Concert Review...

Tori Amos

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
March 3rd 1996

I have been asked to provide this review of one of Tori's recent
British performances.  How I am expected to capture Tori live in just a
few written words I do not know, but here goes anyway!

Firstly the important things...What was she wearing??? Well she was
dressed typically Tori, battered blue jeans, battered blue pumps, a
tight black top with no arms, and her hair was tied back at the back,
with her fringe dangling over her gorgeous eyes! Hypnotic. This woman
could wear a coal sack and look sexy!

She walked on and waved, put her bottle of Evian water next to the
piano and launched straight into Beauty Queen / Horses. But I think
first we need a little mention of the stage set...

She had 2 instruments for her use on the stage. Her trusty Bosendorfer
grand piano, and a very old looking harpsicord. Plenty of microphones,
and amps of course. Also there was a stool placed at the front of the
stage, next to which were 3 guitars. 2 electric, (one a black fender
strat) and an acoustic. These were used by a guy she called Caton,
(Steve Caton I believe, who played on her new album) she said he was
touring with her and he played on a couple of tracks. More about him
later!

The stage was backed by a huge rectangular screen, onto which were
played video images to complement the music. For instance during Red
Baron, there were black and white film footage of WW1 / WW2 bi-planes.
The combination of the music and what Tori saw as appropriate visual
images was astoundingly effective.

Also for the first song there was a large curtain strung across the
stage, which was covered in small blue lights, it looked like a night
sky and was simply stunning. The this was drawn back and the video
screen took aver the visuals...Ok, enough interior decoration, back to
the music!

She started with Beauty Queen / Horses, which was album perfect, and
set everything in motion.  She then went on and did Icicle, which was
simply stunning. She didn't change it much, except for the intro, and
of course the way she likes to sustain those long notes, and look me
straight in the eye as she does it. But anyone who has seen her live
will know that listening to her sing live, and listening to her CDs
are two totally different experiences!

She didn't say much to the audience; after about 5 songs she stopped
and turned to the crowd, and said, "I'm not talking much, 'cause like
you are British people (laughs as if to say - but you knew that already
didn't you) and like, British people are really good at humour, and I'm
not good at it, so I'd know that you'd know if I sucked, so I'll just
keep my mouth shut. I'm just going to sing. But if I think of anything,
you know, I'll let you know. I'll keep you posted."

She did stop before she sung Red Baron, and tell us a little about
where that came from.

She said that her Grandfather, who she calls Papa, used to take her
down to see the War planes take off when she was small. She said that
he was so much older, that when she was a little tike he was about 80,
and she said that he was her "favourite person, like forever." He used
to take her to watch the planes, and say to her, in Tori's words...
"He'd say, 'I wanna tell ya somthin' babe.' and I'd say, 'Yes Papa',
and he'd say, 'If any o' them boys get fresh with you, you knock the
far outta 'em.'"

She played Blood Roses, and it was note for note perfect on the
harpsicord, and Caton joined her on Space Dog, and a couple of other
things, playing some flanging guitar notes...He didn't really
contribute much to the music, I guess he was just bored and Tori said,
hey come with me to Britain it'll be a blast!

She sang most of the songs from Boys for Pele, and quite a few from
Little Earthquakes, but not very many from Under The Pink... Fans of
God and Past the Mission, would have been dissapointed! But to hear her
come to the front of the stage and sing Me and a Gun was something I
will never forget!  She made me feel guilty, I almost stood up and
shouted sorry! There wasn't a sound and Tori was almost in tears. So
much emotion.

She plays each song, whether slow and balladic like Baker Baker, or a
little more passionate like China, with equal sincerity, and when the
tempo rises so does she. Those who have seen Tori live will know what I
mean. She doesn't move in time to the beat, the music flows in time to
her movements.

One thing that is worth a special mention was her performance of Hey
Jupiter. As she came on to stage for her last of three encores, she
told us that she was going to introduce us to a new friend, who was
very old and like to come out and join the party before it all ended.
(She refers to all her instruments as "she.") She told us all to wave
goodbye to the harpsicord, waving and saying she's going away now, and
onto the stage was wheeled a small but very ancient looking organ. The
instrument was a below pumped organ, perhaps of the type used in
cinemas in the 30's. Tori began pumping the foot pumps and playing and
sung Hey Jupiter with just this minimal backing. It sounded fabulous
and seeing her pumping the organ like that certainly added to the
performance!

She didn't leave us without a growl either, These Precious Things.
Screaming and growling her way through the song, moving her hands
slowly up and down the inside of her thighs. Lad's, you just had to be
there!

Tori is a sensation live. You haven't heard her music until you have
heard her sing in front of you.  There are certain things that are
clear from being at the concert. Firstly that she REALLY enjoys what
she does, she is singing as much for herself as for anyone in the
audience.  Secondly that one of the reasons why her songs are so
captivating, is that it is obvious when you see her perform her music
live that she means every word that she says. Every word, and every
note comes straight from her heart, and this is never more apparent
than when she is singing eight feet from where you are sat.

Also I believe that Tori has a special gift, and it is arguably the
most important gift that she has. In a concert hall, full of a couple
of thousand people she sits in front of them all and sings about her
life.  As she sings, everyone listens, and every single person in the
room believes that they are the only one there that understands what
she is trying to say. Everyone there feels that she is singing just to
them.  A person who can do that to so many people at once has to have
some kind of magic!

So all that is really left to say is, hurry up and release another
album Tori, so I can come and see you again!

Dayle 'Jess' James

March 1996

hd2jamd@doc.ntu.ac.uk