3/6/03: Tori Amos is Still Awesome
Hey all. I saw Tori last night 3/6/03 at Radio City Music Hall. She was faboo! Here's what she played.
From offstage, she sang Wampum Prayer from Scarlet's Walk. Then the music started up and she wandered out on stage to thunderous applause. She was, as far as I can tell, wearing a long white sparkly dress with giant bell sleeves like wings.
The first song she played turned out to be A Sort of Fairytale, also from Scarlet. It was a lot funkier when she played it live than it is on the album, strong influence from that giant long neck bass guitar in Matt Chamberlain's hands.
I was suprised and pleased when the drums started up for Caught A Lite Sneeze from far off Boys for Pele. What a great song. It did suffer a little from not having the harpsichord. She was straddled between a piano and a electric piano of some kind that produced alarming sounds at times.
From a semi-oldie back to a newie, Pancake, from Scarlet. I like this one.
I had heard Tori isn't talking much to the audience these days, and that turned out to be true. But she did say "How are you all doing?" and went on to say, after the big cheer, "Well, I love you back and you trudged here through the weather, so... MWAH!" (kiss sound) "So I guess we're the house band here for the next few days. We'll be taking requests at the piano bar...." Then she introduced her band and launched into...
Cornflake Girl, from Under the Pink. It sounded different with this heavy bass line and no guitar. I've gotten used to the live version she's been playing for a while with Caton playing that strumming hectic rhythm and Tori coming out to dance a weird little Tori dance. No weird little Tori dance, except with her piano bench, of course. She did do that little crowd pleasing "Brrr" sound, though.
Then I was so pleased to hear her play Honey, a b-side from "Cornflake Girl," actually. On the "Hey Jupiter" ep, she describes it like this: "This is my favorite song from Under the Pink, but it's not on Under the Pink, because it got left out at the last second because I am such a ding-a-ling." She kind of said the same thing on To Venus and Back. Anyway, she played a great version of it last night -- with Matt Chamberlain on cello (!). Cool, huh?
I thought it couldn't get better, but then it did. The minute I heard the fabulous bassline of Take to the Sky I started to do the dance-in-your-seat dance. Yay!!! My favorite ! A b-side from "Winter", one of the best LPs of hers. I highly recommend it if you don't have it. The way she was plaing, it sort of almost had a disco beat to it, which I enjoyed. And it kind of wandered into a little of I feel the earth move under my feet, for a minute. Which was funny.
She then launched into perhaps the worst song to go from from there, Black Dove (January) from From the Choirgirl Hotel. I mean, it's a decent song but not my favorite and to hear it right after a real favorite was a let-down. Good to see she represented Choirgirls, but why not play "Playboy Mommy" or "Cruel" or "She's Your Cocaine" or "Raspberry Swirl"? ... I forgot how much I like Choirgirls.
Anyway, after slowing things down with "Black Dove," she moved into the enjoyable Wednesday, also from Scarlet. This is the groovy "Happy Phantom/Wrong Band/Mr. Zebra"-esque song for the album.
The stage lights darkened a little bit then, and something lowered down from the ceiling to hover about 15 feet above the stage. Tori began to sing in a conversational tone, "I have a little sign, it lights up sometimes..." and a light shined on the sign to reveal that it said "Roadside Diner." This got a laugh from the crowd. She continued to sing, and I realized she was telling us a little story in song format -- a conversation she'd had with her daughter about the "scary ladies." "Scary ladies, Mommy, I swear they're everywhere. How do we make them go? -- I said, I don't know, but I'm late for my own show."
Here began a new set -- no drums, no bass, just Tori and her piano. She played Winter from Little Earthquakes to much approval.
After a mysterious introduction, she began to play Icicle, from Pink.
Then, for reasons know only to Tori, she decided to play a cover of Landslide. She did a moving version of it, but I would have preferred one of her originals. S'okay.
The band rejoined her on stage, the Roadside Diner light went out, and she played Strange from Scarlet.
Then, yay! she played my favorite song from Choirgirls, Spark. It's such a sad song when you know what it's about. Did you ever see the video? ... I feel like that video could inspire its own whole musing.
Next was another song from Scarlet, Sweet Sangria.
Then she played a song I have now determined was Rattlesnakes from the Strange Little Girls cover album. I'm really not the world's biggest fan of that album, but maybe I haven't listened enough. But for the completionists among us, that makes one from every album except from To Venus and Back (and of course, Y Kant Tori Read, which she almost never touches anyway).
From a non-Tori track to the quintessential Tori track: Precious Things from of course Earthquakes. Can you imagine writing a song like that? Probably the song that I heard the most people singing along with that night. It's amazing what a source of endless misery middle school is. At least, I assume that's pretty much what the song is about.
Then she played what might be the most moving song from Scarlet, I Can't See New York. Well, maybe I'm reading a different meaning into it than she meant, but I don't think so.
From a very meaningful song to one that I've never made heads or tails of, Iieee from Choirgirls. My previous comments about songs I prefer from that album stand.
With that, she made a quick bow and left the stage. We all knew this was not the actual end... I mean, end on Iieee? No way!
For the first encore, she played Taxi Ride from Scarlet and then played Tear in Your Hand from Earthquakes.
Then she bowed again and wandered off again, then we cheered and she came out and played the second encore...
Talula from Pele then
Putting the Damage on, also from Pele. Very cool! Two of my favorites from Pele! I would have liked to hear "In the Springtime of His Voodoo"but you can't always get what you want after all.
So that makes...
Scarlet: 7 songs
Strange Little Girls: 1 song
To Venus and Back: Nothing!
Choirgirls: 3 songs
Pele: 4 songs
Under the Pink: 3 songs, if you count Honey.
Little Earthquakes: 4 songs, if you count Take to the Sky.
covers: 1 (plus the one from Strange Little Girls)
I'm surprised she didn't play anything from Venus -- I would have loved to have heard "Cooling" or "Bleeeeess" (Bliss, in torispeak).
All in all, I enjoyed the concert a lot. I wish I had remembered my binoculars but I'm stoopid with two ohs and forgot them. Pooh. Still, it was faboo. Her voice sounded maybe a tiny bit tired but still beautiful and I didn't hear any off notes or rhythms or anything in the piano (how could I tell, anyway?). She's just amazing and I'm glad I got to hear her. 'Nuff said.
Take to the Sky!