Only Bozos rush the stage!
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i don't care one way or the other about stage rushing.

but for the 6 shows that i'm in the first 3 rows of the pit, anyone who gets in front of me will be sorry.

i'm not playing, either. watch yourself in portland, oakland, santa barbara, and la. if you come, you best come correct.

I have no idea what those last 3 posts mean.

one reason the rush worked

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SHE'S MY COCAINE...HE DID IT RIGHT QUICKLY A MERCIFUL MAN...
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ONE MORE THING ABOUT THE STAGE RUSH, ONLY IN AMERICA BABY AND IT STARTED IN NEW YORK ATLEAST FOR THIS TOUR WOW NELLY

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SHE'S MY COCAINE...HE DID IT RIGHT QUICKLY A MERCIFUL MAN...
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TORI SHOULD PLAY STANDING ROOM ONLY UP FRONT OF THE STAGE AND THIS BUMRUSH WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN BUT BET YOUR LITTLE ARSE THAT I WILL STAND IN LINE UP TO FIVE HOURS JUST TO BE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER AND IN THE MIDDLE THAT BE SOOO SWEET I HATE SEATS

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SHE'S MY COCAINE...HE DID IT RIGHT QUICKLY A MERCIFUL MAN...
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I believe Tori doesn't mind the stage rush thing cause Sunday, at the Montreal Show, there was a security lady who didn't want people to get closer to the stage right before the encores and Smitty grabbed her shoulder and told her it was ok for people to get closer!

I think the stage rushes are super annoying. I get that everyone wants to "feel the energy" or see Tori closer up, but people are very disrespectful of other peoples space when this happens. Why can't everyone just be happy to be there and stay in the area they were assigned instead of getting in the way? This actually happened a few days ago to another show I went to (not Tori). When during the encore, people came closer and either stood in the aisle or even further up in front of people in their actual row seat, who had already been there. Thankfully the worker motioned the girl in the aisle to move into the row because she was totally blocking my view and I was about to move her myself. As for the other guy who went in the front, he was about 6'6" and refused to sit down when someone in their seat asked him to repeatedly. The worst of all was a college age girl who ran down and into a row in the center that had empty seats only to block the people sitting in the row behind her. I saw them politely ask her to please sit down or move and she looked right at them, giving them the finger. Seriously, what is wrong with people? Not like this was a "rough" show either..it was the Shins.

Regardless, I just wish that people would be mindful of others. That's all.

I'm going to the DC show friday. I will ask her then if I remember. I am just gonna get her to sign 3 things, ( 2 for my sons and 1 for my friend's daughter ) and take a pic, I had no meaningful discussion planned so perhaps I can get an answer and post it and then someone make it official on undented or something.

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Devils and Gods, they are you and I.
Devils and Gods, safe and inside.

Funny you wrote this post... I was at the Philly show last week, sitting calmly in second row, when all of a sudden this huge group of running people rush in front of me and step all over me. I was not prepared and have never heard of this whole 'stage rushing' deal before. I had to stand up and kind of elbow my way just so I could see over everyone's heads. It was pretty annoying but I can't say I haven't done that for other artists. As far as a Tori concert goes... it just seems kind of out-of-place. It is pretty humorous how it comes out of nowhere.. interesting that it always happens... I thought it was just a group of people at that particular show that wanted to rush the stage. Now I will know for next time!

-- Serena

When I've seen her before at Ovens Auditorium (in Charlotte) it didn't happen, and I've said before when I saw her at the Booth Amphitheatre (Cary, NC) for "Summer of Sin" it didn't happen. I'm hoping for it to stay that way. (My imaginary ideal show does not include it.) What I was saying was that I wish there was a way to guarantee it, and wondering if asking the venue could help. In regard to her using the same song to close with, I'm prone to believe it is more where she is seeking a consistent way to end the main show (I know visual artists often spend much more time deciding the first and last piece of an art show because it encapsulates the experience) than a cue.

As to whether Tori is okay with it, maybe that is a question for someone to ask at a meet and greet? Sort a "Some ewf are for it, some are against it, how do you feel about it as a performer?" kind of thing. I don't know, I'm sure people have other questions they want to ask. It might feel like 'wasting their turn' to ask this instead.
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"So now you're off, you're gonna see America.

Well, let me tell you something about America...".

I would be REALLY surprised if Tori was against the stage rush! As others have noted she always finishes with the same song which turns into a cue for the stage rush. Plus those last songs with everyone up front against the stage just have a completely different energy to them. The crowd is so much more involved in the show. Their is only so much energy you can give off while sitting in your seat. If you look at the songs she plays for the encore's they often feed off this energy. In Philly the first two encores where 'Precious Things' and 'Pancake' both of which are the kind of get you butt out of the seat kind of songs. At the Philly show I stepped up to the stage once I saw the rush coming, seats were front row but in the left pit area so wasn't 'really front row'. I did this with my 12, almost 13, year old daughter and never once fear that she was going to get trampled or hurt. The Tori stage rush just isn't that aggressive. Personally the stage rush isn't so much about getting closer, but about the change in energy from Tori and the crowd (but seeing Tori's facial expressions up close is also pretty cool)
Maybe my expericece is just different than most I guess. Spent a good portion of late 80's and early 90's in 'The Pit' at a lot of heavy metal concerts. Now those were the kinds of concerts people get hurt/killed at.

Anyone know for certain tori's stance on stage rushing? I have rushed and been rushed but I do worry about safety. It just seems to me, she might close with a different song every night if she wanted to avoid stage rushing. Tori-philes rushed on the last note of beekeeper during beekeeper, and now they rush on the last note of code red. It's almost like it set up perfectly. I usually have pretty decent seats, I've never been more than 23rd row and even from back there I didnt see people getting ready to rush till maybe 3 seconds before it happened. I think they are worried about getting busted if they dont do it all at once? I'm not really sure. I dont think they just rush to be close to tori. 1) Yes they could go to a m&g but honestly, how many fans do you meet at a show who you show your tori autograph to and they say how did you get to meet her? For some reason this open book is somehow an open secret. I may have told 1000 people in my life how to meet tori but still daily I tell more and still, at the 2 shows ive been to this tour she had record low numbers of people coming to meet her. 2) I believe its more of a wanting-to-see-her-face thing. Lets face it, half the show is in her facial expression and once you get back a few rows ( depending on your vision ) you really miss out on that emotion. Even so see it for 1 song I think most people would be thrilled. As for me I cant make out any facial expression at all past the 15th row or so but its in the first 5 or 6 that you get all of it. As I said I did rush once...but only cuz I didnt feel like seat-hopping ( ducks and covers )

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Devils and Gods, they are you and I.
Devils and Gods, safe and inside.

and btw tori DOES know this is coming, I noticed in beekeeper how she hauled off that stage lol. and chills I believe the venues do know this will happen. She really should consider using different songs to close that set

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Devils and Gods, they are you and I.
Devils and Gods, safe and inside.

Well said and true Kalimba. I've wondered if there was a way to warn the venues in advance and ask for crowd control.

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"So now you're off, you're gonna see America.

Well, let me tell you something about America...".

There was a post on another thread that told a story of a couple fans who had their night ruined when the stage rush occurred to the point that they had to leave before the show was over. Initially I said I supported the practice and felt it was somewhat of a communal thing. But after hearing some of the horror stories, I have to side with the folks who's nights are ruined by the selfish behavior of the rushers. Not that I expect to change the world. Selfish people rarely care about other people's opinions. Security probably will continue to let it happen until we have a Who or Pearl Jam experience where people are physically hurt or killed! Too bad we can't understand that mental hurt can be just as damaging.

melorocker: It was actually 3 songs. But who's counting?

I went to both shows in NYC. Oddly enough, I noticed that most of the Friday night stage rushers came from the very front section (whereas they came from behind me Thursday night). They just ran out of their seats & filled the front of the stage area. So much for saying that people who rush the stage have crappy seats & just want a better view. (Also, they didn't wait until the end of "Code Red" on Friday. Looks like a couple people anxiously jumped the gun early... then it was monkey see, monkey do, of course.)

Poor Tori! Imagine how she feels when random, screaming people come up to rush the stage. I am not exactly sure this is something she appreciates actually. I actually worked a venue where she performed and we were told, that she is terrified of these kind of things. So when doing this, please consider how the artist must feel. Stage Rushing is really a selfish act!.

Melorocker...Let's take care of each other out there. We all love Tori Amos, it follows to reason that we should love each other. Peace...

look i listen to hard rock music and moshing and bum rush happens alot. i'm used to it , i welcome it. i do prefer tori amos to play an open floor concert ,meaning no seats. you get to express yourself more freely than on a seat. i know tori will quiet a room with her music but still i would stand than be seated i was at both shows in m.s.g. and was taken by surprise with the bumrush job so you know what i did the next day i join them and had a great time and for those who had a seat upfront you were only bothered for two songs. knowing that it is the end of the show you should all just stood up and enjoy and cheer the last few licks from tori. if you notice there was more energy on the floor when everybody stood and went upfront i love that.
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SHE'S MY COCAINE...HE DID IT RIGHT QUICKLY A MERCIFUL MAN...
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I've got tickets to the Austin show and was mortified to find out that it was general admission only. I have ruptured discs in my back (a lingering legacy from my service days). There is no way I could stand through an entire show. We called ahead to the venue and found out that they would provide us with 'handicapped' seating. I would do anything to see Ms. Amos perform once. Even if I'm a broke up woman for a week or so afterwards. I hope the fans don't do the stage rush thing. The last thing I or anyone for that matter needs is to be hurt by over zealous fans. Peace...

I have anxiety and I have been off the medication I take it for a week due to some insurance issues. When I was at the Tower Theater concert last night and they were herding us into the lobby before we could get out seats, I was very near to having an attack. Large groups of people all moving in different direction FREAK ME OUT! That having been said, I think the stage rush is awesome! Even cooler is security allowing it. The stage rushes didn't happen when I saw her twice on the Scarlet's Walk tour. I saw those who tried to walk down the rows to the stage get ejected. The energy and enthusiam of the crowd is part of the fun. I had pretty good seat and I feel lucky and thankful for them.
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"Quickest girl in the frying pan."

I think it is easy to get starstruck when you admire someone's work, I know I've suddenly unexpectedly become tongue-tied when meeting visual artists I looked up to. But again, it doesn't really excuse rudeness.
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"So now you're off, you're gonna see America.

Well, let me tell you something about America...".

I think the stage rush is stupid as hell.

A bunch of grown men and women completely star struck. I guess they want so badly to be able to touch Tori's hand as she does her usual exit.

Just wait for a meet and greet and give her a hug like I did.

Thanks to those of you who chimed in and aren't fans of them either. For a second there I was starting to look like a monster with a stone for a heart. I agree with the assessments too. It is rude to Tori (as are the jerks who feel compelled to scream things like requests every time she stops playing and is trying to talk to the crowd), and it is inconsiderate to the people who did get good seats. I have been the girl in the balcony with binoculars, so I understand the urge. I also understand the urge to mow through the people in the interminable line at Starbucks and don't do that either. Those people look forward to the show too. They don't deserve to have that taken away from them.

Okay. That is the end of my self righteous rant. I don't have them often, but this is a sore spot for me, so I hope you'll indulge me this one.

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I'll be in te 7th row when I see her, so i'm going to try to be part of the rush, I think its fun!

Stage Rush's have happened at every concert I've ever been to....
Not that I like it, but that their seems to have become a time when it is appropriate is actually better in the long run, then Say my front row experience in Boca Raton, Florida Scarlet Era, when security couldn't seem to clear the people out and I had 40 people standing in front of me the entire show.
Tori still sounded great but just seeing her form that stand point was about impossible. I would much prefer to have those who feel the need to try and touch her do so for 3 or for songs, instead of the whole show any day. I know it doesn't change the heart in your throat panic mode as the mass rushes towards you effect. But at least their is some semblance respect for those who are actually in those seats.
What would be nice is if all those people who needed to be close to Tori would just think about others a little more and govern themselves accordingly. Theirs op's for closeness at meet and greets. If its all about the set list. Theirs only one.. Its a piece of paper, and people shouldn't be scared S***less because you need that piece of paper.

Wish the world was a little less selfish. It is what it is I suppose.
Any who my 2 cents on that
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Our treasure lies in the beehive of our knowledge. We are perpetually on the way thither, being by nature winged insects and honey gatherers of the mind". -Friedrich Nietzsche

I was seated on an isle and noticed when fans would try to get closer and hang out ,the ushers would say something ,so they turned around.Until the last 20 minutes of the show when the stage was rushed. The same thing happened on the last tour, and I think the one before that. I see your point ,but truthfully I was (and always have been) bothered by the almost constant squealing & shouting of " fans" during her perfomances.In my opinion it shows a lack of respect to Tori, and others, not to mention this is NYC,So they at least should try and show some sophistcation and wait until the last chord is struck and then express your gratitude!!!! Sorry to rant, as always the show was EXCELLENT!!!

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litha

Well my heart is cold & black. I'm anything but "generous."

Just kidding.

I don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon. And I don't mean to come off as snotty, complaining about the stage rush as I sit in my great seats-- I’ve paid my dues! As I mentioned, I had front row at one of the Summer of Sin shows... but at my previous Tori show, I was sitting in the back corner of the venue: highest section, last row, last seat, etc!

So I know what it's like to have crappy seats & want a closer glimpse of Tori. But I'd attend a meet & greet before I rush the stage. The stage rushes have gotten silly. I've heard people talking about how they plan for them. And come to think of it, when I had my front row seats last tour, I think I noticed people over my shoulder, crouched down & lining the aisle. They were there for a while (I didn't know they were to going to charge a short while later!) And after witnessing the rush last night, I'm surprised no one got trampled! People were pushing each other to get up close. Just to be close(r) to Tori & hope that she anonymously waves at you or something.

It's not the act of rushing itself that bugs me so much as it is the pre-planning & the positioning & the crouching & the dashing & the shoving. I want people to have fun. I don't blame them for wanting to get up close. But what I'm saying is, this rushing thing has taken on a life of its own. And at the last few shows I've been to (where I noticed the rushing) I've overheard people commiserating about the rush: getting separated from friends, not getting as close as they want to, etc. They sounded bitter & entitled or something.

It's all fun & games until one of these diehard crazies gets trampled
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Tough call. I have had really good seats and had it happen around me. It did not upset me. But I have never done it either. My thoughts were that it was kind of a communal thing for her fans. And it did let some of the most rabid fans, who know about it, get a close glimpse of Tori that they wouldn't normally get. I guess I'm saying the the positives outweigh the negatives if you expect it and don't let it bug you. But I have a generous heart.

I don't know if I was livid so much as somewhat embarrassed for those people! But yeah, it was annoying & we weren't exactly thrilled.

It depends on the venue. I've heard of it happening, but never seen it. I did notice during the 'Summer of Sin' show at the Booth Amphitheater (Cary NC), security suddenly seemed to double just before the encore. And I did see them redirect some people who seemed to have that in mind. If I were you, I'd be livid. Yeah, I have sympathy for people who got a bad seat; but am I okay with being crowded out of my view because of that? Hell no.

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