Savoy Theatre

Tour

Date	May 11, 2009
City	London, UK
Venue	Savoy Theatre

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Setlist

Famous Blue Raincoat
Lady In Blue
Curtain Call
Crucify
bodyguard improv > Leather
Maybe California
Taxi Ride
Mary Jane
Jackie’s Strength
Wednesday
Welcome To England
Cool On Your Island
Silent All These Years
Barons of Suburbia

Encore

Over The Rainbow
Putting The Damage On

Photo Galleries

Reviews

Flowers in Time (includes some mp3s from the show)
Pink is the New Blog (review by Kush)
Boycotting Trends
Gossip Girls
Wears The Trousers

Photos

Reviews

Markus says:

It was very very special… the Little Earthquake songs were particularly strong… The Improv was actually to the tune of Smooth Operator originally by Sade…very cute. Cant wait for the full tour with band… bring it on!
Maxine says:

Amazing, easily one of two best Tori gigs I’ve seen. Lovely to hear some old favourites on solo piano and the new tracks worked wonderfully too. That Smooth Operator improv…what more can you say about a woman who can turn a Sade cover into a highlight? Brilliant. (And she looked foxy as ever, naturally).
dziekan2 says:

I’ve just come back home and trying to gather my thoughts. Tori was in amazing shape! In the recent interviews that she gave she seemed a bit calm and quiet but she took nothing of it to the stage. She was absolutely vigorous and had a great connection to the audience. After very soft and subtle opener Tori boldly sat on her stool facing the audience and seized us with Lady in Blue. In general all the songs benefited from the intimate space of the theatre. You felt that it was not just a concert but a kind of conversation with the audience. It especially came across in Famous Blue Raincoat, all Little Earthquakes pieces but also in Lady in Blue and obviously Putting the Damage On. It seemed like Tori returned after the quieter days (remember her comments after ADP tour that it may be her last major one?) with absolutely new set of thoughts to share. She absolutely rocked in Barons of Suburbia and Lady in Blue but also gave the softer touch to other songs (Taxi Ride solo!) She also managed to transfer Welcome to England to the piano only surprisingly well. In Wednesday she flirted with the audience and almost seemed to wait for us to tell her to keep going:) And made me laugh to tears with her rendition of Smooth Operator. In general, a great preview before the world tour. Obviously she won’t be able to transfer this feeling of intimacy to bigger spaces but I guess that’s what will make today so memorable. Oh, and Marked looked quite spiffy as well:)
Rob K says:

Amazing night. Random thought: Much stronger vocals that I’ve heard in the past few years. Pure and really powerful. She came out to a great reception wearing a black net throw and a red with black stars. HUGE black heels (which she’s forgotten to remove the labels from the bottom!). After the first song she pulled the dress right up (she was wearing a kind of long legged lycra number underneath) which my other half found highly amusing as he’s always joking about her flashing her bits!

Before the improv she was saying how she was sorry the 2wk delay, and someone requested Hotel. She said that would sound bad without John and Matt and she was seeing them next week. The improv was about her new bodyguard who she said was a female and a real smooth operator?

The highlight for me was Taxi Ride which was really special and poignant. Welcome to England sounded really great live and acoustic and I hope there’s a video of this somewhere. Cool on your Island was on the organ.

I really hope this is a good taster of the next tour because as I said earlier, she really did seem on top form!
Marts says:

A really surprising show. The new songs sounded stunning – especially Maybe California, which was so beautiful stripped back.
Welcome to England was wonderful and ‘makes more sense’ to me now, if you know what I mean? Kinda sounded bland until now… (Sorry.)
Crucify was pitch perfect, Barons of Surburbia brought out the fiery goddess, Wednesday was gorgeous, the improvs were hilarious, but the highlight for me (apart from maybe BOS) was Taxi Ride… Acoustic and slowed down…it was breathtaking.
Was slightly worried about her dress – it was gorgeous, but the length of it made it awkward – but she soon sorted it out.
Was surprised she didn’t do an encore…but never mind!
Matt says:

So… wow. F-B-Raincoat as an opener? WTF?! Amazing. She was really focused and intense, really good rendition. Carried on into Lady in Blue, which i think might be my new favourite.

The improv was funny, about how if she hadn’t canceled the gig she wouldn’t have met her new bodyguard called Sade – hence the improv into smooth operator. (ps some tool shouted she should play Hotel, which tori said she would suck at without jon & matt)

Maybe Cali was stunning. So good stripped down. weep

Taxi Ride was a surprise – you know it has a really low melody and a really high melody? She kind of did the whole song in the middle, basically singing the harmony to the whole thing, if that makes sense. really really good.

Weds and Mary Jane also highlights – standard intro before MJ

The rest was pretty standard really, which would be my only complaint – if you’ve read the other recent setlists then this was all pretty predictable. But that may be my own fault…

w-to-england was also brilliant acoustic, really pretty on piano & rhodes; i was a bit indifferent about it before tonight. Which makes me think the new record would be so much better just her and piano, i’m not sure what they gain from the embellishements (england and california being my point in case). ho hum, a discussion for another time.

As always, i left elated and so glad i spent the vast quantities of money i did on the ticket…
laipai says:

From my perspective, the best performance vocally from Tori that I’ve ever heard – she was simply flawless. The Sade ‘Smooth Operator’ improv was great (in recognition of the fact that her new Samoan bodyguard is a lovely lady called Sade). Welcome to England was very strong (far better live, in my opinion) and Barons of Suburbia was incredibly powerful – great, great evening – thanks Tori!!!
Gideon Prins says:

Tori Amos was absolutely amazing!!
The show started with her emerging out of the mist, holding herself as she walked onto the stage, wearing a tight-ish dark colored short coat over a long red dress covered in shimmering black stars. Her hair looked amazing and she was beautiful! Her voice sounded like something from outer space! Absolutely perfect! Famous blue raincoat was sung amazingly and Lady in Blue was so beautiful. She had so much attitude and played fiercely and with so much passion! Crucify was beautiful and sounded similar to the Dranouter version with the synth/keyboard on right hand. Taxi ride sounded completely different to how she played it before and was brilliant! Welcome to england also held up very good as a solo piece, which was a suprise! All the songs were amazing and she performed it really really well!!! She had a playful side too which came out in songs like Wednesday and Mary Jane . She also thanked everyone for coming out again after the show was postponed and then also mentioned she might see Matt and John next week. ( one of the audience members asked her to play hotel and she said she would be crap without the boys! :D)

The support act was Scot Matthews who was also really good!

Overall it was one of the BEST nights of my life! Tori Amos i love you and this year she is going to rock everyone’s world!! Shes at the top top top of her game!!!
James says:

Every song was flawless and played to perfection with some of Tori’s best vocals.

So what went wrong? The setlist was predictable- the show lacked that ‘special something’, seemed too short and Tori’s face looks extremely odd- like she is expressing herself- but the outside of the body is not moving in synch with the inside.

It was like an act of voyerism. The new tracks have a very cabaret/burlesque feel to them. Tori is every part the strip bar pianist. The sad thing is, Tori and the person she is now seem to be part of this tragic act. There is an upcoming tour and it will be interesting to see how these songs sound with the band. There is also a part of me that feels that I am buying a ticket for a potential car crash. Surely there are many long time fans who have similar opinions to or different opinions other than ‘it was great’. People were saying it after the show, but it wasn’t showing on their faces.

The meet and greet was chaos.
Rich says:

What a very special day & night indeed! After a very intimate meet and greet (in which I got a little hug and a “Hi honey”) the acoustic sin set was really rather splendid indeed. I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted Famous Blue Raincoat as the opener but it set up the tone for the set superbly. Tori was rather playful last night too; the Smooth Operator/bodyguard improv proved this, and of course was cemented by Mary Jane. The standout song for me last night was definitely Barons of Suburbia. So highly charged and nigh on perfect. It was special to go to my 10th Tori concert and hear songs I’ve never heard before. I have been good, you see, and am waiting til next week when the album lands through my letterbox! Looking forward to Autumn now… Bring it Ms. A!
GavinJ says:

Truly breathtaking performance, Tori at her stunningly beautiful best, her music has been a big part of my life for the last 15 years and last nights show was one of her best, can’t wait to get the new album on 19th. Thank you Tori, I love you…..
popcultureboy says:

James James James. I could not agree with you less. The set list was anything but predictable. I don’t think anyone would have guessed she’d open with Famous Blue Raincoat, nor that she would do Taxi Ride.

I have been a fan since Little Earthquakes and I’m genuinely of the opinion that last night’s show was the best I’ve ever seen Tori perform. I wasn’t just saying it for the sake of it either, if I see a sub par performance, I have no issues with saying so (and I’ve seen a couple).
kayduu says:

Resplendent in Red: Tori rocks at London’s Savoy Theatre!

Never one to disappoint (aside from the fact that this gig had been rescheduled from a fortnight previously, when Tori was too unwell to perform for the first time ever in her 2 decade career) Tori pulled out all the proverbial stops for her May 11th 2009 Savoy Theatre solo show.

On fire, dressed in pillar box red & with her hallmark bright orange hair, she seamlessly made her way (seductively stool-straddling, as ever!) through a hugely crowd-pleasing selection of old favourites (including Crucify, Leather, Silent All These Years, Taxi Ride, Jackie’s Strength, Putting The Damage On & Cool On Your Island,) interweaving a small handful of sneak previews of new material (Welcome to England, Maybe California & The Lady In Blue, to name just three). It seems fans probably won’t be disappointed by what’s set to feature on the following week’s new release: Abnormally Addicted to Sin.

The near-full Savoy Theatre venue was suitably small and intimate (or so it felt in the middle of the Stalls) and it was as exciting as ever to see Tori totter on stage in sky-scraper heels, hunch over her beloved Bösendorfer, head & hair hanging, & play like her life depended on it. In her mid-forties, this woman has as much energy & fight in her as she ever did, all of which she poured – body & soul, forgive the pun! – into what she had to ‘say’ through her music.

The audience was treated to a brilliantly, & characteristically, playful Sade “Smooth Operator” snippet approximately mid-way through the show (on account of Tori’s female security guard being called Sade!) and also to a surprising, and slightly conspiratorial, conversational intro to the new “Mary Jane” song, which flowed swiftly & smoothly into an actual rendition of the humourous song, delivered with heaps of gusto & glee on Tori’s part – it was clear she was loving every second!

The show will no doubt have further whet the appetite of fans present and will have given a taste of what’s to come: Honey bring it close to our lips, yeah!

May 12th 2009
davey t says:

Its easy just to post and say she was amazing….but she really was. And the new songs were particularly beautiful….will be interesting to see if they are as captivating as part of another long album. Famous blue raincoat, taxi ride, and curtain call were highlights…..but there were no filler types songs. Can never please everyone with the set list….too many favourites to pick from. And although shorter than usual, for an artist that can be accused of over indulgence on her albums, it was good to keep it shorter and therefore lacking any dilution to its overall power. Breathtaking
meep says:

great concert… loved every second of it. Scott Matthews was also quite impressive.

there's some audio samples on this blog, btw: http://flowersintime.org/
celerity says:

WOw.

There was a definite mood to the show and the songs, I thought – a sort of cynical, nostalgic, wry voice that still comes out on the recordings of ‘Barons’ and ‘Taxi Ride’ as I listen to them now. Maybe it’s because I remember seeing Tori’s facial expressions (I was lucky enough to have a really good seat) and she was really acting those songs — if you listen to the mp3 of Taxi Ride from the blog above, you can hear people laughing quietly at the bit about the trust fund, and it’s because of what she was doing with her face, with her hands, with the piano, and her voice. A complete performance. Stunning. I was pretty much close to tears throughout.

She is feeling the new songs! Curtain Call and Maybe California, in particular, were just raw and amazing. And a different, wistful, wise feel to the older songs – Jackie’s, Cool on your Island, Crucify – almost as if she was looking back on them from a distance but still feeling them, with a veneer of experience over the top. SATY she sang the backing vocal for ‘years go by’ and it was magical.

Welcome to England solo – staggering. This is how the song is meant to be. And gosh, she means it. I love how the ‘It’s not a question if I can…’ bit took flight.

I think Raincoat was for someone in the crowd (presumably someone whose brother has slept with their wife…not the sort of song you’d want dedicated to you…) – she played it as though she was really communicating the emotion of it for someone, and waved after she’d finished.

Barons. Oh god. Yes.

Not a night to be forgotten in a hurry!
GazR says:

James,
Don’t worry – you’re not alone. Of the reviews so far, yours in the nearest to what I was thinking following the show.

Yes, the vocals were superb. Yes, Tori looked stunning. Yes, it was worth the ticket money alone, just to get an hour and a half of T & Bo (ie no band).
But yes – there was something missing. It’s hard to put your finger on what is was, but there was definitely something. May be the postponement and the extra wait had raised my expectations, but I thought with an 8 o’clock start, we might be in for a longer set, by way of an apology. Alas, not.

The new songs, in the main, sound excellent – we’ve not yet had chance to decide whether they’re growers. Nor whether they sound better stripped down, played with the band, or with the orchestration of the recorded versions. As for the burlesque sound – there was a caberet feel to some – but I guess there’s always the odd quirky song on Tori’s albums, so in small doses I think this may be forgivable.

In terms of the intimate atmosphere, this helped, but I didn’t think the Savoy was any more intimate than some of the other venues I’ve seen Tori at (Wolverhampton Civic being the most obvious).

Overall, on Monday’s show, the rare chance to see/hear her “unplugged” was reward enough. I just wish we’d have had more of it.
Mike S says:

A very fine evening! The Savoy Theatre is a beautiful location, and quite intimate. Support was Scott Matthews, who I have previously heard on the Dermot O’Leary show on Radio 2, and was excellent – and the acoustics were great, which promised well.

Tori came on around 8, in a black and red starred dress, with black leggings and HEELS, and was on for around an hour and a half, launching straight into the first song. Initially, while she sounded great (I loved the new songs), the posing looked a little exaggerated and forced, and for me, breaking the flow of the music. Then we got to “Crucify” and everything seemed to click. She relaxed, the smiles started looking real, opened up and started interacting much more with the audience – she seemed to be having a lot of fun with the “Smooth Operator” improv, and “Leather” was one of the best I’ve ever heard (anyone know if this was on the set list or dropped in?). From there on in, it just rolled.

Voice and acoustics were perfect, and I think it was the most I’ve enjoyed a showcase performance since the Royal Festival Hall, and my partner, who has no patience with wilful obscurity and posing, preferring intimacy and communication, was delighted.

The only even slight negative at all about the sound for the evening was that one of the sounds on the synth had a slightly percussive undertone, which sounded like a noisy action on a quiet piano. Sometimes it works (the prepared piano on “Bells…”), but for me it detracted from the effect. A VERY minor quibble! This counts as my favourite show for a very long time.
Susan F says:

Wow, I loved every minute of it. Long time fan (since LE) but never managed to see her before. The energy that came off that stage was amazing. If she’d been a faith healer we’d have all been healed or maybe that is why she’s touched so many people. Boy was she channeling something.

My friend who I went with loved her but picked up much more on the fact that it seemed very exaggerated but I kinda thought that’s what her shows were like.

The only downer was up in the dress circle people were constantly walking in and out and tripping over everyone else. Just seemed really rude to the audience and to Tori.

But overall it was an amazing night! Loved every minute of it. Thank you Tori!

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