"…slapstick comics, and dewy-eyed soubrettes, nimble magicians and world-famed musicians, wise-cracking jugglers and sweaty acrobatic teams, standup comedians and dignified divas, and the fabled names of the movies." - Chuck Davis
These are the just some of the types of entertainers that have graced the stage at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. And Monday night, one of the most unique names in music took to that same stage - Tori Amos.
Truth is, I'm a wee bit of a fan to say the least. I've seen Tori Amos in concert 6 times now; this was the second time I've seen her at The Orpheum.
The Orpheum Theatre is one of Vancouver's grandest and most-storied entertainment venues. Here's a great description of it from The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: "All around the theatre, on every floor, are ornamental grace notes-murals, paintings and other art work, decorated wall fabrics, tiling, fancy balustrades, gilded mirrors, ironwork, ornate chandeliers, sconces, corbels, tapestries, plush carpeting, varied and exotic architectural embellishments-a never-ending feast for the eye."
We bought special (read: expensive) tickets for the concert - they included admission to the sound check. There were about 25 of us and seating was unassigned. Sitting in row 3, I watched Tori come on stage. She only said "hello" and 'this is what it looks like when we rehearses'. I was beyond thrilled to see this very private performance.
After the two songs, she still didn't say a word. She just sat on her piano bench for a few moments adjusting something. Our "VIP" group got up in complete silence and began to exit the theatre. It was so weird and awkward that nobody said anything! I couldn't stand it anymore so, I said aloud "thank you" and she waved back. She gave this cute little wave that looks like she's using her hand to teach a child how to count to 5, 10, 15… you know the wave.
Tori Amos is the epitome of rock star. Citing Led Zeppelin and Nirvana as influences, she breathes a fiery life into her instrument of choice - a Bosendorfer piano (some models sell for nearly 2-hundred thousand dollars!) The way she straddles her piano bench could easily receive NC-17 rating if the MPAA were in the room.
Tori is quite obviously a fan of Vancouver. During the show, she said "it's awfully nice to be here, you never know, I might be here more often." With that, she launched into a charming little ditty: "If things keep going like they've been going, Canada I'm coming home." It was pretty cute, much like Tori herself. Check out this 1 minute improv for yourself (it was filmed 2 rows behind my seats):
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