Tori Amos at the Backyard.

Tori Amos played perhaps one of the most amazing shows of my life tonight at the Backyard. Beautiful Texas summer air, a clear sky and a breeze, the live oaks behind the stage and the lights and the incredible, beautiful sound. It's amazing, that a mortal body of flesh and blood can produce such sound, such art. It makes me believe in those things the men in that garret are singing about in the beginning of Moulin Rouge and in the dreams of my friends who are conquering the world for their art.

She played things from every album, including the cover of Rattlesnakes that made Melynda and I cry. Right afterwards it was Everybody Else's Girl, and I have never felt so free listening to that in my life. Songs from Boys for Pele and the Choirgirl Hotel, two albums I listened to constantly at pivotal years of my life. Tori sang Sugar as well, one of her best songs ever in my mind. She loves Austin, and when she sings Black Dove she wails out the lines about getting to Texas, and the roar of the audience is incredible. One gets the feeling she would play so well if it were only ten people or ten thousand.

We had the most perfect seats ever, maybe 15 feet away from her. So close I got see the writing on her hand, the ribbons braided into her hair, the rings on her fingers catching the light. She reminded me of Stevie Nicks, in blue jeans and a black tunic with these light fall away sleeves. And the way she moves, so at home in herself and so incredibly beautiful.

Damn, it was good. So incredibly, wonderfully good. I have no words to do it justice really, despite all this rambling. Two and a half hours of magic.

Managed to burn the inside of the arch of my foot. Because putting my cigarette out by dropping it in my sandal was a good idea, right. That's what happens when you drink whiskey on an empty stomach before a show you have been dreaming of for a month.

Home now, eating pepperoni pizza and talking to my lovely friends. All is right with the world.

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It registered that the sirens were louder than usual, but I didn't realize they were right outside until the ambulance was pulling away. My neighbors are standing on the stairs, crying, and I'm afraid to ask what happened. But they are arresting the guy who used to live next to us. The very same one who was involved in the nasty domestic violence incident earlier in the week. He's got cuts all over, and the police man was talking about a knife when I walked past with my head down to get back into the house. He was running, I think, when they caught him.

This family has three children, all under the age of six or seven. I wonder where they are.