TORIEEIEE (and feeding the ducks).

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Yesterday was great - I had such a good time. I went around town in the morning for a while, asked in a few job agencies about temporary work. They all said I needed office experience, as some of the placements are only a few days, so they don't have time to train me up. I then went to the Co-Op bank (where Dann's Mum works) to ask about getting some volunteer work, to give me office experience. I had to open account, but that was pretty simple, and I've got to go in at 10am on Monday to start. I'm looking forward to it, even if it's not paid at least it'll hopefully help me get some more work in the future.

I then walked down to the train station, got a ticket into London. I'd originally planned on meeting Greg at 4, but I texted him when I got to the station at about 12.15, as I had finished up in town earlier than expected. He asked me to meet him at Camden, as it was easier and inbetween High Barnet (where he lives) and Liverpool Street Station (where my train terminates), and he arrived at about 1.30. I got there about half hour early, and it was very odd to have tourists staring at my tights (I was wearing flourescent green fishnets) and people looking at me, then looking at my legs, then looking confused at me again. Hmm. Anyway, we wandered around in Camden for a bit, went for a drink in the Wetherspoons there, then went to a pond in Archway on the outskirts of London where Greg used to live, bought some bread, and fed ducks. It was really fun, except all the time we were being surrounded by pigeons and crows eager for crumbs, which was a bit intimidating as there were so many of them. We sat outside a cafe for a bit on a bench (it was actually quite a nice day, quite hot) and chatted for a bit (and Greg wanted to look at my shoes). Then went over to a different part of the park onto some wooden planks over a different pond, and fed more ducks. There wasn't as many as on the other, and they took a while to come over (it was quite a big pond), and later some baby geese came over. They were so cute, still yellow and fluffy. We fed them by hand, they were really brave. Greg did quite a few times, but I wasn't really very good at it, as they tugged really hard for baby ones and I kept dropping it when they tugged on it! But I did once as Greg grabbed my hand so I didn't let go of it, and it was so cool! Aww!

After the bread was finished our tummy's started to rumble, and so we went to a kebab shop in Camden Town (it was on our way back to the venue anyway), and while we ate it chucked it down with rain. It was a bit scary - thunder and lightning and everything. Lightning sounds different in London, it echoes around all the buildings. Very odd. Ralph had lost the tickets the night before (he put them in a safe place and then forgot what the safe place was :D), and as the person who bought the tickets had to collect the duplicates from the box office, he came all the way down on the train to the venue, just to go all the way back. Aww! We met him in the shopping centre that the Hammersmith train station connects to, and then walked over to the venue - I realised I'd been there before, although for what I can't remember, although I know it was with Dann. Evanescense or Nightwish, maybe? Anyway, Ralph got the tickets, but as we went through the door we were told they weren't scanning correctly, so we had to call Ralph and ask him to come back, go back to the Box Office, and fix it. Awww. I bought a t-shirt (£20 though!), and although I wanted a program, I didn't want to spend £10 on one. The prices were pretty expensive. I should've just bought a poster, or something.

We found our seats in the middle of Tom McCrae's set, he was actually not that bad. Quite relaxing. Spent most of the time until Tori came on at 8.15 fighting over the arm rest and elbowing each other - Greg was on the end, and so was trying to use mine as well. So rude :p Eventually we compromised and he lent on my arm, but I was still unimpressed. You're only supposed to get one! And the guy next to me used all of my arm rest, although the chairs were in pairs so there were two on my right, he used both, and I was too polite to ask him to give me my half back.

The setlist:

Original Sinsuality
Blood Roses
Leather
Sweet The Sting
Cloud On My Tongue
Jamaica Inn
Cool On Your Island

Tori's Piano Bar:
Hoover Factory (Elvis Costello cover)
Millworker (James Taylor cover)

Barons Of Suburbia
Sister Janet
Marianne
Spring Haze
The Beekeeper

1st Encore:
The Power Of Orange Knickers
Putting The Damage On

2nd Encore:
Amber Waves
Silent All These Years

She was amazing - I immediately got sucked in. We had really good seats, in the circle (ground floor, basically) and quite close to the front. She sang some of my favourite songs (Putting the Damage On, Spring Haze, Cloud on my Tongue) and Blood Roses (another favourite) sounded so different on the organ! And watching her play both the piano and the organ at the same time was amazing! Although it did make me giggle a bit when she was trying to hold a note, and switching from the piano back onto the organ or vice versa, and had to switch microphones inbetween - that probably could've been better planned, as it happened a few times. Cool on Your Island was weird, it was so odd not hearing the cheesy 80s drums in the background. I got so sucked in - she was on stage for over 2 hours, but it really didn't feel like it. I was disappointed when she started playing the opening chords for The Beekeeper, as I knew that was the end of the set (she's started each show with Original Sinsuality and ended it with The Beekeeper, so it was pretty obvious), it hadn't felt like 2hrs at all. I didn't know either of the covers, and so started to zone out a bit (I'm a bad fan), because they seemed to sound similar and were quite slow, and I'm sure the second had some of the same lyrics as the first. Hmm. Anyways, it was awesome, and something I've been waiting for 3yrs to see! I miss the harpsichord though. I hope she makes up with it sometime soon, because that I would have loved to see. It also made both of us laugh when some random guy said "I LOVE YOU!" in the middle of her talking to the audience. Hahaha. She said "love you too" back, I bet he takes her seriously. I'm sure they'll be a post on the Internet soon saying "OMG TORI <3s ME!"

We managed to get back to the train station pretty easily, had a burger (if anyone asks, I had a chicken burger, not a double cheeseburger! I'm also a bad vegetarian), and then got the tube to Liverpool Street so I could get home. I got on the 11.30 train back, I was actually secretly disappointed because I wanted to spend more time with Greg as opposed to alone and falling asleep on the train (I was pretty sleepy by then, I got up at 7). We had a good laugh together though, even if most of the time was spent with him picking on me because I kept making fun of his shoes (they sounded like stilletos, haha). He's tall (about 6ft) so my argument is, I was at a disadvantage from the start - he kept grabbing the back of my neck whenever I'd go to elbow/poke him and keep me at arms length so I couldn't. Plus he's stronger than I am, and could just hold both my hands with one hand. I feel so weak and inadequate.

My Dad arrived to get me from the train station just as I came out, which was really good timing, at about 12.15. I got in and almost went straight to bed, I was so worn out.