Following the release of her 10th studio album candidly titled Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Tori Amos hit the ground running this year with a worldwide tour stopping in the U.S, Europe, and ending in Australia.
It’s been a few years since Ms Amos has been down under, and this time around she decided to strip down her live show, leaving the band behind and gracing the stage alone with only her piano, synths and Hammond by her side.
The first of a two night run at the sold out Regent Theatre was the opening date on this leg of the tour. Fans eagerly filed into their seats just before show time, wondering what the mysterious and sinful Tori had up her sleeves for the evening.
Opening the show was Sydney’s uber-cool funk/soul guitarist Ray Mann, who also stripped down from his usual outfit “The Ray Mann Three,” performing a solo set for the evening. Focusing on songs from his latest release Three, Ray added a hip-hop element mixed with jazz and blues, showing that Tori isn’t the only one who can grace the stage alone. Ray’s sounds added a calming, intimidate element to the evening as audience members prepared for Tori’s set.
A brief intermission saw everyone scrambling through the exquisitely designed Regent, and soon enough, the massive golden chandelier above everyone’s head was faded to a slight dim. Tori walked onto the stage dressed in a fabulous hot pink gown that made her signature red hair shine firey red. She bowed in the middle of the stage and took her seat at the grand piano. The crowd instantly hushed and stayed this way for the next two hours while Tori’s fingers glided gracefully along the ivory.
Starting the night off, Tori moved into the smooth epic Lady in Blue, the last track off her new album. Using the entire length of her grand piano, Tori melodically stroked the keys while singing about The Smurfs, blues ladies, and the soul.
Next up was a rare cover of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, which actually took me a few momens to pinpoint. Going along with the sinful theme, Tori masked Kurt Cobain’s voice singing, “With the lights out, it’s less dangerous. Here we are now, entertain us.” Showing that her taste and style has a wide range, Tori hit this one perfectly.
Blood Roses, Curtain Call, and China each received massive reactions from the crowd, with echoes ringing about the room as fans sang along. Tori moved between her piano and keys, and some times both at the same time. It amazes me how she stretches across the piano bench focusing on two, sometimes three separate instruments and moving between two microphones while still keeping a perfect rhythm and tone.
Like the entire theme of her songs and sounds, she moves with style and poise. Only a minor slip-up during a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne, showed that Tori does have imperfections as she forgot the lyrics and joked “stay with me, I can’t see my cheat sheet,” and then added, “this is how you know I’m really singing!” referring to Britney’s recent lip syncing.
As Tori’s personalities and tone shifted from her girlish coo to a rough husky alter ego, she focused mainly on her works from the recent few years. It was unfortunate to not hear any of her big “hits” from Choirgirl Hotel and Venus, as the mumbling punters seemed to discuss once the show ended. But with enough songs on her list and years of touring, Tori seems to have reached a peak in her performance, proving that there’s more to her songwriting career than Cornflake Girl and Crucify.
The latter part of the performance was part of her signature “Lizard Lounge” set, which is usually her ‘alone time’ with the audience as the band leaves the stage. She stayed steady on the grand piano through melodic performances including A Silent Night With You, Scarlet’s Walk, Virginia and Ophelia, which brought a few sniffles through the crowd.
Once the Lizard Lounge portion was finished, Tori bowed quickly and ran off the stage. Whistles and howls brought the red headed vixen out for more, as she encored with Sister Janet and Twinkle.
With the ability to capture an audience for two full hours, Tori’s flawless voice peaked and valleyed through her poetic lyrics and heartfelt personal confessions of sin, power, and sadness. Mixing a splash of emotion and a strong steady flow and range of melodies and sounds, Tori’s sinful personalities shone from the stage this evening. My only hope is that she brings her full band with her next time to capture a bigger sound that reflects her true potential.
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