Digital Radio Recording - 49 minutes  - 10

Leather
Purple People
Rattlesnakes
Take to the Sky
Lust
Upside down
Cloud on my Tongue
Cooling
Winter

Show review by Gabriela Kulka

I thought I'd try to sum up the Sunday concert in a few words, it was absolutely unique, and I only wish I could have a basis of comparison, but this was the first Tori performance I saw live. I can only trust the people who had seen her before and claim it was the best show she ever played, although it was only 9 songs long.
Everyone was extremely excited, the organisers were magnificently stressed out - it's been repeated ten times over that should anyone take as much as ONE photo, the concert's ***over***. Tori did a wonderful thing, though, as she found out there were people down in the Radio building's hall (over a dozen of them), uninvited to the show, but still present - she asked to "add some chairs" and invite them too. (I can imagine what an experience this was to them, I lived through that the day before!).
Piotr Kaczkowski did a short introduction both in Polish and in English and Tori came in. She played on the studio's piano, I believe, and of course there was no 'whurly'. The room went dark with only the lit up Christmas tree in the background. Tori looked absolutely gorgeous, in a cream-white blouse and black stretch trousers, high heels. She started with 'Leather'.
The ovation she received clearly startled her - she seemed very surprised how passionately we applauded. She said: "I know where I am right now in the world" and everyone laughed, because as Program 3 listeners we knew exactly she was quoting a little 'jingle' she had recorded for Piotr Kaczkowski months ago, for his 'Minimax' broadcast - since early autumn, we've been hearing her each Sunday night, saying "It's one-o-five and I don't know where I am now, physically, in the world, but my songs are here with you, and maybe in a way I am too."
Then she continued, quietly "...And we're taking back some fire with us. Ooh, you people have fire, huh? Keeping that a secret from the rest of the world. But I might have to just go and tell them all".
She kept playing in the background and the moment she started singing, the chords shaped into something that sounded like "Not The Red Baron". It's amazing - this song seemed to want to come this evening, but it never did. Again you almost could hear it in another intro later. She started singing softly:
"Here. Here, up here, where it's cold, up here you're hiding this thing and, hiding this thing and, hiding this thing..."
and then
"hey do you do judo..." and a beautiful rendidtion of "Purple People". We knew how this song found its way here. The day before when she was in the studio, Piotr Kaczkowski showed her the list of songs Listeners voted (in the traditional Top Twenty). There were over a hundred songs voted for altogether and the moment she glanced at top 10 she expressed her surprise that "Purple People" was as high as number four, surrounded by the classics such as Precious Things or Me and A Gun. "Purple People" was for us.
Then she played "Rattlesnakes" again, amazingly. She sang the chorus much stronger than on the record or the live versions I'd heard, it was powerful and moving.
"So, um, funnily enough this next song... I spend a lot of time in the desert, in my life, I love the desert. And... I'm always writing about the cold when I'm in the desert. and the ice and Eastern Europe and I don't know what... And I'm not doing any magic mushrooms, or anything, people think I'm out of it most of the time, but I just got my Evian, hanging out in the desert. And this is one of the ones that came when I was... with the snakes."
(thank God the concert was broadcast at midnight that day, so I can quote everything accurately. And remember every detail.)
She started playing the riff to "Take To The Sky", slamming her right hand on the front of the piano. I guess people who had seen her perform before wouldn't be this impressed, but my God can she MOVE! She hardly touched the bech during that song. The mic on the stand's arm kept sliding away and she would pull it back. Stomping her high heel on the floor, we could feel the vibrations through the soles of our shoes. No video-taped concert could ever give you that. It was pure passion.
It's funny she mentioned the winter and ice and snow. There seemed to be a lot of this in all the songs she played that evening. Be it "Purple People" or the girls freezing cold or "Cooling" or the "Winter" encore. Warsaw was covered in snow that Sunday and the day before. She wonderfully took this atmosphere in. I can't help the sense of incredible interaction between her and the audience, all without any words. Now I finally understand what she means by the 'energy' exchange during the concert. She gave everyone a sense of being seen and heard, every moment of the show.
She played "Lust", in the middle part chanting "Remember, remember, remember, she said to me, remember, remember, remember, these things, this medicine, remember, remember, remember, remember she said, these things, remember, remember, remember the weave, the Weave.".
Then came "Upside Down" the most beautiful I've ever heard. Once again I was completely speechless to hear what an amazing range of voice and expression she has.
After a long applause "Cloud on My Tongue" finnishing with "He and you and he and..." a huge smie, throwing her head back. We applauded passionately and she said.
"Dziekuje, dziekuje bardzo" (Thankyou, thank you very much) and again quietly...
"We carry you with us as we go and... don't forget that passion, my God, this is realy something you got." She was playing, yet again, with the ghost of Red Baron somewhere in the background. But she started "Cooling", gorgeously...
When she was done and left the room, we clapped till we couldn't feel our palms anymore. She came back!
Someone shouted "Tori don't go! Let this winter dream last!" and very softly she whispered "I don't wanna go."
and played "Winter".
I don't think there was adry eye in the house. Again, her voice sounded amazing when she took the high notes in "Hair is grey and the fires are burning..." The way she breaks your heart whispering the lyrics! "You say that things change, my dear". Smiling right at Piotr Kaczkowski throughout the end of the song. She finnished came off the stage and gave him a big hug.
And that's all we've seen of her.
The concert which was recorded (Program 3's concert studio, name in honour of Agnieszka Osiecka), was aired at midnight. From eleven p.m. to 3 a.m. all that was played were Tori's songs and the interview.
I don't think i will forget this performance till the day I die. And that's still an understatement.