Tori Amos

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!