Detroit Opera House

Tour

Date	August 08, 2009
City	Detroit, MI
Venue	Detroit Opera House

« Previous | Next »

Setlist

For the fashion cops: white dress, black cape, hot pink leggings.

Main Set

Give
Body and Soul
Cornflake Girl
Icicle
Pancake
Flavor
Martha’s Foolish Ginger
Marys of the Sea
Concertina
Pandora’s Aquarium

Lizard Lounge

Seaside
Winter

Lady in Blue
Sugar
Talula
Precious Things
Strong Black Vine

Encore

Caught A Lite Sneeze
Raspberry Swirl
Big Wheel

Videos

Give

Cornflake Girl (posted by bbianchin)

Pancake (posted by vervalicious)

Flavor (posted by jaz853)

Pandora’s Aquarium (posted by vervalicious)

Seaside (posted by jaz853)

Winter (posted by jaz853)

Sugar (posted by cody32984)

Talula (posted by jaz853)

Strong Black Vine (posted by jaz853)

Caught A Lite Sneeze/Raspberry Swirl (posted by bbianchin)

Raspberry Swirl (posted by jaz853)

Big Wheel (posted by cody32984)

Reviews

SugaredRiotPoof says:

After 15 years she still rips it up!

One of her best shows ever!

Icicle was incredible! Enhanced by magical lighting effects.

Wish I were seeing more shows.
Deanna V. says:

What a fantastic show!

Tori’s voice was perfection from start to finish. She was so high energy and looked like she was having a ton of fun.

Give – The perfect opener. I didn’t expect to love it live as much as I did!

Body And Soul – I never saw it live last tour, so I was dying to see it this time around. One of my favourites of the night.

Cornflake Girl – Despite being played every show, it was still a fantastic rendition and the crowd loved it.

Icicle – There’s a difference between reading that it got played and seeing it live. It literally took my breath away.

Pancake – An amazing surprise. This is my 2nd fave Scarlet song, and I was thrilled. This version was really intense and fierce.

Flavor – Seeing it live made me ppreciate it so much more. Gorgeous!

Martha’s Foolish Ginger – Simply stunning. Even better than the album version. So sweet and pretty.

Marys Of The Sea – A Beekeeper double whammy! I was insanely happy. I wanted to see this girl live so much. It was even better than I expected, if possible!

Concertina – Yay for Venus. Great to see thi live.

Pandora’s Aquarium – Best surprise of the night! Her voice was ridiculously perfect for this one. Flawless. I feel so lucky to have seen this gem.

Seaside – Such a touching version. Extremely beautiful.

Winter – The second time I’ve seen this live and it was just as beautiful. Unfortunately, a lot of people screamed and cheered at random points during the song and took awaysome of the magic.

Lady In Blue – So happy I got to see this. It really is one of the best songs on AATS, and it shone live. The band and T were really tight on this one.

Sugar – I had never heard this live yet, so I was pumped when I heard those first few notes. Awesome.

Talula – By this point, I was amazed at how great this setlist was.

Precious Things – Never gets old. This slightly reworked version really is awesome.

Strong Black Vine – Made me appreciate this song so much more. The intense “motherfucker”/“cocksucker” rant at the end actually gave me chills.

Caught A Lite Sneeze – I was ecstatic by now. A gorgeous version. I loved the piano here.

Raspberry Swirl – So happy to hear this. It was so much fun. I loved Tori’s little dance!

Big Wheel – A perfect high-energy finale. The audience had so much fun!

This was an amazing show with a fantastic setlist! So glad I could be a part of it.

Too bad there were no M&G’s, though…I was really disappointed. But the show made up for it!
Jackie says:

Tonight was great! I was lucky enough to see Tori come out, get on the bus, and I got a little wave and giggle just for me! Met some great Tori Fans! Also got a sweet road crew shirt! Thanks man! I love Tori shows! Always so much magic! I must say the new rules of standing are throwing me off! Glad I had box seats tonight so I could rest my preggo legs. Can’t wait till the next Tour!
Mandy says:

Unfortunately, my positive thoughts regarding the show are currently clouded by my deep sadness over the utter lack of concert etiquette that seems to be plaguing the shows I’ve attended of late. I am dumb-founded that, especially in this economy, people apparently have such deep pockets that they are willing to dump their hard-earned money into sitting in a seat, chatting all night long at the top of their lungs to their friends, while the rest of us around them strain to hear a word of what the performer is singing. They might stop and listen to a few lines here and there, before leaving their seats altogether for the 10th beer run of the night. But, other than that, they’d rather sit and converse with someone they probably speak with every single day than listen to the performance that we all paid good money to see. I’m also not sure why it was that the first several rows all apparently felt the need to stand through the entire first set, despite Tori requesting that everyone be seated so that those toward the back could actually see. Sure, stand up when she makes her entrance. Stand up for the first song, or even those that grab you and just lift you off your seat. But when we start getting into songs like “Icicle” and “Martha’s Foolish Ginger,” we’re not exactly rocking out if you ask me. As a Michigan resident, my primary venues of choice are those in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Chicago. All seem to be experiencing the same trend. I really hope that it’s a mid-west thing and that there’s hope that common courtesy is still present in other parts of the country. However, I fear that it is an art that may be lost altogether.
Melissa says:

Setlist was posted, I want to comment on the obnoxious fans who almost ruined it for many of us in my section (front, left).

From air piano to walking around endlessly, blocking people’s views so you could take photographs, pushing your way to the front by abusing everyone in your path, standing when nobody else was, to discussing how you were missing a wedding to be at the concert during the encore-loudly.

Next time, do us all a favor and go to the wedding.

Security was laid back and people took advantage. Lets hope you didn’t ruin it for everybody else hereinafter.
Craig and Haley says:

Hi everyone. Normally I am not one to share, but we had a very emotional evening last night in Detroit and I wanted to share it with the Tori faithful. Let me start by saying that Haley and I have been in the Tori world for 15 years, well Haley has since she was 6 months old, she’s now 13, anyways we were blessed to have front row seats to the show last night. Tori wanted this to be a very special night for Haley, we had no idea that it would turn out to be a tear jerking lots of hugging and smiles night of joy! Ok, Haley has a life long illness that Tori was made aware of earlier in the tour. Tori let me know last week that she wanted to take care of us at the Detroit show. Well when I went to will call to pick up our tickets, we had after show passes for the 2 of us! So after a wonderful show her security person met us side stage and walked us back to Tori’s dressing room. She walked out of the room and greeted both of us with a Hi guys and she hugged Haley and then me. We chatted a little and then she said to me, “ I am going to talk to her for a while” and she walked into her dressing room with Haley and closed the door. I proceeded to talk with her crew members and waited for about 5 minuets or so. When they emerged from her dressing room they were both smiling, but I noticed that Haley had on a beautiful necklace on that she didn't have on when she went in there! Tori then started to tell me that “ I had this necklace on when Tash was born!” I want Haley to have it! She then handed me something and as I looked at what she was giving me she told me “These earring came from a Indian Sweat that she did the night before the start of this tour.” These earrings were made from the leaves that they used to burn and cleanse her with” They took the leaves and dipped them in what looked like silver and gave them to her! Think of what a very green tree branch looks like and that is kinda the shape and texture of the leaves. She said she also wanted Haley to have them because she believes that they will help heal her. We then hugged and I thanked her for everything that she has done for Haley and we were escorted out to the waiting fans side-stage. Haley walked out and saw a new friend we made that night and proceeded to bawl and hug her and tell her “ She gave me her necklace” and the story was started. She told us that Tori was very concerned with the treatment Haley was getting for her illness. She said that sometime the side effects can make you look differently to friends and strangers and that kids can be very cruel and hurtful when they see that you look different, not knowing that medicine can change your appearance, and that words can hurt. She then said that she was teased in school, but the people that do the teasing are not your friends, and that they do not mean anything to you so don't take it to heart. Real FRIENDS don't do those kinda things so don't let them get to you. They talked about what kinds of treatment she was on and that she needed to be strong. She asked her security woman to grab “that brown bag” and she opened it and took the necklace she had on when Tosh was born! and held Haley's hair up and put the necklace on her and turned her around to look at how beautiful it looked around her neck. Haley told me she wanted to cry, but didn't want to while talking with Tori. So that is why she broke down as soon as we walked outside. We talked most of the way back to Toledo, and she tried to give me a play by play account of the whole meeting, but she was tired and soon fell asleep. As I am typing this I am waiting for her to wake and talk more about what Tori said and did for her, but I know she will never ever forget that things Tori said and shared with her in private last night. I just want to share a little with you all about what went down for me and my daughter last night. I hope this reads well, I am not the best writer or speller for that matter. Peace
Stan says:

I’m going to be completely honest here – and I don’t want anyone to get upset.
I made a very grave mistake as a Tori fan. I’ve loved her since the beginning – since Little Earthquakes – and how INCREDIBLE that she tours soooo much – even more amazing is how drastically different her sets change per night.
That being said, for some reason – I missed so many of her early shows. The majority of them. By simple twists of fate…there was always something going on when she was in town.
The first time I saw her – was 2007 at the Fox.
Far too late…but – it’s never really too late, right?
I wasn’t crazy about the bass in the band. I wasn’t crazy about the band. I secretly cursed that I never got to see her back in the “just her and the piano” days.
last night: Same deal.
I’m sad that I will never get to hear gems like Father Lucifer…or Happy Phantom…or even stuff like Spark or 1000 Oceans or Lust for that matter. Putting the Damage On, Spacedog…even Yes Anastasia, Marianne, Take to the Sky…
I know, I know – she still does play these songs.
But I know i’ll never get to hear them live because I have decided I’m never again going to see her live.
her last few albums since Beekeeper…they just haven’t done it for me. Not to say her voice isn’t from outer space…and her talent as a musician is just sky high. Her energy was incredible…
but both times i’ve seen her – in 07 and last night at Detroit Opera House…it’s been…a disappointing set list. and i know that’s just pure fate. there aren’t many songs that I’m not a HUGE fan of in her entire roster (and lord knows she has many)…but both times I’ve seen her now…it just so happens she nails at least 6 of those very few and far between “so-so for me” songs.
Oddly – my highlight of the night was Strong Black Vine. A new song.
Never liked Sugar, Pancake, Martha’s Foolish Ginger, Mary’s of the Sea or Lady in Blue – and I couldn’t stand the version of Raspberry Swirl. Cornflake Girl is just old to me as is Precious Things. I have lord only knows how many live versions of these…and i know they are staples…but i don’t know.
there’s something old about them. i was hoping for something more interesting, I guess.
And i mean ZERO disrespect here.
one thing i noticed too…and I have only read about her earlier shows…was the audience.
Constantly up and down, leaving for drinks, yelling out obnoxious stuff while she was speaking.
“I loooooooooove yooooooooooooooou” – but the drunken slurry “I loooove yooooooou“s…
a cell phone went off at one point.
And constant seat switching.
it just seemed…I don’t know…annoying for a Tori show. I was giving her my undivided attention, knowing it’s not her fault that fate just HAPPENED to give me a set-list that wasn’t personally designed to my liking (LOL!) – that’s the thing. I think it’s incredible that she changes her sets up every night, so none of this is a reflection on Tori as a performer.
It was just fate…she HAPPENED to pick songs i dislike and they ALL kind of happened to be played more or less tonight.
sigh
What can one do?
I missed the boat on the early days and that is my fault and my fault alone.
My second time seeing Tori…and – well…I still don’t feel like I’ve actually “seen” her.
And the bass! I don’t know. I sometimes think the bass is overkill. all the songs – especially the new ones – have that spacey bass…it’s great ambience for an opening track..but there’s something static about it. it gets old. She has such character – but it just seemed like all the songs she played last night…they were/are too closely related in sound. or the arrangement made them sound that way.
I’m sorry to sound like i’m whining and bitching and moaning, really I am.
It was just one of “those” shows for me. I’m such a fan – SUCH a fan…but it was like…the 8 songs in her entire catalog that i can’t stand – and they were all played.
What can one do?
Incredible form though…loved the pink shoes!
and the voice was indeed – as someone noted – flawless.
It’s just too bad I can’t STAND Pandora… when she played that one, a teeny part of me died because I knew exactly what kind of set it was going to be.
Great reading all the enthusiastic views…
(I wish she talked more).
Pretty Good Year, Twinkle…Merman! I’ll never see any of those. Too much bass buzz.

ok. fine.
done bitching.
red says:

I’ve been to many shows; each is amazing! Last night’s was not my favorite because some of the songs in the middle were not my favorite – and the nature of those songs were more subdued/somber pieces and when all put one after another, I was almost getting bored. (just my personal opinion; I see here that some of those songs meant something very special to a few of you, so I’m glad for that) BUT WHEN TORI REACHED THE SECOND HALF OF “LADY IN BLUE” EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THEIR FEET!!!! EVEN THE BALCONIES! FROM THAT POINT ON THE SHOW JUST ROCKED (AND WITH SO MUCH ENERGY!!!!) THE AUDIENCE SHOULD HAVE RESPONDED IN KIND! thank you Tori! thanks for being so consistent and constant in record production and touring. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Maru says:

There is nothing I’d rather do than see Tori play. I’ve been going to the shows since Pele and have rarely been disappointed. But last night, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Not with the performance or the setlist but the audience. Standing up at a seated venue does NOT work! If this is how it’s going to be, than the shows should be general admission. At least at a general admission show you can maneuver around the tall person blocking your view. At a seated venue you’re stuck. The person in front of me was actually standing on her seat. Whoever you are, if you’re reading this, SHAME ON YOU. I have one more show to attend and I sincerely hope that the audience will respect the fact the we came to see and hear Tori play. SIT DOWN!
Jessica says:

I’m disappointed in the sour reviews above. This was far and away the BEST Tori show I’ve seen and I’ve been a fan since Little Earthquakes.

Tori was raw and alive, on fire in a way I did not see her on the ADP tour… really in a way I have not seen since Dew Drop Inn.

Luckily where I was sitting there was really only one weird, rude, drunk fan, but she was not enough to take away from the incredible power of this performance. Tori was full of improvs (during Seaside and Pancake—where else I don’t remember)… really rocking out…

The “profanity rant” during Strong Black Vine blew me away and hearkened back to early performances where she’d go vocal-crazy during songs like “losing my religion.”

I got to see some favorites of mine, but also WE GOT TALULA! Who the heck is complaining? She never plays Talula that much anymore, and this version was AWESOME. Also, the version of Icicle with the band is really out of this world. I also had never gotten to see Sugar, one of my favs on bootlegs, so amen to that.

Tori, you still know how to bring it.
Renee says:

Tori’s voice was magical. We waited out in the rain for sometime and then realized we were being completely crazy because there was no way
Tori would come out in a torrential downpour. Even though I paid ALOT of money for my seats which were supposedly the first row , and ordinarily they would have been kick ass seats but the people who were chosen to sit in the vip seating were standing all through the show. I did sit down for a couple of songs at the beginning as even though I am a die hard rock and roller and drove 4 hours to get there i was tired. People are just so rude. Enough has been said about the people there. I was fortunate not to have had the drunken loud talkers. Which you can hear on almost every show’s youtube videos. So it isn’t just Detroit, it is all of America. I personally loved all of the songs. I had never seen Martha’s Foolish Ginger or Seaside and although I didn’t get to meet Tori this time at the meet and greet she still read my mind and played these. Many people were disappointed, I was not one of those I’ve seen tori about 12 or 13 times, but I still had people with their photo shoots. I managed to get a few videos which I will be posting although almost all of them have the back of the head of the first vip row of people. I wish she’d have talked more also but she has had a grueling tour so far and I imagine she is exhausted. Marys of the Sea I had always wanted to here and on The Beekeeper tour she didn’t have a band so I hadn’t got to here it live before. I will keep watching Tori as long as I have a job and she continues to tour. True you can’t go back in time but I like the new musically mature Tori and I am sorry that so many people in the 2000s are so selfish. Why have a freaking security guard standing in the front if only to not say anything to people snapping photos standing in front of us who were in the “FIRST” row. I was happy to hear Strong Black Vine and I don’t know why anyone says she doesn’t “do it for them” All musicians grow and change just like most people do. I love her and her music.
Folks this doesn’t just happen at Tori shows. I paid over $200 to see Radiohead in Cleveland last year and as I am 5’2 I didn’t actually “see them” but I did hear them and my seats were not the best but they were in the pavilion and every single person stood during the entire show. It is just generation x that is all. Tori is still beautiful and i LOVE seeing and hearing her live. She is one hell of a performer and can still rock and kick ass. Raspberry Swirl Rocked!!!
Mike Z says:

First I’d like to acknowledge the opening act, One Eskimo. I thought they sounded real great and had a nice unique sound. Good stuff.

Personally, I thought this was a strong performance. not the absolute BEST ever, but I sure wasn’t disappointed! After reading some of the negative posts above this, maybe I was just lucky to be sitting in an area without much distraction to speak of (mid main floor, left side). But…security was letting people walk all the way down to the front to take pictures (I would feel like an asshole!)…that was uncalled for. I was waiting for Tori to say something to the one girl! What the hell, left aisle, middle aisle, right aisle….anyways.

I thought the set started really strong. Body and Soul was nice to hear. Deja vu to last tour there. Always liked that tune (and of course she touched herself at all the right moments! ;-) I guess there is no such thing as a “bad” song, but I’m just burned out on Cornflake Girl. But what the heck…she sounded awesome on it! lol. I’ll still take it any day! Icicle was just beautiful. Loved Concertina, haven’t heard her do that one in a while. Pandora’s Aquarium was a personal hilight for me. I just happen to love that song!

The songs all seemed to have the same kind of “mood” or whatever (particularly in the middle), but I guess that's the point. Winter in the Lounge Lizard part? AWESOME. But I agree with a previous post…it's beyond me why some people felt like yelling during this song ?!? I mean seriously…and then no one yells out when you’re supposed to (i.e. the “don’t you forget” part of Big Wheel).

I thought the energy really started to slowly build and build over the last 6 songs or so. Talula flat out cooked! Precious Things…predictable but it was rearranged a tad from last tours…still awesome as usual.

Strong Black Vine…OMG! I can’t ever remember being so fond of a new song so quickly. Usually it takes a while to grow on me. Not this one. If you didn’t feel the energy at the end of this one…you don’t have a pulse! “…Push the evil out mother fucker! Push it out cocksucker!!…” man she was possessed! I haven’t seen her flat out rage on a song like that since the mid 90s.

Encore: Caught a Light Sneeze, I’m never disappointed with this one, and this was a good one!

Raspberry Swirl and Big Wheel to close it out…definitely let everyone out on a high! Place was rocking! Sure looked like she was having fun, and that’s the most important thing.

Being an opera house, the sound was superb! Some shows on this tour her piano is drowned out by the drums and bass…not so tonight.
The crowd complaints? I mean…I’ve been to over 100 shows since 1992, and some are good, some are bad, most are like tonight was. There are always going to be a few drunk girls screaming “I love you Tori” at weird times, some guy who got dragged there by his girlfriend and doesn’t “get it” (and keeps getting up to get beer), the people who hold up their I-phones all night to be the 1st person to post a video on youtube, and the 4 girls who talk and talk…and talk some more. I thought all in all the crowd was not bad at all…but there are always going to be exceptions.

I don’t want to rip a city for the behavior of some fans (cough cough…Durahm…cough), but I’ve seen worse!
maria says:

Agreed to the annoying fans, but I did not let them ruin it for me! Though it is the first time I’ve ever been tempted to approach somebody regarding their behavior, as security was letting people get away with the disruptive behavior. And I know who someone mentioned earlier that pushed her way to the front. She almost knocked me and my friend down twice-only to fall flat on her behind. Instant karma is nice, eh? Enough about ‘those people’…

Tori did not have a meet & greet, which was heartbreaking because it was the first time I could make it to one…oh well, next time. But the concert made up for it.

Her voice was perfection, her setlist stellar-high energy, fun, with it’s touching moments as well. Icicle and Winter were amazing, her pauses and inflections and crescendo’s had the crowd hanging on her every note.

I also agree that her attitude seemed to be very positive, I’ve never seen her smile and have so much fun so much during a performance.

And lastly, I don’t think I’ve ever had so many peeks at m’lady’s private area! She’s got tights on underneath mind you, but nobody straddles that piano bench like Tori.

Best concert ever in my opinion. The trick is not to go in wanting to hear a specific song and hoping she plays is. Let her take you where she wants to, let her bring out the girls she wants you to hear…It’s always a beautiful ride.

Now my insight on the tunes, not that i can do a better job then some of the previous posts:

Give – perfect opener.

Body And Soul – a beautiful transition, kept the audience on our feet! and usually, you don’t stand too much during a tori amos concert. this setlist had us on our feet til she asked us to sit for a slower song. Girl was on fire!

Cornflake Girl – Never gets old, and she always switches it up a bit. Her piano playing on this never ceases to amaze me.

Icicle – This song grabbed me and never let go. Amazing, voice was like crystal.

Pancake – Some songs I don’t get too excited over on the cd, this live version gave it a new vibe and gave me a new appreciation for it.

Flavor – Even sultrier live.

Martha’s Foolish Ginger – Breathtaking. The set was beautiful as well, very fitting.

Marys Of The Sea – So Tori also can sing perfectly in French…what can’t she do?

Concertina – Never heard this live, it was amazing. Had a very hard time not singing along!

Pandora’s Aquarium – Again, new life into an old favorite. Did I mention her voice was amazing?

Seaside – This was to prep us for the magic that was about to come…don’t recall it much because winter practically stole the show.

Winter – this song made me weep. amazing version, wish i had it recorded so i could hear it again and again. and again.

Lady In Blue – this song blew me away, the percussion didn’t overtake the song and i think this was the one that the bassist got out a big ol’ viola for. don’t quote me on that.

Sugar – This made my heart sing! I have this one live on cd somewhere, but this version kicked it’s butt.

Talula – Never heard this one live before, either. High energy, crowd was pumped.

Precious Things – piano playing perfection, she is metallica on the keys.

Strong Black Vine – wish her angry version was on the cd!

Caught A Lite Sneeze – OMG, one of my top ten all time fave Tori songs. Great version, what a nice surprise. I expected/wanted police me as part of the encore but this blew me away!

Raspberry Swirl –Never heard this live either, amazing, had us all dancing, including Tori!

Big Wheel – Such a great song, sad that it was the last song, cause it left me wanting more!

I always fear Tori’s going to retire and I won’t get to see her live again. After a night like last night, I don’t see how she could, girl’s not only still got it, she’s only just begun to amaze us. Afterall, like she said: “Every thing gets better after 40”.
Christina says:

I went to see the wonderfully beautiful Tori last night at the Detroit Opera House. I accidentally came across this website as I was searching for “the rant” at the end of Strong Black Vine…really to see if she had done that at all the concerts which I don’t think she had. I must say it was a very intense part of the evening and for me was seductively disturbing (meaning I liked it!) I brought a friend with me who was not familiar with Tori but is artistic enough that she would appreciate her. Tori was phenomenal and I love that she is her own person. It’s amazing that she can just make a hand gesture, or run her hand along her inside thigh and the audience goes berserk! Her fans love her so much. I was surprised with how long we stood and was thrilled to sit down when the chance arose. I feel really bad for the people who gave reviews on how disrespectful people were with talking and walking around rather than concentrating on Tori. I sat towards the front on the left side and fortunately people were into her and I had no problems except for the wad of gum I stepped into towards the end of the concert :) Thanks to whoever spit that out!! The only thing I was disappointed with is that it wasn’t enough of just her and her piano. That’s when I soak her in and it wasn’t enough. I love her band and for me, I love her bass player. He is very aggressive with it and plays all up and down the fret board which is wonderful. There aren’t too many performers like Tori anymore where they just rely on their talent and their relationship with the audience and do not have to try and over stimulate every sense. There is only one sense you need and that’s to listen because with that she fills everything else. Love you Tori for the wonderful, complicated, unique and talented individual you are. It was an awesome night!
Ricki says:

After seeing Tori in Indy the previous night, this show in Detroit was like a tall glass of water. Indy really left me wanting more, begging the connection to open, and it gladly happened for me in Detroit. She did Seaside, only replacing “5th of December” with “the 1st of August” referencing a recent event. Lots of songs were played with deity-doubting themes along with a side theme of water. The energy was unstoppable. The setlist made me feel alive. But the crowd… well, that’s another story.

Everyone’s complaining about this show is completely merited. I’m totally a “just roll with it” type of person but last night pissed me off. There truly was an onslaught of beer runs, bathroom runs, chatting, horrible dancing, and unexplainable standing! I’m not sure why Tori has been tolerating this. I can dig it during the first song or two, but after that, put your ass in the seat.

And, yes, I was a seat-switcher, but only because everyone in front of me kept moving and shifting and I couldn’t see Tori! So my husband swapped with me. The people sitting next to us actually left because the woman was small and could not see Tori at all. The shame of it is that the standing is contagious: if everyone in front of me is standing you can BET that I’m standing so that I can see. So basically it’s the jerk-offs in the pit seats that screw the rest of us.

I would be curious to hear Tori’s response to the “what’s with the standing” question at a meet and greet.
Julia says:

I am one of those jerks that video tape most of the show, so I am happily going to be posting them soon!

This is only my second Tori show, despite being a fan since I was probably 10 or 11. I was a little disappointed. I’ve never seen/heard Tori play with such intense passion before, but a lot of the songs were kind of middling for me. It just wasn’t a perfect setlist for me until the second half, which is luck of the draw, you know, it doesn’t detract from her performance at all; I mean, I also drove from Pittsburgh to see her, so I guess I was expecting a lot. Seaside was absolutely beautiful (does anyone know the story behind this very special performance?), I was shocked to hear Talula, and Raspberry Swirl is one of my top five Tori songs so I almost had a heart attack when she played it. Wish the Lizard Lounge had been longer and that she had talked more.

I agree with the comments about decorum. There were people talking behind me the whole night. I’d think anyone in the first few rows of a Tori concert would know that, for most of us, this is the highlight of the year and we want to focus intently on Tori and nothing else!
Erin / @Stynchbox says:

What an amazing show! The girl has still got it!

I’m from Columbus, OH and Detroit is my only show this tour, very sad. This tour was not conducive to my schedule. When I saw the weather for the day, I had a gut feeling the M&G would be canceled, but still kept positive thoughts that maybe it would happen, no surprise when the confirmation came across Twitter.

Decided to arrive to the theater anyway because the weather cleared hoping for a repeal – no dice. I knew since the tragic August 1st shootings in Israel if she had not played Seaside for the victims, I would ask her to. This became difficult as there was not M&G. I asked two very lovely radio contest winners if they would hand Tori a letter and an article about the incident. They graciously agreed (Thank you millions if you’re reading this). If anyone was at the soundcheck party, I’d be interested to hear what she sang.

The show- We had good seats to the right of the stage. Give had a whole different meaning live than I ever got from the listening to the album. Icicle was stunning, the crowd was very respectful, at times you could hear a pin drop. I should also note here that the crowd stood all the way to Lizard Lounge, very unexpected. The show became politically / religiously charged with Pancake/Ohio, Flavor, and Marys of the Sea. She seemed to emphasize the lines about God.

Lizard Lounge- She started with a few chords of Seaside and I immediately got very emotional. I do not remember the exact words, but she said something to the effect of she wanted to pay tribute to our friends far away holding vigil tonight. This referring to the August 1st hate crime at a gay community center in Israel taking the lives of 2, Nir Katz, 26, and Liz Trobishi 17 (in some reports 16). She did not sing the song as originally recorded, she sang it as more of an improv. She gave great attention to “She was coming of age” and “innocence targeted” and repeated “Who’s God is this? What God is this” many times. She also changed “5th of December” to “The 1st of August”. Very moving. I, however, will never understand why people in the crowd applauded when she sang “Shells fired out.” Very thoughtful performance for such a senseless and terrible crime. If you have this on video, please, please, please post it! Winter was downright amazing. She sang every word with deep emotion. I have seen this girl many times before, but never like this. It was so pure.

Sugar and Talula were excellent, as was Caught a Lite Sneeze in the encore. I adore Raspberry Swirl, but not this version. The synth is too tinny as opposed to whatever was used in the studio version. Big Wheel was a great start to the last tour, and an energetic way to end this one.

Amazing show, sorry for the long wind, wish I could go to more!
Mel says:

Tori was amazing last night. I was up in the front left, though, and was about to start slapping the people around me. People were talking and running up to the stage in attempts to take pictures all night.

The people who kept standing all night were ticking me off, too. I stood for about three songs, and that’s only because I could hardly see her through the bobbing heads, bad dancing, and running chicks in the stage seats!

Her performance was still amazing, though to me she looked exhausted (though that didn’t take away from her stunning beauty, of course).
I hope she got a good night’s rest, poor thing!
Erin says:

Fantastic Show! The second half of the show I thought had more energy, but the whole set was fantastic of course. I particularly loved Strong Black Vine last night and her rant at the end!! I came from Cleveland to the show and was in the second row, which was an amazing experience. In my 11 years of going to Tori shows this is the first one in which I stood almost the entire show! The first row just would not sit down. I would have and really wanted to sit much sooner than I did and in fact I kept waiting for the first row to sit, but I just would not have been able to see the stage if I would have sat down before the people in front of me did.
A.T. says:

Oh y’all. I’ve been going to Tori shows since 1998. I am a huge fan, and we drove over 5 hours to get to the Detroit show last night. This was the first time I have ever been able to make it early enough to try for a M&G, though, and of course it got canceled – but at least we got to try.

Miss T was as beautiful, passionate, and fiery as ever, and I was really knocked out to hear Sugar, that very interesting arrangement of Talula, Icicle, and Pandora’s Aquarium. All of the other songs sounded great to me, as well, but those were highlights in my book. I can’t say anything bad about her, or the band, or the setlist, or anything that was actually happening on stage.

But when it comes to the audience, just – shame on most of them. In one way, I’m glad to come here and read I was not the only one upset or disturbed by the behavior of others (and I’m glad some people had some decent folk around them), because that means I wasn’t just being oversensitive or something, but in another way, it makes me incredibly sad.

Where I was (far right, main floor, down in front, on the aisle, though not in the pit seats), I had to fight with myself not to strangle the people around me. The standing bothers me, especially the people down in the pit, because then I couldn’t see at all without also standing – but what’s worse are the people constantly running down the aisles from god knows where to flail around like epileptics, or take constant pictures with your ridiculous camera flashes going off every five seconds.

Do people not realize that this isn’t a private concert just for them? There are other people in the venue, whether you like it or not. I felt bad for having to stand so that I could see, and I tried to make sure I was standing in such a way that I wasn’t in the way of the people behind me as much as I could. My boyfriend is tall, and he just sat down for many of the songs because the girl behind him was much shorter, and he didn’t want to be the one blocking her view, even if it meant he couldn’t see.

Towards the end of the show, I finally broke down and told a dude off briefly. This guy had been flying down the aisle all night to end up right behind the people in the pit and flail his arms around like Kermit the Frog having a seizure before going back up the aisle and then repeating the process all over again every five seconds. He did it ONE MORE TIME, and I was just fed up. I leaned out and told him, “Dude, we can’t see around you. Some of us are actually supposed to be in this section, you know,” or something to that effect, and then HE got pissy with ME, like I was the one behaving badly. Oy.

I’m glad people are excited to see Tori live – I am always excited to see her, too – but why can’t we all actually just go SEE her anymore? Why does it now have to be this running around and yelling constantly thing? I feel like it’s not only disrespectful of your fellow concert-goers, but it’s extremely disrespectful of Tori herself. I can rationalize people wanting to dance to the upbeat and more rockin’ tracks, but why are you standing, running around and flailing during the Lizard Lounge?

A lot of people have noticed she’s not very chatty between songs this tour like she would otherwise be – maybe it’s because no one is listening?

Tori is up there because she actually has something to tell us. We are ostensibly there to hear it. Why aren’t people actually listening anymore?
Ginny says:

Not much more to say…alot of my “thunder” got stolen so to speak. LOVED THE SHOW BTW.

But I feel like adding one anecdote about this show. The reason we were all standing after the 1st 2 songs was because the people in front of US were standing!!!

I have a job and a child, I can’t follow Tori around the country like some of you very lucky people get to do! She comes here to Detroit about every other year. I didn’t pay $51 (and wait since 10-27-07) to sit my ass down and stare at the ceiling while all of you “TORIPHILES” in the first 4 rows (orchestra pit VIP seats) stood for the first hour!!!!!!.

Who was in the first 5 rows? Shouldn’t all of you “experienced” people know to sit down after 2?!?!
Its easy to blame the “local” crowd, but trust me…its the “regulars” who MADE THE REST OF US UNDER 6 FT TALL STAND JUST SO WE COULD SEE!!

To all of you “Tori Snobs” who complain about everything from the setlist to the lighting to the audience to your own selfish personal experience I have 1 thing to say to you. ANY TIME Tori is playing her Bosendoerfer 60 ft in front of me, I am all ears! I don’t care if she plays “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” for 3 hours! I don’t care if I hear a fire truck in the background! TORI IS SINGING HER SOUL OUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!

Appreciate what your witnessing here, it's ephemeral.

Sorry if I stood in front of you…I’m a pregnant 5’3” girl who just wanted to see Tori because all of her “Tour Rats” in the good seats (half of you writing these reviews…I’ve been reading) were the ones standing!!!

CHRIST…WE JUST WANTED TO SEE!

Ticket cost $51…wouldn’t trade last night for a million bucks.
Sierra says:

Hi – So, I was out of breath, I was so overwhelmed… the whole nine yards. I actually went with my 50-year-old mother, who I must confess has never really paid much attention to Tori despite my habit of listening to her songs while reading or restoring my soft feminine soul which means daily, and had never seen her in concert. I told her: “Mom, that sexy, sexy lady is around your age!” Being a classically trained pianist herself, she was floored by Tori’s ability to find all the right notes on not just one, but two keyboard/pianos, at an ultra fast pace, while pouring her flawless blown glass vocals down the microphone’s acoustic throat.
I must say, however, that apparently unlike most of the people here, I wasn’t at all disturbed by the people screaming “Tori I love you!” and dancing… From what I’ve read here, most of you don’t appreciate it, but for me it’s always contributed to the atmosphere (???). Idk, just a thought for those of you who are sticklers to “sticking that ass down in that chair”. haha. you don’t have to a drunk and weird to rock out, suckers… Tori may be old wine, but she is definitely the kind of old wine that makes you want to shed inhibitions and get up and let your personality dissolve into the music. Ok, call me Generation X. go on ahead, I dare you.
Sooo I’m ABSOLUTELY FOR dancing, head bobbing, and air pianos, anything that leaves you rocking out in your personal space without smacking anyone around. WHAT I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR is chitchatting your ass off with people you can talk to otherwise anyway when you paid fine money in the midst of an economic recession to get your mind blown at a classy concert… (that was a bit overdone, but you get me right), pushing people out of the way to get your fave vantage point when other people paid just as much $ as you, AND lastly, God I hate this, STANDING UP WHEN NOBODY ELSE IS. ??? Honestly, who just goes and does that? It happened to me. I was so confused, like, what are you doinggg? I was going to give the girls some lip service, but resisted and stood up and rocked out a little more. I was too into the good vibes.
Now onto Tori. :) Tori, you are suchhh a goddess. My favorites were definitely Icicle, Precious Things, Cornflake Girl, Martha’s Favorite Ginger, Strong Black Vine (that angry passionate rant about motherfuckers and cocksuckers was divine, so ’90s and so beautiful baby) and my absolute top fave was no doubt Winter. I wasn’t even expecting Winter in the set, that grabbed me by my fragile tonsils. The Beekeeper stuff was divine as well. Her voice… is better than on CD. It is sparkling water/wine (take your pick) in an age of Dasani crapshit tap fluids.
I always laugh a little at those who rant about the setlist and the circumstances surrounding a concert. I can just tell that those are the people who always find a wrong note, even in a masterpiece. Five-star hotel didn’t have your favorite dish, which happens to be curry lobster with mac'n'cheese (being extremely hypothetical)? what a disappointment, right? a bit silly and adolescent, like whining about not finding grilled cheese in a sushi bar. idk, seriously, the set list isn’t meant to be a set-up for critique – it’s meant to be an eclectic journey, that shifts a little bit every time… what a pointless way to make yourself unhappy. I was blown away, and want another Tori fix right away. I got a totally open, sexed up vibe that I expected and didn’t expect… next time I’m bringing my boyfriend. Because we’re both 18, he’s not yet turned into one of those 40-year-old beer drinking getter-uppers you guys are complaining about (and I won’t let him), and even though he’s a connoisseur of rap, after experiencing the mingling of spectral forces at this Tori concert I wouldn’t be surprised to have success in converting him.
I can already see from the length of this that I got COMPLETELY carried away with this review. I could go on and on… Love, Tori, all my love! Hope it’s not your last… dude, you have way too much feminine energy and sinsuality and all that jazz to stop here.
Genevieve says:

I wanted to pass on some information that we got from the Detroit Opera House in regards to the audience standing.

First of all, I love Tori’s music and will continue to attend her shows. The Detroit show wasn’t my favorite ever, but I don’t think that makes me a “Tori Snob,” – if you’ve even been to two or more shows (ever, not just on one tour) there are obviously going to be some you like better than others. NBD. I thought the Detroit show had many beautiful songs and a few that maybe weren’t showcased best in a concert environment. But it’s her show, and that’s why SHE’s the rock star, not me! :-) Concertina, Caught a Lite Sneeze, and Seaside were definitely highlights for me. Also loved how she mentioned that it was Jon’s last show before not being in his 30’s anymore – she said something about it all getting better after that.

Okay, so about the standing. I see I’m not the only person who wasn’t happy with this. My boyfriend asked both security personnel and Opera House employees if they could ask the people in the front rows to sit so that everyone else could. The security guard claimed he couldn’t do anything. The Opera House employees claimed that they couldn’t do anything because “The artist encourages it.” Since when does Tori encourage standing? I thought I remembered reading on The Dent that she has asked that people sit so everyone can see. Does anyone know if she has a new stance on this? Anyways, my boyfriend pretty much chewed out the employee (mostly the employee was saying that people would still stand even if the front row sat down, the artist wants it that way, we can’t do anything about it, etc.) and then the employee came and found us later and reseated us to the upper level where people weren’t standing (though people were making out in front of us there…not sure why you would pay to go to a concert and then ignore the whole thing by sucking face…but at least we could see around them). So my boyfriend felt really bad about getting a bit too upset and wrote a nice letter to that employee later! It was awesome of them to reseat us, but I still think the standing is ridiculous. From higher up I could see that the VAST majority of those standing – even the source of all the standing, the front couple of rows – were not “rocking out” – they were just standing to stand.
I do not blame the local crowd at all. I think it is mostly a ripple effect where some people stand up and everyone behind them has to stand in order to see. I don’t blame people at all for standing up when people in front of them are – why look at someone’s back when you paid to SEE the show? What I don’t understand is why the people in the front couple of rows need to stand up at all – you got the front row tickets – can’t you be happy with that and allow the rest of us to see by sitting down?
I understand why people want to stand up, dance, etc. Stand up during the first song. Stand up during the encores. But why are you standing up during “Icicle”? My point is, most of us paid $70 or more for our seats, and we all deserve to be able to see. I am just under 5 feet tall and can barely see even when standing (and I was in row G on the main floor – so a good seat otherwise). There was a woman across the aisle from me in a wheelchair – do you think it was a good experience for her to be looking at your asses all night when she can’t stand up to do something about it?

I understand both sides of it. I just want people to remember that you are not at your own person concert. Other people are there too, and just like anything else, you should be considerate. We’re all fans – it should be an experience we all get to enjoy! Hopefully some will take this into consideration next time.
Beekeeper says:

I thought the show was just amazing. I was in in row D to the left slightly. Tori Rocked it out as always. She looked amazing and I thought the sound was really good. I think it was the best Icicle version I have EVER heard! Cornflake and Precious I really enjoy how she changed it up. Pandora I always like the audio on and I was exicited to hear Flavor. Matt Chamberlain is a PIMP on Raspberry Swirl, I mean it is just insane how well he can play! You go Matty! Tori is amazing, and she can play whatever she wants to and I have no complaints. I will just listen patiently if its something I don’t really care much for. I still respect her music and besides she can play whatever the crap she wants to. I want to say that the few shows that I have been to this time I have been disappointed with security and people walking around with their cameras and such. I mean don’t you turn your phone off when you go into a movie theatre? TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF!! I can say that through out the whole show I was distracted with people walking up and down the aisles to come take a picture with their phones. I just want to say that your phone is not going to take a good quality picture so whats the point? Seriously? Other than the really drunk girl in front of me by 2 rows waiving her arms in the air and dancing around like a weirdo I enjoyed the venue and the show! I am sad that I can’t see more. Rock on Tori! P.S. Ginny honey- Everyone is frustrated about Tori’s “Tour Rats” and how they are in everyone’s way. And I can tell you that they don’t care what anyone thinks. So they are going to continue to annoy everyone across the US.
Scott says:

Tori was amazing. I have been going through a rough patch in my life. I just found out that my mother is dying, my partner of four years left me high and dry for a 19 year old after I spent many dollars to fix his credit. Yes we have been having issues, but I thought we could work through them. NOPE. I have to move in three weeks.

I had bought tickets to Detroit, Red Bank, and Philly. Originally, I was not going to attend any of the shows, but two of my very dear friends decided that they were going to cover my hotel cost and food. They even went as far as to buy me two shirts :)

I am so glad I went. Tori has a knack for picking you up when you are down. Despite standing in the pouring rain for almost four hours to hear that the M&G was canceled, I had an amazing time. I begged Matt to ask her to do Caught A Lite Sneeze. He simply said that he had no control over it, but I like to think in my mind that he told her.

As far as people complaining about the set list, I just want to say that Tori is an artist with a catalogue so big, it is impossible for her to sing everyone’s favorite songs. That is the chance you take when you go see her. Personally, I found nothing wrong with the set at all. I love EVERY SINGLE SONG SHE SINGS, even those that are not her own. Grow up people. I attend many different concerts each year, and sets are not always what you would expect from an artist, but you have to remember that they chose those songs for what ever personal reasons, and respect it. Just be happy they are breathing your air.

And for the ones that complain about people standing up… yes Tori may be a pianist, but it is a ROCK CONCERT, not a classical piano recital or an opera. Tori herself never requested once during the show that people sit down. GROW UP AND STAND UP. I can tell you this right now, if someone in front of me stands up, then I am going to stand too. It is all in the territory of attending a concert. The show did not drag, everyone was on their feet until LIZARD LOUNGE and then everyone stood back up afterwards.

I believe that Tori fed off this energy. The show was a faster paced, more lively show than previous tours. More aggression and edge so to speak. Even the mid-tempo songs seemed to rock out, and that would probably be the reason why people stood for the majority of the show.

Now that I have all that off my chest, I am trying to find the means to attend Philly. I have to cancel New Jersey all together, but i do not work Saturday and I have to get to Philly LOL

Peace
Amanda (Novinha) says:

After fighting through major construction traffic in Detroit, we arrived almost an hour and a half after we intended to. Luckily, we intended to get there at 7:00, so it was still 8:20 when we got to the venue and the opening act was still on. Thankfully, we had not missed any of Tori’s set. I was very happy we had decided to pre-pay for parking in the Opera House garage because when we arrived they were only accepting pre-paid people in there and we also paid less to park there. Otherwise we may have been roaming around for a while looking for parking. But it all worked out.

When we got to our seats, we were quite impressed. We were off to the left side, Jon’s side, but we were front row right behind the pit. And we were so far over, the pit didn’t stretch out that far, so no one was really directly in front of us, so we could stretch out our legs. This was also the perfect place to see Tori’s hands on the piano and see her face when she performed on her keyboard.

The sound from our seat in the Detroit Opera House was amazing! We were really impressed with that. But we were not impressed with the hundreds of people that kept constantly running up to get photos of Tori. Thankfully for our side seats, we didn’t get that much in front of us, but I saw a lot of people walking up through the center for photos, constantly. It seemed some people cared more about taking photos than experiencing the concert. I understand the desire to get a photo here and there, but don’t let that ruin the show for yourself or others around you, please.

But really the audience around us was actually very well behaved for the most part, nothing that really irritated us at least, which was a huge relief. We were still very annoyed with the standing during the first half of the show though. I’d have totally sat down if the people in the pit were not blocking me. But I had to stand to see. I did have a really great view though, standing or seated.

Though my feet hurt about four songs into it. Because of all the standing, I am glad I am only going to two shows this tour. But they were great ones. And now on to the show, just a few personal notes on some songs:

I love Give and could hear this every night. I was ecstatic that she is opening with this one. It is perfect. And to follow up with Body and Soul was great, it felt really sassy when she performed this one. We are off to a great start.

I loved the Ohio bit added in to Pancake. I heard Pancake so many times during the Scarlet tour, but that added little bit gives it a whole new twist and nearly turns it into an entirely different song in a good way.

Flavor is my favorite off the new album and I was SO glad to hear this one live. I was really hoping to hear it. She performed it just great live. I loved it!

When she finally got to Pandora’s Aquarium, I couldn’t take the pain in my feet anymore, I had to sit down. So I couldn’t see because the rest of the pit was still standing, but I noticed that the few other people in my row sat too as well as those behind us! It seemed we all really just wanted to sit. I spent most of Pandora stretching out my legs and hoping for the Lizard Lounge and everyone else to sit too. It was a shame we couldn’t see though, it sounded really beautiful. I love the band with this one.

Thankfully Lizard Lounge began and everyone sat. Someone a few seats down from me whispered, “Finally!” Those around me were really wanting to sit and I was happy I was not the only one feeling that way. It was really nice when she started Seaside. She referenced something happening as the reason for playing this song and she changed “fifth of December” to “first of August” and I was going through all current events in my head to figure out what was going on in the news. I watch CNN a lot and was really baffled. (Thanks to the person who posted a review on Undented to explain the situation there!). Seaside was incredibly emotional and a huge highlight of the show for me.

Winter is just a great song, a classic from my personal favorite album. I’ve heard this song what feels like 100 times now, but the emotion of it never gets old. Too bad I heard some people (thankfully far off from me), singing along, badly, to this one. I feel bad for those sitting directly beside them. But grateful that I got the full live emotion from Winter. Truly beautiful.

I don’t mean to be negative, but I really hate Lady in Blue. I did not want to hear it. I admit it was fun to see her perform this one live, but I still find the song incredibly boring and it just goes on forever.

Sugar was such a surprise. I never expected this one at all! It was great. I love Sugar with the band, it is just as good as always. I really loved watching her hands at the piano during this song.

Then a turn to the organ, which had just been brought out and we got another surprise with Talula!!!

Wow, I was internally freaking out. I have not heard Talula since 1998…11 years! I love that Tori can still go back and pull stuff out like that, stuff that’s been over a decade to surface in concert. What an amazing performer and she did an amazing job on this one! I loved it!

I was really really really looking forward to Strong Black Vine as we had a perfect view to see her face during this one from our seats. I just can’t get over how incredible this song is live. She really freaks out and just sings her heart out on this one, it was great to see the intensity in her face as she belted this one out. Give may be my favorite on the album, but Strong Black Vine is my favorite live. It is a huge highlight of the show for me. Can we have this version on the album!!?

The final two songs of Raspberry Swirl followed immediately by Big Wheel was one of very few repeats from the show the previous night. And I loved it. I think these two songs closing out the show is quite a perfect way to end things, upbeat and a lot of fun. The show ended with a great big smile on my face.
Jodi says:

I just wanted to clarify that the only reason people in the front row were standing throughout the concert is because people who were not up front were rushing the stage during the second song. People were getting pushed from their seats.

Awesome show. One of the best! I have never been disappointed at any Tori show.
PS: Not everyone up front are tour rats…furthermore, those who have earned the title “tour rat” deserve to be up there!

Reviews are no longer being accepted for this show.

Submitting Photos & Video

If you want to submit photos or videos, mail them directly to Violet. (If you're submitting both, it's fine to include them in the same message.)

Image files should be no larger than 640px in height and under 100kb. If you cannot resize your own images, we can do it for you, but be aware it will take us longer to get them up.

Please include the name you want us to use as your photo credit. Pick something unique, as you would for a forum login. Each credit name must be different in our [photo] database. If you see a photo (or video) posted here that has been credited to the wrong person, let us know right away.

If you have a video you'd like to share, or you've come across a cool video you think we should add, email us the URL. If you've taken video but aren't able to post it online yourself for whatever reason, you can send us the file and we'll make it available through our YouTube account.

« Previous | Next »