WWWWAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


*dances*



SO nearly have a panic attack trying to get to the same place as Space Dog so I can get him his ticket when he doesn't know OC at all and we don't have time to meet anywhere else.


We run in and the opening act is onstage. I still don't know who they were. We charge up to the 400 level and then I require food, having not eaten anything solid all day. While I'm chowing down on my hot dog a lady in the Pond uniform jacket comes up and asks to see our tickets. She takes them and before we can say anything, pockets them. Then she hands us two replacement tickets for the GROUND FLOOR.

She says we have ten minutes to get our butts into those seats or else. I inhale my hot dog as we race back down the stairs hoping it isn't some complicated scam to take our tickets. We find the right door as I'm using sheer willpower to keep down the 'dog and stave off a heart attack.

There's maybe 20-odd rows on the ground and we're in the last one. This kicks serious ass because a) the first night (or only night as in this case) ground floor seats are usually promo seats reserved for radio giveaways and industry people - in other words if your a hardcore fan willing to spend money, you are NOT allowed access to the best seats. You either have to network or depend heavily on your luck.
b) I got my tickets on pre-sale. This means I got in on a little sale that happens before the main onsale via a newsletter that sends out the passwords for these sales. However these sales (although they theoretically pander to the major fans) are only done to fill in the back of the theatre to maximize attendance.
c) The Anaheim Pond is yooge. Even in a concert setting where at least a third of it is blocked off, seats that are far from the stage are in another area code. This makes for bad acoustics. While an arena this big normally has crappy sound, the Pond's acoustics are very respectable - just not up to par with an actual auditorium. I saw REM, Nine Inch Nails and U2 at the Pond and I wasn't disappointed with the sound, but the delicate strains of piano can get lost in that place. But being on the Floor eliminated that. }:D
d) I was close enough to see Tori, Jon and Matt and the stage decor. I've been considerably further before and while the visuals are not why I go to the concert they add a whole lot to being able to see the performers. Tori, especially, intersperces her performances with sly looks at the audience, waving, grabbing herself etc. All stuff I would have missed from the nosebleed seats.

So it was totally rad. I really love Scarlett's Walk, though I'm sad that they didn't do Virginia and that the RoadHouse Cafe was much shorter. In fact the whole set seemed shorter, but it was a total blast.

I was a little disappointed that the only Choirgirl song was "Spark" but she did do "Precious Things" (The Best Song EVER, in the History of the Universe, tm) and "Leather" which surprised and delighted me. She opened the Roadhouse by doing an improv about visiting Disneyland and having her daughter cry at the princess show (apparently Snow White is an angel because she was nice to Tash).

I think I surprised Space Dog by how much I threw myself into the show, a-screaming and a-ranting and just carrying on..., but he had his own way to get lost in the music. By the time Tori did "Famous Blue Raincoat" we were both shivering from the sheet pleasure.

"Tombigbee" was a little lost on me since I don't own a copy it was the only song (other than the "dangerous place" improv) that I'm not familiar with. It was apparently released to fans on ToriAmos.com so I guess I'll have to check it out. It sounded fun.

The visual highlight was on "Father Lucifer" when she flipped off the audience on "girls that eat pizza never gain weight, never gain weight." *cackles*

The lyrical highlight was when she sang "Take to the Sky" (which is my favorite B-side of Tori's) and switched toward the end of the song to sing bits of Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move."

still feeling warm and fuzzy... mmmhh happy Tori buzz... };>


RAWK ON Tori!!!!


"I wanna smash the faces/of those beautiful boys/those Christian boys/so you can make me cum, that doesn't make you Jesus!"
--Precious Things

"I know I've got some magic/buried, buried deep in my heart, yes/and my priest says "you ain't saivin no souls"/my father says "you ain't makin any money"/my doctor says "you just took it to the limit"/and here I stand with this sword in my hand...have a seat while I/Take to the Sky!"
--Take to the Sky

"I almost ran over an angel/he had nice big fat cigar/"in a sense,"/he said, "you're alone here,/so if you jump, you'd best jump far."/oh God, could it be the weather/oh God, why am I here/if love isn't forever/and it's not the weather...hand me my leather."
--Leather