it is clear
that we need another way
another way to pray
We may have seen the family friendly parade before the Cork show, but it wasn’t until the next morning, when we had to step over the drunk people passed out in the street on the way to the train station, that it truly felt like we were in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, haha. The train ride was pleasant, and we went straight to the venue for the video M&G, but we had no skit or request for this final show—just a very heartfelt goodbye message. I am still in disbelief that they did not add a second night in Dublin—it’s by far the smallest venue of the tour, and it sold out in no time. When she last played this venue in 2014, they added a second show shortly after, and it’s really a shame, because I am sure she would’ve filled it again, and selfishly I would’ve loved an extra show, and starting and ending this short stint with two double features. Alas!
Six shows in, I still can’t get enough of this new Juárez arrangement, while Bouncing Off Reindeers is becoming a classic in its own right, this performance being similarly energetic to the one the previous night in Cork—she visibly fed off the crowd’s enthusiasm again, extending the song’s coda, and the applause was so thunderous, she said “wow” several times, and remarked how St. Patty’s seemed to still be going. Six shows in, I had also resigned myself to the first four songs being the same, so my surprise when she broke the mold at this final show was boundless: She played Crucify instead of Caught a Lite Sneeze.
Ash Soan played this show and possibly Cork with Covid, and half the regulars would test positive in just a few days (not me!), a little souvenir from what we came to call the Toricron Superspreader Tour, but right then, right there, the pandemic got kicked out of the show. I can’t say whether it was the best Crucify on the tour yet, or whether it popping up in an unexpected slot on the setlist made me enjoy it as much as I did, but I wasn’t alone—I’ve never witnessed the regulars cheer so loudly for this song before! I guess she thought she couldn’t hit the high notes (or she was saving her voice for things yet to come), because she went deep on the “please save me, I cry” bridge, which was highly unusual, but I really liked it!
Give was next, so it wasn’t just a case of swapping out one song, and I thought that her high register on this one was really good! I love trip-hop Tori, and wish she dabbled in it more; I also love how prominent this one has been on the sets, and I couldn’t help but think how the line “I know that I must give, so that I can live” applies to Tori as a performer—I knew she’d get bored of the static sets, but I’d given up hope that she’d get to that point before hitting the States! We were back to regularly scheduled programming with Ocean to Ocean next, and the first debut of the night, 1000 Oceans. The most surprising thing about it is that it hadn’t come out yet, given the new album’s theme! It’s not a favorite of mine, in fact I usually stop To Venus and Back after Spring Haze, but as my friend whispered to me, “well, at least it’s a new one”, haha.
This secret time had the longest introduction yet, and the solo song once again ended up being the highlight of the show. She thanked everyone for participating in the digital m&gs, and mentioned having gotten some letters from LGBTQ fans in Russia, one of whom had tickets to be there, but couldn’t leave the country. She said these really affected her, because they made her realize that they are essentially trapped there and unable to safely speak out against the government and the war, so she wanted to honor what they are going through, keeping in mind that not all Russians are “that crazy idiot”. The request she was about to play was however from a Ukrainian woman who had been on the run with her kids, and Tori said that playing it for her is the least thing she can do.
I knew it was going to be Indian Summer as this story had already made the rounds among us traveling fans, and there was no doubt in my mind that she’d single this one out to play when she got those letters. It’s quite the rarity, but I’ve been lucky enough to see this song performed a few times, and she never does it exactly as the studio version, she always swaps around verses or omits them altogether—yet it always feels right, it’s ephemeral and shape-shifting. She repeated the “can’t find a way out” line every time it came up, which was heart-breaking given the context she was playing it in, and I was in tears well before she got halfway through it. It’s now been a while since the show, and I’m happy to report that the women who requested it safely crossed the border and made it to Greece with her children.
Russia, as always, is perfectly fine, but it felt particularly jarring after that stunning and heartfelt Indian Summer, and I can only once again say that I really hope she ditches it on the upcoming legs, there are better suited songs to comment on the current situation that are less tone-deaf. Little Amsterdam though, which has been a highlight of any set it’s been in so far anyway, was the best one yet—I love how seductive and quietly threatening this arrangement is, and how performative Tori is during it; grabbing the microphone with both hands, squirming on her piano stool, flipping her hair, running her hands up her thighs, slamming the fallboard.
Addition of Light Divided moved up by a slot or two—most times, it was the antepenultimate song of the main set. I hadn’t kept count, but it did seem awfully early for it, and we’d also only had two debuts yet, so I was curious to see what else she would pull out, if anything. At this point in the set, she had usually gotten the three nightly debuts out of the way, so this was another sign that the established setlist structure was slowly but noticeably being tinkered with. Take to the Sky was up next, and even though it was probably the best one yet and the crowd really into it, consistently clapping along to the beat, and we even got a fallboard slam, it just doesn’t hit the same when it’s not in the encore—I need to move to the Carole King bridge… I actually just caught myself grooving along to the bootleg at my desk. It’s such a jam!
Next came the final debut, and it should not have come as a surprise—it was Black-Dove of course, because the next show she would play, opening night of the North American tour, would be in Dallas, and she has “to get to Texas“, duh. It’s tied with Indian Summer as the highlight of the evening, it was really good, (most) high notes and all… even though there was one rather funny moment where she meant to turn to the piano but realized the next bit was still at the keyboard, and she forgot the word “tiny” every time it came up. The short piano break in this song might just be my favorite moment in her discography, it makes me feel all the things, I love it so much.
Devil’s Bane and Cornflake Girl closed out the main set. I really hope she will pull out more organ songs going forward, the few she’s played so far really don’t seem to justify bringing it along on tour—she could just as well have used samples, so I’m hoping she’s got bigger plans for it. In any case, she definitely seems to have warmed up to the set-up over the course of the week, it doesn’t seem quite as awkward when she reaches for it now, and the transitions to the keyboard are smoother. My friend and I were in central row D, and while I would’ve been more than prepared to pull the same stunt as in Cork and jump over the seats in order to stage-rush, that requires the seats being empty… but the older couple sitting next to me started making their way to the aisle as soon as she finished Cornflake Girl in order to beat the crowds on the way out, so we followed while everyone in our row was already standing up to let them pass, and thus easily made it to the front.
The encore was the expected Spies and Precious Things. Spies got a big cheer when she got to the Dublin line, and she switched the custard and crumble around again, and threw in an admittedly funny “no!“. I wonder whether it will be a staple in the States, it strikes me as a quintessentially British song, an absurdist lullaby I’m not sure she’ll think American audiences will appreciate or find endearing? Here’s hoping, because I really want it to go away, it’s been fun a few times, but it’s a waste of seven minutes on the setlist, and there are plenty of other songs I’d rather she play instead, not just from the back-catalogue, but even from Ocean to Ocean. Ending this final show with upbeat Take to the Sky actually would’ve felt really appropriate, but since she’s religiously alternated it with Precious Things so far, it was clear that we would get this one—and it was really good! It doesn’t seem like she’s even considering ever belting the “girl” again, but at least she’s no longer completely swallowing it down like just a short week prior.
With this show, I felt that Tori had finally and truly arrived—the eagle has landed! There were still only three tour debuts, but the fact that she changed up the first four songs is a good sign for future shows. While Glasgow so far remains my favorite because of how it made me feel, Cork definitely gave it a run for its money, but objectively, this was probably the best show of the run. She’s found the touring mojo, it’s just too bad that this is the end of us on this side of the pond, until the rescheduled dates over a year later. She’s on an upward trajectory, and I can’t wait to see what she does on the other side of the galaxy world… until I join back in on the fun on the West Coast!
The next day, we went on a pilgrimage to the Irish countryside to visit the church in Delgany, County Wicklow, in which large parts of Boys For Pele were recorded. We couldn’t get inside (although not for a lack of trying—no stone was left unturned, from the local butcher, to even calling the vicar, who was unfortunately out of town with the key), yet it was still magical: My friend played Beauty Queen / Horses while we were wandering around the graveyard, and as the song wound down, the church bells started chiming… it was eerie, goosebump-inducing, and absolutely perfect. I will take that as her sending us off as we scatter in all directions, until she brings us back together again, somewhere in the world.
Setlist
Juárez
Bouncing off Clouds / Reindeer King
Crucify
Give
Ocean to Ocean
1000 Oceans
Indian Summer (solo)
Russia
Little Amsterdam
Addition of Light Divided
Take to the Sky / I Feel the Earth Move (Carole King)
Black-Dove (January)
Devil’s Bane
Cornflake Girl» E n c o r e «
Spies
Precious Things
watercolorstain 