MELISSA: When I'd seen you in the past, I felt like I was going to a Tori show. But this show had such a different feel because there wasn't that intimate feeling and that was such a part of it for me. I was wondering if you feel like some of that intimacy is lost with the band behind you.
TORI AMOS: When you bring three other people up on stage with you, it's not going to be the same. Especially drums. It's not like, don't mind those things back there. If you're going to bring 'em in, you bring 'em in. With the band on-stage, it's not about softly, softly, it's about play like players, do the songs justice that want to have that treatment on them, and then the ones that don't, like "Icicle" and "Winter," the other players toodle off. And who knows? When we come back, maybe it'll be a couple more songs that I do solo, not just two in the middle of the show -- I'm not sure. We'll feel it out so that people who really love the intimacy get that, and then people who like hearing the songs flushed out and really working, where I think they potentially can go on an arrangement level, can have that, too. I'd really like to try and have the balance. Let's be honest with each other, this is a plugged concert, this isn't like the others. I've done three world tours, and I really felt, for me, as a musician, I had to expand, because you start being repetitive. And now when I do "Upside Down" or "Icicle," I'm approaching it differently in the show. It's like, wow, I can really appreciate the girl at her piano right now. I really wanted to play with that.
JAMES: Now that there's the band on-stage, is that part of the reason that you haven't been doing "Me And A Gun" anymore in concert? You've done that every time I've seen you.
TORI: No, it's not that. Yeah, I know... she's just resting right now. The other thing is that if you get a band, you wanna rock. This is not the Lilith Fair, no. We love those girls, but come f**king on! If we're gonna do it, let's open for Metallica, let's f**king go. Or, don't go there. It's do the acoustic thing, or if you get a band, make it count. I mean, Maynard would never come to see me if I didn't rock, Robert would never come to see me. You have to do it right.
WALKER: Do it for Robert.
TORI: Rock.
ALL: Rock on (laugh)!
TORI: Each record is its own soul, and you have an experience for that time and you can't repeat yourself with each tour. We tried to do something a bit different, and you breathe life into yourself as a player, as a creative force. You have to keep growing, or to me, you become a parody. I don't think you grow as an artist when you don't work with other people.
WALKER: Challenge.
TORI: Challenge. "Me And A Gun," she'll be around, but she's been there for so many shows, more than any other song, she's been there. When we started this tour, I was walking down the street one night in London, and she said to me, "Let the other girls go with the band. There's going to be so much yipper yapper and chatter and na na na, and I don't want to be out there, yet. I need a little pina colada by the sand. Just let me rest for a couple weeks." So she'll be coming in and out, but she's very supported by the other girls, she's done so much for them.
intro | the album | the tour | inspiration | tori fans | favorite concert moments|
.