Hammersmith Apollo

Tour

Date	September 10, 2009
City	London, UK (1)
Venue	Hammersmith Apollo

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Set List

Black dress, silver leggings, b&w cardigan, silver shoes.

Give
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Cornflake Girl
Flavor
Space Dog
Pancake
Icicle
Carbon
Concertina
Jamaica Inn

Lizard Lounge

Cooling
Winter

(band returns)

Lady In Blue
Bliss
Talula
Precious Things
Strong Black Vine

Encore

Raspberry Swirl
Big Wheel

Photos

Reviews

Martin says:

Review of concert:
Fab, excellent! Space Dog rocked, Pancake was vicious, Icicle was gorgeous (with band!), Jamaica was sweet, Lady in Blue was 10 out of 10, Talula was so strong, Precious Thing was epic, and finally Big Wheel was hiliarious – she forgot how to count and kept having to repeat bits…
Only two negatives:
Caught a Lite SNOOZE – not the most captivating live song…
Con-SNORE-tina – zzz!

Review of Concert Scum:
To the fat gay guys in Row G who kept getting up and down, up and down to get beers (are you alcoholics??)…
To the guy who got up in the middle of Cooling to sort out his need for pints… (why??)…
To the irritating blonde girl in the summer dress who enjoyed flouncing around Row D, up and down, up and down, and recording half the concert when she actually was sitting down, and then seemed to leave 2o minutes before the end…
To the doofus who got up in the middle of the aisle to take photos, obscuring everyone’s view… (well done to the guy who gave him a shove)…
To the people who decided to have a row during Lizard Lounge…
To all these guys, whoever and wherever you are: well done on spoiling a great concert, you truly are Concert Scum…
If you have no interest in watching a captivating performance, why not just stay at home and have some cans of beer, eh?, and let the rest of us enjoy it in peace.
Andrew Doolin says:

The audience annoyed me a lot during tonights performance (in the stalls) but I tried to block them out and mostly suceeded!

I saw her in Manchester last week and 6 of the same songs featured within in the first 10 songs BUT considering what songs they were I was happy to hear them again. Especially Space Dog, which is a song I never took to until I saw it live last week and tonight I actually loved it!
Icicle was beautiful except for whoever was shouting (i think at the bar in the circle area possibly).

Precious Things and Strong Black Vine (with motherfuckers improv!) were outstanding and I hope to hear them both again tomorrow. And then for the encore (which I managed to get to the stage for unlike in Manchester) I was overjoyed she sang Raspberry Swirl (a song I’d always wanted to hear live) and Big Wheel – well her fuck up’s during that song were brilliant! My friend who doesn’t know much of her music but does love Big Wheel thought she was brilliant the way she improved.

Excellent show and I can’t wait to see her again tomorrow.
Peyman says:

WOW, what a show again. her version of precious things tonight was amazing, had a bit more kick to it than before. even better than in birmingham.
she did a lovely little improv in the middle of big wheel. really got the crowd.
not really related to tonight, but during her sorta fairy tale tour in hammersmith she did Hey Jupitar and to this day i get goose pimples when i remember it. those who were there should know.
CharlieWaters says:

The concert was amazing! Pancake was definitely the highlight of the night for me. Tori was adorable when she forgot how to count down during Big Wheel, and she did a little improv about her bad math – leading into the chorus of big wheel again:

“Big wheel turn my fantasy
Don’t you throw that math on me”

Her voice was top notch – the high notes in Precious Things gave me goosebumps!
Emily says:

This was my third time seeing Tori at this venue and perhaps the best I’ve seen her yet. An amazing show and great setlist! She played my favourites off the new album, and even though she’s played ‘Cooling’ and ‘Winter’ every time I’ve seen her, they never fail to astound me with their beauty, and tonight was no exception.

The highlight, without a doubt, was ‘Raspberry Swirl’ though. ‘Choirgirl’ is my favourite album, so I’d been disappointed she’d played no songs off it, so when she came back on with this for the encore it blew me (and the rest of the crowd, it seemed) away. Amazing!
Graeme says:

This is my sixth, seven, hell, maybe even eighth time of seeing Tori (who’s counting anyway) and, needless to say, she never disappoints.

Having said that, this show was weird for me in some ways. First, there was a definite sense of urgency to the whole gig – so much so that she only spoke to the crowd once. She said something like ‘This venue feels like my local; like having a pint in my local.’ I couldn’t stop myself from yelling ‘It’s my local, too!’, though I did manage to resist the temptation to invite her down the road to my flat for a post-gig cup of tea…

Anyway, I do feel this urgency meant some of the songs almost felt rushed, almost perfunctory. Case in point: Carbon, one of my favourites from Scarlet’s Walk. It just felt mechanical; so much so that it was a toilet-break opportunity for me (note to self: three pre-gig pints is too much).

BUT – and there’s a big but – I was ecstatic (and, shamefully shouted out ‘Yes!’) when she began to play Cooling. I’ve never heard her play this before and, of course, it’s one of my big favourites, so this was awesome. Space Dog was incredible, as was Caught A Lite Sneeze. In short, the first half was amazing, but the energy dipped towards the end. I think if she had broken up the set a bit with some chat or such, it would have made the momentum and energy easier to maintain.

All in all, a good, solid gig. Plus, it was the first time I’d rushed the stage for the encore, so thanks to the American girls sitting next to us for giving us the hint! Also, noted music journalist Lucy O’Brien was sitting in our row. I’d meant to chat to her post-gig about her interview with Tori and her Madonna biography so, Lucy, if you’re reading – I loved Like An Icon!

I hope whoever is going tomorrow has an amazing time x
justin wilson says:

Just got back home to Dublin from the concert last nite with my friend Alan. It was my 8’ Tori show and she didnt dissapoint! Tori took to the stage at 8.40pm and looked stunning wearing a black dress and silver tights..The show opened with ‘Give’ and it was a very strong performance, Her vocals were spot on. As the show progressed it felt to me like a greatest hits show as we got a good mix of songs from ‘Hotel’‘Scarlet’‘Pink’ Venus and Pele’. I thought she would have played more than 4 songs from the new album but we were treated to a great version of ‘Lady in blue’ Tori really seemed to enjoy this and Matt & John really let rip on this track. Due to the 9/11 anniversary I was expecting ‘I cant see New York’ but Id say she will pop it in tonights show! Overall we were pleased,but no Dublin show on this tour was a let down!But at least we got to spend a great day in sunny London..
kayduu says:

The Silver Space Siren Struts her Stuff!

In the first of London’s two September 2009 Hammersmith Apollo shows, Tori took to the stage in particularly playful mood! All facial contortions and jerky posturing, it was clear from the off that this was going to be a camped-up, crotch-grabbing carnival of a show, and on that note Tori didn’t for a single second disappoint! What is disappointing, however, is the frankly awful Hammersmith Apollo venue. Why-oh-why Tori plays there – and only there – in London, beats me &, to a degree, also saddens me. It’s a pretty damn poor place, acoustically speaking, and it far from does Tori and her craft the justice she & it so deserve. The set list favoured some of her bigger, bolder sounds (Raspberry Swirl, Bliss, Talula, Caught A Lite Sneeze) yet whilst the subtleties of her prettier, more intricate piano tracks tend to heart-breakingly get swallowed up in this venue, even these ‘clubbier’ tunes can easily descend into a sonic ‘mush’, frequently overpowered by Matt’s drums, and this, of course, surely completely defeats the point of why I imagine most Tori fans, like myself, turn out to see her time and again? We want to hear every note she plays, don’t we? We want the full range of notes and not just the top and bottom ends with a gaping hole in the middle, as the Hammersmith has an annoying tendency to produce. My boyfriend (a new Toriphile after near-indoctrination by me, haha!) and I were acutely aware of the missing middle range and wondered what Tori’s sound engineer husband Mark had been hearing when they had presumably sound-checked earlier in the day: certainly not the ensemble at its best, I’d suggest. So next time – which will be my 6th – it will have to be another venue that we head to, to hear the glittering goddess! A screen showing a close-up of Tori’s hands on the keys would be good too: Tori could really do with a big screen for those whose big-venue seats don’t afford them a good view.

Venue & sound complaints aside though, Tori was her usual joy to behold, I’m pleased to report. Tottering on the expected towering heels, and glowing gloriously like the moon in silver leggings and shoes like mirrors (seemingly the same outfit as the Milwaukee show – we commend the costume recycling!) she romped through what is now amazingly almost two decades of ‘songsmithery’. The crowd seemed to take a while to warm-up (I can remember livelier Hammersmith crowds, especially for her solo “Beekeeper” show there) but they were all on their feet, & many of them at Tori’s own feet, by the rocking finale. This featured an especially special (!) screw-up on Tori’s part with the “Big Wheel” counting, which led to a string of the Tori-favoured f-word & a fantastic improv about not knowing her times tables! Then Tori went on to make precisely the same mistake for a second time no less! Priceless and, of course, we all love those off-the-cuff ad-libs: I especially liked the “too many brambles under your bushes” improv earlier in the gig (I can’t remember which song that appeared in now though – was it “Cooling”, or “Carbon” perhaps?) though that may be an actual song lyric that I’ve never heard so clearly as I did last night. A nice touch anyhow.

I will always love (& predominantly go along for) the teasing meandering as each song opens. I mean who doesn’t love to guess what those tantalising opening notes will go on to become, and to be proven wrong, time and again, as Tori lulls you into a false sense of security that yes, it’s “Strong Black Vine” (a mistake we made a couple of times!) when in actual fact it’s the breath-taking “Precious Things” (a stand-out show highlight).

“Concertina” and “Pancake” were songs I’d hoped to hear and hadn’t heard live before. Unfortunately each was let down by the poor sound quality (there was none of the warmth of those fast opening ‘synthy’ notes of “Concertina” to be heard – at least not where we sat, on the right hand side of Row M in the stalls. Also, there seemed to be none of the guitar richness as recorded on “Pancake”. In fact Jon wasn’t much of a presence throughout the whole night, I felt). Still – when did a forty six year old woman ever seem more like a six year old, in terms of sheer enjoyment, I ask!? As my boyfriend said, “no one loves the show more than Tori!” . . . and he’s right . . . and that alone is wonderful to see and be a part of! I’ll be back for another fix whenever Tori next goes out on the road, as I’m not sure I’ll ever tire of the hunching, head-hung, or of the squatting or the flicking of that fiery mane! The London crowd on Friday had better not have “Upside Down” in their set-list though! Oh well, that can stay on the mental list for next time, I guess!

Enjoy your shows, everyone!

And as a post-script, I’d like to say a big thanks to ‘Kalli’ who enabled me to go to the first London show, by selling me her tickets on eBay at cost only. Now that’s decent and fair fan behaviour for you: we heartily commend! A big “thanks!” Kalli and I hope my gig review gives you at least a flavour of a show you sadly couldn’t make yourself in the end.
Rich says:

I’ve seen Tori Amos a good two-handful of times since 1998, but the show at Hammersmith Apollo on 10 Sept 09 was one of the best.
I’m not a huge fan of her latest offering “Abnormally Attracted to Sin”, but seeing as this tour is in support of this album, and, entitled the “Sinful Attraction Tour”: I was prepared.
A deluge of new tracks did not, however, arise. Tori, rather remarkably, concocted a setlist that spanned the length of her nigh on 20 year career. There was something for everyone. The die hard fans got to hear a much craved “Raspberry Swirl”, which kicked off the 2-song rock-out encore. It should be noted that Tori caused much laughter during the final encore song “Big Wheel” when she forgot how to count during the bridge. It became a perfect end to a night that took you on a rollercoaster of emotions. To end a night on a rock-out, high-energy final performance at a Tori Amos concert must be a, well, a first. Her bouncy body, elated grin as “Big Wheel” came to an end confirmed she had enjoyed the first night of a 2-night Hammersmith Apollo residency. Moreover, she presented a side of Tori that not everyone will get to see on this lengthy outing.
Highlights for me during the performance have to be the absolutely gorgeous version of “Icicle”, supported by lush strings courtesy of Jon Evans and the subtle, yet moving knob-twiddling of the lighting tech; “Pancake” with the new bridge makes any fan want to ‘have that version… like, now!”; as does (understatement) “Strong Black Vine”, with the motherf****r climax, it is a fantastic reworking of a brand new song.
Other top moments included live favourite “Cooling” which was followed by “Winter” during the Lizard Lounge section (Tori piano solo). “Talula” and “Space Dog” were also given an outing tonight to please the die-hards… and it worked.
The only thing that let the performance down was the sound problems with Matt Chamberlain’s drums, in so much as they pretty much drowned out “Caught A Lite Sneeze”.
Tori said the Apollo was like her ‘local’ and that tonight would be like a good old piano bar venue where she would play all night. She didn’t quite manage all night, but what she delivered in 2hrs was sublime, divine, and a little dirty. You can’t argue with that.
Frank says:

This was my 4th show in this tour, and the best! Hard to pick a favourite, but Raspberry Swirl was probably it because I wasn’t expecting to hear it and it is such an exciting song…

How she puts in performances like that night after night – I don’t know, and still have the time and energy to do meet and greets the next day.

She really does seem to be enjoying herself on stage this tour –
Neal says:

Firstly – to all you alcoholics who couldn’t face 10mins without getting up to get more booze – you are fucking wastes of space!

This was one of Tori’s best London shows ever, but unfortunately the audience was one of the worst.

As several people have pointed out previously, too many people kept getting up to get more drinks, go to the loo etc etc even arguing during the first part of Cooling!

Why doesn’t the venue close the bar during the performance?

Are people so addicted to alcohol these days? Why can’t they sit through a concert without having to have loads of drinks all the time? Go to the pub instead fuckers!

Also lots of people came in late so the first half of Give was ruined with people – who probably stayed in the bar too long – rushing to their seats.

I had a great seat in the stalls, but sometimes think maybe a seat upstairs at the back would have been better!

Anyway, forgetting all the unsociable, selfish tossers out there, it was a fantastic performance. Talula was such a bonus, so was Caught a Lite Sneeze and Pancake and Bliss. Icicle with band was fantastic,and I thought Cornflake Girl was the best she has done live for years.

Raspberry Swirl was also a treat as I hadn't heard it live since ’98. Big wheel really rocked and I thought it was a great song to end with – although another couple of encores would have been great.

Reviews are no longer being accepted for this show.

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