From: owner-precious-things-digest To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V1 #189 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 Tuesday, 1 October 1996 Volume 01 : Number 189 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Review Of Chicago, September 28! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: mikewhy@iglou.com (Michael L. Whitehead) Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 17:44:37 -0500 Subject: Review Of Chicago, September 28! Fury, Tenderness, and Playfulness In Chicago If Chicago turns out to be the last show I see on the Dew Drop Inn Tour, I made a great choice! Tori gave Chicago an incredible high-energy performance. She was ON. This came as a big surprise to me, because reports from the Meet and Greet at the sound check (which I was unable to attend) said that she looked really tired. She somehow discovered an incredible store of energy, and proceeded to kick us in the booty with a wonderful, multi-layered show that you could divide into 3 parts. The best description for these parts were fury, tenderness, and playfulness. All in the same show! I was pleased to share this concert with so many wonderful people and friends whom I have met this year. I attended the show with Rebecca Cox, webmistress of the Laid Down web site. We have been working together on Tori-related web projects and I was thrilled to finally see a concert with her! I was also joined in the theater by Lori (L'il Pixie). As soon as I saw her I KNEW we would have a great show! Since first meeting her, EVERY TIME we are at the same show, Tori gives the performance of her life. It happened in Cincinnati and Dayton Ohio, and now Chicago. You can thank us later! ;) I also talked to Monica Sanghavi, Charlie Poole, Aimee Lortskell, and Becky. I did not arrive early enough to really hang with them this time, but I enjoyed their collective energy. It meant alot to me to see them, and it added to the good feeling in the air. I was also approached by two young women who asked me, "Are you Mikewhy?" There names were Christine and Johnni, and it was fun to meet you! Being used to smaller cities, I am still amazed at how huge Chicago is, and how congested the traffic gets. When we arrived at the Arie Crowne Theatre, I was appalled to see we had to pay $10.00 to park! I was still tired and hungry after my long drive from Louisville Kentucky, but I forgot all that as soon as 'Son Of A Preacher Man' started playing. BEAUTY QUEEN/HORSES - This familiar opening seemed really fresh and different to me this time. I noticed immediately how intensely she was singing, really drawing out the notes and savoring them. During the instrumental interludes she pounded the keyboard HARD, throwing her body around. It was the most dramatic performance of these two songs I have ever seen in concert. It set the pattern for the first part of the show. At one point during Horses, she looked like she lost her place for a second. She slowed down, then went "Oh," smiled, and continued playing. SUGAR - People who have seen her do this song before in concert know how powerful this song is live. Her low notes were quite exciting! She remained fully into it, and there seemed to be fury and passion in her words. Tori was much more animated here than when she sang this song on VH-1 Crossroads! BLOOD ROSES - She then spoke to us. Her quotes are not transcribed perfectly here, but they are somewhat close. She said, "This will be the last time I am in Chicago for a couple of years." There were cries of disappointment in the audience. She said, "Yes, it's toodles for a while. I need to go make sandwiches in a shop somewhere. We have played Chicago more than any other city this time." (Actually, I think Buffalo NY gets that distinction.) She then mentioned fudge and candy apples in a quote I do not recall. She seemed to be giving us a heartfelt goodbye. I felt terribly sad that we would not see her again for a long time, but I was happy that she will get to have a life again away from the road. She then began singing Blood Roses. What an angry performance it was! LITTLE AMSTERDAM - It was at this point during the show that I knew without a doubt that Tori was going to give an incredible show. One thing I saw after this song and Blood Roses before it was how she would slam her palm or fist into the piano at the very end of the song. There seemed to be real anger or fury inside her, something she needed to work out or get out of her. Perhaps this is what gave her the energy for the night. Her movements during these early songs were so forceful. Before hitting high notes she would brace her body and use her arms to help her get the notes out. She sometimes spit out her words in anger and often stood up and jammed on the Bosey. Like Beauty Queen/Horses earlier, this was the best live version of Little Amsterdam I have seen. When she wailed the "playing that organ must count for something" part and stretched the note into "Little Aaaammmmmssssssterrrrrdammmmmm" with a dark, creaky voice, I had chills going through my body! I heard a young man sitting nearby go "WOW." I couldn't have agreed more. CORNFLAKE GIRL - Tori then said, "Those of you who have been to a few shows already know Caton." I then heard someone yell "Caton's cool" which naturally led to a request for Pain In My Hole. When Tori first did this song in Cleveland, it was PAIN IN HIS HOLE. It is often called PAIN IN MY HOLE now, even by Tori! Tori said, "The deal with this 'Pain In My Hole' thing is I don't know it. Did I do that in Chicago? Someone needs to get me a tape so I can relearn it. I mean I made it up, it was invasion of the body snatchers. I am sure some bootlegger has it." Then came the cornflake girl dance. Rebecca was happy to see Tori come all the way to the edge of the stage, something Tori did not do the last time she played in Chicago. Tori looks so confident and fluid doing her moves. Cornflake Girl continued the powerful and angry tone of the night. She stood up, grunted frequently, and did impressive keyboard work. Many people in the audience sang along during the "Peel out the watchword" part. The extra "mystery" lyrics also appeared again! (Read the Bloomington IN review by myself and Maggie for more on this. You can read this on my web site, listed below.) CAUGHT A LITE SNEEZE - This song was enchanting live. Like in other recent shows, the switch from piano back to the harpsichord continued to be very dramatic, with a slow build-up on the word "zone", with each note getting louder, followed by a jerky, almost mechanical and exaggerated turn. She held the 'zone' note for a really long time! Amazing. She also slammed her hand into the harpsichord again at the end. It looked painful to me! LITTLE EARTHQUAKES - For the third time tonight, I heard the best live version of a Tori song. Caton's guitar was really effective, the beautiful lighting really complemented the song, despite the fact that I was blinded by it! This song began a transformation within the show, from the anger prevalent early in the show, into something softer, more tender and somewhat sad. Like so many Tori songs, the instrumental introduction to this song really moved me. You have not heard a ballad until you hear Tori's. DANIEL - The emotional peak of the show for me was this Elton John cover. As she softly played the piano at the beginning, she told us, "This one is for the girl, different from Marianne, who was supposed to be here tonight. This one is for her...wherever you are." Then the opening notes of Daniel began. I lost it at that point and really cried. My God, it was so beautiful -- I was momentarily overwhelmed. My eyes were so wet I could hardly see the stage. I will NEVER forget this one. I am amazed at her ability to take a cover and make it her own; make it something almost too beautiful to bear. When she dedicated the song to the girl who could not be there, was she referring to another person, or perhaps to an aspect of herself? MOHAMMED MY FRIEND - Tori talked to us again. She was so talkative that night! It reminded me of previous tours when she would talk more and tell us her stories. She talked about Christmas 1994. She said she was visiting her parents for the holidays, and was dragged to church. "As you know, my dad was a minister...was a minister..was a MINISTER. I love him very much. but if he wasn't my dad I doubt we would be at the same parties. His parties served non-alcoholic wine, what a drag. Anyway, we were in church and everyone was singing their little songs. I was exhausted. It was right after the Under The Pink tour. My dad said 'Myra Ellen, I want you to sing.' I said 'If I sing, you might not like what comes out...' She then did her passionate Robert Plant-like singing followed by "We both know it was a girl..." and started Mohammed My Friend. I love the meanings within this song! CRUCIFY - What can I say, classic Tori. SPACE DOG - A fun song! Caton's guitar work was cool, and I loved those images of the planets drifting by on the screen behind her. TALULA - I could not sit still during this one. The danceable rhythm, the drum loops and the lights were great, though Rebecca informed me that the lighting for this song was more dramatic and elaborate the last time Tori did it in Chicago. Rebecca also noticed Tori triggering the loops, which was exciting! ME AND A GUN - I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the polite audience that night. For some reason I expected them to be more rowdy, but they were relatively quiet and respectful, especially during this song. The theater was very silent. Tori sounded a little less monotone than she normally does on this song. Once when she raised her voice for one note it startled me because I did not expect it. Her breathing seemed a little labored here also, though that could have been because she just finished the high-energy Talula. She also appeared to struggle a little at the end to get the words out, and seemed near tears. ENCORE 1 The first encore is one of my favorite parts of a Tori show. It is always so beautiful and tender. LET IT BE - Like Daniel earlier, I had never heard Tori do this cover before Her singing really grew powerful as she sang the words, "know you can hear me." Another tearful moment. CHINA - China has a gorgeous opening. I REALLY identified with this song. Damn it, I was unable to get my eyes dry again! The red lighting really worked for this song. ENCORE 2 Tori shook hands with many people in the front rows. Unlike many theaters, this place allowed people to sit in the orchestra pit! Many people gave Tori gifts, and at one point she acted like she was going to dive into the pit below. FATHER LUCIFER - This song has been making second encore appearances quite a bit lately. At the beginning she motioned to her crew to remove the harpsichord and bring out the organ. She did a little thing with her hands like she was casting a spell on the harpsichord before it was removed. She was extremely playful during this final encore, and that was the dominant emotion for the last few songs. She smiled really big, and looked damn happy! It was also fun to watch the interplay between Tori and Steve Caton. They know each other so well, and enjoy jamming together. LONDON GIRLS - This song is meant to be taken humorously. Lots of playfulness and great low notes from Tori. She seemed to glide through the rest of the concert, though that is not to say she was not doing a great job! The crowd really laughed when she sang, "They'll was your socks and wash your..." and then made a cute little squeal as she pointed between her legs. ETIENNE - Tori made fun of her Y Kant Tori Read days the last time she spoke to us. "Okay, this one has been lost for a long time. This is one I used to do while dressed in...what did I wear Caton?...some plastic snake-skin pants from retail slut. This song is when I got SENSITIVE." She then played Etienne, which I still think sounds marvelous on the organ. I also think Tori makes a cool witch. :) Then it was over. This was to be my last concert, though I am now considering going to at least one more show. Many things happened to me during this tour, and she provided me with much of the inspiration and tools I needed to deal with it. Chicago was special because I finally closed a dark chapter of my life recently, and this concert was partially a celebration of that. What I am really going to miss now is meeting all of you. I really feel a bond between many Toriphiles. I have met some wonderful people on this tour, and I enjoyed sharing the Tori experiences with you! I will really miss that. And we will all miss Tori. Rest well Tori. We love you. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael L. Whitehead mikewhy@iglou.com My Dent In The Tori Amos Net Universe => http://www.win.net/mikewhy/toriamos.html "Moses I know, I know you've seen fire, but you've never seen fire until you've seen Pele blow..." Tori Amos - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V1 #189 *************************************