Chicago Theatre

Night Of Hunters Tour

Date	December 10, 2011
City	Chicago, IL
Venue	Chicago Theatre

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Setlist

Thanks to @ToriFan247 and @theburlapfaerie for updating the setlist from the show!

Shattering Sea
Landslide (solo)
Suede
Bachelorette (solo)
Snow Cherries From France
Nautical Twilight
China (solo)
Here. In My Head (solo)
Lust (solo)
Fearlessness
Cloud On My Tongue
Star Whisperer
Tango (quartet)
Love Song [The Cure] (solo)
The Beekeeper (solo)
1,000 Oceans (solo)
Your Ghost
Siren
Leather
Cruel

Encore

A Multitude of Shades (quartet)
Winter
Father Lucifer
Spring Haze
Big Wheel

Videos

Shattering Sea

Suede/Bachelorette

Here. In My Head/Lust

Star Whisperer

Love Song

Siren

Leather

Father Lucifer

Spring Haze

Big Wheel

Photos

Reviews

Keri Walters says:

Tonight was fantastic…perhaps the best Tori concert I have seen. Highlights for me include Here. In my Head and Bachelorette, which I have never seen her play live before! I was really hoping to hear Siren & Suede with the quartet, so I was glad they came to the show tonight! The quartet adds a rhythmic quality to those songs that makes them really exciting to hear live. If there was a theme tonight, I would say it was ghosts…1,000 Oceans, The Beekeeper, and Your Ghost all contributed to an emotional, eerie feeling. The new songs were so beautiful and wonderful to hear. Tori is only getting better. I can’t wait to hear what she does next!
Chad says:

It was wonderful to finally hear the quartet and T in all their live splendor. Tori said she wanted to take all of us with her on her tour bus because of such an amazing crowd. I was main floor almost last row and I have to say how disappointed I was in how rude people where. There was not a minute that would go by without people getting up and talking and texting. It was truly awful. I wonder why our society can’t concentrate for two hours without being distracted by their cell phones. Besides those distractions I was bent on getting all I could from the magical lady. There was a theme of romance and love. Tori played Love Song for a young boy who was not feeling well. He actually requested another song but she didn’t have time to get it together before the show time. I rushed the stage at encore so got to see her up close. She was so giddy and happy and full of life!! Star Whisperer was the ultimate highlight for me. Such superb musicianship, out of this world Mrs Tori! Got to see her leave the venue after the show. I was the first to yell her name. It was nice to end the night seeing her go down the street in her black SUV.
Karen says:

OMG, hands down one of the best shows she has played for me out of the 16 I’ve been privileged to attend. The setlist was incredible, she played a longer set than normal (lucky us!!) and it was all just magical. I have to somewhat agree with Chad about people getting up and being on their phones constantly, although it was much better in the closer seats (I was in row 13). Bachelorette, Here. In My Head, and Cruel were huge highlights for me, but overall the entire setlist was just astounding. Thank you Tori!!! And thank you to everyone at Undented for all you guys do for the Tori community, I would be lost without you.
bullockstroy says:

Posted some photos here.
Josephine says:

This was my 10th Tori show… Tori was very talkative tonight. Highlights for me were Lust, Fearlessness, Cloud on my Tongue, Beekeeper, Cruel, Father Lucifer and Spring Haze. We arrived a little late and missed her performance of Shattering Sea. I was amazed by how much I enjoyed Fearlessness (I really don’t care for it that much on the album.) The quartet was excellent, especially during Cruel. That song has taken on a whole new life with the quartet. The quartet made Leather more enjoyable as well. Overall a great show… I just wish she were sticking around the Midwest a little bit longer.
FanofTori says:

The show was amazing. We had hoped for a few songs to come out that didn’t but it was wonderful to see the ones come out that did. Our seats were way in the back but we were able to get right up front stage for the encore. That was truly magical and worth the run!
I was able to get my own very 1st official copy of the Tori set list. I will treasure it forever!

I agree about all the rude people constantly getting up to get drinks, or talk, or play with their phones.

We were disappointed that there wasn’t a meet & greet after waiting outside for 4 hours but encore & the set list made up for it. I was also able to, after the show, give a letter that I had written for Tori to Mindi to give to Tori for me.

It was also wonderful hanging out with all of the people on toriforum throughout the day & meeting a few other fans.
Stef says:

Tori was absolutely stunning. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed hearing her with the quartet – I figured I would miss the bass and drums. But the new arrangements were incredible. Highlights for me included Suede, Lust, Cruel, Siren, and China.
ADLH says:

The concert was amazing- hands down. Tori was incredible- hands down- and she truly brought such fabulous gifts to share with all of us.

There wasn’t one element of the performances that wasn’t pure joy and bliss. The smile is still plastered on my face.

I agree that the version of “Cruel” done with the quartet doing the strings and percussion on their strings was no less than killer and it blew me away- a true treat. However, with each and every song, she had me captivated!

Personally speaking, I was particularly happy to hear “Winter” on this particular night- “Winter” has always reminded me of my Dad and last night (night of the show) was the 25th anniversary of his passing away.

It was a gift to be able to see Tori share some “new friends” with the newer, “Night of Hunters” material and to also be reaquainted with some older friends and songs which we hold so dear and a couple of covers done in a way only Tori can- all of them presented in a way that met the vibe of the audience just perfectly- a gift Tori has always had.

Sadly, I agree with the other comments on the rudeness of some people getting up throughout the show to get drinks, etc. I think they should’ve closed the bar. It wasn’t limited to the back, though. I was in the second row, Center- on the aisle of actual seats- with the PIT infront of us. I was AMAZED at how many people were coming in and out from the PIT section (right in front of her!)throughout the show- Really, people? Did you need that drink that badly, at that very moment?!?!?

All in all, a fabulous evening- Thank you, Tori…Thank you for sharing a piece of you with us…YOU made it a magical night!
Angie says:

The show was incredible! Possibly the best Tori show I’ve ever seen. Shattering Sea is so intense live. I was never a fan of Suede but I absolutely love it with the Quartet. The entire set list was amazing!

And I must agree with what others have stated, there were some very rude people at the show! I was in the back of the balcony and there were a group of people who kept talking loudly. Fortunately they were tossed out during Tango and the rest of us were able to enjoy the show in peace!

I wish there were more shows in the Midwest, I would definitely love to see her again this tour!
Bill says:

I’ve seen Tori about five times and, unfortunately, this was my least favorite performance.

In my opinion the songs fell into one of four categories: those that Tori played beautifully solo (Bachelorette, China, Landslide), the Night of Hunters songs that she and the Quartet did stunning renditions of (Star Whisperer, Fearlessness, Nautical Twilight, Shattering Sea), innovative interpretations with the Quartet (Cruel, Suede, Snow Cherries From France, Father Lucifer), and then songs that would have been better without the Quartet (Winter, Spring Haze, Siren). Especially with Winter… a gorgeous song, but the strings were very loud and somewhat flat; Tori seemed to compensate for that by playing louder. So the brilliance of some of these songs was a little bit lost.

Overall, a GOOD concert with some incredible moments, but also some moments that didn’t quite work.
meg1981 says:

I totally agree with everyone about the rude crowd. I was sitting next to 3 guys who were constantly in and out then had the nerve to comment about how rude the crowd was when everyone stood for the encore. And besides people making the trip to the lobby routinely, there were people flat out leaving by the time Fearlessness was played. Very surprised she made the comment about taking the crowd out west with her after horribly they behaved.

As far as the music I was thrilled to hear so many songs I hadn’t heard before (only my 4th show). Wish she had left Beekeeper out. Considering how much I’ve liked Suede and Cruel on the boots I was surprised to find I was a little bored by them – maybe because she wasn’t actually playing all that much? Bachlorette I absolutely adored. Happy we got the extra treat from the SQ. I have to agree with the people that have been saying you have to hear her live with them. So much better than on the boots. It was a great concert but Indy ’09 is still on the top of my list.
Aviva M. Cantor says:

Not only did I get to see this amazing show, but my friend won passes from 93XRT and I got to go to the sound check!

They let us in early for the sound check and we got to listen in from the outside before we were brought in to watch the final song. We overheard sound checks for China, Here In My Head, Lust, Love Song, The Beekeeper, 1000 Oceans, Bachelorette, Snow Cherries From France, Siren, Leather, & Father Lucifer (all of these songs made the show). Then they brought us into the empty venue for what was pretty much a private performance of Baker Baker (this was just for us and it didn’t make the show). Amazing.

We were then lead to Tori’s dressing room where we waited to meet her. Tori came out looking lovely and was quite happy to see us. She signed autographs and took pictures with everybody. I had her sign my copy of Choirgirl (my favorite album), which she personalized. I gave her a little cosmetics pouch that I knitted for her (it looks like piano keys).

Went into the venue where I was SO excited to meet Mondo Guerra (Project Runway Season 8 runner up who SHOULD have won). He was very sweet and he took a picture with me. Now that I know he’s a Tori fan, I love him even more.

Hands down, the best and most memorable performance of the night was Spring Haze. It was gorgeous, haunting, and simply perfect. The string quartet really enhanced the song, which was already excellent. This show had a lot of TVAB songs, which was nice to see since I feel like it’s often a neglected album.

I was really excited to see Siren, which is one of my all-time favorites. She played a good deal of B-sides and rarities at this show, which was awesome. I’ve always believed that some of Tori’s best songs are the ones that don’t make the albums (I mean, come on, how are Take To The Sky and Cooling not on albums?).

Bachelorette was precious and hilarious. Cruel sounded beautiful— reworked with the quartet, but still true to it’s original sound.

This was my 4th Tori show (I went in ’05, ’07, and ’09 as well). She just keeps getting better!
Mitchell says:

I’m still reeling from last night. This is my second show (my first being Boston in 2009) and Tori went far above and beyond my expectations. Her voice was flawless and she looked absolutely adorable! While I was dying to hear some songs, both solo and with the quartet, I went into this show with an open mind and heart, willing to gratefully accept whatever Tori had to offer. Let’s break it down.

Shattering Sea – It really started the night off with a bang. I wasn’t totally sold on the faster tempo but it was a great introduction to how T sounds live with the AMQ.

Landslide – I was really hoping for the Tubular Bells / God / Running Up That Hill mashup, but T’s cover of this finally hit me. First of many times I teared up.

Suede – Bad ass. I loved how the AMQ were banging and clanging on their instruments in the beginning.

Bachelorette – Where the hell did this come from?! First blindside of the night. I feel fortunate that I got to hear a song that’s played live so rarely.

Snow Cherries From France – Not one of my favorites of the night but still gorgeous. Snow Cherries is grossly underrated.

Nautical Twilight – Very pretty, but I kind of forgot that she even played it by the end of the night.

China – I heard a lot of groaning around me when she started playing this but I love this song. Perfection.

Here. In My Head – Another blindside. Here. In My Head is not a song I listen to often but I love that she made the song sound a little more subdued. Flawless.

Lust – The first of many times I lost it; I literally stood up and screamed, “YES!!!” when she started this one. One of my top 10 Tori songs.

Fearlessness – Fearlessness is my favorite off Night Of Hunters so it was awesome to hear it live. Another song that could have been slowed down but still beautiful.

Cloud On My Tongue – COMT is always a delight and is always beautiful.

Star Whisperer – The lights during the song’s second movement were breathtaking. I got totally lost in the music.

Tango – I didn’t really know what to think at first. When Tori said that Chicago’s show was going to be a bit longer, I was expecting a big encore. But when she walked off stage and let the quartet play a new song in the middle of the show, I was really taken aback. It was, however, beautiful. What really upset me, though, was the fact that SO many people got up and walked out of the room. It was so rude. Furthermore, after the show, one of my friends who went out for a smoke break during this piece said that a huge group of people left the theater altogether. While it was a little odd, Tori’s trying to give these guys more exposure and it was sort of her gift to us. It even said on the setlist that it was a “treat”. I thought it was a huge slap in the face to Tori and to the quartet, who are EXTREMELY talented musicians, to just walk out of the room (and, in some cases, the show entirely) because Tori wanted to let the AMQ have their moment. It wouldn’t surprise me if she doesn’t do it again.

Lovesong – Another song where I jumped up and down and screamed. Lovesong is one of my favorite covers that Tori performs and I honestly thought I’d never hear it live. Heavenly. Although, I am kind of curious as to what song Byron (the person to whom the song was dedicated) requested that she said she couldn’t play.

The Beekeeper – My heart skipped a beat when she started this up. One of my friends who went to the show with me really needed this song and I’m glad that Tori, in her magical ways, came through for her. One of the highlights of the evening.

1000 Oceans – I honestly could have done without this song. It was gorgeous but it’s one of my least favorite Tori songs.

Your Ghost – Heartbreaking. That’s really all I have to say about this one.

Siren – This is the one song my boyfriend wanted to hear. He’d been tweeting a request for Siren daily for two weeks so I’m glad Tori played it.

Leather – The other song of the night I could have done without. It was awesome hearing it with the quartet but it’s Leather. Ugh.

Cruel – I’ve been dying to hear the quartet play Cruel since the first show of the tour. Another one of my favorite songs. It seems that she might be working in a little improv section into the bridge because she did stray from the lyrics a little bit. Sickening.

A Multitude Of Shades – Those boys went IN. Totally awesome.

Winter – I always think of my dad when I hear this so I totally broke down when she started this. I’m glad she didn’t drag it out to a 8-10 minute monster like she’s done in the past.

Father Lucifer – This song has been a very important song to me this year so I was thrilled to hear it live, and with the quartet! Fabulous.

Spring Haze – I completely and utterly lost it. Spring Haze is my second favorite Tori song and it was the one song I was hoping to hear tonight. When she didn’t play it in the main set, I sort of accepted that it just wasn’t my time to hear her but then I got it. I was sobbing and jumping up and down and just a complete mess.

Big Wheel – I was kind of dreading hearing this live because Big Wheel has killed the mood of many sets this tour but it was a completely different experience hearing it live. It was a lot of fun and a perfect way to end a phenomenal evening.

In short, Chicago was the best concert I’ve ever attended. I’m so grateful to have been a part of the audience and to have met so many awesome people that I’ve known through various online Tori groups for years. Oh, and Mondo from Project Runway! Who knew he was a Tori fan?!
Rachickie says:

Wow, what an incredible show! Probably one of my favs out of the 10 or so I’ve been to. Tori seemed to be in a great mood, very lovey and sweet, even telling us that she wanted to take us all on the bus with her to the west coast! That was the good part about the crowd. The bad part is that many were so incredibly rude—I just could not believe the number of people that were up and down throughout the entire show. Not once was there a time when someone (or more accurately, multiple persons) wasn’t coming or going. Are people that much of alcoholics that they can’t make it through a show without always needing a drink in their hand? And then cause they have to drink the whole time, they have to leave to go to the bathroom. Sorry, it’s just incredibly distracting to those of us who are there to really get into the show and fully enjoy it. I wish I had closer seats, it probably wouldn’t have been as bad (I was main floor in the back).

There was definitely a theme of love & loss/heartbreak/heartache going on. She told a sweet story about receiving a request from a young boy who was feeling ill, who said “if Tori can play that song, my head will feel better.” But she didn’t know the song & didn’t have enough time to figure it out so she dedicated Love Song to him.

I was thrilled to hear Bachelorette, as it’s a fav of mine. Star Whisperer was just out of this world (no pun intended, ha ha)—that quartet is amazing! Cruel was really neat, they did a cool rhythmic plucking/hitting of the strings to it. Siren was interesting with the quartet, as was Leather. Also really liked Lust, Suede, and Snow Cherries. And I was very happy to hear Fearlessness.

Really though, the entire show was amazing! I too thought I would miss the bass & drums, but I didn’t. In fact, more than once I caught myself with my mouth hanging open, from the sheer awe of what I was hearing.

SO WORTH IT—THANK YOU TORI & GUYS!!
JandK says:

I brought a friend to this show and included both our reviews:

J. – I was quite excited for two things, seeing this show with the quartet and bringing my friend K. K. has never seen or heard a note from Tori, so I gave her some homework. She loved Leather and Big Wheel and others, so that was good. She also told me how much she didn’t care for Winter…

I have been to a few shows before this, so I thought I was going to have a bunch of repeats, but i ended up hearing thirteen “new” songs and was elated. Highlights: Landslide – made me tear up, knowing things my friends are experiencing nowadays really hit home. Suede – New arrangement = Christmas Present. LUST – I have wanted to hear live for years!! This was my first time. Cloud of my Tongue – ALSO, had never heard live before! Star Whisperer – Probably my favorite performance ever. I felt like I was going to hell and back. The quartet and her piano were ridiculously great. The Beekeeper – Eerie and inspiring. SIREN – Love. This. Song. Winter – During this song K. grabbed my arm halfway through and after the show she told me, “I get it. She sold me. That song is so great”. I was happy to hear that transformation occurred! SPRING HAZE – Has been on a loop for this year for some reason…when it started I shook my head in “Is this girl psychic?” delight. We are very lucky.

K. – I was very moved by her ballsy performance skills. I didn’t know her from anybody before that concert, but she was a very engaging person to watch. That sounds trite, but it is actually impressive. The string quartet was OFF THE CHAIN!! Epic! It is like they are 75 and 22 years old at the same time with skills and energy to match. J. gave me some music before that I thought was way to esoteric for me, but to actually see it live, it clicked. I understood it, and was moved.
Carolyn says:

This show was absolutely incredible and it was magical to see Fearlessness, Star Whisperer, and Cloud On My Tongue with the quartet. My only disappointment is that she didn’t play Carry. I think she should be treating the audience to this song at every single show. I like Your Ghost, but if she’s going to alternate between the two songs, I’m going to wish for Carry. I really wanted to see Carry live. Oh, well. I also thought she mentioned in a recent interview that she might be playing some songs from Midwinter Graces. I kind of thought we might get treated to one or two of those songs. But, that doesn’t mean I’m any less happy with what we did get treated to : ) It was a fantastic show, and maybe one day I’ll get to see her do Carry at a future show. One can only dream.
jason says:

before i review her performance i feel the need to defend my hometown here.
people who are complaining about the rude crowd..i honestly do not know what show you were at…i myself was on the main floor. and sure, once in awhile there were one or two people moving about. but.IT’S A SOLD OUT SHOW IN THE THIRD LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA PEOPLE! there is bound to be some people who half to go the the rest room. i mean this was not the opera! it was a fun filled crowd all around me and people danced and laughed and had a good time…and tori seemed to see what i did since she felt our energy and told us numerous times what a great crowd we were being.

what i WILL take issue with..and i blame the theatre for it. was the people who had their cell phones out blantly recording her! taking non stop pictures or tweeting. i was at the cadillac theatre for another show and hope those people try that there. phones are taken away or you can leave if they catch you doing this once!!! chicago theatre please adopt the same policy!!!! phew..ok now that i got that out of the way.

the concert was on of my favorites. chicago loves tori and she really loves us. i mean she gave us one of the longest shows and even a treat!
shattering sea was epic and brought the energy. china i makes me smile. cause it takes me back to all the teen angst crap i was going through with a girl when little earthquakes entered my life and tori became my goddess who would lead me through the next decades of my life.

your ghost is a heartbreaking song and the performance was equally so.

cruel…equals wickedly awesome surprise.

winter…as much as i hate to admit this. makes me tear every time. at one point she looked right at me and i felt through me whne she said the line “when you gonna love you as much as i do?” which was the most magical experience i ever had at a tori show in the twenty or so years i have gone!!!

oh and the quartet?? so talented it is insane. they are engergetic and just to cool for words. their solos were the best!!! and yes, i understand why tori fell for these guys!!!!!

overall she is simply the best!!!!
Michelle says:

In a word, magnificent. The sound was like nothing I’d ever heard before in any concert. The highs seemed higher, the lows lower, and the strings absolutely took my breath away. What a magical night it was. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Valyum says:

Great show overall. Highlights were HIMH, Cloud on My Toungue, Star Whisperer, Cruel, Father Lucifer & Spring Haze. All of those were top notch performances, and those that were with the orchestra worked really well. You felt the beauty of the sound flying through valleys of thrills and chills.

I was in 6th row balcony and did not experience any rude behavior from the audience…people were fine by us. One of the reasons she liked us so much is because we were interactive & friendly with the opening act. He would ask questions and we would actually respond.

That being said I am not sure why she went with the trilogy of Beekeeper, 1000 Oceans and Your Ghost. It would have been fine with the chilling Beekeeper, but then doing 1000 Oceans right after brought too much of a lull, and then when I heard Your Ghost starting I knew those that were not familiar with the themes behind these would grow restless. When you have a sold out concert you don’t have all diehard fans who hang on every word…you have people out and about to have a good time and that may have alienated some who felt bored, if not drunk at that point.

But, that really is the only negative to an otherwise beautiful evening. She does sound magnificent with the orchestra and they are super hot :)

P.S. The song was to be Blackbird by the Beatles. Instead she did Love Song.
Kourtnee says:

This was my 3rd time seeing Tori and all I can think about is when I get to see her again! I loved it. I agree the crowd drove me nuts…I’d been looking forward to this concert for 6 months and you couldn’t pay me to get up for a drink or to pee! I loved hearing Bachelorette, that was one I’d never heard live. I kept thinking about what a long musical journey she’s been on, she’s in her late 40’s and still going strong…so amazing how many people love her.
Nathan says:

This was my 8th Tori show and it was as amazing as all of the others. I was especially excited to hear Bachelorette, Beekeeper, Lust and Father Lucifer. The quartet is awesome. I feel really lucky to have seen a show on this tour and I had a great time in Chicago.

I agree with many of the other reviewers – the audience was enthusiastic, but there were a lot of people who were very inconsiderate to other audience members. The same guy in the section in front of me got up at least 12 times during the show, I had three people near me who felt they needed to sing along to every song and there were also (different) people in my section who got kicked out by security for being even MORE disruptive.

I don’t think this was a Chicago issue. People from all over were at this show. More likely it was an alcohol issue…I’m pretty sure this is the first Tori show I’ve attended where the venue served booze. Next tour, if I have to choose between two shows, I will pick the one without alcohol.
TheHunter says:

I had the fortunate pleasure of standing in line behind the mom with the sick boy before the meet and greet was cancelled. Her son has brain cancer. He wrote Tori a letter asking her to play “Blackbird” by The Beatles, since that was the song his mom sang to him and that it would “Heal his mom’s heart”. If your reading this I would like to keep in touch! Email me at jsutton1976@gmail.com. Alas Tori didn’t have time to prepair for the song, so she played “Love Song”.

As far as the crowd.. I agree. People were extremely rude. Grown adults turned into 16 year old kids running around like they were at the mall. Very distracting. I do find it humorous that some people who complained about the audience also admitted to rushing the stage.

Tori with the quartet was very intense. A completely different vibe then previous tours, solo or with the band. Hearing a string section with some of the classics was excellent. I will admit I wasn’t a fan of the new album but she definately made it work. Shattering Sea was a good opener, definately set the tone of the evening. Landslide seemed a bit short? It was pretty but seemed to be over quicker than usual? Bachelorette was GREAT! She was having so much fun with it. Snow Cherries from France was beautiful with the stings. Cloud On My Tongue, Leather, Cruel, Winter and Father Lucifer were AMAZING! I might get boo’d on this but I think Suede, Siren and Big Wheel sounded a little sloppy. Suede seem’d really rushed and didn’t allow for her climactic pauses. Siren and Big Wheel just felt like disasters. Sorry. China, Here. In My Head, Lust, 1,000 Oceans and The Beekeeper!! Incredible! What a great choice of songs to play solo. Tori was so playful with the crowd. The quartet was fierce! They brought a feeling of fire and sadness to the show. Overall an excellent new chapter in the Tori saga ;-)

After the show Tori left the venue waiving, jumping up and down, and blowing kisses to the people waiting. To thoes of you pissed cuz she didnt stop, what did you expect? It’s BITTERLY cold! Do you understand what the cold does to a singers voice? If you need to touch her that badly travel to a warmer state, she’ll be in Texas soon. Someone also mentioned screaming out her name first? Strange, I didnt hear it. Although please note TORI DOES NOT LIKE WHEN PEOPLE SCREAM during the meet and greets! She has been known to bail out early when people start getting loud. Just stay calm and she will talk to you!

I do wanna thank all the people that shared their Tori stories before and after the show! It’s always fun to hear how people met Tori or how Tori changed their lives and exchange experiences with them. People are so open when it comes to Tori, like someone letting you in to look around in their heart. Thank you Tori for everything you have given us! Music with the power to heal :-)
ZeeArsonist says:

This marked my 9th show and I must say this set list was expertly crafted and executed! She switched from playful vocals to breathy poignancy on a dime. It really brought moodiness like no other. It was magical. I like to think that it became more magical than even Tori herself could have anticipated.

It was clear; the thread of a “Shattered Relationship” ran throughout the entire setlist. Within that main theme, other themes emerged: The pull of Lightness and Darkness, The passage of time, age and aging, rebirth/endlessness/reformation. I felt as if she were exercising little demons through the songs. Burdens were lifted and understood. Memories were revisited with fondness. It was a very sacred space and time to be able to share with her.

I felt like Star Whisperer was the climax of the show. It really showcased the musicianship between everyone on stage. I kept having cute visions of a Tori version of Schroeder (Peanuts Gang) at his piano, the way she really concentrated during this song. I loved every bit of it. It was equally exciting to see the quartet ferociously strumming and bowing; hair flying in near Tori fashion. She seemed to really bloom during songs like: Bachelorette, Here. In my Head, Leather, Father Lucifer and Big Wheel. Personal favorites would include: Cloud on my Tongue, Cruel and Lust.

She was more animated than ever, at least from my experiences anyway. I loved how she cutely scuttled across the stage in her 5 inch fire red heels. To be a part of a crowd that made Tori so pleased that she would jump up and down like a school girl, feels pretty amazing. I also appreciated the little song she went into about taking us to the west coast. Even from the balcony, I could make out an ear to ear grin.

I don’t think I’d ever be happy with just “one more song” but I do wish I could have heard “Carry” and perhaps “A Silent Night With You”. Overall, this was my favorite Tori Amos concert of all time. I felt really connected to her, the crowd and the songs.

Also, it was a pleasure to meet some new EWFs! I met two sisters, Heather and Holly. We bonded over having never been to a meet and greet after all these years. As that was happening, tickets were being upgraded in the alley behind us. We didn’t have the guts to get involved until it was too late. We did get to see a small girl, maybe 5? Get her copy of Night of Hunters taken for Tori to sign. That was really sweet. I also sat next to Clint, a chatty guy from Champagne, IL. Between the sets we shared some good laughs. Being that I always attend Tori shows alone, I live for these brief but great connections.

Thank you Chicago and THANK YOU TORI for a concert to remember for a lifetime!
Amy says:

My Photos are here: http://ajschramm.shutterfly.com/pictures/2405.
TDawg says:

The show was amazing and I must say I am going through a bit of withdrawal. Going to only one tori show is hard to do, right guys?

Whoever thought the crowed was NOT rude must have been dazed in a Tori trance because it was awful. Especially if you where in the back and could see literally 30 people block your view at every song!

I don’t think people expected Tori to stop and talk to us after the show in the ally, who thought that? Who was supposedly pissed? We just wanted to get a glimpse of her. And since it was not a “meet and greet” why shouldn’t we call out her name? Please honey, I will call out her name as much as I want, and I did! HA!

Anyway, I wish I could see her at least three times this tour.
Much love!
Amanda (Novinha) says:

It’s been a crazy journey all the Tori experiences I have had. 2001, 2002, and 2003 was an explosion (for me) of seeing concerts and taking full vacation weeks from work to see Tori concerts. It’s not been like that since though. I know others have a lot more concerts in their files, but this was my 49th Tori concert, and I feel fortunate to have been able to see so many and gotten so many privileges. It was a great time back in the day. I’m just glad to see my one concert per tour now (of course, I’d love to see more, but I feel lucky to see the one I get to see).

I was also okay missing the meet and greet. We had no plans to go there at all. I don’t really feel the need to do that anymore. It is kind of an obsessive feeling to meet Tori again and again. Oh the high feeling of that! I do remember it well. I was hooked on that. But I think I’m over it now. I don’t need to do it. Sure, I’d say hey or something if the opportunity arose easily, but I am not going out of my way to do it and I am certainly not forgoing sleep to stand in 12 degree wind chills in downtown Chicago for hours. No way. Been there, done that, time to move on. Let other people have their glory. I had mine. (of course, I found out the meet and greet was cancelled, so it didn’t really matter anyway for this show).

As we were approaching the venue, sitting in the car, driving 6 hours north and approaching the skyline of Chicago, I felt some of those euphoric feelings sweeping over me. That pre-Tori concert giddy feeling that I always felt before every concert. Those happy butterflies were dancing around in my stomach. I think I was extra excited about seeing Tori finally perform with a string quartet.

Once the opening act finished, we went to our seats. Our seats were great. And we only had to pay face value. We were second row in the lodge section, just slightly to the right of center. Really great. The lodge hangs WAY over in the theater and looking out, I could only see the pit below me while sitting back in my chair. I don’t know why everyone thinks the lodge section sucks. I got many sympathetic looks when I said I was in the lodge. Really? One person in front of me and I only paid face value. I think I am the one that got lucky with those seats. The sound was incredible up there too. And I am SO glad we were not down there for the rushing of the stage and standing for the encores. Oh, how I HATE that. Did I get old?

I was reading the reviews online for this show and was amazed at how many people complained about rude people by them. I guess we were lucky on that too. We didn’t have any rude people near us. The worst thing that annoyed us about the people around us was the people in front of us would occasionally lean forward, blocking our view so we had to readjust our viewpoint. Not a big deal and the people in front of us had no idea that was the effect they were having on us. And I know people need to adjust in their seats a bit. But all the people around us were TRUE Tori fans. They were there to listen to her performance. They were all really into it and wanted to hear her. No one sang, no one got up, no one talked. It was all about Tori and her performance. That was really nice.

The show itself was incredible! It was my 49th Tori concert. I loved hearing her perform with a string quartet. Her new stuff is great, but I think I particularly love hearing how the old stuff is reworked with the quartet. It is like a totally different song. There is new life in her old work and in a really really good way. I even enjoyed Leather at this show!

I am so happy I got to see her on this tour. It is kind of funny how my thinking is different seeing only one show per tour. I don’t wish for that rare song, so that I can hear everyone say how that show “kicked ass.” There are songs she’s been playing throughout the entire tour that I have been wanting to hear live for myself. Fearlessness and Cruel were two of those. I pretty much knew I’d get them because she’s been playing them every show almost. So glad I got to hear them live for myself there in person. Fearlessness is my favorite from the new album, so it was incredible to see her perform it live. Cruel, however, has never been one of my favorites. In fact, I have skipped it on occasion on the album. I certainly don’t hate it at all, I would not even say I dislike it. It’s just never been up there on my list of favorites. But with that quartet, Cruel is droolingly amazing. The quartet really takes away on that, especially at the end and they almost steal the show from Tori. Those guys are amazing and I can see why Tori wants to work with them. Winter with the quartet was another big highlight, so beautiful. It was kind of bizarre that I almost didn’t want to hear Tori play solo for the first time ever. I actually looked forward to hearing the quartet join in with her more than solo. Never happened before, I’ve always preferred Tori solo. But that quartet really stole my heart on this tour. ;)

I did love a lot of the solo stuff though. In particular, Here. In My Head and Lovesong were solo highlights of the night. Other highlights were Siren which I loved with the quartet, Bachelorette just because it was so fun, and even Big Wheel because it was fun and with the quartet. Not a huge Big Wheel fan, but it made me smile to see her perform it at this show. I also loved seeing Father Lucifer and Spring Haze reworked with the strings. This tour is like a new life in the old songs. It’s not just seeing yet another Tori concert, it was like seeing her for the first time all over again.
Kristy Chwalisz says:

I have been going to see Tori since the early 90’s. I’ve even followed her state to state so I have to say this was one of the WORSE shows I have ever been to. The songs she did (except new stuff) were the same as any other show. There was no excitement put into the songs. To me she just basically looked at her set list and just played. The passion was missing. Yes she was talkative, but it was nothing to write home about. I was so excited b/c the seats we had were fantastic, so I could see her clear as day. But there was nothing special there. At the Chgo show she did do alot from her first album and when she started playing certain songs I got excited b/c we haven’t seen them live in forever, but it was all just a repeat. She use to get really in deep with the piano and songs and this show she just seemed bored. I didn’t like that she cut off the “little sister” part of Suede. I felt like she was rushing through. And that was the worse version of Father Lucifer. AND THE AUDIENCE…they were so rude. TRUE Tori fans know how to act at a show. Its out of respect. The talking and texting and facebooking was totally uncalled for. Any TRUE Tori fan knows the difference of when Tori is giving her all at a show or just going through the motions. On the PLUS side her voice was fantastic. In my opinion she should really stop trying all these different genres and stick to her roots. I still love her though ;)
Sal D says:

A fantastic show but I do have one complaint:

To those who stormed the stage during the encore and tried to cram into my and my neighbors’ spots in the pit—how completely, inexcusably rude.

Not only did you stand in our spaces and shove your ridiculous phones in our faces to take pictures, you then stood there, looking at your phones! One girl stood nearly on top of me looking at pictures of her FLIPPING CAT!! I’m quite sure you could look at pictures of your cat anywhere—at any time! If you need to do it at a show— do it from your own flipping seat!

/rant

Tori was stunning and my seat neighbors were lovely. This was my 15th time seeing Tori (with the first being in 94), and I’m quite sure this was the best I’ve seen (pictures of cats aside).
torilove101 says:

Well im gonna start off by saying as a ten year plus toriphile this was definitley one of the best shows ive been too, the setlist was perfection ive never attended a show where every song was a fav! Tori was on fire and i think alot of you would agree with me! Highlights for me where all the opening numbers shattering sea, Landslide, suede, and bachlorette was lots of fun! Also the trio of china, here in my head and lust was Gorgeous! The Fab four and Tori where perfect together on every song, I was super thrilled to hear them on Siren, Cruel and Winter, As far as people bitching about the audience Get Over it! Like another fan said this is a Sold out show in a Major city, people r gonna need to get up go to the bathroom, get a drink, its a concert HAVE FUN GET UP AND DANCE A LIL! Tori was all smiles the whole night she even said how great the audience was so if T says it, well thats enough. My friends, There is a mutual love between all of us and lets hope The Godess comes back for another tour soon!!!
Faye says:

This was me and my husbands second time seeing Tori. The first time(Indy 2009)we actually got to meet her before the show, so that one naturally had a much bigger impact than this one…
That is not to say that this show wasn’t pure magic, because it was. I was a bit nervous for the first part of the show, thinking “Where is her energy?” but she whipped it out for the second half of the show.

I was excited to hear older songs such as Here.In My Head and Leather, but the new and old songs that were accompanied by that amazing quartet were superb!

I was very touched by her mention of the sick boy, then playing “Lovesong”, “1,000 Oceans”, “Beekeeper” and then “Your Ghost” all in a row. I was a weeping mess.

Overall, it was a fun night, and I agree with the rest of you, there were a lot of rude people there that night. It seemed every time a Night of Hunters song came on, it was time to go to the bathroom/get another drink! I don’t know about anybody else, but I paid good money to go to that show, whatever it was could wait!

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