovember 1, 1999 - My name is Chris and I live near Cambridge in England. I thought that I'd write to say that I was at the show at The Royal Festival Hall in London on Friday. I'd be happy to type a few lines about the show if no-one has already done so. I'm no expert reviewer though - maybe I can just tell you briefly how it was. Firstly I should say that the show was quite special beforehand because it wasn't advertised anywhere in the press that I could see. Certainly no adverts in NME or Melody Maker - a few posting on internet pages and word just got around and it naturally sold out in days. Ticket touts on the night were selling the odd ticket for a fortune, but a couple that I spoke to said that they hadn't managed to buy a ticket all night. It was nice to know that tickets weren't being passed through various hands for great amounts - fans had bought them and they weren't letting go of them. It was my first visit to The Festival Hall and I was so impressed by it - modern looking and beautiful. A truly grand setting - filled with dog-collars, eyeliner, tiaras and hair dye. Wonderful. The support act - please take note of. Paddy Casey. Maybe if Tori was a bloke from Ireland and had taken up guitar instead - maybe this what we'd all be listening to? The fact is we have Tori and Paddy Casey. Just that most people don't appreciate the latter. I must just briefly picture him for you. He appeared a little 70's in his skimpy t-shirt and is slightly flared denims. He was utterly at ease with the crowd - thanking them for coming to see him. Self-depreciating, witty and musically outstanding. He has the voice, songwriting ability and an exciting style of guitar playing. I can honestly say he left an impression that lasted long after Tori's set had finished. Tori entered the stage and stood away from her piano - alone at a microphone at the left of the stage. As the applauds faded she began Me And A Gun - the entire audience was silent - except for the sound of flashes and the occasional film being wound. She was more intense than I had ever seen her. She seemed immensely angry, yet near tears - and the cameras were so intrusive in such an intimate song. It was the bravest performance I have ever seen from anyone and she could not have appeared less like a star - so vunerable - the cameras were out of place. Next she moved to her piano and contined with Bliss - which like all of the Venus tracks sounded extraordinarily powerful being performed by Tori alone at a piano. She played a wonderful mix of songs for two hours. They included Silent All these Years, Leather, Yes, Anastasia...Beauty Queen/Horses, Professional Widow, Concertina, 1000 Oceans, Cooling. I should note that Tori made no reference at all to her new album. It was also the first time I have ever seen a show where the forthcoming single was not played. Glory Of The Eighties is due to be released this coming Monday and it didn't make the set-list. Personally I think that is exceptional. Suede, unlike the rest of the set was performed on the electric piano. And it was nice to hear about "the dark of the moon" on Halloween weekend. Winter was stunning - a very retrospective song, but brought to the present as the English winter was taking hold outside. And perhaps Smells Like Teen Spirit, with a thousand memories of parties and mosh-pits - was sung now as a requim to many things - especially the nineties. From Paul (from the U.K.)November 1, 1999 - This is going to be short and sweet.... the woman is quite simply a genius! She was awesome. I'm sure you'll get the full set list from others but to open a show with Me And A Gun was unbelievable and to play Juarez solo drumming the piano strings was breathtaking... If I needed any confirmation of her sheer brilliance it was there tonight... It promised to be something special and it was. From David MossopNovember 1, 1999 - My first Tori gig and what a night it was!!! We were speculating why the wing of Tori's Bosendorfer had been removed but when Juarez started up it was evident! A real pianobasher... Her voice was beautiful and who wouldn't give their right hand to have such acoustics on a piano?! My highlights were ' Bliss' and ' Upside Down' . I love the way Tori grinds her pelvis when things get groovy and intense. Did she backcomb her hair or does it have a vibrant life of its own? One question: every girl knows that you do not descend spiral stairs when you're wearing 50 inch heels! (being sloshed is no excuse!!)
All Reviews Below Were Originally Posted On The Dent ForumSpecial thanks to St. Theresa for saving these reviews and then sending them to me after they were accidentally purged from the forum From SueLee:
The Set List I got was:
(9:03)
{Brief chat about how she had already played the RFH, as a fill-in Keyboard player for Al Stewart - "1991, Mom?" - billed as the "Villaness Duke of Skya") Cloud on my tongue (A chat about going to Champagne with her Girlfriends to get over it, and falling down some spiral stairs while wearing some really high shoes. "Girl, you need some more champagne". "There are lots of good things about england, but not dentists", and going to her mother afterward, while thinking about these lyrics. "Girlie, you need more medication" Playboy Mommy
1000 Oceans
10:30
10:45 Off just after 11. The gig was very personal, and almost felt like a throwback to the really early days - 1992ish, in terms of it being just her and a piano. Sound quality was excellent!
From Rustfork: OK, setlist : (as far as I can remember)
Me and a gun Encore :
Suede (With recorded rythm) Encore :
Silent all these years Well, now (after the 3:rd editing) it's finally complete ! It's still in the wrong order though. But if you want to know the right order, Just check further down. These were the songs she played anyway. Oh, and the meet and greet was very nice and civiliced. ( she signed my Cornflake girl UK ltd. ed. !!! ).
From geoff: have just got in from the seeing tori - all the set lists people have given are as accurate as i can remember - has all blurred into one fantastic night for me - cannot offer more clues as to the order of the songs. she was wearing blue jeans with heels and a purple loose shirt with a black vest underneath. she was, as always gorgeous and each song left me breathless, very emotional. she talked more than usual - it felt a very personal concert. me and a gun was haunting as it was the first song and obviously very important to her. i think other writers have missed off Father Lucifer which was great. as always, want to see her all over again - anyone know of how i can get hold of copies of take to the sky and upside down?? [upside down" and "take to the sky" can b found on the Winter single.]
From Darrell: OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!! At the risk of rubbing it in, that was the best Tori Concert I have even seen.I don't think I could have picked a better setlist.I got to meat so many of the European EWF's (Hi rustfork - where the hell are you posting from?) and Ceridwen (sorry, I know she's changed her username - but I can't remember the new one) actually gave Tori a kiss (as she will no doubt tell you at great length). Everyone else has already covered the details except an Important one. The security in the venue was NON EXISTANT. I could have walked in there with a 24 track mixing desk in my jacket pocket and not been searched.In fact for the last song a guy came right up front, took a picture of Tori from right in front of the stage and went back to his seat!!!. Hopefully this lack of worry about being caught will mean the Boots are excellent (mines pretty good).I'm too tired now to write more.I'll post again after I've had some sleep.
From Nick H: Here is the setlist from tonight. The songs are definitely correct, but the order is screwed up (sorry):
Me And A Gun
Suede (w/ Synth and Pre-recorded Drums)
Silent All These Years I feel extremely privileged to have attended this concert. I am an American who is lucky enough to be studying in the U.K. this year after seeing three Plugged '98 shows and two 5.5 Weeks shows back in the states. I was also lucky enough to be able to buy a standing room only ticket the day of the show (for only 10) even though the show was sold out. I loved the energy and adrenaline of the Plugged shows, but this concert was great because everyone could just sit, pay attention, and absorb every moment. It was wonderful to be able to hear just the intricate piano and Tori's beautiful voice, especially on some of the newer songs. Tori truly showed her ability as a fine performer, and she seemed to be in a great mood. Tori completely took the audience by surprise by opening with 'Me And A Gun'--utter silence during this song. Bliss and Concertina sounded fantastic with just the piano. Before 'Merman', she told a funny story about being locked in a bathroom in Wyoming for four hours and then being expected to pay for her eggs. She commented on what a 'fucked-up' place it is, and said that she used to play this song alot for a certain boy (I assume Matthew Shepard, from Wyoming). Before 'Playboy Mommy', she told one of my favorite stories, about how she fell down the stairs and came up with the first line. 'Professional Widow' brought the house down, especially the high notes. During 'Juarez', Tori supplied percussion in the verses by banging on the top of her Bose (it was so cool). Both encores were incredible. Overall, a superb performance. Like I said, I am so lucky. Thanks, Mike, for The Dent--otherwise I would not have even known about this show! (Note: 'Here In My Head' was not performed, as some of the other set lists claimed.)
From Neal: You know youre in for something a bit special when Tori decides to open with Me And A Gun. That proved to be true as Tori was daring enough to leave out Cornflake Girl, Precious Things and the forthcoming single Glory of the 80s. Here's the full set list in the correct order as I was taking notes!
Me And A Gun (sung standing at microphone in a spotlight at one side of stage)
Bliss
From Darrell: well I'm back after a much needed sleep, heres a few answers to peoples questions. M&G photo's - mine are probably no good, but she spent half an hour with us, so there should be plenty. Live photo's - There were flashes going on throughout the set, so someone's got some. Security - like I said, non existant.In fact it came to me that this wasn't such a good thing.I said in my earlier post about the guy who walked down the front to take a photo, well what if he had a gun instead of a camera (paranoid, I know, but a frightenning possibility). Funny moments. Anyone who has been to a few shows know that there is allways someone who shouts 'we love you Tori' at EVERY show, This time it was someone with a very strong french accent, so strong it sounded fake (If you've ever heard people on tv trying to sound french, you'll know what I mean).After she said it, the whole audience laughed and Tori said something like 'see, they really have taken you over' (european political joke).
From Mal Morrison: Thought the concert was great with personal favourites 'Professional Widow' (done very much like the record) 'Suede' and 'Upside Down' Personal disappointment - She didn't do 'Blood Roses' (just love some of the singing in this). Some of the other posts comment on the sound quality. I thought her voice was too far forward in the mix at first and I had difficulty hearing all the piano when Tori was singing. This seemed to improve as the concert went on and maybe had something to do with where I was sitting (quite near the front on the left). The boots should sort out whether this was just me.
From Thunder: At first though she seemed like she was really upset/angry when she 1st came out. My immediate thought was "Oh God, whats happened." People said at the soundcheck she did Playboy Mommy, Pandora, TTTS, and Concertina. All of which surfaced! She wore a black rose on one side of her shirt thingy. The concert started at 9:00 ish and finished at 11:00. There was lava lamps on stage and it was generally a kick ass show. I think Paul described it best afterwards as "Oh my God, I'm shaking!" though!
From keith23: well what can i say.you have had the set list.the m&g was great.i think i got a few photos.tori signed a cd cover for me.it was quite a civilised event(us british eh?)i met some great ewf,hi guy's.before the show i noticed that quite a lot of people had duplicate tickets which caused some confusion but because of this i managed to get my crappy box seat changed to a seat six rows from the front and directly in front of tori .she was so close to me it was really special.as a result of this overwhelming luck i spent the whole show with tears streaming down my face.the best show yet.tori's mum and dad were sitting in the row behind me which was also a bonus-but their seats were also double booked how out of order was that i ask? darrell and moonshadow please mail me about photoes and boots nice to meet you guy's as well as jeannie and ali,rustfork and thomas will mail you all soon.i've got to deal with my after show blues now so i'll sign off but it was one of the greatest days of my life thanks to all for making it so special-love KEITH
From Kathy:
From Kathy: Steve's review (posted by Kathy). I last saw Tori at the RAH Pele tour on what was, in some respect, a strange night when Tori was not in the best of spirits and was in a dark place none of us could follow her to. That night she wasn't chatty or communicative, barely spoke to the audience and left the stage visibly upset after M@AG. Watching her battling some inner demon that night was an unsettling experience. M@AG, that most personal and excoriating of songs, seemed to be taken from her. Last night,at the RFH, Tori took it back. It was a breathtaking unforgettable moment. The diminutive figure stood in a single spotlight before a microphone stand and silenced thousands of rapturous fans with the opening WORD of M@AG. It was like pulling the plug on a stereo, the cheering ceased in a second. Tori sang with beautiful, perfect control in a performance of awe inspiring assertiveness.It was a brave choice for an opening song, but it was positive and powerful and sent out a very clear message...this is my life, my song and NO ONE'S going to mess with it. Tori Amos was clearly a woman who'd won. Tori proceeded to play nearly 2 hours of her best material, spanning every album and B sides too. Quite simply, it was an extraordinary, stunning concert. Alone on stage,not even Caton to accompany her, Tori played and sang like no one I've ever seen before. Her voice control was incredible, while the playing was electrifying.She was having fun, playing around with the opening bars of SATY; beating out a rhythm on the INside of the piano for a remarkable rendition of "Juarez";....showing her low opinion of Wyoming..... Highlights? Many.M@AG, Winter( for purely personal reasons); Yes,Anastasia; chills during Teen Spirit; the breathtaking vocals at the climax (literally)of Professional Widow. Last night was ajoyous celebration of the music and talents of this most extraordinary artist. I left feeling uplifted, privilaged to have been witness to the power of Tori Amos. I was left too with a feeling that this was a close of a chapter for Tori..turning the page to something new...and that maybe we wont see her for a while..... It was a special night, with a commanding and supremely happy Tori totally in control. It was her night, and we relished every second of it. Well I've taken up SOOO much space today....I hope we were able to share some of what was a glorious, uplifting and happy evening at the Royal Festival Hall with you. Kathy.
From tij:
tij xxxxxxxx ps...it was so cool to finally meet up with some EWF from the tori.com chat room
From civilised-syllabub: Hi everyone, I just got back now from London. Oh My God. Last night was the most amazing night of my entire life, the best show I have ever seen by anyone, even better than Tori at Portsmouth 1996. I am still in total shock, I can't believe that I was there,. I can't believe it happened. I took a few pics of the show from row 2 centre. I didn't tale too many as I could tell tori was getting really pissed off by all the flashes going off, I mean people were taking them all through me and a gun. I got to meet tori and speak to her for a bit and got some hopefully great meet and greet pictures, so anyone at all wanting to trade please email me! To all the many great people I met from online there and just from other shows thank you so much!! From the forum specifically- Paul, Claire, emma, andy, laura, just sooo many people. Ok anyone wanting to trade pics please email me right away!! I am still in a daze, that show is something i will never forget. never. My friend taped it on DAT and that came out fantastic so I'll have that soon, and i know about 5 other people taping it too, so hopefully we'll have great recordings! Lucy
From Bliss_angel: Man, that was one hell of a performance...I'm so lucky coz this is the first time that I'm catching Tori live and solo too. It was an amazing experience to say the least. The setlist was wonderful though I was hoping she'll sing cornflake girl and caught a lite sneeze. I'm sure everyone who went will agree with me that this is a performance that no one will ever forget! Her sweet voice was just so moving and passionate that I wanted to cry at times...I hope she'll do more concerts like these in the future.
From LucyNicole:
From Valeri:
--valeri--
From papaya: Did anyone see Joel or Steve Sanchez at the London show? I heard that Joel was out with Bush now. If someone did talk to either one of them, though, how are they doing?
From Darrell: No Joel or Steve, I guess like the band they had other commitments.
From Jon:
I was in the balcony 6 rows back, which wasn't as bad as it sounded as you are not that far from the stage, and I had a good view. I cannot remember the name of the support, I know he was Irish and played guitar, but I only heard 1 of his songs (which sounded pretty good I must admit) as I was fighting to get my programme and T-shirt in the lobby for 20 minutes. She did a really long show approx.. 2 hours a total of 25 songs! with 2 encores of three songs each! She only played the piano, apart from one song on the Kurzweil synth. She came at 9.00pm in a light purple top, (like silk) with a royal blue belt tied round her waist, dark blue (denim?) trousers and black strappy shoes. Set list Me and a gun - solo under a spot light, what a way to start Bliss - so powerful I had shivers all the way through it Take to the Sky - brilliant she made the bass line at the start by slapping the piano with her right hand Then she said "Hello, how ya doin, OK!" and said it wasn't her first time at the Festival Hall and told a story about how she had been asked to play piano for Al Stewarts band as their piano player had caught Russian flu. She asked her mom who must be in the audience "Which year was it Mom, 1991?" when she was doing London shows, and was worried that someone would ask to check her passport to see if it was ok for her to play at the Festival Hall cause she said "I've got to open for 7 acts at the Mean Fiddler later, and I can't afford to mess that gig up, I can't appear as Tori Amos" so after he says that it's unlikely that anyone would even care, he says ok we'll call you (have to guess this as it didn't come across too clearly) "Valencia Turmosky" (I know this is wrong now) Cloud on my tongue - lovely Concertina - definitely now my favourite from Venus Not the Red Baron - I know she hardly ever does this and she had the talking bit as a backing tape Cooling - absolute heaven Father Lucifer - "everyday is my Wedding day" Talked about being "trapped in a toilet for 4 hours in Wyoming", said something like it was a "fucking hell hole" and would "like to drop a bomb on the place". While everyone is still laughing someone near me shouted "Why didn't you" and she thought they said "Where is it?" so she replied "What, where is it, somewhere near the Haemorrhoids!" Merman - absolute heaven again Beauty Queen / Horses - she actually had the Lesley cabinet on stage for this, switching it on and off with a button with her foot to the right of the piano. Does anyone know if she has done this before? Winter - could it get any better? (yes it can) Professional Widow - not many times you hear "Starfucker" in the Royal Festival Hall methinks much applause from the female members of the audience at the end "peace, love and a hard cock" Leather - it just got better! Lust - this one is growing on me Talks about going on holiday to Champagne with some of her girlfriends after she "lost a certain creature" to forget everything and basically get plastered,and her friends started getting majorly bitchy between themselves she said "Boys you have no idea what that can be like, believe me" and to get away had to negotiate a "how do you say it" gesturing like a spiral staircase, until someone shouts out "spiral!" then everyone guesses what is coming and starts laughing. Then she says "No, I had really big heels, (more laughter) NO, like THIS BIG!" and shows them to be about a foot tall. "Anyway, I go tumble, roll, tumble, roll, and arrive on my back at the bottom of the staircase" then she goes on to say she walks up to her mother and recites this verse which she made her promise she will never repeat, to which her mom replied "Honey, you need more medication" Can you guess Playboy Mommy - big shivers all the way through especially at the line "I can't find those churchbells that played when you died" 1000 Oceans - beautiful Yes Anastasia - God I love this song, started on "Thought I'd been through this in 1919" Juerez - played the verse by slapping on the insides of the piano with her hands, sounded amazing! Went off for a little while they wheeled out the Kurzweil synth 1st encore Suede - I must admit I am not that keen on this, but it came across really well live, all the backing was played by the synth (I think) and she played the melody over the top. Purple People - not my favourite, but sounded much better live than on CD Smells like teen spirit - brilliant Went off again for a minute or two 2nd encore Silent all these Years - drowned out by applause at the start, excellent Upside down - I am dead and have gone to HEAVEN! Pandora's Aquarium - still think the verse is bit so-so but I love the chorus. The great thing was about the concert was I missed the first show in Birmingham in 1991 and this made up for it by playing allot of the songs she would have played then.
From MyLittleToriPage:
Here I am again, back in Germany !The concert in London was amazing, it was the best I *ever* saw ! And I saw her on her 1994 Tour in Dusseldorf, Germany ! I always thought that could never be topped. Wrong !!! Starting with "Me And A Gun" and then playing a two hour set !? Amazing ! Cooling, Purple People, Bliss, Not to forget Professional Widow with in the "percussion on the piano" version. I think she never played it that way ! Suede ! (with synth) Merman, Red Baron, Winter, Silent all these years...Did she really play it ? YES ! She did !It was absolutly great ! My special theanks go to Christoph and Rurik (for supplying me with the tickets! Thanks Guys !) And to all the great people I met there ! (Paul, Lucy, Emma ( I hope you like the pic !) the guy from Sweden ( I didnt get your name, sorry!) ,and so many more (you know who I mean !) ! Oh, by the way, The support was Paddy Casey. He was amazing !If anyone needs more info, contact me, I managed to get (most) of his CDs in London. If someone recorded the set *PLEASE* contact me ! Bye ! Jorg
From Moonshadow:
What can i say!! Darrell and everyone else who i met before the m&g thankyou so much for a wonderful day and atmosphere. Hey Darrell did you hear someone kissed tori?? I should get my M&G pictures back tomorrow, but how i wish I had brought my camera into the concert (Darrell, Paul+ Rustfork) i'm sure you know what i mean! Security was really a joke! I can't even talk too much about the concert. Simply stunning. I haven't seen her solo before, and she was simply breathtaking. My boot came out quite well so i've worn out my mp3 player playing them! She seemed to relax after the first few songs and got into a great dialogue. It felt really like the concert was a look back, both for her and her parents. A reflection upon the years gone by; if i called it a best of, that really wouldn't do it justice. How i wish i'd brought my camera in!!! I got to speak to tori, how short is she?!? For all those who missed it.. well.. may you re-live our experiences as I can safely say it was the most wonderful experience of my life. Playboy mommy stuck in my head, partly becuase of the introduction she gave to it. Everyone who i met up with please email me on mmswarb@breathemail.net and let me know how you found it. especially genie whereever you are! wow.
From northern lassy: Just to be original - WOW!! the concert was out of this world!!! Having seen Tori with her band at Newcastle I was a bit unsure of what a solo gig would be like. Moral of the story= never undersetimate this girl and her piano! Its amazing how she played numbers like P. Widow without making it seem like anything was missing - the piano's her instrument, she knows how to handle it better than anyone I've heard and she really shows the world pianos can do so much more than just accompany pretty ballads. Particular high points for me were Bliss (flawless and extremely powerful,) Cooling (I had tears in my eyes when her voice soared across the last few bars,) Playboy Mommy (A performer couldn't make a more personal and moving connection with her audience than she did with this song) Juarez (the words "original" and "genius" spring to mind) and Smells Like Teen Spirit 'cos again she showed just how versatile and effective a piano can be.
From Only me: It was a fantastic set, so much better than the last 2 tours. Tori's chat was a bit substandard but I never went for that. One comment though, for you Americans, Maybe it is normal to heckle and act the twat at concerts in America but when abroad could you please act like a native. Every concert I go to has a loud American shouting in the middle of songs. Not needed. Thanks.
From pete:
What can I say... this was simply the best tori concert I have ever seen. Despite being near the back of the balcony, I've rarely felt so connected with Tori and the music through the whole concert.... While we were waiting for her to come on, there was a woman (I think it was a woman - I've lost my glasses and things get blurry after 50 feet!) clapping and waving at the audience like that was all she had come there for - my boyfriend said it was (politician) Mo Molem - but I suspect he was lying - anyone know who she was?? Is she a regular feature of Tori concerts?? So it's nearly 9 o'clock, and hey, the Piano has no lid! Is this new? And what's that solo microphone stand for? And that big wooden box at the end of the piano...? I remembered reading that Tori sits backstage trying to sense the "mood" of the concert while finalising the set list, so I started thinking "FATHER LUCIFER! BEAUTY QUEEN!" really loudly at her - well you never know what might work, do you ;-) The audience are getting impatient - seems like ages since the support finished. And then it's pitch black.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> take to the sky - Started with a bright gold light shining from behind tori as she wrapped her body along the curve of the piano facing the audience, thwacking out the rhythm on the woodwork through the intro, which had lots of the audience clapping along through the 1st verse. Towards the end I look down and notice my hands have gone white, I've been clenching my fists so tightly so far! cloud on my tongue - As on "still orbiting", beautiful. tori spoke about how she'd played this venue once before, covering for another pianist who had Russian flu (how did I suddenly know she was going to play Yes, Anastasia later!), under a pseudonym in case the passport people found out and revoked her limited licence - she asked her mum (in the audience) what year it had been - 1991. concertina - This would make a really good single. It's tempo varies as she weaves her way through it - adding an extra bar of suspense before each chorus, and she repeated one line near the end a couple of times more than on the album (the "squeezebox"/"dub" line I think) which gave it a nice crescendo after the "way too cheerful" bit. not the red baron - The second major surprise of the set for me - and one girl in the row in front who just went mad when it started, and screamed "thank you tori!" at the end - maybe it was a request, although it was done to a tape/sample of the "pilots" speaking as on the album, which I guess they must've prepared in advance. It's amazing how calming this one is. cooling - First tears from me of the evening! - well nearly. Actually it was weird - I just couldn't blink, and my eyes were covered in water forming pond-ripple patterns over tori & the piano which made it even weirder. A bright yellow light was shone down onto the piano strings through this - really beautiful. father lucifer - She was listening! (well, maybe) merman - She started with a story about how much she hates (can't remember where - the place where Matthew Shepard was killed), said she onc got locked in a toilet there for 4 hours, and referred to the murder of Matthew Shepard, but didn't give his name - after talking for a while she just said "oh if you want to know the rest, you can look it up on the internet!" beauty queen / horses - Bloody hell. BQ was just awesome. She slammed that note out, maybe 2 octaves lower than usual. It was weird hearing this not at the start of a concert - (hasn't she only ever played it 1st in the past?) - taking us back to the introspective after the more cocky 2 songs that came before. Horses was as on BFP, she even brought the Lesie Cabinet with her for the slightly-swirly effect, which I thing she switched on with a foot pedal every time she got to "Off with Superfly" winter - This time I was *really* on with the waterworks - and I can't remember ever having actually cried tears of happiness before.... Brian (my boyfriend), noticed how sad I was looking during the 2nd verse, and put his hand on my clenched hands gripping each other in my lap. It was like tori, me & bri were reaching back to that teenage me in High School and saying "see, *TOLD* you everything would be OK". professional widow - I just laughed out loud when the harpsichord riff came out all funky and bassy on the piano - the last thing I was expecting and an excellent slap in the face after winter. And the way tori was flinging her head about I worried she was going to fall off the stool. leather - As you'd expect. Always fun the way she plays with the tempo - teasing you before hitting the nexty line. lust - Sexy. playboy mommy - preceeded by a story about being in Champagne, France, and falling down a spiral staircase because (obviously) her platform shoes were too high - drunk? impossible! - "and when I got to the bottom of the stairs I was just like... " (makes herself into a really funny "splatted" shape). "...and I said to (Beene?) 'I need more Champagne". She went on to say that's how she thought of the first line - but she also thought up a verse there that she "couldn't" ever use, and when she sang it to her mother ("and I will *never* sing it to anyone else!!")her mother said "you need some more medication". 1000 oceans - Still not *sure* why I like this. It doesn't have any of the elements that usually made me love the music. But I do. yes, anastasia - hey, Russian Flu/Flew, geddit? Well maybe not. Gorgeous anyway, with a big epic intro like the string section half way through the version on UTP. juarez - Inside the piano lights up red, she leans forward, reaches right in, and starts tapping out a rhythm on the strings with her bear hands. "Oh, it's God" I think. Then... "Dropped off the edge again, down in Juarez". Wow.
suede - Still my least favorite track on Venus - it just doesn't pull me along with it's rhythm. It sort of judders me like an old bus. Still it was good, of course. She switched over to the piano for the "hey little sister" bit, but the rhythm on the synth kept playing through it, unlike on the album. purple people - Another surprise for me - not sure why but it was.
Tori leaves the stage again - but returns... silent all these years - There was so much screaming and calling from the audience Tori had to restart about 3 times before she could get to the 1st line - she didn't seem pissed off though - I think she laughed a little and so had to restart to get the atmosphere cleared before she'd start with the 1st line. Still as beautiful and hypnotic as the first time I heard it. upside down - gorgeous pandora's acquarium - A new intro kept us guessing for a while what this one was going to be - a very mellow note to go out on. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
------------------
From James Foran: This was my first Tori concert and I feel honoured that it was such an historic show. My seat wasn't the best but the atmosphere and Tori more than made up for it. Tori's voice was simply stunning live. She truly has a wonderful voice. The songs were fantastic. I believe the show was over 2 hours and we certainly got more than our money's worth. The support was an Irish guy called Paddy Casey. Tori started later than I expected and a few people around me were grumbling quite loudly about being kept waiting but as soon as Tori song they shup up pretty quickly! I tried to meet Tori after at the stage door but by 12.30 my stamina was flagging so I gave up. I did manage to meet her parents though! All in all I would say this was the best live show I've ever seen. Mind-blowwing!
From pete: >>>The support was an Irish guy called Paddy Casey. Guy?? I thought it was a woman! Sounded just like Tracey Chapman to me... ah well, I *had* lost my glasses!
From Allie: IT'S OFFICIAL!!!! I have been converted from a 'Tori Amos - oh yeah she's alright' follower, to a 'Tori Amos - wow she's fantastic' follower. I had a great day out. I managed to get an autograph off Tori, although I can't beat my friend who actually kissed Tori and managed to smear lipgloss all over her face...hehehe Anyway I'd just like to say that the people I met at the M&G were extremely nice and made the day even more enjoyable. The concert was amazing, despite the fact I ended up sitting in the nose-bleed seats. The whole atmosphere in the hall was great. The whole concert seemed very personal, with Tori and her wacky stories. All I can say is I feel very lucky that I was there.....
From jean:
From Ami T: I have to say, Pete's review was pretty spot on, what a fantastic show. I just wanted to say a huge thanks to whoever's idea it was to keep the annexe tickets back to sell on the night, because unfortunately, I didn't have a ticket in advance, and wouldn't have been able to go otherwise. I'd also like to say a big hello and thank you (don't know if they'll read this) to Anna, tony, and I'm really sorry but I didn't actually know your name, for making it such a brilliant night. I can't say anything about the show that hasn't already been said, because I can't put the rest of it into words, they can never do it justice. And the biggest thank you of all to Tori, who just makes this all worthwhile (I apologise for how cheesy that sounds). Take care and love to all
|
|
Go Back To The Tour Schedule & Reviews Page
Please give me feedback, comments, or suggestions about my site. Email me (Michael Whitehead) at mikewhy@iglou.com |
