News: Mikewhy Does Louisville

[Okay, so Mike didn’t create that title, I did, but we’re all really pleased that he’s come out of the woodwork for a few Tori shows and is including his Louisville review here. This will also be included on the Louisville concert page, alongside Amanda (Novinha)‘s lovely review. — Violet]

On Sunday night, October 28, 2007, Amanda and I saw Tori Amos at the Palace Theatre in Louisville, KY. This was the sixth time that Tori has come to my hometown of Louisville, KY. It had been over two years since I last saw her, and I was really looking forward to it.
This would be the first time I saw Tori in concert since I retired from updating the Dent. For the first time in 13 years, I would be seeing a Tori concert as a regular fan in the audience. I wondered what it would be like. My life has been so hectic lately with me staying busy with other hobbies and concerns, and with me still battling several health related problems. I was initially not in the mood to worry about seeing a concert. But I did miss Tori so much, and wanted to see her again with Amanda. Despite not being active in the Tori online community as of late, I still love her music intensely.

I did avoid going to the meet and greet. While I love to say hello to Tori, I really felt like I did not have anything to say to her this time. I think a part of me is still feeling guilty for retiring The Dent as well, although I know in my heart it was the right thing to do. Plus, I have had such wonderful experiences meeting Tori that I felt that maybe I should allow others to have a better chance. So I did not attend the meet and greet. Amanda and our friend Carolyn did attend, and they said it went really well. It was increidbly laid back and everyone there met Tori. I was happy for Amanda and Carolyn, and they both got great photos to mark the occasion.

I showed up in front of the Palace theatre around 4:20 and met Amanda and Carolyn. We walked to the Spaghetti Factory to eat. We had dinner with Dona and her friend and had fun talking about Tori and the tour. I also got to meet many people both before and after the show. Some of them were people I had not met in years and some were new people I always wanted to meet. I did not feel very social early in the day, but I quickly started to get back into the swing of seeing Tori shows, and before the end of the night I was having a great time talking with everyone and being social again. It was good for me to get out and forget my health issues and just enjoy talking Tori again. It was so good to see you all.

We skipped the opening act so we could talk more with people. Finally, it was time for the show. Tori played for nearly 2 hours and 15 minutes, and it was a really spectacular show. Tori was in incredible form, and her voice sounded really powerful. The venue, The Louisville Palace, is a great place to see a show like this. It is beautiful and has great acoustics. Our seat was about the 7th row or so a little right of center. I could see her very well and there were no really irritating people near us.

I will not give a complete review, but just post a few thoughts. (You can find the full set list here.) Tori has a guitarist this time (Dan Phelps) in addition to Matt and Jon, and he gave the songs he played a different sonic texture that was really nice. I still prefer the solo shows, but the band was really enjoyable.

Tori came out and did the first six songs as Clyde. I did not have a huge preference on which doll to see, although I feel no strong desire to see Isabel because I would likely find the smoking thing to be an irritating distraction. I like Clyde’s hair the best of all the dolls, and I enjoyed hearing Bouncing Off Clouds and Beauty Of Speed, which are both awesome live. At first, Tori’s voice seemed lost in the sonic mix, but by he end of the first song they seemed to get that fixed. The lights at first really hurt my eyes as well. But that is because I have ultra sensitive eyes, and by the third song my eyes were adjusted and I was fine. Upside Down was achingly beautiful, and Little Amsterdam had me thinking of the first time I heard Tori play this song in Louisville, which was also at the Palace in 1996. While I loved the 96 version more, this one was still excellent.

When Clyde left and “Tori” appeared, there was so much energy in the theatre during Big Wheel! It is such a fun song to watch live. I was deeply moved to hear Dougnut Song, for it has always been one of my favorites. I was glad to get quite a few Pele songs tonight. That seems compatible with my mood lately.

I found the entire Tori and Bo solo performances to be moving. The “You can’t take the girl out of the South” improv was every bit as good as her recorded songs, and extremely pretty. Take Me With You was one of the highlights of the show for me. It sounded gorgeous live, and the piano playing was mesmerizing. I also loved Over The Rainbow, even though she did perform that before in Louisville. I loved how emotional her vocals sounded on that song.

I was surprised to hear Spark and thought it sounded great. Code Red was the perfect song to end her main set with, filled with pasion and impressive piano playing. Finally, I was surprised to hear Father Lucifer. I really like the version she plays with the band this time. This was another classic from Pele.

Despite suffering from significant sleep deprivation all day, I stay wide awake and alert through the entire show. (If you knew how easily I fall asleep now days, you would know how impressive that is. I was really into this concert!) The show had an quick pace, and was a true joy from beginning to end. I wish I was more musically inclined and could give a more detailed description of how the evening was sonically. All I can say is that the band was really together and sounding good, and Tori’s vocals sounded perfect to me. I loved the energy of the show, and the slower numbers when they appeared were deeply moving. I was sad that Tori only spoke to us once, but that seems to be the norm at Tori shows these days.

It was just good to get out and enjoy a really wonderful Tori show again with many friends I have not seen in a long time or with friends I have met for the first time. It was an incredible evening. Amanda and I are going to see two more shows during the current tour. They will be in Indianapolis and Milwaukee next Friday and Saturday. After those shows, I will have seen Tori perform 93 times. After all that, I still find Tori’s music to be incredibly moving and important in my life. That is something I do not think will ever change.