Dakota

Shit... So, I haven't written my in-depth review of Tori's concert from Monday, and I'm going to see Cher tonight. The likelihood that I'll have more to say (as in, a song-by-song analysis) about Tori is high, and I may be writing about Cher's concert first. So, damn it, I have to focus.

Ok. So, Monday. I stayed over Danielle's house and we left for Philadelphia by 2 PM. We thought we were going to the Electric Factory, and well, we were. But we thought we were going to see Tori there, but when we arrived at the depleted, somewhat depressing warehouse-type arena, it was dusty and empty. No fans around, no people at all around, and no "Tori Amos" on the marquee. We did some ticket-checkings and some phone calls and eventually made our way to the correct venue, the Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center.

After parking (which was a mini-adventure in and of itself) and the Dresden Dolls/Tori Amos soundtrack arrival, we were on the town. Danielle, in fishnet, black, and white tank top, Genevieve in leather, denim, and fishnet, and myself in clashing pinstripes and bowler hat, we were likely quite a sight.

Sometime after 7, while sitting in the hall of the theatre, one of the ushers put on the stage-cam so we were able to (barely) see and (barely) hear (seconds of) Tori's soundcheck. She was performing "Rattlesnakes," so we were pretty certain that was going to be on the set-list. And indeed, it was.

When we got into the theatre, the usherette nazis were hovering and were our entertainment, as stupid people almost fell off the balcony of the huge violin-shaped auditorium. Others had cellphones, alcoholic beverages, and cameras to be confiscated as well.

Sooner or later, Matt Nathanson arrived on the stage and played his five-song set. He was very good, and was extremely amusing when he bantered with the audience. I like when artists banter.

Altogether too much time passed (even the ushers were staring at their watches, annoyed) and the lights dimmed and Tori made her entrance. She launched into "Original Sinsuality" and thus begins my song-by-song review.

Original Sinsuality: Stupid, stupid song with beautiful piano. It's not enough that it's on the CD, it's also her intro to every (at least solo) concert she's doing. She even named her tour after it. And she made me buy a t-shirt that says the words. That bitch. No, really, I made the purchases willingly. But, still. The song is so fucking lame. But, it was a means to an end; it's an overture more than anything, in the same way every intro-song is for her tours, like "God," "Beauty Queen," "Wampum Prayer," and "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" before them. It was tolerable, and proved her voice was going to be quite wonderful tonight.

Yes, Anastasia: Okay, so I think this came out of left field. I wasn't expecting to hear this song, if at all, so early in the set-list. She sang from the 1919 verse and on, since the song is so long. I always forget about "Anastasia," but it's so pretty. Even without the strings from the album, it was really pretty.

Parasol: Yay! Ok, so when Tori plays both the organ and the piano at the same time, it's still awesome, even though this was the fourth time me seeing it live, and the millionth time I've seen it ever. "Parasol" is one of my favorite songs on Beekeeper, and this version (while lacking what I consider necessary background vocals) was still quite good.

Marianne: I got excited when I heard her start to play it, but my interest dwindled, admittedly. I like "Marianne," really; I just find it a little long and repetitive towards the end. I would've traded most other Pele songs for it, too.

Happy Phantom: There were some tempo issues, but this was a fun song to hear.

Snow Cherries From France: Far superior to the album version, I loved it solo. I think Tori fucked up though, because she sang one of the verses twice and did the interlude twice, but she went with it and it actually made the song, better, I think.

Rattlesnakes: Knew it was coming, but it was one of the best songs of the night. We listened to "Rattlesnakes" in the car on the way down, but I think it was better here.

Streets of Philadelphia: For "Tori's Piano Bar" segment (a.k.a. Total Request Tori), she did "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen. I don't care about the song, and it seemed like she was doing it only because she was in Philadelphia. When there were shows where she was singing "Like a Prayer," "Rocket Man," and "Sweet Dreams Are Made of These," I felt pretty let down by this selection. Motions were went through.

Landslide: Although, it was picked up here. It was so great to hear her do this, after hearing about it for so long. Love it more than the Fleetwood Mac original. Want this recorded in the studio now, please.

The Power of Orange Knickers: Is it better than with Damien Rice's vocals like "everyone" has been saying? No, not in the slightest. It was still quite good, though.

Winter: I've heard "Winter" a million fucking times. I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind when she started playing the intro, but I ended up pretty engrossed. There were some really nice lighting effects for this one.

Mother Revolution: Liked the sound of it better than the album version (which I also like), but her transitioning between the piano and organ was distracting; she did it four or five times, and every time she did, it broke the flow of the song.

Space Dog: She did the "hidden lyrics" from the end of the song first, and did the song very capably solo. I was really excited to hear this one; it was a great performance.

The Beekeeper: Long, long, long. Too long. Like on the album version, it takes some time to get into. Eventually, though, it got really good. Awful closer, and it still seemed thirteen minutes long, but it was nice for what it was. But it wasn't all that.

Tear in Your Hand: Encore #1, and very lovely. Missing some instrumentation that I really like, but it was nice to hear it. Genevieve audibly squealed when this song began.

Baker Baker: Fucking Tori, making me cry. I don't know why I did, or what in the lyrics even resonated with me at the time, but they did and they were the first (and only) wet-eyes of the night (and the first in a really long time, at a concert... I think it was "Merman" at the 2001 New York show that did that to me last).

Etienne: Yay for Y Kant Tori Read! "Etienne" is beautiful solo, as I've heard before (in New York). She played around with the lyrics towards the end, and it was a surprise, and the audience went nuts when she started it.

Toast: Perfect ending, this song's first half doesn't transfer very well live, though. I like it on the album version, but I still prefer the last half, anyway. Live, was just waiting for the transition, which when it happened, was gorgeous. Left me wanting more, so my Dad's concert-logic worked, even after a satisfying and relatively full concert experience.

Great show, really, though. And while it was brought to severe halt with a deadend search for restaurants still open, and coming home to an empty house, it was a good day and night.