From: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org (precious-things-digest) To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V10 #170 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Sender: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "precious-things-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. precious-things-digest Tuesday, September 13 2005 Volume 10 : Number 170 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Mini Review of The KINK Live 8 Concert in Portland, Ore. [Brian K Tanaka ] tori tv reminder - leno tonight! [wojizzle forizzle ] Review, The Backyard, Austin Texas, Friday September 2nd [Brian K Tanaka ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 17:27:57 -0700 From: Brian K Tanaka Subject: Mini Review of The KINK Live 8 Concert in Portland, Ore. The KINK Live 8 Concert in Portland, Oregon yesterday evening was short but sweet (the sting). Though I wish it had been longer, in a way it felt like a six song, third encore of the Ridgefield show the night before, and how in the world could you not love that? I've never been to a KINK Live 8 Concert before, and I was favorably impressed. It's a free, annual event in Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland's shopping core, and it had a pleasantly celebratory and innocent feeling with a distinct Pacific Northwest vibe. There's something about free music in a city's center that heightens my estimation of the city that allows/promotes it. Anticipation was buzzing in the cool Oregon air as the crowd waited for Tori to appear. Two KINK DJs came out to introduce her and they lead everyone in a corny-but-fun "we want Tori" chant. Then she appeared and everyone went nuts. She played the little Bosey and she sounded just wonderful. Playfully and enthusiastically, she threw herself each tune, giving the crowd a thoroughly satisfying set in a mere six songs. She was very physically expressive and made a ton of eye contact with the crowd. It was flat-out fun and a nice little treat for folks who hadn't headed down to California yet and were still in town after the Ridgefield show. Way to go, Portland! - - Brian Tanaka ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 14:27:10 -0400 From: wojizzle forizzle Subject: tori tv reminder - leno tonight! just a reminder that tori will be on the tonight show with jay leno tonight, monday september 12th. the program airs at 11:35pm eastern/pacific on nbc. check your local listings to make sure though. woj ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 13:47:37 -0700 From: Brian K Tanaka Subject: Review, The Backyard, Austin Texas, Friday September 2nd (Here's something I wrote about the Backyard show when I was on the road.) The Backyard, Austin Texas, Friday September 2nd Though this evening had many amazing moments and was just a wonderful show, the undisputed epicenter and the most welcome surprise of the night was Tori's devastating rendition of Led Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks. With fierce passion she unleashed this sorrowful juggernaut, and it was breathtaking right from the despairing opening lines: "If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break / If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break / When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay." To the end, it evoked images from the last few days' news coverage of Hurricane Katrina's damage, providing, at least for me, a little help emotionally processing an event on such a mammoth scale. Another highlight for me was when, in the brilliant nexus of fear, grief, hope, and acceptance that is The Beekeeper (the song), Tori brought each of us alone and together as a whole, gently to the presence of death and loss, both on an individual level (as with preparing for the loss of a parent) and on a societal level (as with Katrina). Tonight, when she growled the extended "south", it seemed to me to evoke both the usual death metaphor *and* a specific reference to the flooded and battered region in nearby Louisiana and environs. So much death so near, in conjunction with the omnipresent need to prepare each in our individual way for the death of those close to us, made this rendition of the Beekeeper both timely and universal. Overall, this was a spectacular show. I've never had the privilege of seeing any of the Texas shows before, and I'm elated that tonight lived up to the reputation they have for being amazing. The Tori magic was in full effect and the crowd was in heaven. The whole show was great, but I was especially stoked about Little Earthquakes, Siren, When the Levee Breaks, Frog On My Toe (!), and Pretty Good Year. In a way, this is a strange time to be touring with Tori given the pain and misery rising out of Katrina's wake. But in another way, it makes perfect sense to see Tori at this time, and here in Texas, nearby neighbor and receiver of refugees from the disaster, just as it made sense to see Tori on the heels of the 9/11/01: her work isn't an escape from unpleasantness but a journey through many layers of life and death, joy and loss. These days, like the days after 9/11, we're awakened (maybe more than we'd like) to the imperatives of both sides. ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V10 #170 **************************************