From: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org (precious-things-digest) To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V12 #89 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Sender: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org 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 Thursday, October 18 2007 Volume 12 : Number 089 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [pt] Tori in Philly, 15 Oct 2007 [handal@r2d2.reverse.net (Richard Handal] [pt] Philly show, a very odd Santa ["Karen Hester" ] Re: [pt] A very odd Santa [e m ] [pt] RE: precious-things-digest V12 #88 [Tom xxxxx ] Re: [pt] A very odd Santa [handal@r2d2.reverse.net (Richard Handal)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:47:59 -0500 (CDT) From: handal@r2d2.reverse.net (Richard Handal) Subject: [pt] Tori in Philly, 15 Oct 2007 Hi, All, A weekend ago I traveled the 150 miles to Philly to attend the concert of a dear friend. She was received with great warmth and enthusiasm by the audience, as was Tori on Monday, except, by contrast, something with Tori's concert was different: the performance didn't deserve the Philly- style exuberance which was showered on her. I found the entire opening set with Santa to be full of life. Tori's contemporization of the psychological energy once realized by the ancient Greeks as Aphrodite, was a great deal of fun. The antics with a pitcher of cocktails--counter-intuitively--seemed to add to rather than detract from the music at hand. Santa was onstage from 8:53 to 9:24, and the final encore was done and the lights up at 11:05. This of itself should raise a red flag that not all was right with this concert. Why would she run over curfew and risk incurring some large union overtime fees? Because she was more concerned with the recording of the concert than she was with the performance of it, that's why. This was the consensus reached by both myself and a friend, who had also attended the two prior concerts in NYC and Syracuse, so she was able to confirm my suspicions that Philly had been woefully "blessed" by the official recording of this concert. After Big Wheel kicked off the main set, clockwork instrumentalism set in for most of the rest of the evening. This is not supposed to be a cooking demonstration, this is a music performance! I enjoyed Purple People with its lengthy and obscurantist instrumental introduction, and Liquid Diamonds and Hotel were welcomed, as was 1000 Oceans. Always instantly moving. The newer arrangements are creative, and I don't even mind if she continues to need to transpose down or otherwise adjust some of the vocal lines. But when she started hitting that first repeating piano note of Leather, it was all I could do not to scream. I realize that this is a personal affliction. I used to enjoy Leather, back before she took to playing it more often than prudence would allow. There's a difference between pleasing a crowd, and pandering to the audience. Save for glistening moments otherwise, this concert was marred by four musicians who were engaging in nearly zero interaction among themselves. Everyone was just going along as if they were at their factory jobs. Here and there Matt and Jon would look at one another and palpably engage, as did Matt and Tori once in a while, and that was just about all there was of *that*. At least Matt and Jon are often clearly engaged with the music. I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell Dan Phelps is supposed to be doing. He might as well have been doing needlepoint up there, for all the usefulness of his guitar work. I guess it should be considered good luck for the audience that his navel-gazing noodlings took place off to the side, both literally and musically; if we could have heard them more, they surely would have taken us away from the music the other players were trying to make, like sticking a newly sculpted private part onto the famous statue of David. As it was, there was little definition in the shape of sound to anything this fellow was doing. I expect he's playing what he's been told to, and it isn't up to him. And he's probably a decent guy; maybe he has a family and some talent. He doesn't deserve to be excoriated, but it's a difficult argument you'd be making that he's adding much of anything to these proceedings. With the digital ghost that was Steve Caton's original guitar samples now missing from Spark, 100% of the guitar work now has 0% personality. I've heard a lot of music and musicians in my time, and this stands as nearly a unique achievement, and I'm saddened to report this. So, how many of these official concert recordings are they supposed to be making, anyway? Am I to get another concert such as this in D.C. at my only other concert this tour? Can Tori come to know that what she plays at some concerts will be officially released, yet not be intimidated by that into mediocrity? If I were interested in seeing someone who's trying to perform onstage for extended periods without making any mistakes while spewing non-committal feel-goodisms, I'd be attending some political rallies for Hillary Clinton. I am not. I've seen professional music writers condemn all this business with the archetypes as pretentious. They can't escape their superficial, snarky ways of thinking, and they don't understand it. The higher purpose in Tori's application of current cultural images onto these psychological constructions, is to encourage people to own not only their own shadows, but to bring to consciousness and integrate all the facets of themselves that they have come to repress, often, because of the need to act in the "right" and "proper" ways they feel are expected of them. To get out from under social conditioning enough to begin seeking one's own path is scary and difficult, made all the more so if one has for many years been going instead down paths that others have made. To turn around and start blazing one's own trail, first requires getting past a great deal of deeply ingrained fear. This fear needs to be faced and then dealt with, before one can move past it. I always experienced Tori as being quite fearless in many ways: this one area being otherwise stands carved next to it in high relief. Tori's been performing at an extremely elevated level for a long time-- surely longer than most of us will ever know, even from recordings. I've attended enough blocks of these concerts over the years that I recognize exactly what's going on here. This is the same kind of self- consciousness I've observed when attending video tapings for television. Her controller/observer starts driving the bus. This might make for fewer "mistakes" during a performance, but it does so while robbing it of its soul. I even saw this effect during the last two concerts of 1998. I went to 19 of the last 20 concerts on that tour. The changes in her onstage demeanor and performances at those last two concerts, which were filmed by someone she trusts, were palpable. I don't know anyone who goes to Tori Amos concerts to see if she can avoid making a largely meaningless--and easily discounted--arcane technical error. Everyone *I* know who attends concerts, goes to them wanting to have an authentic experience in their life, so watching and listening to a brilliant performer playing it safe is a big disappointment. An expensive one. I feel that she needs to take some of the same advice she's tacitly dispensing through her use of the archetypal images on this album and tour. She needs to move past her personal fear of failure, so that her controller/observer can be put back in his rightful place of balance with the piano girl, rather than him shoving her to the side so he can take the wheel all by himself. The opening Santa set in Philly allowed Tori to be less self-conscious than she would be over most of the remainder of the evening. That's so interesting. She was getting outside of the architecture of fear when she was playing Santa. Perhaps some people end up leading inauthentic lives by playing characters, because it helps them to be less self-conscious. I hope she manages to find a better balance for the sake of everyone attending the rest of these officially recorded concerts. Perhaps an alchemist can help Tori find *her* own cinnabar juice for the times when she's being recorded, as she's helped others to find theirs. I may be a despicable person, but when Truth speaks through me I am invincible. --Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) Be seeing you, Richard Handal, H.G. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:23:03 -0400 From: "Karen Hester" Subject: [pt] Philly show, a very odd Santa I thought Tori was Isabel the whole time - she wasn't like Santa in NYC at all! Her dances and movements were jerky, her facial expressions cool and ironic, her rare smile just a smirk, and she was dressed differently. Tori even used her voice differently to the Santa in NY - a clipped 'Dragon', a cold 'Sugar' (she may have felt love for the subject of the song, but no pity). Only the playful 'Hoochie woman' were she danced about pouring mojitos for the band was Santa-ish to me. So that's why 'Isabel' was playing Santa's songs :) Now I'm unconvinced about the 'dolls' being distinct - they have different songs, but Tori can wear one wig and another facial expression and voice. I loved watching her face (binoculars, I wasn't that close!) - the cool expressions when wigged up, the giant smiles as herself. The doll acting might get in the way of recordings - she wasn't necessarily concentrating on how things sounded, there was some cute clipped phrasing that I don't think she does as Tori. She swung in and out of being engaged (when looking at her close up) - there were definitely on and off songs, she didn't always look or sound interested. This was the first recorded show (only available to North Americans - boo - why didn't they say this?) Problem with recording shows - BASTARDS IN THE AUDIENCE. Yes, they wanted to be on the recording. They screamed. They said to each other "we're not loud enough, we're part of the crowd" (I heard someone say this), and then they screamed during the songs when the rest of the audience wasn't clapping and cheering, just so they could be heard. Assholes. Hope she'll keep quiet about which shows are being recorded, but that seems unlikely. Problem with seeing three shows - set list envy (don't check to see what has been played at shows you miss!), and set list disappointment. When she starts playing 'Hotel' I think "damn, she played this the other night too" instead of "wow, she's playing a favorite song of mine again!". I had to smack myself for being so spoiled. Must listen to what's being played, not wait for each song to begin, hoping to add to the list of new songs. Loved the echo/reverb stuff during 'Clouds on my tongue' - the circles really did circle as her voice looped around. That and 'Leather' were the only T&Bo songs - a long improv was lovely, but I wanted three proper songs! Yoav's sets are 30 mins or so, on at 8pm. He's ok. Girls behind me thought he was very cute. It was his birthday so he watched Tori for the first time. (As was Tash, on the stage balcony - saw Tori pop out to talk to Tash during Yoav). He does the live recording thing - hits a beat on his guitar, records it, plays some guitar, records that, they plays those back and sings and strums on top of that (as made famous in KT Tunstell's Jools Holland debut). That's only interesting if you're close enough to see. So, no more shows for me. Damn. Wish I had a car (and could safely drive on the right hand side of the road). K. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:03:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Amanda Bradley Subject: [pt] A very odd Santa So that's why Santa was pouring drinks onstage! It was due to that show being recorded for the DVD! When I saw the pictures that are included with the Philly online download, there's a picture of Santa pouring a drink while Jon looks on grinningly. I wasn't sure if this was part of the doll act or just a special event. Confusion solved! Karen Hester wrote: Only the playful 'Hoochie woman' were she danced about pouring mojitos for the band was Santa-ish to me. Peace Out, Amanda "You and me will all go down in History. With a sad statue of Liberty and a Generation that didn't agree." Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:46:45 -0700 (PDT) From: e m Subject: Re: [pt] A very odd Santa The show was recorded audio only. no video or cameras. she was just being goofy. I think the only shows to be video taped will be out west in southern california. As for the odd Santa. THANK YOU!!! I thought santa was not the fit for Philly and now that makes more sense ;) I suspected the motivation for the shrills during teh show were for "fans" wanting to make the recording. f"tards! thanks for the confirmation. I am still sad from the experience as it was my last show of three as well. If the shows go better, I will be tempted to go out to LA with my friend. I may lose my job, but good tori show may be worth it ;) ellen Amanda Bradley wrote: So that's why Santa was pouring drinks onstage! It was due to that show being recorded for the DVD! When I saw the pictures that are included with the Philly online download, there's a picture of Santa pouring a drink while Jon looks on grinningly. I wasn't sure if this was part of the doll act or just a special event. Confusion solved! Karen Hester wrote: Only the playful 'Hoochie woman' were she danced about pouring mojitos for the band was Santa-ish to me. Peace Out, Amanda "You and me will all go down in History. With a sad statue of Liberty and a Generation that didn't agree." Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:56:11 +0000 From: Tom xxxxx Subject: [pt] RE: precious-things-digest V12 #88 > Re: [pt] Questions, because you're interesting people ["Daniel" 1. Most changed: "Bells For Her", "Sugar", "Blood Roses", "Horses". I agree with these. Blood Roses on both the 5.5 weeks tour and beekeeper tours were like entirely different songs. I'll also add "Siren" (2001) to that. To hear that song stripped down to just the piano was amazing. > > 2. Became New Songs: "Blood Roses" (5.5 weeks), "Sugar" (Plugged), "Horses" (Plugged) Again, agree with these. > > 3. Substancially Better: Sugar(Plugged), Waitress (plugged), Liquid Diamonds (2007). A very few songs I actually think are not as good live, the primary example being "Carbon." I really miss the drums on that one. I do get set list envy, too. I see what Richard is saying and agree with him in theory, but there are also just some songs that really mean a lot to me that I'd love to see live. I experienced great set list envy today when I saw the Wallingford set list. "Scarlet's Walk" is in my top 5 songs I want to hear live list; I almost bought tickets to that show but decided to be financially wise instead. Drat. I'm still waiting to hear "Merman" live, and I look wistfully at any set list that includes it. Cheers, Tom M. _________________________________________________________________ Climb to the top of the charts! Play Star Shuffle: the word scramble challenge with star power. http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_oct ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:29:07 -0500 (CDT) From: handal@r2d2.reverse.net (Richard Handal) Subject: Re: [pt] A very odd Santa Amanda posted: > So that's why Santa was pouring drinks onstage! It was due to that > show being recorded for the DVD! Is there to be a DVD? I only heard there are sound recordings to be made available. I think there's some confusion, here. Anyone paying close attention who can clarify? Be seeing you, Richard Handal, H.G. ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V12 #89 *************************************