North American Plugged '98 Tour
Cleveland, OH
July 22, 1998

Updated August 1, 1998

Check Out The Reviews And Set Lists Page

Tori performed in Cleveland, OH on July 22, 1998 at The CSU Convocation Ctr. during the main North American leg of her Plugged '98 tour.



Set List

Tori performed Mary, Baker Baker and Silent All These Years solo.


Precious Things
iieee
Sugar
God
Cruel
Playboy Mommy
Cornflake Girl
Mary (solo)
Baker Baker (solo)
Putting The Damage On
Space Dog
Spark
The Waitress

1st Encore:
She's Your Cocaine
Crucify

2nd Encore:
Silent All These Years (solo)




Reviews

Latest Reviews Are Located After My Own Review Below...


From Michael Whitehead (Mikewhy)

July 27, 1998 - This concert will always be special to me for one primary reason: I had front row center seats!

I did not have such great seats when I arrived at the CSU Convocation Center. In fact, I had 2 seats that were way on the side and with the worst view of any concert I saw so far this year. But I was happy just to be there and to see Tori once again!

I travelled to Cleveland with my friend Danica and we arrived shortly before Tori's pre-soundcheck meet & greet. Once again I was unable to get close enough to Tori to say hello, but I had a fun time saying hello to people who recognized me and thanked me for this web site. I must say that meeting all of you is a real joy for me. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.

I watched most of the Devlins opening set from my original seat, and then decided to visit the RAINN booth during the later part of their set just to say hello. (I like the Devlins but did not feel compelled to see them several times.) I was glad to see that public was interested in the RAINN booth and that the donation jar seemed full. After I left the booth, something happened that resulted in me and Danica getting upgraded to front row seats. I will not detail exactly how it happened, but suffice it to say there are some wonderful people out there who I am eternally grateful to. You know who you are and I thank you sincerely. You really made this concert a precious memory for me and I will never forget that! My friend Danica was in tears and for a good reason. The seats were exactly in the center of the first row. We were about 15 feet away from Tori as she worked her magic on the keyboards.

I had never seen Tori from the front row before, and I must say the experience is remarkable. You can see Tori's every move very clearly. You can see her facial expressions, which are priceless during some songs and one of the main reasons that a seat far away is a liability, I realized just how hard Tori is working during those 100 minutes or so....she is sweating profusely after the second or third number! She is so intense and really into her music. I don't think I have ever seen anyone work so hard during a concert. You can also witness the famous Tori drool in action during some of the more intense material.

I wish I could give detailed descriptions of each song, but I was so mesmerized at being that close that I was doing well just to jot down the set list. As soon as the concert started, we stood against the barricade that was 2 feet from the edge of the stage. I don't always advocate standing, especially since I am so tall. but since everyone else did, I really had no choice! The crowd also quickly filled in the empty space that remained in the front row, which resulted in 2 rows of people standing. My feet hurt at the end of the night, but I still enjoyed myself. During the first few songs various photographers were in that little row between the stage and the barricade snapping photos. I sure would like to have some of those pictures!

Two powerful songs really made an impression on me that close, and they were "Sugar" and "Cruel". Tori's version of "Sugar" for this tour is more powerful and affecting than any previous version from other tours. During the part where she sings, "Sweet boy when they find you out...", the song gets so intense you can really feel the emotion and power. I already mentioned how much I liked "Cruel" in my Chicago review from a few days ago. This song is so theatrical and is even more dramatic up close. Tori really has fun with pronunication and her gestures during the verses are priceless. God, how exciting!

Hearing the elusive "Mary" at this show was a real treat. Tori's voice was smooth and beautiful during the song. It was one of those sweet moments that give you chills and make you glad to be there. Tori did not talk too much during this show, but her music spoke volumes.

"Space Dog" and "The Waitress" rocked as usual, and watching the band interact during these numbers was fun. I could see just how hard Matt Chamberlain was pounding those drums, and the communication between Steve Caton and Tori was fascinating. The end of "The Waitress" is intense no matter where you are, but when you are up close the beat seems to premeate your internal organs and you become part of the song. I was shaking visibly at the end of that one. Wow. At the beginning of "The Waitress" before Tori started singing, I could see just how strongly she seemed to be concentrating. She almost seemed to be on a different plane of consciousness for a while as she prepared for that demanding number.

It was an experience I will never forget. There were only 2 small negatives to the entire night. First of all, there was a man standing behind me who kept elbowing me during the final songs. He also sang some during the songs, and his voice was NOT impressive. Fortunately, this only happened during the encores. I later heard this same individual complaining bitterly about the quality of the show and the venue it was in. He was extremely negative and I was glad to get some distance away from that person. Sorry you were not happy sir, but I feel that these are some of Tori's best and strongest shows, and she is dealing with the arena-like venues brilliantly (and I say that even when I don't have the best seats!)

Secondly, because the venue is so large, the quality of the vocals was a little muffled in the front row. That seems to be an unavoidable effect of being that close. That is not really a complaint. Being up front is the ultimate location, but people about 10 rows back likely did have slightly better sound.

I think about this concert now and I get a chill. Thank you Tori.


From Curt Coker

August 1, 1998 - Thank you very much for your excellent review, and for the Web site.

My wife (Alison) and I had to do landscaping all day to earn a pair of third row center seats from somebody "who knew somebody" but didn't even know who Tori was. Some people drove all day to see Tori. We dug holes, installed shrubs, mulched, and weeded on the Saturday before the concert. Then on the day of concert we drove about 20 minutes. It sure was worth it.

We saw some of the offerings for Tori being received by the bodyguard, and I am pretty sure that we saw you, Danica, Laura, and Stephanie because we were about six feet from the exact center of the first row. I probably have pictures of the backs of your heads and of the tall guy mentioned in other reviews.

If Laura and Stephanie are who I think they are, they are both very pretty. One of them was brunette and wore a tube top. The other had long blonde hair with ribbons tied all through it. They were sitting behind us in the fourth row during the Devlins' show and moved up front for Tori, where they seemed to be having a very wonderful, moving experience.

I thought that the Devlins were OK. Good lyrics, anyway, and they seemed like very nice guys. Their music paled compared to Tori's... but then there are not many people who can compete with Tori, so I'll get off the Devlins' backs.

First, let's get my complaints about Tori's show out of the way. I agree that Tori's voice was muffled, and I agree that the bass wasn't very distinct. At the time, I blamed both on the closeness of our "seats" (actually, they were not seats at all, but rather chairs that we stood in front of). Not hearing Winter, China, Little Earthquakes (wouldn't the bass be killer with a well-amplified band?), Smells Like Teen Spirit, Icicle, Sister Janet, and Yes, Anastasia was a disappointment. The "plugged" format probably excluded most of those tunes. Worst of all, Tori didn't play a six hour concert and talk to each of us individually . That sums up all of my complaints. The rest of the concert was everything that I wanted and more.

I memorized the set list during the concert, and the only title that I was not able to write down when I got home was Mary. Beautiful tune. It was one of several surprises or variations that made the concert so much fun. Alison and I have seen Tori several times and have listened to her CDs endlessly, so it was really good to hear a new twist put on some old tunes through the use of the band. It used to be distracting when Tori had to resort to a taped accompaniment for God, Cornflake Girl, or Space Dog. Way too inorganic. The band made those three particularly enjoyable. It was also fun to see Tori interacting with a band, and instead of constraining her to play things the same way all of the time in order to keep from throwing-off the other band members, the presence of a band seemed to be musically liberating for her. She was able to do some off the wall stuff while the band members kept things together. In the past, she had to work so hard to carry sole responsibility for keeping each tune together that she didn't have as much latitude to go off into uncharted territory.

My other observations don't add anything to what has already been said.


From Aaron Downs

July 30, 1998 - As a stadium (even a small stadium) concert it was great. The band played well and the crowd was much more respectful than any other stadium concert that i have ever been too. Tori sang very powerfully and very passionately, something i've come to expect from her. her band was very good and steve caton (her guitarist) was way cool.

However, I definitely did not enjoy this concert as much as i had her previous two tours. Tori is special because she's a personable, almost intimate performer. She draws the crowd into her song and makes you a part of it. In a stadium, plugged, scene, she neither does nor attempts to do this. There are differences in the setting, the crowd and the music that makes this impossible. At previous Tori concerts, I have heard the sweet sound of the harpsichord, a piano played upon by a virtuoso, and a voice that drips honey and venom. At this concert, I heard a synthesizer and a piano on steroids that was filtered through an electronic box and amplified to such a degree as to lose its quality.

The crowd was different at this concert as well. Previous concerts had an initimate feeling, a feeling that all the fans were pretty well connected. almost like an extended family. You could start conversations with folks from all over and talk about what you like and dislike and the road trip to the concert; everything was a topic of discussion because we were all excited to see Tori. It was a truly intimate time between her fans. At this concert, the more trendy, yuppy types who had showed up with their kids and those folks who had just latched on to tori (read just went to college) dominated the scene (I know I'm going to be flamed on this judgement call, but really...). Several times, I witnessed rude jocks who had been dragged to the concert by their girlfriends push their way through lines and crowds, and then sit through the concert with a bored expression on their face. And the crowd's behaviour during the concert was just as atrocious. Granted, they weren't kicking and shoving (most of them anyway), but I had never been to a Tori concert where people stood and danced in their seats like a bunch of hooligans while blocking other's view of the stage, or interuppted her songs with yells, catcalls and clapping. The clapping was the worst of all. Do not clap to "Silent All These Years." You make yourself out to be a person with absolutely no musical taste or dignity.

As for the music, it was well played and performed; well done Tori. However, I have come to listen to tori songs as less rockish and more, well, Tori songs. Rock accompaniament to "Sugar", I believe, only takes away from the beauty of the song. Granted, its interesting to hear it played a different way but the new interpretation should be selected for how it enhances the song, not detract. I listen to Tori for a different sound than pop culture. Some songs can use rock accompaniament, but not the entire time. "The Waitress" definitely has a wonderful change in dynamics that roars with the band, but at other times in the song, the band should not have played at all because they take away from the aesthetics of the song.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I enjoyed the concert immensely. It was good to see Tori again, rocking and singing with such enthusiasm and passion. As stadium concerts go, it was a good. But Tori, please don't have another plugged tour again. The impish red-head with a piano is what I have come to love, not an electric band.


From Ian Macleod

July 30, 1998 - Ok so I was bored and I was reading through the comments on the Cleveland show and I felt compelled to ask: Didn't anyone comment on the fact that the bass player's tone was awful? I mean it may have been where I was sitting (way back in 207) but he had no attack that I could hear and not much in the way of highs or mids. Don't get me wrong I loved the show but this urked me. He didn't have the problem with the upright & german bow so I'm going to assume it was a mixing problem. I'm not the only one who thought this. My friend Jackie and I went to a Perkins after the show and met some other people from the concert and they agreed with me. It would also be nice if some of Tori's fans realized that when a row of four of you get up and dance in most situations that is going to block the view of the people in the row behind. Still it was a great show and Tori was of course very good. Well worth a 6 hour drive from Mid Michigan (long story about that I won't bother with). Well I think I'll shut up now.


From Brian Ulicky

July 28, 1998 - I have to start by saying just how beyond indescribable this concert was for me, and how because of the state of unbelievable awe I was in, details are going to be difficult to recall.

It was my first Tori concert. We left for the CSU Convocation Center about 7:15, and when downtown came into sight, my heart jumped in my chest. Then the Center itself, and the knowledge that Tori was actually *here*, in Cleveland tonight ... wow.

I brought my sister (heh) who is not quite as big of one as I am, but a Tori adorer nonetheless. We waited in line to get in (to be frisked -- fun) and I really became aware of the diversity that is the EWF. I bought a tour program and my sister bought a program and the "Liquid Diamonds" t-shirt, and just as we walked backed into the arena, the lights went out for the Devlins.

These guys aren't bad at all. I kept thinking to myself, More unimaginative "alternative" music, but hey, they held their own.

After their set, the lights went up for about a half-hour. I'd been to the Convocation Center for a soccer game before, and it was clear that half of the arena was curtained off and not even used, and even the half that was wasn't nearly filled. *Maybe* 5,000 people. Just a guess.

One of my only complaints came out of this intermission. I sat next to two girls who, even though sitting in the center of the row, insisted upon getting up every five minutes. One of these times, while I was standing to let them out, I (stupidly) stepped on my program, which was under my chair, denting the cover pretty badly.

Around 9:20, the lights dimmed once again, and my heart jumped (once again). Though I wanted to wait to be sure, I figured the opener would be "Precious Things." As soon as she walked out, I realized how great it was to have a head-on view of the stage and how unreal it was that a person I've been adoring for almost two years was playing not 200 feet from me. By the way, I *think* it was Mikewhy I saw get front row, center, pressed to the stage the whole time, lucky bastard ;)

Anyway, "Precious Things" was about 586 times better than Glastonbury (my only previous experience with it). What an incredible, insanely amazing way to open the night. It absolutely blew me away, and my binoculars were perched on my nose to see her grab her pink, sparkly apron (and herself) for the "grrrrrl" part.

Pretty much everyone on the floor was standing by now.

"Precious Things" led right into a so-so version of "iieee." There was a really beautiful little new part to it, but other than that, the song wasn't amazing. The lighting, however, was exceptional. I loved the lighting throughout the night.

Even though I knew Tori had played "Sugar" before on the tour, it surprised me. Pleasantly. This band version is much preferable to any other version I've heard. A very enjoyable number, and I loved when she started something like "you're not perfect, boy, no..." Ended beautifully.

Then she introduced the guys as her brothers, Caton: guitars, Matt: hits things, Jon: he and his own bass or something. It was a little difficult sometimes to make out what she said. This led to a rockin' version of "God." If I had been as loose then as I was by the end, I would have been dancing. Great great great.

I might have this and "Playboy Mommy" confused, but I think "Cruel" was next. Wow. Very fiery, and I absolutely loved the improv. I'm so glad to see the piano is used so much in this song. I think it was during "Cruel" that she got down off the bench and hunched down under the piano a little and started singing from there.. very cool. It might not have been "Cruel" though, my memory sucks ;) By now, also, I had picked up on her hand signals, and I loved (and kind of dreaded the imminent end of the song) to see her signal her last repeat. Kind of cute. I also just remembered, when she sang "my vine twists around..." she did some weird twisting movements with her hands and gestured obviously to her crotch at "...your need" ;)

Ah, "Playboy Mommy." Not very good, this one. I wasn't happy at all with this, it seemed almost forced: yet, it received more applause than any song thus far. Undeserved, IMO -- the worst of the night.

Because of a new intro (?) I didn't pick up on what "Cornflake Girl" was at first. However, it turned into my second-favorite performance of this all- time. I think maybe the piano was a little lacking, but the bass was PERFECT.

*Secret time*

The guys go away, and Tori says, "This is the first time I've played this song on this tour, so I'm probably gonna fuck up" "But I've been receiving subliminal messages to play this for the past 5 days, so..." Which led into my favorite version all-time of "Mary." Gorgeous and impressive. Made me appreciate the song a lot more than I did.

The other secret time song was a very sad "Baker Baker." I've recently learned to *love* this song, so I had a little tear in my eye by the second verse. I was very glad to hear this song. I *was* hoping for "Winter," but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

The guys come back for the only Boys for Pele song tonight, "Putting the Damage On." Jon was great on the string bass, the bow moreso than plucking. I could really have done without the drums. They were very obtrusive, putting a damper on such a nice version otherwise.

"Space Dog" loosened me up. I was grooving in my seat to this, what an awesome version. I wondered if my sister wasn't thinking strange things of me, but I decided I didn't care.

On to a respectable version of "Spark." It seems not much can be done with this song live, yet it doesn't grow old to me. Again, the "how many fates" part was powerful, gave me plenty of shivers. The lighting was very cool.

"The Waitress" was, IMO, the best of the night. wow. wow. wow. The "hang ten, hang ten honey I'm gonna go where she goes..." part was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I know I was looking a bit strange grooving and jamming in my seat, and the girl next to me was definitely into it, doing very interesting spellcasting-like hand movements for most of the song.

Tori and the band hug and such, then leave to a deafening cheering and lighters. They come back for an incredible version of "She's Your Cocaine." I'm not overly fond of the album version of this, but I was ready to get up and dance to it live. I loved it.

While I was grooving, I'm thinking, Oh yeah, "Raspberry Swirl" *has* to be next! Alas, it was "Crucify." It wasn't hard to groove to this though. A very smooth, lovely song this has become live, much much better than the annoying album version.

She and the band leave, again to more noise and more lighters (and another draft of cigarette and grass smoke wafts downward). The five disco balls start spinning and Tori does a beautiful "Silent All These Years" solo. Annoyingly, during the second verse some (unintelligent) audience members began CLAPPING with the beat -- CLAPPING! Since when has "Silent All These Years" been gospel, I'd like to know. ;) Tori, subtle but sure, shook the already rhythmless morons off her back by changing tempo suddenly and back before they could recover. I cracked a wide grin at this.

All in all, a beautiful, beautiful show. Not a very *original* set, and I was disappointed "Caught a Lite Sneeze" didn't show up, but my first Tori concert was utterly incredible. I'm wondering if it wasn't a dream, but I have a t- shirt and a dented program to show for it, plus a shit-piece of paper with my crude set list chicken-scratched in the dark all over it. ;)


From Stephanie

July 28, 1998 - My friend Larua and and I attended the july 22 Cleveland show. We are huge fans and had very important letters to give her. We went to the meet and greet and met her and gave her our letters. We were not positive about her even getting to read them. But then after she sang her second song Iieee she started talking about letters she had read back stage and how beautiful they were. The she said "Laura and Stehanie this is for you" and then sang "God" for us. It was amazing! We cried and screamed. We were in Foruth row and then they moved us up to first row in the middle of her performance. It was the most incredible thing ever.

What I was wanting to know is if you knew anyone who had a bootleg of the show. I would love to have it. If you know anyone who has it or anyone who has information on it please let me know. it is so important to me. Thanks.


From Alison

July 27, 1998 - Hi Mike. I enjoyed sharing the jamming convocation center with you last night. My two best friends and were seated in the 28th row on the floor, which was about in the middle of the floor, and the closest I'd ever been to the stage at a Tori concert. The opening act, The Devlins, were very nice, but I was too nervous and excited to pay much attention. After the Devlins, the crew took a long time to set the stage for Tori. We were seated right next to the techies (sounds and light boards, etc.) and out of the blue I saw Mark Hawley, Tori's husband. He's much more dashing in person. He was talking to a girl, so I finally got up the nerve to approach him, but he left. Then I had the luck to see Joel, Tori's bodyguard. He was very nice (even though he called me babe). I had brought a card and a red tulip for Tori. He said he'd bring them back to her right now as he was just going backstage to see her. He asked where I was sitting, and then told me to rush right up to the barricades as soon as the lights had dimmed before the encore. "Because you can," he said and smiled. I went back, shaking, to my seat. Finally the lights were out. Everyone, inc, myself, started screaming. The lights came on; the band was already on stage. It took Tori a few minutes to get out there. I heared people screaming before I saw her, coming out of the smoke, smiling real big and waving. She was wearing a sparkly pink apron like dress and a black shirt and leggings, looking smashing as always. She launched right into "Precious Things". Everyone stood up, which was fine except I couldn't see a damn thing. I was wearing heels and I'm not a short woman. That was frustrating. What I could see was wonderful. "iiieee" was pumping and very powerful; her voice sounded so strong on the opening vocalizations. She didn't talk too much; she thanked people who had written her notes (I swallowed my heart) very sweetly. She played a great, jazzy little intro into "Cornflake Girl"-- which she and Caton really jammed. A little interlude in "Cruel" was very powerful, almost mezmorizing. "Spark" of course brought the house down. My only wish is that the band hadn't been so loud. I missed hearing Tori and her piano clearly sometimes. The last song was "Waitress" with a beautiful new ending where she sings "give me peace" over and over. The lights dimmed, and we ran to the front of the stage, winning over the burly staff man who tried to stop us. We were about in the second row. When Tori came back on I was so close, I couldn't believe it. She played "She's your Cocaine" which was really sultry, then launched into "Crucify", which is very different and very beautiful live. What she does with the harmonies is wonderful. For the final encore she came on alone and played "Silent All these Years". That was very special to me, since I mentioned in my letter to her what an impact it had on my life during a hard time. The disco balls and white lights were twirling around her. I felt like I was in a fiary tale, some kind of magic was happening. It was over far too soon. A girl next to me caught the set list and showed it to us: In place of "Silent" she was going to play "Mother". I don't know if my letter changed her mind, but it was very magical and moving all the same. After the show, my friends and I waited behind some barriers next to the tour buses. It started to rain, then pour. I had dyed my hair red for the occasion. Red hair dye started to run over my shoulers and new blue dress. it didn't matter, because she strided out, under a big black umbrella. Everyone pushed. I couldn't see her, only the occasional top of a red head! I had brought a tape of some songs that I had written. A kind boy next to me overheard and said" that's important. You have to give it to her. We'll give it to her." But she was leaving, getting back into the limo. We all started crying out to her. The limo started to move past us. We all reached out our hands, into the rain. The tape was in my head. A girl grabbed the tape and passed to another girl. This wonderful wonderful girl climbed onto the guardrail, reached out her arm so far and as the limo passed (the window was down, tori was waving) threw it into the window. Tori saw the tape, reached out for it, but missed. But a security guy who was walking next to the limo picked it up and promised to give it to her today. That was the most magic moment of my life. Thank you so very much to that wonderful girl and everyone else who was there in the rain. That's what it's about. Thanks.


From ~*Laura*~

July 27, 1998 - Yesterday July 22 was absolutely the best day of my life. My dream of 7 years to meet Tori FINALLY came true. I can't believe it right now.. it still hasn't sunk in yet. Around 11:00am my friend Stephanie came to pick me up to go to the Tori Meet and Greet at the CSU convocation center. In the morning the sun was not out at all.. and the wind was chilly..I decided to dress in pants... dumb idea..We got to the Convocation Center around 11:30am.. there were only about 15 people there at that time. So we waited and waited.. and the sun began to come out. After eating some lunch.. sweating ALL the water out of us.. and bitting all our nails off.. things started to get a little hectic. A woman came over near me, I can't remember her name and I feel SO bad for that cause she helped me out SO much. I think it was Denise, but I'm not sure. She was the sweetest woman. She came over and asked us (Stephanie and I) if we would like to look at some pictures. We said yes. She has a photo album FILLED with pictures of Tori.. I mean pictures that she had taken of Tori and pictures that were of her and Tori.. and even pictures that Tori had sent her! I couldn't believe it! The woman had been to SO many Tori shows and had met Tori SO many times that they knew eachother on a first name basis. The woman and her friends were from Detroit.. they follow Tori all over the place.

After Denise (I'm just going to call her that.. and if any of you read this and know who I'm talking about and I got her name wrong I'm SO sorry.. I'm not good with names, but I don't want to call her "woman" anymore.) left to go walking around I began to get REALLY worried that I wasn't going to be able to meet Tori.. or at least give my letter and my gifts to her; I started to cry. The whole time I'm thinking.. ' I have to go talk to Denise, maybe she will help me out' and then I would become afraid because I didn't want her to think that I was only asking her this because I only wanted to talk to Tori and that I was using her to do that. That was not my plan at all. I didn't know the girl I had went with too well. I had only met her once; when she sold me the Tori ticket for fourth row. And I was afraid to cry too much in front of her, besides the fact that I needed a mother figure at that point.. and Denise was older than me.. and had the most loving face.. do you know what I'm talking about? I was just drawn to her.. she was comforting. So I went over to talk to her.. and I soon as she stood up to talk to me I started to cry. Through tears I tried to ask her if there was anyway she could help me out with meeting Tori. She said "sure, just stay with me or the guy right here (and she pointed to her REALLY tall friend .. he was so funny) And so I stayed with her. By then the heat was insane. Me and Stephanie had paper towels to wipe off the sweat the was dripping down our foreheads.

At this point people were in a big bunch waiting for the guards to put up the baracades. They finally did and people started pushing and shoving to get to the front.. I got lost for a little bit.. but then Denise found me and pulled me up towards her. (thank the faeries) Now imagine this.. being smooshed in a little section of land with about 50 people in the scorching hot sun .. it was AT LEAST 90 degrees outside and then with all the body heat it has to be 120 degrees. I'm so suprised I didn't faint. I really thought I was going to.. thank the faeries again that I didn't.

We waited there for about 45 mins, and finally Tori's limo pulled up. Keith (the security guard) got out of the car.. and reached for Tori's hand to help her out.. and there she was! Waving with a huge smile on her face.. wearing a light blue shirt with something underneath.. and I couldn't see her legs.. but I think they might have been slacks. Oh she is just the MOST beautiful being on earth. I'm crying now as I'm writing this because it was just SO emotionally overwhelming to be that close to her... to HER. And she went directly over to Denise.. I couldn't believe it. I tried to take pictures of her.. but I'm sure none of them will come out .. my hands were shaking way too bad. And Tori and Denise talked for a while (the longest that Tori talked to anyone there) and Tori said something about having to talk to her later cause there's not too much time or something. And then Denise pointed me out. And I'm standing there.. sweat pooring down my face, I'm as red as a tomato from sunburn after waiting for so long, my eyes are filled with tears.. which by now are all over me.. on my shirt... other people.. I'm sobing. And Tori looks at me with the most ANGEL face I have ever seen and says.. "Hi.. what's your name?" and I managed some how through all the tears.. my stomach being in my throat.. to say "Laura.." and she says back in the most teeny-tiny voice.. "Hi, Laura.." and she reaches her hand out to me. I took her hand after what seemed like forever of trying to balance my presents... it was so small and soft.. and I remeber the ring she had on.. I can see what her hand looks like PERFECTLY. And then people started to reach out too.. and then she was gone. I was in shock.. I was crying my eyes out.. I mean the crying where you can't breath.. and the guy next to me (one of the people that Denise came with) kept rubbing my back and asking me if I was ok. That was very comforting to me. Those people were SO nice. I wish they lived out here.. but the live in Detroit unfortunalty...

Some how I managed to get my "Tori Stories" box set autographed.. people passed it forward.. and I managed to get my presents and letter to Tori. And I managed also to pass my camera to a few people to take pictures for me.. hopefully some will come out.. but if not that is ok. After everything was over.. and we were out of the baracades me and Stephanie hardly spoke.. we were in shock.. complete shock. I was so happy and it didn't matter to me that I wasn't able to get a picture with Tori.. I was happy with what I got .. and NO COMPLAINTS AT ALL.

Somehow me and Stephanie managed to pass the time between the Meet and Greet and the actual show.. I don't know how.. but we did. The doors to the Convocation center opened around 7:00pm.. we went straight in and bought our Tori gear. I got a black baby tee that says "Rasperry Swirl Girl Tori Amos" on it and another t-shit that has the picture of Tori in blue with the lyrics to "Liquid Diamonds" on it... it is quite and amazing design. And of course I bought a Tour Book.

The thing I keep remembering is when Stephanie kept saying "What if Tori mentions our letters?" And I was thinking.. ' there is NO WAY she will do that...' I think Stephanie knew something I didn't...

I used one of the panflits that they handed out at the door to write down the set list:

1. Tori opened with "Precious Things".. sounded GREAT!.. love the intro with the drums..

2. iieee.. Tori's voice was AMAMZING on this song... and very emotional.. she held her stomach when she sang "sacrifice"... If anyone know ANY of the ad-libs Tori used to this song PLEASE let me know. I heard a few but from what happened later in the show.. I completely forgot them.. so please if you know ANYTHING let me know.

3.Sugar. All I can say about this one is ::sigh:: the ending was fabulous...

just ::sigh:: 4. Now here's the part that I've been waiting to get to. If anyone who attended the show can give me any info on this DON'T hesitate. Tori This is the first time Tori talked to the audience I believe. She started to say something like this... " I was back before the show reading some letters.. Laura (That's ME!!) and Stephanie.. your letters were very emotional and they really moved me...." No here's the part that I REALLY need help with .. does ANYONE know what she said after that? Because I couldn't even HEAR anything.. I mean my brain would NOT take in anymore.. I was crying again.. from the shock.. the relief.. the emotion.. everything.. if ANYONE knows what she said PLEASE (I'm begging) let me know.. thank you. Anyways the song she played after saying this was "GOD"

5. Cruel .. she did the little dance..

6.Playboy Mommy.. VERY moving for me.. i cried.. The people behind me started to scream during the song.. and were singing so I moved up closer to the stage... (better view anyways)...

7. Cornflake Girl .. intro.. if anyone knows it let me know.. sounds VERY good with the band.

8.Mary.. would have been better if the people behind mer werent singing in my ear.. but before this I think she said "I have been getting alot of requests for this.. and also some subliminal messages.. I haven't played this in a while so I might fu** up.

9. Baker Baker.. one of my favorites during the whole show.. sounded like she was almost in tears when she sang .. "if you see him.. say hi."

10.Putting The Damage On. WONDERFUL

11. Space Dog..on of the best performances of this song.. there were even bubbles!! ad-libs again.. you know the drill...

12. Spark.. very sad... but beautiful

13.Waitress.. LOVE this one.. ad-libs again..

1st Encore:

1. She's Your Cocaine.. sounded great

2.Crucify.. another one of my favs..

2nd Encore:

Silent All These Years.

Extremely beautiful.. the only lights were the discoballs.. crowd began to clap along at one part.. and then the whole crowd was singing for a bit.. very magical..

And that is it.. that was my day/night/review.. I could not have asked for anything better.. I am still an emotional reck.. but in a good way now.. I'm drained.. it feels nice..

Please if you can help me out with what Tori said after saying the thing about the letters .. I would REALLY appreciate it..and if you know any of the ad-libs let me know PLEASE.. thanks alot.. and thank you to ANYONE who helped this all to become possible for me.. thank you Denise even if it isn't your name.. if you read this .. you know who you are. Thank you..


From nicolai (nick kreager)

July 27, 1998 - ok i was at the cleveland show tonight and it was awesome. the convocations center was big (luckily we had 9th row center seats) but she really seemed to connect with the people, at least from where i was sitting. i am not totally sure of the set list so i am not going to try to guess-- it was such an amazing moment that i wasn't paying attention to the specifics. my favorite numbers she did were mary (i was thrilled to hear it!!!), spacedog (bubbles came down from the ceiling), god, and putting the damage on. she's your cocaine was great too. her entire performance was beautiful, but those were some of my favorite points. she seemed to do a lot from under the pink. she was amazing. i'm so depressed that it is over.

the meet and greet at 4 was really cool, but the lack of organization on the part of the convo center was disappointing i was lucky enough to talk with her for like 5 seconds and get my under the pink cd signed, but some fans weren't. we were kind of corralled into a pen and she did almost nothing but sign autographs. i felt bad for her. i would have been happy with a picture with her, and it would have been easier on her hands. i got her a big bottle of evian, and she said thank you and we told each other that we love each other and she blew me a kiss. that one moment made my life worth living up to this point. she was sooo beautiful . . .

after the show i heard people yelling out mikewhy, and i looked to see you but realized that i do not know what you look like, so that was kind of dumb of me

well, it's late, i am tired, and my typing is prolly really bad. you can post this if you want. i was just writing to tell you anything that might interest you and to thank you for the wonderful site and all your hard work.


From sara mackey

July 27, 1998 - i finally got to see Tori for the first time last nite at CSU in cleveland. what a show! she played precious things, iieee, sugar, god, cruel, playboy mommy, cornflake girl, mary, baker baker, putting the damage on, space dog, spark, the waitress, she's your cocaine & crucify(first encore), and silent all these years(second encore). she did mary , baker baker, and silent by herself.

Tori sounded great by herself, but the whole band was just amazing. songs like space dog and crucify sounded like they were made to be played that way.

Tori was very interesting to watch; holding her hands behind her back like she was tied up, and playing the piano and keyboard at the same time. During iieee, when she sang the "sa-sa-sacrifice" part, she kind of rubbed her belly.

she chose a really great set list! i was surprised to hear mary and sugar and they both came out wonderfully!

i thought putting the damage on was great with the band, especially when the bass player used the stand-up bass w/a bow. it added a really nice, full sound.

i was able to get my tape recorder in and made a fairly decent recording of the show. if anyone is interested in getting a copy, contact me and we can try to work something out!(sarabeen@yahoo.com)


From Alex G

July 27, 1998 - Well was July 22, my birthday incidentally, so naturally Iflew from DC to Cleveland to celebrate with Tori. I had eighth row/section one seats for the first Plugged 98 show I have seen since April at the 9:30 club ('til NYC; Philly; DC). The Devlins seemed to be the typical "mellow out the kids" opening act...and with the exception of a few girls behing me screaming "You're hot!" I believe the consensus was, get on with the show. The show started at eight, but Tori didn't appear until after 9:15. Anticipation was building...screams filled the 6,000 seat arena.

the set:
iieee
Cruel
Song X
God (medley)
Do It Again
Playboy Mommy
Cornflake Girl
Marianne
Baker Baker
Song X
Song X
Spark
The Waitress

first encore:
She's Your Cocaine
Crucify

final encore:
SATY

As you can see my set list is incomplete. Since my emotions were overwhelmed a few times during the show I can't read some of my notes (I would love to complete it, if anyone can help).

As for the review, She really had fun stretching some songs out, and combining layers of sound that the band can create. They are really tight on this tour, as if we could expect any less. Matt, Steve and Jon are doing a great job; they are right there when Tori wants them, and yet seem to know when to pull back and not interfere with her private moments, in almost every song!

She has gone over the top on every song, and has re-invented them completely in some cases. For example during the performance of God, a song we have all heard a million times, the intro was so fresh that it took the first few lyrics for the crowd to recognize the song. A brilliant rendition!

The element of surprise is there throughout the show....from beginning to end!


From marissa

July 27, 1998 - she played mary!!!!!!! i was so floored by that that i nearly sat back into my seat from shock. it is the first time she played it during this tour and it was the first time that i have ever heard it live!! she played it during her time alone with us, her time without "the boys". this was a wonderful show. the croud wasn't that loud and her songs translated so well to this band thing. she was just stunning musically as well as physically. i had such a wonderful time at the show.


From RYan Sudick

July 27, 1998 - Dear Cleveland Tori Fans:

On behalf of RAINN, I would like to thank you and congratulate you on donating over $285 to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)! For those of you who were not present at the concert, at the Cleveland, Ohio Tori show, there was a RAINN booth which had a drawing for a cK Calvin Klein/RAINN t- shirt. If you donated $1, you were automatically entered to win the shirt. Thanks to all of those who donated money and offered to lend their support to RAINN by volunteering at their nearest rape crisis center. Stop by and see us in Wallingford, Connecticut on August 4th!!!!

Thanks again for your support! Remember, "there is ALWAYS hope."


From Jon Haverman

July 27, 1998 - she decided to include Mary during the soundcheck, and tried playing it during a special two song performance for some 40 lucky winners of an Atlantic records promotion. She played Mary in the wrong key during this performance, and decided to stay on stage after the 40 (or so) crowd were escorted to a meet and greet room. Then she worked on getting the song right, for a special Cleveland performance of Mary. You wouldn't know she was having problems earlier would you? During the Cleveland soundcheck, she must have played 'at Sugar' three times or so.


From Rachel

July 27, 1998 - Hey. I was lucky (unlucky?) enough to go to three shows on this leg of the tour; chicago, cincinatti, and cleveland. I also had tickets to the detroit show but I elected not to go. If you know me then you know how I feel about tori and you know this is a big deal. What? Rachel is not going to a tori show?? I would like to be a little bit ball-sey here and say I HATE THE PLUGGED TOUR. I HATE THE LARGE ARENAS. I HATE HAVING TO BRING MY GODDAMN BINOCULARS TO EVERY SHOW. I HATE disintegration, watching us wither. Really. i mean, what is happening to tori fans? SInce when did frat boys come to tori shows in droves and toast the crowd with beer before the goddess took the stage? (as happened in cincinatti.) I also was saddened by the meet-and- greets. I miss the old days with the orderly lines and companionship. The tori fans I met seemed wierdly competitive, especially the group of girls at the front of the post-show mob in cleveland. They were bragging about tori encounters and tori tatoos. Please. Oh, one more thing I HATE THE GODDAMN SPEECH. I HATE THE MEET AND GREET SPEECH. I HATE IT. WHEN I AM IN THE BACK AND I HEAR THE SPEECH, IT MAKES ME WANT TO PUSH VERY VERY HARD. IT DOES NOT COMPELL ME TO BEHAVE NICELY.

But, I love tori so much that I know I will try to see her later this tour. I will continue to obsess. I will get that frog tatoo on my toe next week, but I will NOT PROUDLY DISPLAY IT IN ORDER TO RANK MYSELF ABOVE OTHER TORI FANS. I think it is wonderful that so many people share my feelings of love and admiration for tori. I just am feeling a little bit cranky right now. My hope is that after this tour she'll downsize and I can have my old tori back, without the beer or the bragging.

Rachelhb@aol.com - I am fully expecting some hate-mail for this review!

p.s. my god. mary was beautiful in cleveland. Cooling? Wow. Those are moments worth living for. I want to be clear that the shows were great musically. tori's voice is right on. I'm just scared because I've never felt so empty after a tori show.


From Bryan Corbett

July 27, 1998 - Hi Mike!!! First off, it was great to meet you and get a chance to talk to you!!! That made the night even better!! I thought the show was amazing!! Tori only played 5 tracks from FTCH and a lot of her previous stuff. I don't remember the complete setlist but here are some songs that i do remember:

Precious Things
Iieee
Sugar
God
Cornflake Girl
Playboy Mommy
Butterfly
Baker Baker
Putting The Damage On
Waitress
Crucify
Silent All These Years
She's Your Cocaine
Cruel
Spark
Space Dog

I think that's all of them, but no way in that order. She played Butterfly(i think that's what it was..) and Baker Baker solo and Silent All These Years solo for her last encore. She opened with Precious Things. It was amazing to see her and her band interact, the bass player really got into it!! The band was awesome. She talked about reading letters before the concert and thanked a few fans and said the letters really touched her. She also said it was always nice to come back here. She was wearing a black outfit with a shiny silvery sparkly apron thing over it. There was a meet and greet at around 4:30-5:00 behind the arena, there were maybe 50 of us there. i didn't get to meet her but i got some good pictures and she waved to me and smiled when i screamed I love you tori!!! there's just so much to say about this amazing experience!! i was in front row so i had a great view of her and the band. The sound was great and her energy was high, though earlier at the meet and greet she said that she was very tired, which would be expected. I GAVE MY CAMARA TO A GIRL THAT HAD A PHOTO PASS AND WORKED FOR SOME MAGAZINE, SHE WAS TAKING PICTURES FOR ME BUT I NEVER GOT MY CAMERA BACK!!! IT WAS A GREEN DISPOSABLE ONE SO IF YOU READ THIS AND YOU STILL HAVE MY CAMERA EMAIL ME PLEASE!!!! I met so many wonderful people!!! Hello to Rachel who owns her own independent clothing company!!! Toriphiles are such nice wondeful people!! There were two very enthusiastic guys in the front row center that looked like they were having a blast , they were certainly the most into it!! i would have liked to meet those guys!! seemed like fun!! oh yeah, i loved the way she said "friends" in cruel, it was awesome, and she started CG with a slow beautiful intro!!! The concert was just amazing!!!


From Lindsey Wilber

July 27, 1998 - I just got home from my first Tori concert and all I have to say is "WOW!" It was the most amazing thing I have ever experanced. I don't remember the whole set list, but she played more of her older stuff then I expected (esp. stuff from UTP), and very little off of FTCGH, only Crule, Spark and Playboy Mommie. She also only played one song for her second onc., Silent all these Years, which was beatifull. All in all, it was a very positive moving experince and I can't wait to see her again!----Lindsey Wilber


From Sam Zets

July 27, 1998 - Of course the show was fatastic. The set list, band, lighting, performance were all up to any Toriphiles standards. The transition to larger venues clearly isn't a problem for her.

The highest highlights were Sugar, Crucify, Silent and the epic Waitress!

TIPS!!!

Take binoculars (whether it's your first time or you remember the 500 seat clubs from LE, they will make the experience much more enjoyable - I miss not seeing her facial gestures, but I was happy to have the privledge to see her again and the binoculars helped)

DO NOT GET UPSET (if someone is talking, singing, smoking, coming & going -unfortunately these are all part of Tori's 'success' and more fans)(most longtime fans wish everyone would pay attention to every word, but that's not the case so don't let it bother you)

bootlegging would've been VERY easy

ENJOY!!!


From Trent

July 27, 1998 - Precious Things
i i i e e
Sugar -- awesome with the band!!
God
Cruel
Playboy Mommy
Conflake Girl (w/ some "you bet your life" intro)

Then Tori says she might "fuck up"; then she says "Arf!"
Mary
Baker Baker
Putting the Damage On
Space Dog (w/ major bubble machines going full blast)
Spark
Waitress
------
encore
------
She's Your Cocaine
Crucify
------
second encore
------
Silent All These Years (w/ huge disco balls going mad)


From Ashley Blaize (posted to precious-things mailing list)

July 27, 1998 - My friends and I decided to go to the Meet and Greet in Cleveland. We're from Southern Indiana. We were 8 hours from home, and were the first people there for the meet and greet..... We got to touch her and talk to her for more than 2 minutes.... It was exciting. She signed my arm and I'm going tomorrow to get a tatoo of exactly what she signed. She drew a picture for me on my shoulder to get tattooed and she gave me a hug, called me a peach and a sweetie and told me to kiss her on the cheek. She's the most amazing person in the world. I'm glad that I went and experienced this. I can die now. I can die a happy man.....


From Joe C.

July 27, 1998 - I went to 3 shows this week (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit) and I think that Cleveland may have been the best that i saw. I had donated $20 to RAINN out in the corridor, and as i put the money in the jar, I wished for SATL (i was just in the mood for it) and I got my wish, in a Grand way, as SATL was her last song! SATL was a beautiful visual experience, especially since they did the disco balls during that song, and it looked like Tori and the whole place was in a starry night sky. I'll remember that one forever. In the upper decks there was a large platform that people made into a dance floor and it was awesome to dance to Tori singing "Shes Your Cocaine" not to mention the songs that followed. I also loved "Putting The Damage On". It was a great show! She met with us in the pouring rainn soon after the show, we all got soaked but we loved it. One guy i know got the meet & greet on video, it was really a time to remember.

--Joe C, Michigan, db@ic.net


From Callie Y Stuhler (posted to the precious-things mailing list)

July 27, 1998 - I had upper level cause my lazy sister didn't get off her bum to get tix sooner. The crowds in the upper level were duds, at least in the section I was in. Lots of fluff chicks who only knew "Crucify" and "Spark". I wanted to dance, but I knew if I did, they'd hairspray me!

First of all, Tori and her band were fantastic!!! Tori just rocks the house and is phenomenal with a band, lots and lots of energy. However, I was dissapointed because the Cleveland Convo center is just HUGE, almost too big for Tori, even though there were few empty seats. Even though she really rocked, it seemed more impersonal, since the venue was so big. She didn't talk much at all, but this may be because of factor that the larger the crowd, the more chance people will yell over her and be disrespectful. Also since the show was so energetic, perhaps stopping to chit chat with some 8000 people would somehow hinder or decrease the energy level.

Which brings me to my next point - the show was so energetic that it felt like that Tori & the band were in a hurry to get through the show. Even the encores were kinda rushed. I couldn't believe it when the show was over - perhaps I was in some sort of spell and experience missing time syndrome, but the show seemed so short!

Am I spoiled because the UtP and BfP concerts were so more intimate that the concerts seemed more like a magical journey? Dont get me wrong, I loved the concert, but it was just that - a rock concert! I love Tori though, and while I was looking forward to seeing her with a band, I hope someday its just her & her piano again. I feel like such a crank because I thought I'd never hear myself say that!

ps: Mary was cool, I never really cared for the song until she played it live in Cleve! And Putting the Damage On, with Jon Evans on the double bass(??) was gorgeous. Waitress was excellent, Tori seemed nearly to froth at the mouth! Some girl talked through Baker Baker, thanks you disrepectful idiot, for ruining the mood! So sad she didn't play Liquid Diamonds or Raspberry Swirl. SATY with disco balls and lights, oddly serene.


From Ana (Posted to the Precius-Things mailing list)

July 27, 1998 - i miss her stories.. she used to tell little stories between most of the songs and now she says one thing, maybe two during the entire show.. i miss her intimacy with the audience. just because she has a band doesn't mean she can't be intimate with us. and the other thing: matt chamberlin [that's his name, right?] needs a stage presence desperately. i'm not putting him down cuz he's a really good drummer, it's just that he'd be a lot better if he didn't just sit there stiffly drumming away.. i love how the bassist and caton get into the music, but matt just drums.. i dunno. [Note from Mikewhy: He seemed pretty lively to me!]



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