Stephani(e S Says): Meeting and Greeting and Watching Tori Amos

So, this happened the other day...

Photo filters added so as not to compare my pock-marked and sallow skin to the peaches and cream complexion of Ms. Amos.

I have been on this weird lucky streak when it comes to winning things via social media. The latest jackpot was a pair of tickets to see Tori Amos, including a meet and greet. I won this by making a comment on a Facebook post from 103.1 WRNR and my name was randomly selected. I'm hoping to win a lottery of the career variety at some point, but in the mean time, I will gladly settle for the musical manna that has been bestowed upon me.

I was kind of nervous about meeting her but I had no reason to be. She was so easy to talk to, so genuinely sweet to all of the fans that were meeting with her. I'm sure there's an element of dread for most artists, to have to grin and bear it for a meet and greet, but I appreciate it when they care enough to be kind and gracious. After all, we're there because we LOVE them. My friend Jen went with me and we both agreed. After the affirmation of meeting Tori, knowing that we'll forever listen to her songs with a fond memory of her kindness, we never want to meet Madonna. We both love her, but we're pretty sure she's a jerk.

Anyway, the M&G was very brief. She asked where I was from, and since she's a Maryland girl, too, we talked about the fascinating geography and beautiful landscape of Annapolis, took a photo together, and parted ways. Of course, after the fact, I thought of more interesting things that I could have told her, but I can't imagine that there is anything that she has not heard from her fans in the last 30 years.

This is the third time that I have seen Tori and every show has been different. The first show was at the Baltimore Convention Center. The dark and musty space seemed to set the appropriate ambience for her album From The Choirgirl Hotel. The second time that I saw her, she was playing on a very hot, summer day at Merriweather Post Pavilion, wearing a fairy outfit, and promoting Scarlet's Walk. Remember how awesome it was to watch videos? I guess I was still doing that in 2002 because I remember this A Sorta Fairytale video off of Scarlet's Walk. Look for Adrian Brody and weird leg bodies and Tori's awesome cheekbones. (I love cleverly dirty lyrics, too. It's not just about a road trip, folks... or at least I don't think so.)

This most recent show, last Monday night, my friend Jen and I watched Tori Amos play in an elegant sparkly gown, wearing some insane six inch stilettos at the beautiful, old DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. On this tour, Tori has a Polish strings quartet to accompany her piano and vocals. One of the highlights for me, you know, besides meeting the lady, was her performance of God mixed with Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill. This comment may get me kicked out of the Lilith Fair Listener's Society, but that is the only Kate Bush song that I enjoy.

God/Running Up That Hill

Winter.

There was a lot of Little Earthquakes and a good mix of her other albums. If she returns to the area for a Baltimore show, I would definitely go again in hopes of hearing some more from Under The Pink - the album that I listened to obsessively as a boy-crazy high school student who questioned her Baptist church and religious parents. Tori Amos' voice sounds as beautiful as it always has and everything about her performance is compelling and gorgeous. Her new music is beautiful and I plan to buy her latest release, but listening to Tori Amos will always take me back to the mid-90's and the crazy angst and wonder of adolescence.
Tori Amos Setlist <~~ Click to listen on Spotify.

Setlist