The concert footage, culled from the last show in the 2002-2003 Scarlet's Walk tour, represents Amos at her straightforward and ungrandiose best. Unlike some of the earlier such footage the artist has made available, Amos's vocals here are well recorded, high notes are reached with apparent effortlessness, the songs closely resemble the studio originals, and, above all, Amos appears happy, comfortable, and fully in command of the wide range of her talents.

The real importance of the collection, however, is found not on the DVD but on Scarlet's Hidden Treasures; three of the songs-'Seaside,' 'Tombigbee,' and 'Indian Summer'-were made available on the internet after the release of Scarlet's Walk (2002), but 'Ruby Through The Looking - Glass,' 'Bug A Martini,' and 'Apollo's Frock' are entirely new. With the exception of the likable, jazz - based "Bug A Martini," these songs represent Amos at the very height of her creative power. The meditative, somnolent 'Indian Summer' approaches the beauty of 'Cooling,' while the deceptively simplistic 'Seaside,' a fantasia on war that may or may not reference the attack on Pearl Harbor, has the restrained emotional fatalism of 'Playboy Mommy.' Wars both personal and collective underpin these songs thematically.

In the Seventies, songwriters Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon mapped out the battleground in the war between the sexes from positions of fairness, self - assurance, and personal power. In many ways, however, Amos's spiritual and lyrical antecedent is really the perpetually combative, confrontational, and caustic Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, as a study of Amos' hostility-laden song catalogue attests. Like Hynde, Amos's themes largely reflect emotional and spiritual crisis, chronic dissatisfaction with the state of the world, the victimization of the weak by the powerful, personal disillusionment, and the general failure of communication; like Hynde, Amos often responds with straightforward, finger - pointing accusations of blame, open sarcasm, and abrasive mockery.

But Amos is a more openly feminist and women - centered artist than Hynde, something readily apparent throughout the songs on Scarlet's Hidden Treasures. 'Ruby Through The Looking - Glass' describes the emotional and perhaps physical battles between a man and a pregnant woman; the vulnerable unborn child is, not surprisingly, referred to as "she." The children killed while playing innocently by the ocean in 'Seaside' are "girls dancing." 'Apollo's Frock,' which lyrically resembles the early Imagist poetry of Hilda Doolittle, may be Amos's most overt feminist statement yet; lofty Apollo, and men generally, are reminded that "Apollo, your frock...was always as beautiful as your sister's that your light shined on." The rousing, combustible 'Tombigbee' finds Amos hoping to be cleansed by the river after a volatile romantic encounter, and 'Indian Summer,' which begins with an image of "girls in the attic," finds Amos advocating for "another way" of life in the West and addressing President Bush with unusual subtly.

Amos's women - centered perspective begs the same question that matriarchal - based sects of Wicca do; are imbalances corrected or resolved by replacing a patriarchal worldview with a matriarchal viewpoint? At times, Amos seems at least metaphorically Wiccan in her emotional, spiritual, and political perspective. Her own combative feelings and attitudes seem to provide her with little insight into the identical hostilities she so opposes in others.

Longtime listeners who have missed the piano - dominated songwriting of Under The Pink (1994) and portions of Boys For Pele (1996) will be thrilled with Welcome To Sunny Florida and specifically with Scarlet's Hidden Treasures; 'Ruby Through The Looking Glass,' 'Seaside,' 'Apollo's Frock,' and 'Indian Summer' reveal the "girl at her piano" at her very best, and collectively are leagues beyond the material on From The Choirgirl Hotel (1998) and most of To Venus And Back's studio disc (1999).


An Evening with a Goddess   November 7, 2004
CreepyT (Colorado, United States)
17 out of 20 found this review helpful

Let me begin by saying that I've been a complete Toriphile for years and truly feel as though she can do no wrong! That said, I love this DVD. However, even I must admit that it is not without its errors and pitfalls.

One of the downsides to this DVD includes the annoying edits on Professional Widow. I really don't understand why the editor felt the need to cut out certain words during the performance, yet leave them in for the interview. Furthermore, there is a clear shot of Tori flipping the middle finger to the crowd. Why leave that in but cut out the vocalization of the swear words? In addition, I felt that the interview was a little short. I would have liked to have heard more about what Tori had to say regarding her music and her touring experiences. The edits between shots can be poor at times as well. During many a song, the shots are out of focus or jump from one viewpoint to the next without any transition. Nonetheless, these minor annoyances are not enough, in my opinion, to degrade this DVD to any less than five stars.

The interview with Tori, though short, is great. It's a more personal experience than merely listening to her music. I also love the interview with Tori's mom. It's a little sneak peak into Tori's childhood, and the start of her career. Her improvisational transitions are excellent, and different for every show. Indeed, as Tori herself states, each song and performance are fluid entities that can take on a new shape and form, and grow as inspiration changes. No song in this live performance is quite the same as its studio version, nor is it quite the same as any other live performance. This DVD does a great job of capturing just one of Tori's amazing "fairytale" experiences on the stage. Though I still highly recommend attending her show live, this is a great way to bring the experience into the comfort of your living room (and for a cheaper price than her concerts as well!).

The included six song CD, "Scarlet's Hidden Treasures," songs cut from the Scarlet's Walk CD, is also incredible. I especially love Seaside, Bug a Martini, Apollo's Frock, and Tombigbee (also included in the live footage). These songs, to be sure, will be coveted by those who run out to collect every EP and B-side Tori puts out, and can be seen as a standalone reason to pick up this DVD.

I was lucky enough to have seen her while she was on this Scarlet's Walk/Lottapianos tour, and this DVD serves as a way to relive the amazing and nostalgic experience (even if the set list was somewhat different). However, one doesn't need to have seen her perform live, on this tour or ever for that matter, in order to appreciate the DVD & CD set. This is a must for the diehard Tori fan, and a fun and enticing addition for the casual listener as well.

In addition to Welcome to Sunny Florida, pick up her new CD The Beekeeper, as well as her book Piece by Piece!


Disappointing   April 7, 2005
I. Shock (Israel)
16 out of 19 found this review helpful

Tori's performance is very good, HOWEVER the video and sound quality are awful. The camera work looks like it's a work of amateurs. This really damages the overall experience and that's a shame. Only for hardcore Tori fans.


Doesn't capture the experience   November 27, 2004
M. Daneker (Spinnerstown, Pa USA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

I've seen Tori live, 8 days after 9/11 in Philadelphia, just 50 miles from NY, it was the single, most mesmerizing concert I've ever been too. Tori is an amazing composer, vocalist, lyricist, performer and musician, so why does this DVD just not quite get it?

The camera never strays from the source for one. Tori is a beautiful woman, a sensual woman, an intelligent and brilliant woman, but 80mins of close ups do not come close to a live experience. This is not a high-res or high-def film either and often when you see Tori, even on those rare moments when the camera pulls back, you see nothing else. It's very claustrophobic. The blacks all blend and the reds pop out at you and the rest of the colors are just a blur. The other musicians don't exist and neither does the crowd. We never see the stage or the auditorium, we never feel like we're there.

Then there's Tori. I want to get her a bottle of Hot Oil treatment and some Pro-V conditioner after viewing this. Really, her hair looks fried, wirery and out of control. Add to that, someone put so much make-up on her that for the first few songs she looks like she just got a botox injection. She's so stiff and expressionless through the first song she seems like she's not sure where or why she's there.

About halfway through she starts to wake up, starting the show with the slow-tempo'd Sort of Fairytale just wasn't a good idea.

Then her make-up "artist" comes out and I just wish she'd wipe the garbage off her face, instead she pats her down and puts on more.

Concert films work best when treated like documentaries, this new DVD trend of slick, close-up, 90 min music video style editing ruins the experience.

Tori: 5 stars

DVD: 1 star



Must have DVD for the Tori fan!   June 9, 2004
Paul Bishop (Doylestown, PA USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Wow! That's all I can say after viewing Welcome to Sunny Florida. I've never seen Tori live (wish I had) and this helps ease the anxiety of not doing so. All the excitement, passion, sensuality, spontaneity, and musical genius of the Tori live experience are displayed right here. Backed by bassist Jon Evans and drummer Matt Chamberlain, Tori Amos is truly in a league of her own. You can clearly pinpoint her musical influences (ie. Kate Bush, Led Zep, etc.), but there's none of that hippie-chick/Lilith Fair/Sarah McLachlan ennui going on here. Tori's music is timeless. Included are explosive versions of "Crucify", "Take to the Sky" (my personal favorite), and "Precious Things". At the same time, she brings things down a bit with spontaneous jazzy interludes, including one little ditty she plays while her make-up lady fixes her up on stage. The semi-new "Your Cloud" and old favorites like "Leather" and "Bells for Her" are absolutely gorgeous. The encore is almost a show-killer as "Hey Jupiter" almost sucks the energy out of West Palm Beach, but that's not the real concern here. The real concern is "Professional Widow", which for some reason or another has all the profanity edited out. BAD MOVE. It changes the song ever so slightly and ruins it for the DVD viewer. Absolute buzz-kill. What's worse is that, they don't bleep out Tori when she chats with the audience during the show or during the interview on the DVD bonus extras. I don't get it.
Nevertheless, I still give this tremendous DVD 4 stars, only because of that "PW" editing. Good music, good visual, interesting interviews, and bonus disc with Scarlet's Hidden Treasures makes this an excellent DVD to own. Go out and get it if you haven't already!