Massey Hall

Tour

Date	August 10, 2009
City	Toronto, ON
Venue	Massey Hall

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Set List

Neil is at tonight’s show. Blue dress, silver leggings (Tori, not Neil). Thanks to @casket4mytears for getting the set in to us over on Twitter.

We’re a bit uncertain where the encore began. If we have it wrong, let us know.

Give
Hotel
Happy Birthday (to Jon Evans)
Cornflake Girl
The Power Of Orange Knickers
Welcome To England
Bells For Her
Carbon
Concertina
Putting The Damage On

Lizard Lounge

Mother
Roosterspur Bridge

(band returns)

Lady In Blue
A Sorta Fairytale
Fast Horse
Mother Revolution
Precious Things
Strong Black Vine

Encore

Big Wheel

Video

Hotel (posted by farfel)

Happy Birthday Jon! (posted by farfel)

Cornflake Girl (posted by farfel)

Cornflake Girl (posted by MissVix)

The Power of Orange Knickers (posted by farfel)

Putting The Damage On (posted by farfel)

Mother (posted by farfel)

Roosterspur Bridge (posted by farfel)

A Sorta Fairytale (posted by farfel)

Lady in Blue (posted by farfel)

Precious Things (posted by farfel)

Strong Black Vine (posted by RodneyMaxwellFord)

Big Wheel (posted by farfel)

Reviews

casket4mytears says:

Setlist correction: LIB was LL but performed with band. Set is otherwise correct. :) Sorry, I was tweeting rapidly to soak up the awesome.

Such a great show IMO, but a strange one… It wasn’t great for being a rocking set or full of rarities. It was great for the energy Tori put into each song, and for how it just felt wonderful. Songs I’ve heard several times like A Sorta Fairytale were gorgeous and fresh on my ears. This could be in part due to it being my first show this tour, but hey!

Roosterspur Bridge had a beautiful improv before it, about ‘feeling this land’ and ‘feelng you in the water, feeling you in the wind’ and ‘feeling you still here’. It was my request and was beautifully done, more sombre than other versions I’ve heard. Think SATY and how Tori switches to the background of the Years Go By…

Mother was incredible. Wow!

The Power of Orange Knickers was pretty much bang on to album version. I’d been itching to hear it so definitely glad it showed.

Strong Black Vine rocked out of course, and Hotel was bang on as well. SUPER sad we lost Body and Soul and Raspberry Swirl to curfew. :p There were no other variations from the written setlist.

During Cornflake Girl, I and another person swear we heard Tori accidentally sing “Where’d you put the cheese girl?” I absolutely died. Tori had minor flubs all night, so methinks she was having a minor brain fart in honour of Jon’s birthday.

Speaking of, her singing Happy Birthday to him was super cute. At the end she said “…dear Jon whois40yearsold” or something to that effect.

Bells For Her had an improv about devils and soldiers right before the ‘bells and footfalls’ verse.

Happy to help out tonight! Glad Twitter didn’t die on us all again!
mattbg says:

As with a previous review, I do agree that there was a lot of energy, but it exceeded the clipping point.

Maybe I am growing out of her, but this seemed to be a very noisy concert and it’s been getting progressively louder with each tour. All of the sounds just mash together and except for a few solo performances, it becomes way more about the persona than the music.

“Bells For Her” and “Concertina” were good — you could hear those. “Carbon” and “Lady in Blue” weren’t bad. But, for most songs, I just zoned out as you tend to do during a traumatic experience: in this case, the victims were my ears.

The cameras in the audience are getting annoying, too. The ushers were constantly coming round and getting people to turn them off. They should have started kicking people out. It’s not like any of these photos or videos that people were taking are actually going to be any good, either.

Essentially, this concert reminded me of a John Mayer concert I went to a couple of years ago — unless you already knew the songs, you wouldn’t be able to make out any of the words or melodies because it’s just so damn loud. And it’s about teenagers going to see John Mayer more than it is about listening to John Mayer’s music. There weren’t a lot of teenagers here, so maybe it’s now about exuberant gay people going to see Tori Amos.

I’ve seen her on three tours now, but probably no more Tori concerts for me… these are not cheap tickets and it’s loud but I can’t hear the music.
Keith says:

This was the sixth time I’ve seen Tori in concert and the closest my partner and I have ever sat (6th row aisle seats!!). They were amazing seats and, as always, Tori’s performance was brilliant and completely enthralling. I was extremely pleased with her setlist and wished the evening lasted longer.

The only unfortunate part of the evening was the three ladies, dressed in pseudo Tori outfits complete with wigs, who sat behind us and spent most of the concert talking loudly and ruining the enjoyment of Tori’s performance for those seated around them. They were obviously enjoying their drinks. Even after we asked them to be quiet around Bells For Her, they continued to be purposely disruptive, rude and inconsiderate. They kept getting up and leaving to get more drinks or smoke or use the washroom. What’s the point of attending a Tori concert if you’re going to talk through most of the evening, leave for many of the songs, and ruin it for other fans?!

At the end of the show, the three ladies rushed the stage for the encore. Something happened during the encore to one of the loudest of three and she was either escorted out or left abruptly. After the concert, as we were exiting the woman who had left was re-entering the auditorium and she apologized to us for talking to which we again expressed our disdain for her behaviour and to which she responded by calling us “Gay!” We said, “We are gay,” and continued to leave. Proceeding this she caught up with us a block away from the venue and called us “Faggots”. We told her she was being homophobic and she insisted she wasn’t homophobic, but based on her actions I doubt she even knows what it means. She continued to say we were more feminine than she was and that we liked to suck more cock than she did. Classy lady.

I admit that I, out of frustration and anger, said things I probably shouldn’t have, made assumptions about these three individuals without knowing them and unfortunately stooped to her low level instead of walking away, but I was very upset and caught up in the moment. In retrospect I wish I did not engage with them at all or say anything to them.

It’s unfortunate that our evening was ruined by the actions of a few. I have always felt that Tori has some of the most amazing, tolerant, accepting, beautiful fans. I was so disappointed to have had this encounter. I will definitely try to remember all of the positive things about the concert – the music, the other fans who supported us and agreed that the behaviour of these individuals was unacceptable, and of course, Tori herself. However, I will continue to question why some people attend a sit down concert and expect it to be like any other standing room only, crowded bar rock concert when there is obviously different etiquette required.
David says:

Tori looked and sounded stunning tonight. Her voice was just so beautiful and she seemed really into the songs.

Favourites included: Hotel (what an awesome surprise – I was listening to it earlier and didn’t think she would play it, but BAM! There it was – second song in. The Power of Orange Knickers was a great choice from Beekeeper and same with Mover Revolution. Bells for Her was another stunner. Her improv in the middle of the song was really passionate. Putting the Damage on was also fantastic. She just had so much energy emotion during the song.

Roosterspur Bridge sounds so much better solo – it was so beautiful. She really rocked out during Fast Horse, Lady in Blue, Precious Things and especially Strong Black Vine.

The brief encore was a bit upsetting, but it seemed everything had to stop at 11 due to curfew. I guess at least we got some great longer songs beforehand.

All in all a great show and a perfect venue for her. The lighting was great and really complimented Tori, her wardrobe and her songs.

Can’t wait for the next one!!
kenny love says:

this show was amazing!!!! so sad that the two songs i really really wanted to hear near the end RS and BaS were cut but it did seem like the show got started a little late. AND it was sooooooo worth it because Precious Things and Strong Black Vine were incredible! she seemed so full of energy the whole night. i was in the balcony RIGHT, and and i mean right above the stage lol it was one of the best seats i’ve had because we were so close to tori could see every emotion on her face it was great! i could see the front row people and i must thank them because, as tori says she feeds off the energy from the crowd and these guys and gals were giving so much energy it was incredible! and she fed off it giggling at them all night and giving 210% FOR SURE! precious things was fun because it was longer and she was like so into it it kept going WONDERFUL and strong black vine was great too because she was just pounding away at the organ, head shaking and “mother f**kers” flying from her mouth and it went on and on in true tori style when she’s feeling the song. it was incredible :) thank you tori for another amazing show!
Deanna V. says:

Just want to note that there was a short improv leading into Roosterspur Bridge. Didn’t really catch any of the words though.

Anyway, what a fantastic show in my hometown! :D One of the most noticeable things about the night was that Matt was absolutely ON FIRE! The drums really stood out for me last night, in a good way.

Tori had massive amounts of energy, and talked about how great the crowds always are in Toronto. She’s right about that – almost the entire crowd always seems to remain quiet and seated at the appropriate moments, but then are loud and appreciative when songs are finished. You could hear a pin drop during the Lizard Lounge, unlike in Detroit where people were screaming and ruining the magical atmosphere.

Highlights of the night for me were Hotel, Bells For Her (so much more stunning live than I could ever have imagined), Roosterspur Bridge, Mother (her voice was flawless and haunting), and The Power Of Orange Knickers. Just an awesome setlist all around.

The one song encore was a huuuuuuuuge letdown, though. You could tell everyone was really disappointed. I’m hoping the Montreal show will be a bit longer!
carbonmade2372 says:

Awesome show (surprise, surprise…) She looked beautiful in that turquiose dress with her long red hair flowing down. She was in a great mood, and having a lot of fun. It never ceases to amaze me that, even though she’s played Cornflake Girl and Precious Things a zillion times, she reinvents them at every performance as if she’s playing them for the first time.

The setlist was full of my old favorites- Carbon, Concertina, Damage, Hotel, Mother, and my new favorites- Lady in Blue and Fast Horse. The show started off at such a high energy level; I almost burst at Hotel! Putting the Damage On was the loveliest version I ever heard, and I was so grateful she played it because it was the one song my friend was hoping for, but doubted she would play. I had to get a tissue out of my purse for her. I could have done without Rooster, which I never was able to get into, and found to be a little sleepy. Mother Revolution was another lull for me. But a definite high for me was Strong Black Vine….omg, her improv at the end …..I had to pick up my jaw from the floor because I could not believe how hard she went off. It was outrageous, and I’m glad I witnessed it in person. That’s my girl…. She came out for Big Wheel with her usual adorable clapping, and then she went into a happy dance, which made me think of the dancing scene in A Charlie Brown Xmas. It was hilarious! Unfortunately, that was the last song. I was surprised when the lights went up, but what can you do…

I’ve been following the rumors about her being pregnant, and I’ve been closely watching some of the videos to check out the alleged “baby bump.” I went to the show thinking that she definitely is preggers, but after seeing her live, I’m not so sure.
At some points she did, and at some, she didn’t. Is it realistic that she would have another baby at 46? And would she really add more tour dates in Australia if she is? I know that she’s superwoman and can do it all and have it all, but I honestly don’t know. I guess it’s really none of our business anyway.
Mnemosune says:

What an awesome show. She played all my favourite songs off of the new album. I was so psyched to hear Fast Horse and the rendition was awesome. But the highlight of the night was definitely the combo of Precious Things and Strong Black Vine which was so sexually charged I could barely contain myself. The only downside of the show was the relatively short encore and the lack of Tori stories which I have come to love so much. Other than that a fantastic show!
farfel says:

Hey guys, I had a really great time at the show last night! FYI The encore was one song only – “Big Wheel”. “Body & Soul” and “Raspberry Swirl” were supposed to kick off the encore (according to setlist), followed by “Big Wheel”, but Tori was running late and probably had to cut those songs to meet the 11pm curfew.

Also, I’ve posted a few videos from this show on YouTube. I’ll try to up a few more vids tomorrow and maybe write a short review as well.
[The videos have been posted above -- thanks!]
Lana says:

My first Tori show. I’ve been wanting to see her live for so long but due to various reasons couldn’t do it until yesterday. When she came out I could hardly hold back my tears. I was so excited.

The show itself was absolutely amazing! As much as I watched the recorded videos on youtube, nothing compares to being right there immersed in sound and light (which added a lot to the whole experience).

Her voice was very strong and she had so much energy.

Now to a few of the songs:

A Sorta Fairytale .. was more “aggressive” than the other versions I heard before; sung with more purpose and determination…which I really liked..made me look at the song from a different angle and it worked very well.

Roosterspur Bridge..when she was doing to improvisation I was sure it will be cooling, which I love, but even though it wasn’t I wasn’t disappointed. This was an amazing version.

Mother..out of this world.

Strong Black Vine.. omg..that ending..I had goosebumps.

Fast Horse…so beautiful live!

Concertina.. I love this song and was so lucky to hear it live.

Power of Orange Knickers.. great song, but I could tell that it wasn’t a favourite..people started leaving..

In general the audience was great..minimal talking and moving… but people still felt free to just get up in the middle of a song if they don’t like it. Which I find very rude. But it was better than I expected from reading all the comments from the other shows.

I hope I get a chance to see her again.
TomSkander says:

This was my fourth show and I must say that she just gets better with each Tour that goes by. I’m from Edmonton and had just arrived in Toronto in the afternoon when, on my cab ride to the hostel, I had a little visitor. “Putting the Damage On” drifted into my head – “don’t make me scratch on your door I never left you for a banjo…” and I had the oddest sensation that I KNEW she would play it that night. Well Tori must have had the same visit because right before the Lizard Lounge, “Putting the Damage On” in all her splendour. She sounds amazing live with the band.

Hotel was another highlight as I have never seen her perform it live before. And Bells for Her has changed once again. The new motifs are absolutely beautiful and her choice of instrumentation for it was crystalline.

All of the new material sounded fantastic on stage and Tori’s ever increasing skill with multiple keyboards never ceases to amaze me. Strong Black Vine was absolutely the climax (and I mean that both literally AND figuratively lol) of the night, ending with an improv screaming the challenge, “Can you push it boys? She can push it like a mother fucker!!” Killer. Just killer. And though I’m sad she had to cut the encore after only one song, I’m glad the song she chose to play was Big Wheel. Genuine crowd pleaser and she left with a HUGE bang. Well done lady! Off to Montréal!!
Raena says:

I’m a little late writing in, but here are my “thoughts right now” … I’m from Edmonton as well (hi Tom!) and experienced a dream come true seeing Tori in concert with my Mom. Hearing Mother live was a gift and I really couldn’t have asked for anything more. I bawled my eyes out. Massey Hall was gorgeous and rich with energy. Our seats, thank goodness stage right, clearly in Tori’s view while she played the Bosey. I stared right into Tori’s eyes as she sang her heart out. I know everyone says this, but there was eye contact and tears ran down my face uncontrollably. Like a sixth “torisense” I just knew she was going to play a set list that outlined my life right now, singing exactly what I needed to hear. I had each song on the list pegged within the first notes Tori played.

Tori took to the stage in a gorgeous turquoise dress and silver leggings which were a stunning canvas for her fire-y orange hair. She bowed to us. She turned to Matt and Jon and began to raise the sonic energy that would take us through the next two hours. She was in TOP FORM. Her voice – magnificent. For sure the best sound of the Tori shows I have seen in years past.

A few interesting things to point out: Somehow I knew Roosterspur Bridge would make an appearance. It invaded my mind all day and lo and behold, Tori sang a gorgeous version complete with a beautiful little improv intro.

Mother was STUNNING.

Bells for Her was glorious with the band as was Carbon.

Even without the “grrrl” part, Precious Things was the best version I have ever heard. Playful and ferocious.

My only complaint would be why Vancouver is once again ignored this tour. I wish I had the funds to see more of Tori in concert, but the one trip to Toronto was quite an investment on my part. I’m grateful to have seen this show, but I yearn for more.

Reviews are no longer being accepted for this show.

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