Reviews
From Darlene
May 6, 1998 - To all who care what I a stranger might have to say, It's Wed. morning and I'm still pondering the events of the evening at The Filmore Tori concert last night. I'd first like to say I don't have an exact set list but my memory serves me to remember the list shown on the previous review is not entirely correct. For example, I know Horses was not the last encore. [Note from Mikewhy: All other reports say the final song was "Horses" The new version of the song is so different that it is easy not to recognize it!]Ok for the good stuff, the show last night was definitely something
not to be missed. It was "quite" different for us long time Tori enthusiast,
like myself, due to the rock concert like atmosphere. Just when we thought
Boys for Pele was "rock'en" for Tori, she once again throws us for a GIANT
loop with her and the band. The performance was intense but very different
than the typical "intense" moments at Tori concerts. Not many tears were
wrenched out of our souls, rather we were pulsated by loud bass leads and
disco lights. I feel she has evolved into being more "one" with the band
as a whole rather than such an emotional "oneness" with the songs themselves.
Tori was energetic but somewhat less personable with the audience than
usual. She did however play several Tori classics with a new "rocker girl"
twist, for example...Precious Things, Honey, Mother, Everybody Else's Girl,
The Waitress (which was amazingly powerful), God, Horses (which I wasn't
too fond of the re-working of the song), and Tear in Your Hand (which was
one of my favorites of the night), she seemed to really be having fun with
that song. Her new stuff is funky, fun, loud, and very sensual. The new
album is definitely unique and is ideal for live performances. She didn't
play "Jackie's Strength" which I was hoping she would play. However all
the songs new and old "really wanted to come out and play". One disappointment
for me is that I couldn't see her shoes on stage...Oh well. I had a great
time despite the screaming crowd and evident newcomers to this sacred event
us old time Tori admirers hold so deeply in our hearts.
From Ethan
May 6, 1998 - I was a little apprehensive about going to see Tori but I figured that this was the best way to see her on this tour. I got to the Fillmore around 330pm and there was a line there already ( I couldn't have been there sooner b/c I as teaching a class). Luckily the lines want that bad and I figured I would at least get a fair chance of getting in. Wrong. The employees & Fillmore decide to reshuffle all fans at around 600pm!!!... Alphabetically... (Into a single file line.... Brrrr.... A kindergarten flashback) Anyhow at 8 we got in and David Poe came on at around 815... He was the cheesiest opening act Tori ever had. He was a talent player with bad material but oh well... The crowd was really rude and almost made him cry be screaming TORI TORI TORI TORI ( esp. some little girls who came to here god and cornflake girl-- you know this was going be a "FAN SHOW"). Someone yelled THE CURE and David freestyled a song about the rain, lipstick and long hair...Ummm.. Yeah. Finally he finished and at around 930 Tori came on. I heard she was still stick from Saturday but if she was it did not show... I wish she'd open with something else but Black dove was still very cool and sounded much fresher than on the album. Cruel was just fudging amazing. Its was my favourite on the album and I figured it cant get better... But it did. You know Tori takes this song personally because the lighting changed to reflect that of a heart... Very red and blue and veiny... It was a delicious moment and probably the second best that night. Precious things came off as a tribal experience with a cool drum beat. However the audience was so RUDE!!! Girls, calm down. every pause, every key change every FUCKING second the screams bombarded the stage... If I was Tori I would have left. She must have her ears plugged up... I know I am going to date myself by saying that In the GOOD OLD DAYS ( of Toridom) people had some RESPECT. Tori knows you are in the crowd, she knows you know that bside-from-that-old-single-from-that-album.... we all do. so shut UP! After that bad crowd Tori motioned for her mike to be mixed up ( the soundboard was stage right and they quickly complied). The next to song were loud and then CfG began... The front 10 rows went buzzerk and people began to dance and mosh and scream because now the other half of the crowd recognized a tune... I frequently heard "thats the one I came here for.... Oh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my godOh my god TORI!!!!!" I left to pee. Came back and she was in the middle of Jackie's Str. ( I think you have it listed as northern lad) I was pushed through the crowd and ended up 2 feet in front of her as the magic secret time was announced . She started playing mother and I almost died. It sounded so fresh and bittersweet; I would have been happy to just be there forever-- but some C+nt began screaming Tori Tori Tori! and every time Tori would pause people who didn't know the tune would applause... This seemed to be the pattern for the rest of the night but Tori arose above the rudeness and delivered the finest moment of the night. Waitress began as a reworking and seemed to be what everyone previously said it was -- new. But then Tori became possessed and began chanting a line I cannot recall but plying like a possessed woman and Steve was feeding on that energy and channeling Jimi through his guitar-- I swear the smoke on stage was not from the cigarettes or joints but from Steve and Tori who did waitress in with sheer beauty and grace and a fucking 50 megaton nuclear assault. You just had to be there. The encores were good but after waitress nothing short of god walking out on stage for a striptease would have been more shocking. Tori was in top >from and although the days of an intimate seance are LONG GONE she sit emotes magic. Now the reason to go and see her is different. It aint no imitate experience-- its just pure magic.
From Robyn Wandzell
May 6, 1998 - I am in a wonderful mood today...I'm tired, my feet hurt, my back hurts because I wore stupid heels to the show, my neck hurts from having to crane it to the right to see around this guy in a baseball cap, but somehow none of that matters.First, David Poe was great. It's hard to go up in front of a crowd that has already waited hours and hours (and hours) in line to see someone that's not on stage yet...he was great about it though. He acknowledged that we all wanted to see tori and no matter how long he played, it would cut her set list at all, so we can all relax...it was cute!
Then the wonderful moment came...she came out and opened with Black Dove (January)...AMAZING! Mother, Upside Down were beautiful during "Secret Time". She commented that there were people who have been to every show! "Only one to go"...I couldn't imagine being able to do that! I'm so jealous!
She said she needed lip gloss at one point and then quickly added that she has some and no one needs to throw any to her...she got pelted with "buckets of this stuff" when she lost hers at another show :)
She belted out Precious Things--that was powerful with the band! And She's Your Cocaine is definitely a song tailored for live performance. It was pounding through the crowd.
"Honey" was so amazing...I've never seen that live...I was in awe.
The new "band" version of Horses was interesting...No one recognized it until she sang the first line...I think I like the original better although this version was great. If I'd never heard the original, I wouldn't think twice about how wonderful this version was, but I'm still partial to the "Girl and the Piano" thing...
I was bummed she didn't play Pandora's Aquarium but I'll live :)
Can't wait for September 14th and 15th...Arco Arena and Oakland arena---the venues are way to big and the sound sucks but I'm still excited!
I'll be on cloud 9 for weeks!
From QTsmile =)
May 6, 1998 - Tori's concert at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco was my first time seeing her and I have to say that I'm absolutely blessed to have seen and witnessed this intimate sneak preview club tour ;) Her performance was really amazing....though I was a bit disappointed that she didn't perform Jackie's Strength, which I think is one of the best tracks on "from the choirgirl hotel." I was glad to hear Winter live...and just before she finished that song, I wondered if she was gonna play Honey...and she played it just right after Winter!!! I was so happy 'cause those two song are my fave Tori b-sides.Black-Dove (January) and Spark are great live. These two songs, along with Jackie's Strength, are the most accessible songs from her new album. I really need to listen more to the whole album to appreciate all of the songs (just like my experience with Boys For Pele).
Other highlights of the Fillmore concert are: Precious Things and Cornflake
Girl. After the concert, just before you go out of the door, they handed
out an exclusive poster of the show (a Fillmore tradition)..and just before
Tori performed, it was announced that she will perform at the ARCO Arena
in Sacramento on September 14 and the New Arena in Oakland on September
15. Tickets will go on sale in June.
From Lavina Elaine Lee
May 6, 1998 - Since I was lucky enough to be able to go to the 11th show, I thought I'd just share my thoughts. The concert was beautiful, and it was definitely worth all the standing and the rain and everything else. This was my first time seeing Tori in concert, so it was quite an experience. Before I say anything else, I just want to thank all the great people in line...they made the waiting seem less long, and certainly more entertaining! People will probably do a song-by-song review of this show, so I'll spare you, but I will share what I remember. Right now, I can only recall Tori's story before she went into her "secret time." She informed the crowd that she had been chewing on ginger, and that it was falling out of her mouth when she sang into the microphone. I guess that's not much of a story, but it was funny! Ummmm....she was wearing this black see-through shirt with a black tank-top beneath it, and olive green cargo pants...unfortunately, I was too short to see her shoes. I'd share something more enlightening about the show, but I'm dreadfully tired, so I'm going to go to bed now! goodnight..
From Zeiram
May 6, 1998 - I showed up at the Fillmore around eleven this morning and there were *tons* of people there already, some had been there since Monday night! I waited in line until four (and got drenched in a storm) when the blue bus finaly showed up. I wormed my way to the front of the meet & line and took tons of Tori pics (soon to be on my web page) then I gave her a present (a Tori Fairy ^_^) and took a photo of Tori holding up the Tori Fairy. I also got to touch the wedding ring!The show itself was awesome. David Poe wasn't really as bad as I feared:
he's talented and writes great lyrics but his music either too slow or
too fast. Tori was fabulous, that's all I can say =)
From Erin Ahern
May 6, 1998 - The Tori concert was amazing. When we first got to the Filmore, it was pouring rain, and we got soaked. It stopped raining at about 4pm or so. SO that was harsh... but once inside.. everything was great. David Poe had a great voice, but all his songs were about how much he hated his last girlfriend, so... I don't know. I was really close (if there were rows, I would have been about 3rd row). It was a great view. She was very sweet and goofy sometimes, and other times very very deep into the songs. I got the album at midnight May 4th, so I was semi-familiar with the new songs. I was thrilled that she sang Cornflake Girl, my favorite song, and Honey was very cool. She talked about how she "chews on ginger, and sometimes when shes singing she spits a little on the microphone" and she laughed.... and when the band went away, she said that she had to play some songs that people asked her to play.. and she went into Mother. I know a lot of people request that song, and it means a lot to so many people, so that was really cool. Her voice was great, it was very exciting. All the songs sound great live, even the new ones. Horses was cool, it was slower... but yet more up beat... very cool. She talked about the "lip gloss incident" . It was a great show. After, I waited outside by her bus. The Filmore gives away posters at every show, and I got one... when she came out, every one rushed up and crushed us. I was trying to get her to sign my poster, but the security guard pushed it away, so I just thought... "forget it" and I tried to put the poster down.. but i was squished .. and peopls hands were in my face.. and I must have had a distressed look on my face, and that when she looked at me and said "Don't let them punch you in the face Honey" and I just said .. "YA" (what could I say??) then she said "is this your poster?" and i said (in a pathetic voice) "Yaaaaaaaa" and she took it from me and signed it. I gave her a book of mine, and told her to keep it. But after a few minutes she ended up signing it and giving it back to me. She was being yelled at from every differnt direction... it was crazy.. I have never seen anything like it. She must have been confused. It wasnt like other meet and greets of the past (at least from what I heard of them). This was very chaotic and crazy. Anyway, I got to talk to her.. for that moment, got a poster signed... so I am happy. She was great.. they also said she will be playing at the Arco Arena in Sacramento and at the new Arena in San Jose in late August and early september... so can't wait till then! Thanks to everyone who was so cool. I was next to Doink in line! It was just the perfect night.
From Alden Harbour Keith
May 6, 1998 - David Poe was great. He knew how to work the crowd quite well. I talked with him after the show, and was extremely impressed with him, and his abilities.Tori was absoluty wonderful, and she put on an fabulous performance. I was suprised with the reworking of Horses.
There is a totally different feel to a Tori concert now, and it really makes me wonder what is going to happen in the future. It seems that fans are getting less respectful of Tori when she is performing. It used to be that people would shut up the moment a note was played or when she started talking. Dead silence. But the last few times I have seen her, It was loud. People were talking and shouting, screaming and hollering.....oh well...It just makes me wonder how it is going to be on the Summer Stadium tours, and such.... Another thing is that, when Tori used to get off the bus, no one really rushed to see her, because we all knew that she would get to everyone of us eventually...She would sometimes stay out there for 45 minutes or more. Today, she was out for maybe 3-5 minutes, and everyone rushed out of line to try and see her.
Maybe what I am saying is that, perhaps, she is getting a little fearful
of the devotion of some of her fans. Something to think about..