Tori Amos

It’s been very interesting to see how the dolls have played out onstage. The only show I’ve seen on this tour was opened by Clyde, but I’ve read a lot of accounts of the other dolls and their live personas. Here’s my take on them:

“Santa” - Besides Tori, she seems to be the most animated of the bunch. She wears the blonde pageboy wig and typically comes out dressed to kill — leopard print tights and black high heels are a necessary part of her wardrobe. She also enjoys the libations — she poured the band martinis during a performance of “Bug a Martini” and whipped up some margaritas in Dallas. Her favorite songs to perform are “Raspeberry Swirl” and “She’s Your Cocaine.”

“Pip” - This is the gal who struts out in black leather pants and like Santa, enjoys straddling the piano benches with a definitive ferocity. She sports a shaggy black wig and loves to insert obscenities in some of the more popular songs like “Cruel” and famously performed “Me and a Gun” with some scary props in Chicago. Pip definitely brings out the dark side in all of us, especially when she sings “Smokey Joe,” and “Fat Slut.”

“Isabel”- From what I’ve seen so far, Isabel has a stiff posture and enjoys puffing on a cigarette at the opening of the show. She’s prone to wearing printed wrap dresses and a blonde wig that closely frames her face. A lot of fans think she comes off as unusually cold and can’t seem to relate to her segment of the shows. She likes performing political-themed songs like “Yo George,” “Sweet Dreams,” and tunes from “Scarlet’s Walk.”

“Clyde”- This doll wears a long, straight brown wig that falls over her eyes, further enforcing her demure demeanor. She typically opens the show with “Bouncing Off Clouds” and has a completely different posture at the piano than Tori. She crosses her legs and keeps her head down shyly while performing songs such as “Juarez,” “Rattlesnakes,” and “Little Earthquakes.”

That’s my take on the dolls’ live personas. I wish I could have seen the others in action! Is there anything I missed in my analysis? Let me know in the comments section!

Much to many people’s surprise, “Santa” opened the show in Dallas on Nov. 24. She had opened the last show in Florida prior to heading to Texas, so many fans were expecting another doll that night. Instead, “Santa” strutted out in a “Tori-style” Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform complete with matching pom poms! Her show included the set debut of “Sweet the Sting” (complete with margaritas) and she highlights included “Beulah Land” and “Jackie’s Strength” during T& Bo. Most people who have witnessed “Santa” in action know that it’s almost mandatory to get up and dance during some of the more upbeat and sassy numbers like “Raspberry Swirl,” but apparently there were some attendees who took the stodgy route and refused to stand during the concert. Well.

This show will be available for download on at Legs and Boots.

I can’t wait to see which dolls will grace Houston and San Antonio. We all know Tori’s take on President Bush, and she’s playing three shows in his home state. There’s sure to be a variety of politically-charged numbers in each setlist. I’m betting Clyde for San Antonio, and Pip or Isabel for Houston. We soon shall see! Here’s the complete setlist for the Dallas show:

Act I – Santa
Body and Soul
She’s Your Cocaine
Sweet The Sting
Sugar
Secret Spell
Raspberry Swirl

Interlude
Professional Widow

Act II – Tori
Big Wheel
Father Lucifer
Tear In Your Hand
Cornflake Girl
Lust
Liquid Diamonds

T & Bo
improv
Jackie’s Strength
Beulah Land

Band Returns
Horses
Bliss
Code Red

First Encore
Precious Things
Digital Ghost

Second Encore
Bouncing Off Clouds

“Santa” opened up the West Palm Beach show on Nov. 21. As usual, she produced an exciting opening act with “Body and Soul” and “She’s Your Cocaine,” and preceded the costume change portion with the sexy “Raspberry Swirl.” Highlights of the show were tour debuts of “Amazing Grace,” “Gold Dust,” and “Josephine.” Tori’s parents were in the audience and she seemed to play a lot of songs geared towards them. Here’s the full setlist:

Act I (Santa)

Body and Soul
She’s Your Cocaine
Hoochie Woman
Secret Spell
You Can Bring Your Dog
Raspberry Swirl
Costume Change

Act II (Tori)

Big Wheel
Space Dog
Hotel
“to Mary and Don’s house we go” improv
Cornflake Girl
Spring Haze
Solo

Amazing Grace
Gold Dust
Band Returns

Josephine
Sugar
Code Red

First Encore
Precious Things
Bouncing Off Clouds

Second Encore
Digital Ghost

I just checked out Tori’s schedule for the next few days and she is on the move. After spending several days touring through Florida and spending time with her family at her home there, Tori will be hopping back on the bus and heading to Texas. She’ll be in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio on Nov. 24, 25 and 26. Amazing.

Don’t forget — if you want to submit a video for the “Bouncing Off Clouds” video contest you have to have it in by Nov. 24. Good luck everyone!

I’ve been thinking about how all the dolls have presented themselves on stage throughout the tour. I’m going to look over all the reviews I’ve posted and work on a post about their demeanor and how it compares to the descriptions we were given of the dolls when the album was first released. If you have any insight you’d like to include please let me know!

“Pip” showed up at the Nov. 20 show in Clearwater and treated the crowd to a live version of “Professional Widow,” - - not just the remixed version that plays during the costume changes. Highlights of the show included “Horses,” “Carbon,” and the tour debut of “Martha’s Foolish Ginger.” See the full setlist on Undented.

Charlotte Creative Loafing included a review by Jeff Hahne (and some great photos) of the Nov. 13 show in Charlotte on their music blog.

Wow. Naples Daily News reviewer Victoria Macchi calls “Isabel” a “tough musical pill to swallow.” Read her review of the Ft. Myers show here.

Florida Today previewed the Melbourne show with an article on Nov. 18. It’s an interesting read, and includes an interview with Tori and an overview of the musical progression of her albums throughout the years. Read closely, you’ll notice the reporter fails to mention “From the Choirgirl Hotel” and “To Venus and Back” in the progression!

Leslie Gray Streeter interviewed Tori for the Palm Post News before the Nov. 21 West Palm Beach show. It includes an inside look on what Tori enjoys about owning a home in Florida.

I find it interesting that so many reviewers don’t care for “Isabel’s” onstage persona. She’s the only one that seems to come across as extremely cold, and many audience members see her songs off the ADP album as coming of as flat live. I wish I could have experienced it in person so I could form my own opinion. Anyone else who’s seen “Isabel” want to chime in on this?

The ADP tour has included several stops in Florida, where Tori owns a home. Appropriately, "Pip" opened the Nov. 16 show in Orlando, Fla. Following her usual pattern, she opened with an expletive-filled version of "Cruel" and surprised the audience with the tour debut of "Heart of Gold." "Pip" and Tori played a lot of songs from ADP and UTP, which the crowd enjoyed very much. Other highlights included "A Case of You" and "Toast" during the T & Bo section. Here's the full setlist:

Act I – Pip

Cruel
Heart of Gold
Fat Slut
Smokey Joe
Teenage Hustling
The Waitress
Interlude

Professional Widow
Act II – Tori

Big Wheel
Space Dog
Bouncing Off Clouds
Cornflake Girl
Doughnut Song
Caught A Lite Sneeze

T & Bo

A Case of You
Toast
Band Returns

Past the Mission
God
Code Red

First Encore

Precious Things
Not David Bowie
Second Encore

Hey Jupiter

The show is not scheduled to be released through Legs & Boots.

“Clyde” opened the Nov. 18 show in Melbourne. Highlights included “Upside Down” and several numbers from the “Boys for Pele” album. Here’s the full setlist:

Act I – Clyde

Bouncing Off Clouds
Little Earthquakes
Juarez
Upside Down
Beauty Of Speed
Little Amsterdam
Interlude

Professional Widow
Act II – Tori

Big Wheel
Father Lucifer
Digital Ghost
“pass the chicken” improv
Cornflake Girl
“you’re a diamond” improv
Liquid Diamonds
Honey

T & Bo

Marianne
“shining” improv/Twinkle
Band Returns

The Beekeeper
Taxi Ride
Code Red

First Encore

Precious Things
Tear In Your Hand
Second Encore

Hey Jupiter

This show will be available for download through Legs and Boots.

Tori’s definitely going to need a long, well-deserved break after this tour!

“Isabel” opened the Nov. 17 show in Ft. Myers, Fla. The setlist included the second tour performance of “Mountain,” which I’m sure fans appreciated, as well as a number of song’s from “Scarlet’s Walk.” I thought it was interesting that during “Isabel’s” set, she only played one song off “ADP,” which was opener “Yo George.” The rest of her set included some politically charged numbers like “Sweet Dreams,” but “Isabel” must not have been feeling like playing some of the recent numbers like “Dark Side of the Sun.” Very interesting indeed. Here’s the full setlist:

Act I – Isabel
Yo George
Mountain
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Sangria
In the Springtime of his Voodoo
Tombigbee
Scarlet’s Walk

Interlude
Professional Widow

Act II – Tori
Big Wheel
Pancake
Tear In Your Hand
Cornflake Girl
Amber Waves
Glory of the 80s

T & Bö
Seaside
Silent All These Years

Band Returns
Suede
Black Dove (January)
Code Red

First Encore
Precious Things
A sorta fairytale

Second Encore
Bouncing Off Clouds
Hey Jupiter

In other news related to the Ft. Myers show, this article, written by Charles Runnells of the Southwestern Florida newspaper News-Press, previews the Nov. 17 show in Ft. Myers. It is a must-read, as it includes an interview the reporter had with Tori back before the Buffalo show back in October. Among the revelations in the article: some of the Australian fans didn’t realize the person opening Tori’s show was Tori herself dressed up as one of the Doll Posse (huh??), and the chorus to “Big Wheel” came to her “in a dream.”

Today, the same reporter published his review of the show on the newspaper’s website. While not a big fan of opener, Isabel, whom he thought was a little on the boring side, he happily writes that Tori came out and “rocked the house.” Read full review here.

More instant Tori-fication for you. I know you’ve all been dying to see a YouTube clip of Tori’s famous rant at the security in Charlotte. I know I have, and I was there in person! Well here it is for ya:

If you didn’t think she was a rock goddess before, now you know for sure! I was also very pleased to see several other YouTube clips from the show on Undented’s Charlotte show page. Head over there and check them out when you get a chance.

Following her victorious performance in North Carolina, “Santa” brought down the house in Atlanta the following night on Nov. 14. Highlights included the tour debut of “Carnival,” “Beulah Land” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” AccessAtlanta has posted a slideshow of “Santa” on their webpage. Guess the photographer must have left before the second act.

Here’s the full setlist:

Act I – Santa

Body and Soul
She’s Your Cocaine
Hoochie Woman
Carnival
Secret Spell
Raspberry Swirl
Interlude

Professional Widow
Act II – Tori

Big Wheel
Sugar
The Power of Orange Knickers
Cornflake Girl
Bells for Her
Take to the Sky

T & Bö
Beulah Land
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Band Returns

Northern Lad
Hotel
Code Red

First Encore
Precious Things
Digital Ghost

Second Encore
Bouncing off Clouds

This show will not be available through Legs and Boots.

The winner of the Tori Amos Halloween Contest has been chosen. Click here to view the winner and finalists. The winner will receive a “Tori trick or treat” bag containing a signed CD, vinyl and exclusive tour merchandise. Congratulations!

Hello!

I’ve still got a nice little “Tori” hangover from last night’s show. It was well worth it though! Heading over to the concert at Ovens Auditorium, I told my husband I had one wish. I wanted “Clyde” to be the one opening the show, because I love her contributions to the ADP album the most.

I got my wish! When I heard the opening chords of “Bouncing Off Clouds” at the beginning of the show, I seriously almost cried. It only got better from there. Tori and “Clyde” played the setlist of dreams. The only song I really didn’t care to hear was “Cornflake Girl,” and jaded as it sounds, I think it’s because I’ve heard it performed live too many times. I know, poor me, right? Tori’s vocals and piano playing were absolutely flawless. You never would have guessed she played a full show the night before in Nashville. I love the lighting on this tour, especially the backdrop that looks like it’s covered in twinkling stars.

There was a bit of a snafus after Tori came out started playing “Big Wheel.” I think some of the security members were trying to keep audience members in the front row from dancing out of their seats. There must have been some unecessary manhandling going on, because first Tori yelled for her bodyguard in the middle of the song. Then she stopped playing, marched over to the edge of the stage, and declared “Get the f**k out of my show!”

She went on to explain to the crowd that she told everyone on the bus that North Carolinians “know how to dance” and that “this is NOT school. “This is not Washington.” Bottom line, she wanted the audience to get up and dance. I will add that most of the security and staff working the venue looked like retirees, so I guess that age group didn’t have much love for dancing Tori fans. The Christian rock group that was performing at the arena next door probably didn’t either!

Tori played several different songs that I’ve never heard live but always wanted to, such as the b-side “Mountain,” “Virginia,” “Marianne,” and “Famous Blue Raincoat.” I couldn’t have been happier. The only thing I didn’t get to hear was “Digital Ghost,” but other than that, I have absolutely no complaints. Oh, besides the fact that this show will not be available on “Legs and Boots.” We have all been robbed of a historical performance!

Set List:

Act I – Clyde
Bouncing off Clouds
Little Earthquakes
Juárez
Rattlesnakes
Beauty of Speed
Roosterspur Bridge

Interlude
Professional Widow

Act I – Tori
Big Wheel
Crucify
Mountain
Cornflake Girl
Carolina On My Mind (solo)
Your Cloud
Siren

T & Bö
Marianne
Famous Blue Raincoat

Band Returns
Virginia
A Sorta Fairytale
Code Red

First Encore
Precious Things
Tear in your Hand

Second Encore
Hey Jupiter (Dakota Version)

“Isabel” opened last night’s show at the Andrew Jackson Hall at TPC in Nashville. She debuted “The Power of Orange Knickers” with the band and other highlights included “Putting the Damage On” and “Cooling.” Here’s the full setlist:

Act I – Isabel

Yo George
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Sangria
In the Springtime of His Voodoo
Almost Rosey
Tombigbee
Scarlet’s Walk
Interlude

Professional Widow
Act II – Tori

Big Wheel
Concertina
The Power of Orange Knickers
Cornflake Girl
Putting the Damage On
Glory of the 80s
T & Bo

Dixieland improv
Cooling
Cool On Your Island
Band Returns

1000 Oceans
Hotel
Code Red
First Encore

Precious Things
A Sorta Fairytale

Second Encore
Bouncing Off Clouds

Get out your reading glasses! Matt Mazur interviewed Tori recently for a two-part series in Pop Matters. He chats with Tori in the first part, and completes the piece with an essay on how Tori portrays each posse member in concert. Fascinating reading! This is also an iinteresting 451 Press post on themed music collections, such as ADP.

And right now, I am so excited I’m about to jump out of my skin. I’ll be heading over to Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte this evening to see Tori! It just now hit me that she’ll be taking the stage in a matter of hours. Part of me wishes I had been able to get the time to buy the VIP packages and experience all the madness and thrills, but I’ve got to work around the schedules of my two kiddos. I’ll give you a full report tomorrow!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way advances in technology have impacted concert tours these days. For example, back when I first starting attending Tori’s shows back in 1998, I would regularly check the now defunct website, The Dent. Michael Whiteside (or Mikewhy, as he was known by many) attended a lot of shows and immediately posted the setlists, and if he didn’t, he had a few other loyal fans who would use their cell phones to call in the setlists. This was before the popularity of blogs that were updated regularly as well. I loved checking to see which songs were played during each show in anticipation for shows I was preparing to attend.

Now, thanks to digital cameras and phones, a whole new dimension has been added to the experience. For example, as I was reading yesterday about the unique “Me and a Gun” performance “Pip” put on in Chicago, I was thinking to myself, “Man, I wish that were on YouTube.”

Well, ask and you shall receive. As I was getting my daily dose of Perez Hilton yesterday afternoon, I realized the video had made it to YouTube. Of course, that meant I had to come back and update this blog with the clip too! There’s even a site on this network, YouTube Digger, that posts the daily hot video clips, including those of concert footage. And we can instantly download bootleg recordings of the “American Doll Posse” shows at Legs and Boots, instead of having to wait for some questionable quality mp3s to turn up online.

I have to say that I have no problem with this instant Tori-fication. I’m too much of a fan on to appreciate the wondrous information sharing technology allows us to do!

BBC 2 - Scotland will air highlights from T In The Park on Friday, August 10th at 23:35 BST, that will include some footage from Tori’s performance. Keep checking with their listings, which are posted on Saturdays for the following week.

A German radio station Radio Eins aired the July 3rd concert from the Hammersmith Apollo in London on Wednesday, August 1st, and if you understand German, go to their site and see if there is a link to listen to it again…

Tori Amos, European Tour, American Doll Posse, Broadcast Highlights, BBC 2 Scotland, Radio Eins

Go to THIS LINK to purchase the VIP Tickets for Tori Amos’ 2007 American Doll Posse Tour.

VIP Tickets for the following shows go on sale TOMORROW, August 2nd!!!!

*Tue, Oct. 9th show at Palace Theatre in Albany Gold ONLY
*Sat, Oct. 13th show at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse Gold ONLY
*Wed, Oct. 24th show at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo Platinum & Gold still available

What’s the big deal about VIP Tickets anyway?

Well, I’ll tell you.
Platinum Package includes:
-One (1) reserved ticket in the first 10 rows of the venue
-Special viewing of a portion of Tori’s sound check
-Meet and Greet with Tori before the show
-An exclusive Tori gift bag
-Crowd free merchandise shopping

Gold package includes:
-One (1) reserved ticket in the first 20 rows of the venue
-Special viewing of a portion of Tori’s sound check
-An exclusive Tori gift bag
-Crowd free merchandise shopping

More dates with VIP Tickets will be announced soon.

So loosen up those fingers, add the Ticket Master link to your favorites and say Omm! a few times for good measure…

Tori Amos, U.S. Tour 2007, American Doll Posse Tour, VIP Tickets, Update, Ticket Master, On sale, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo

I received this email a couple of hours ago, but my power went out so I was unable to post it right away. This email comes directly from The Tori Store:

The Tori Store has now partnered with Ticketmaster to provide Tori fans with VIP Ticket Packages for the upcoming North American leg of the American Doll Posse Tour. Going on sale this Thursday (Aug 2) at 10 am EST will be the VIP Ticket Packages still available for the following shows:

Albany Gold (ONLY)
Syracuse Gold (ONLY)
Buffalo Platinum
Buffalo Gold

Please note there are an extremely limited number of packages available and they are sold on a first come first serve basis.

Also, due to the Pittsburgh show not being a Ticketmaster venue we will NOT be able to sell any further VIP Ticket Packages for this show.

Tori VIP Ticket Packages can be found at the Ticketmaster link provided.

Stay tuned for information about more on-sale dates for additional VIP Ticket Packages coming next week.

For more information visit The Tori Store.

Thanks,
The Tori Store

So does this mean all the stuff you told us about the VIP tickets only being on sale through The Tori Store doesn’t count anymore?

Yes, that’s exactly what it means. The VIP Tickets WILL NOT be on sale through The Tori Store, as previously indicated. I suppose when their website crashed (and crashed hard, from what I gather) they begged and pleaded with Ticket Master to offer these tickets.

Will I need a password to get these tickets, like with the pre-sale tickets for the concerts?

Not from what I understand so far. It should be a fairly simple transaction, if you can get them before they sell out, that is…

Tori Amos, American Doll Posse 2007 Tour, VIP Tickets Update, Ticket Master

Most of the various press articles that the tour announcement on ToriAmos.com from last week spurred held similar information, most of which one would expect for a tour release article.

There was, however, one that promised a “follow up with a twist,” as well as confirmation of another set of bootlegs from this tour to add to her success with the 2005 Tour Bootlegs.

Tori Amos and the American Doll Posse Set Out On U.S. Tour This Fall

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–After playing to sell out crowds in Europe and Australia this year, Tori Amos is heading state-side this fall for the U.S. leg of her world tour. Kicking off in Albany, NY on October 9th and finishing in Los Angeles, CA on December 17th, Amos, joined this time around by her band, will be playing close to 50 dates on this US leg. iTunes and Ticketmaster are partnering with Amos for an exclusive ticket pre-sale starting Wednesday, July 25th.

Most recently, Tori released her 9th studio album entitled American Doll Posse on which she introduced a quartet of new alter-egos named Santa, Pip, Clyde and Isabel. The critically acclaimed album - which the New York Times called ““Her most entertaining album in years” - entered the charts at #5, making it her sixth album to debut in the US Top 10. This places Tori among an exclusive club of female artists that includes Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Madonna, LeAnn Rimes, Britney Spears and Barbra Streisand.

Sydney Morning Herald Article (July 26, 2007)

The Sydney Morning Herald article previewing the September tour in Australia.

Brett Winterford
July 26, 2007

Tori Amos invents a posse of imaginary women to take her politics to the world.

Concept albums are tricky things. They are so often too forced, too smug, too moral. American Doll Posse, Tori Amos’s ninth studio album, risks becoming these and more. After all, it’s not only fiercely political but sees Tori Amos reinventing herself as five separate personalities, with each one responsible for different songs. Yet instead of changing her image just to remain current, Amos is using the identities to criticise a culture lacking in strong role models for young women.

“Women today, under this right-wing Christian America, they are a compartmentalised version of what a woman is supposed to be,” she says. “They are either career women, which means you’re a bitch, or you’re a mother. It’s too simple for me. In the Christian tradition we were only given Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary. But there’s so much between those two extremes that represent what women really are.”

Tori Amos, American Doll Posse, 2007 Tour, Australia, September, North America

Well, at least it’s not my job to coordinate all these updates; I just have to try and keep up with them.

These come via my email subscription to The Tori Store and ToriAmos.com:

*A second show at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston has been announced. This one will be on Friday, October 19th. Tickets for the second show (the first show went on general sale yesterday) go on-sale Friday, August 3rd at 10:00 AM EST. At this time, it is unknown whether or not there will be a pre-sale for this show.

*VIP Ticket Packages will NOT be available in the following cities: New York, Toronto, Detroit, Louisville

*Here is a reminder of the list of shows that go on sale within the next week, or that are already on sale:

10/9 Albany On-sale Fri, 8/3 10am EST

10/11-12 NYC On-sale Fri, 8/3 10am EST

10/13 Syracuse On-sale Fri, 8/3 10am EST

10/15 Philadelphia (already on sale)

10/18 Boston (already on sale)

10/19 Boston On-sale Fri, 8/3 10am EST
** this show just added!**

10/21 Montreal on-sale Sat, 8/4 12pm EST

10/23 Toronto On-sale Mon, 7/30 10am EST

10/24 Buffalo On-sale Fri, 8/3 10am EST

10/26 Washington DC On-Sale Now!

10/27 Detroit On-Sale Now!

10/28 Louisville On-sale Fri, 8/3 10am EST

10/30 Pittsburgh On-sale Fri, 8/3 9am EST

Remember, more tour dates will be announced shortly…

*An alert reader from undented.com reported that the venue for Tori Amos’ Minneapolis show on November 7 will be the Northrup Auditorium. Tickets have not gone on sale yet, but the box office indicated that they would most likely go on sale some time in September.

*Another update from ToriAmos.com mentions that in order to get tickets for the Montreal show, you need to follow the link to the venue’s website, the Place des Arts and follow the instructions through their website. Tickets for the Montreal show will not be on sale through Ticket Master! There is a ticket reservation system with a listing for the performance and tickets will still be available at the date and time listed: Saturday, August 4th at 12:00 Noon, EST.

Tori Amos, American Doll Posse Tour, North American Tour Updates, Albany, NYC, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Boston, Second Boston Show Added, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Washington DC, Detroit, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis Venue, Montreal Tickets