ALONG COMES MARY

First off, a huge THANKS for all the likes & shares for my last Tori Amos post highlighting my day seeing her at The Greek Theatre! Now, I am going to share a bit of the awesome time had the next day as I drove to see her in San Diego at Humphreys by the Bay.

It was a super special trip as I at last got to be in attendance of a Tori gig with my friend, Alex, whom I have known since 2008(!) when we became friends with each other on my Kate Bush tribute page on MySpace. While we have met previous times, it has never been for a Tori experience so it was awesome to spend the day with him & anticipate seeing our favorite musician together.

We arrived at Humphreys around 2pm, after the long but pretty trek down the 405 to San Diego from LA. Tori pulled up literally minutes following our own arrival & we all got to wave hi to her & chat from a distance. She was running late after taping Conan O’Brien, so, alas, no time for a meet & greet. It should be mentioned, its awesome that there is always communication from Mindi, Tori’s tour manager, about a meet & greet. Fans are never left outside in the blazing sun or cold weather without knowing whether or not Tori will be out there eventually. I love that it’s a Tori priority to not leave us in the dark.

I was so content with my meeting with Tori at The Greek, that I was not disappointed. Instead, I got to hang at Shelter Island with Alex & my new friend, Lauren, whom I had just met days prior through Facebook, as we awaited show time over lunch, drinks, chats & sun bathing at the pier. It was a beautiful day to be in San Diego 🙂

When we finally were let into the Humphreys, I was taken aback at how intimate the 1400 seat outdoor venue is! It is all folding chairs in 3 sections, & above you, are hotel balconies…can you imagine…getting to watch a show from your patio?! I was a bit concerned when I heard it’s also a popular beer garden destination, but it was nothing short of perfection, & I was not bothered by anyone at all.

When Tori hit the stage (doing her famous hit on the piano with Parasol), she went on to chat with us & mentioned that Comic Con is going on, which introduced B-side favorite, Flying Dutchman, her homage to comic writer (& good friend, whom she calls her “brother”), Rantz Hoseley, who was in attendance. That’s one of the rare songs you’re always thrilled to get, & she did not disappoint!

If you’re a fan of her older material, like Lauren, this was the show to be at. She did favorites from 1994’s Under the Pink (Bells for Her, Baker Baker, Space Dog & Cornflake Girl) which were stunning & a huge surprise for me was Muhammad, my Friend, from 1996’s Boys for Pele.

I must say, I did lose it a bit when she went into Mother, from Little earthquakes. It’s always been one of my favorites, from the very beginning, yet I have never heard it live. It was powerful, fierce & heartbreaking. Just like it should be. Another golden oldie was Tear in Your Hand. My 3rd time hearing that, & first time solo. Absolutely perfect!

This show really reminded me one of my favorite things about a Tori Amos concert: the friendships. From getting to be there with Alex, & meeting another long-time Facebook friend, Jordan, to making new friends so quickly like Lauren, as well as the adorable Hedieh & Andrew (who knew me from Facebook, & went “Aren’t you Mary Lansing?!”), & even running into old friends from other meet & greet adventures in the restroom(!), it really does feel like a family…or, as some of us joked, high school, since there definitely are the cliques & those you connect with more than others or meet briefly & more just know of through the grapevine, its a circle of friends & a bunch to be reckoned with. I am so happy for all my friends I got to see & meet over the course of those 2 days, & especially in San Diego.

You know I cannot recommend a Tori gig enough, & might I add, a summer concert at Humphreys! Its one of the best venues I have seen in a while, & they’ve got a lot more events coming up (I am tempted to check out The Pixies!). Check them out HERE & psst, if you can find street parking, its FREE during your show 😉 xo

(*All pictures taken by, & the property of Lauren Brodsky. Check out more of her work here.)