From: owner-precious-things-digest To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V1 #163 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "precious-things-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. precious-things-digest Sunday, 1 September 1996 Volume 01 : Number 163 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Tori the subversive Re: NIN mail. Rochester, NY Tori Concert Review Re: Rochester, NY Tori Concert Review Augusta Concert ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: seven11@juno.com (Dustin V Shelby) Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 10:22:13 EDT Subject: Tori the subversive Someday people who worship Tori Amos are going to meet up with the peoplewho hate Tori Amos, and blood will be shed. Amos was an instant semi-star in 1992, emoting about sex and religion, giving loopy interviews, tossing her red hair and bucking on her piano stool as if riding a mechanical bull. Many people find her riveting. Others find her annoying as hell - including some women who didn’t think you could topple the patriarchy with a girly voice and a tube top. “Some women see vulnerability as weakness,” says Amos 32. “And I do sound like The Little Mermaid on acid.” Now more than ever. Amos’s new album, “Boys for Pele,” is stark and thunderingly weird. (The title concerns sacrifices made to a Hawaiian goddess of the volcano.) Are you ready for a heavy-metal harpsichord? For songs about Satan and about the female half of God? You’ve got to love the fact that the album as subversive as “Pele” debuted at number two Billboard chart. And you’ve got to admire Amos’s jazzy piano playing and her wispery ballads, but they’re hidden in an album that gets swampy with self-indulgence. Amos recorded most of “Boy for Pele” in a church in rural Ireland, because she wanted to feed off sacred vibes. Did she feel naughty? “No,” she says. I’ve worn red leather pants to church with no underwear - that was my naughty rebellion. This was about going in after an energy current.” Amos was born in North Carolina, the daughter of a Methodist minister. (Her new song, “Father Lucifer,” apparently took some explaining at home.) At 5, she was a classical-music prodigy; at 11, she was playing Gershwin at gay bars in and around Washington, D.C. She was in her early 20s Amos was raped, an experience that inspired a shiver-inducing a capella number, “Me and a Gun.” So many letters poured in from fellow survivors - so many women and girls streamed backstage to tell their stories-that Amos cofounded the Rape and Incest National Helpline. She also won a Visionary Award from the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, putting her in the company of former surgeon general Joycelyn Elders. Amos talks about her fans with a dead-seriousness: suddenly, there’s no trace of the out-there young women who effuses about Mary Magdalene and invites interviewers to feel her biceps. But as the new album suggests, Amos’s first priority is songwriting, weather her songs go down easily or not. “There are a lot of poets and groove people, but there’s not much music out there,’” she says.”My own devotion is to music. Everyone told me this me-and-my-piano thing was never going to work. -Jeff Giles with Katharine Chubbuck info provided by DAS: seven11@juno.com ------------------------------ From: Surf the World Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 16:53:22 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: NIN mail. On Sun, 25 Aug 1996, Bob Moyer wrote: > Precious Things Folks- > Again, this is sort of off topic... but it's been expressed that some > folks would like to talk about NIN... Since the kind folks hosting > Precious Things obviously want us to talk Tori, I'm willing to > pseudo-host a NIN discussion group. I'm comparatively low tech, > however...so if you want in just mail me something appropriate saying > zo, and I'll return a text file with the addresses of the current > members. > > I'm taking a max of 15 members. > ****If anyone else has an automatic mailserver they're willing to host > with...even better.***** I've got a linux box that'll be up and running on a 10 Bass T connection in a matter of days (like tomorrow) and I could host a listserv. Email root@therage.dorm.umd.edu if you are interested starting tomorrow afternoon... [Chris Blunck] --> [windsrfr@wam.umd.edu] | [snowbrdr@glue.umd.edu] [http://www.glue.umd.edu/~snowbrdr/] && [Your fortune:] [Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.] ------------------------------ From: Allyson Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 16:00:04 -0700 Subject: Rochester, NY Tori Concert Review Well...here's my review of the Tori Amos indoor/outdoor concert I went to at the Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center in Rochester, NY (it was actually in Canandaigua, but no bother) on August 29th, 1996. I was so extremely excited to be going to the Tori concert here in Rochester. I mean, Tori! In Rochester! The thought just blew my mind, of course. My friend's mother dropped me, my two friends, and my cousin off at about 5 o'clock. As we started walking up towards the gates I heard Tori doing her soundcheck...it happened to be In the Springtime...and I started running to get closer so I could hear. My friends were all laughing and saying they should've brought a leash or something. I was thrilled beyond words. So we walked up and the lady in one of them green shirts said we couldn't get in till 6 so we were welcome to wait around on the grass. So we sat under the trees and listened to the soundcheck, which wasn't quite as loud as I wanted it. Some of the songs I didn't recognize...I did recognize Spacedog, and Talula, I think. She played one downright gorgeous song, but I didn't know it. If someone out there has a soundcheck list...let me know!! By the time 6 rolled around, we were all wishing we had a deck of cards or something to keep us occupied (like one smart group of girls had), and we were conspiring (jokingly) together on jumping one of the ladies with the green shirts so we could get in early ;-P I wasn't gutsy enough to get up and intro myself to some of the others that were sitting around. Next time, someone, say hi to me! We got in, bought our T-Shirts and started wandering around the outside area cause we had loads of time to kill (Josh Clayton Felt...is that his name?...didn't come out till 7:30). We eventually checked in and found our seats and we were *so* happy. We actually got some decent seats! We had Row VV main floor under the shell. Anyone else in Row VV out there? :-D Josh came out...wasn't too impressed. The sun was going down, giving way to a spectacular sunset...you could see Canandaigua lake nearby. After a wait of total anticipation, and everything short of jumping up and down in my seat, Tori came out at about 8:40. She wore the grey stretchy-shirt (you know, the one she wore on 120 Minutes and the pictures on SNL) and blue jeans with yellow (I think) shoes. She did a violent intro to Beauty Queen that calmed the crowd down a bit. My head was spinning by then and after she finished Horses she got quite a big applause. Her second song, the one which totally surprised me, was Take to the Sky. I was like, Yesssss! This got the crowd into it, clapping along with the beat at first. She really emphasized "Have a seat while I take to the sky" and she kind of laid her hands out before her as if to tell us to have a seat. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but in the middle of the song Tori scared me a bit. She started screaming stuff like "You do(n't) know me" (I can't remember exactly) and pounding on her chest. It wasn't even into the microphone. Then she finished the song. Wow. Adrenaline rush, let me tell you. Tim, from RMTA mentioned that he got the feeling that there was something "angrier and sharper". Now that I think of it, yes. One of the friends I came with brought her binoculars and I used them for a few minutes. Looked to me like Tori was upset. Maybe, I don't know. Most of the songs she played had a real sharp feel to them. I can't remember the order of the songs...so I can't post a set list, unfortunately. But I will comment on what I remember, and please forgive the length. I just can't say enough of my Tori experiences. Tori did her Cornflake Girl early on in the concert, complete with cute little dance and all. This got a lot of cheers. I was glad she did it, cause Tori didn't develop this little dance in time for the Syracuse Concert (May 18th) I went to also. If I remember right, Tori prefaced Blood Roses with a little intro talking about her 250-year old harpsicord. Some people in back screamed "We love you Tori" (as usual), and she replied "I love you too" and something about tequila and the harpsicord. It was cute. She talked a bit more in between songs. By this time the moon (full one, I might add) was out, and stars. It was perfect. And Tori mentioned (not exact quoting) "You know what you guys out on the lawn have that we don't have?" and they yelled Tori! and she said something like "No, no...you have the moon!" I don't know about her, but from where I was sitting, I could see the moon. Then again, she was lower then we were. Tori prefaced Professional Widow with another story. She talked about when she was 8 and something about being the age where you have the braces and wet your pants all the time (God, I know I must be screwing this up, oh well...don't quote me on this!) And this guy who asked girls to marry him like 3 times a day asked her one day, and this song is for him...so she started playing this song. I had *no* idea what it was. Something about planting a loveseed. Then about midway in she starts in "Starf*cker..." and I went wild. I occasionally glanced over at the lady to the right on stage who was signing the songs to all the deaf people. I wondered if she censored this one... I yelled *Yesss* when she started playing Pretty Good Year. It was so pretty. I almost started crying. My ears were ringing after she got done with the "What's it gonna take..." part. My friend, who hadn't been to a Tori concert before, commented "Boy, does she have lungs!" Precious Things was absolutely *wild*! They had these circular overhead lights that spun around while she did her intro. The whole atmosphere was almost surreal. It looked like alien ships were swirling their lights above Tori. It was wild. And she had a nasty growl for her long Giirrrrrllll. I held my breath through Me and a Gun. I thought for sure someone would yell during this. But, to my utter surprise and delight, the audience was *silent*. I was very impressed. The audience was much better here than at Syracuse. Tori got a standing ovation after she finished. I was so amazed that it was over already. She came back out and played a BEAUTIFUL Landslide. I was very near tears. It was so pretty. And everything hit me. I felt so comfortable here--a place I don't find very often. Even if Tori was a little on the angry side tonight. Tori was speaking to me--telling me what I needed to hear. I had a dream a few days before about this concert--Tori whispered in my ear "Don't you ever let the bitches get you down...don't ever let them keep you from floating" And I finally heard that through Father Lucifer, which she sang at the beginning of the second encore. Tori also played a beautiful Winter to finish off the first encore. She waved and shook hands with some of her fans in the front. Also, some girl leapt onto the stage screaming Tori Tori and Joel (I think that's his name) was out on the stage like lightning and grabbed her. At least there was only one ;-) The second encore Tori sang Father Lucifer, and to wrap it all up was Etienne on the harmonium. She said "Some of you may know this...I don't sing it to often anymore". I absolutely loved it. I had never heard it before...I can still hear her sing Etienne in my head. A wonderful feeling. I don't know, maybe I'm just looking too deeply. But I feel so strong when I listen to Tori. Some of you may think I'm crazy or obsessed...I know my family does. After I came out of the Rochester concert, I felt like I could do *anything*...I always have had a problem with self-conciousness, and Tori has helped me overcome it quite a bit. I owe her so much...one of these days I will be able to thank her. Someday in the future I will. yours, Allyson - -- - --%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--% Allyson Boggess - boggessw@vivanet.com http://www.vivanet.com/~boggessw/allyson.htm I go from day to day I know where the cupboards are I know where the car is parked I know he isn't you --tori - --%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--%--% ------------------------------ From: seven11@juno.com (Dustin V Shelby) Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 17:37:19 EDT Subject: Re: Rochester, NY Tori Concert Review i think that was a very powerful album review you should review (and go to) more concerts! ------------------------------ From: seven11@juno.com (Dustin V Shelby) Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 18:09:01 EDT Subject: Augusta Concert Hi, I was wondering if anyone near Augusta (or anyone that has info) could check for me and see when the tickets go on sale for the concert on October 10th. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!! DAS ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V1 #163 *************************************