Marie Parker, Tori Amos fan

Marie Parker loves Tori Amos. It’s apparent from the moment you enter her apartment, which is decked with posters and memorabilia. (There’s even a piece of red licorice she snagged after a concert. It’s kept in the “Tori drawer.”)

“It started with just her music and what she was saying,” says Parker. “But then as I got more into her, it became about her. I studied piano for 11 years. [Amos] being a female artist out there, by herself, with more of a younger pop following—right there I was intrigued.”

Having attended more than 15 concerts by Amos—who tours every few years—Parker hopes to collect some more ticket stubs this summer when Amos tours in support of her upcoming album.

Typically, Parker begins saving for prime seats the moment rumors begin circulating about a tour. “It’s like a Tori calendar,” she says. “When she’s not touring, life’s kind of gray. I’m not doing much. Then I start hearing buzz, and it all starts up again!” This year, Parker and her roommate hope to catch Amos when she plays in London.

For Parker, all that time, effort and money is well spent: “I think that when Little Earthquakes came out I was kind of the same age as she was, and I had kind of gone through the same things that she had gone through,” she says. “And as each album comes out, she’s a little bit older and she’s done a little bit more, and I’m a little bit older and I’ve done a little bit more.” // CAITLIN CUTT

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