It’s hard to complain much about a concert when the feature of it is Tori Amos. Her amazing talent and sexy style combine to make for quite an evening.
The 9:30 Club show April 22, was a no-advance-tickets event with opener David Poe. It was sold out to a diverse crowd of avid Amos fans who began lining up hours before tickets were released. What some would have expected to be a night of women worshipping a fellow woman, was arguably the opposite. Men packed the little club and sang along with her popular, and obscure, songs.
Playing both a grand piano and a keyboard – occasionally both at the same time – Amos wowed the crowd with compositions old and new. “Spark,” a new song on the soon-to-be-released From the Choirgirl Hotel (Atlantic Records), had its premiere on MTV only hours before she played it for an excited D.C. crowd.
Amos went through classical music studies, revolted and played punk before settling into a style all her own. She played piano in D.C. bars before she hit it big. Talented vocally, as well as on keyboards, Amos has been able to find a niche in the music world – one where women’s abilities are showcased.
Her fiery red hair caught the light as she strode out on stage to join her full band, with which she doesn’t travel normally. The crowd chanted “Tori! Tori! Tori!” and waited for her to begin her set.
After an hour-long set and two encores, the crowd still wanted more. She played new songs like “Spark” and “Jackie Strengths” along with old ones like “Waitress.” Even though she had to remain sitting to play her instruments, she still managed to entertain and tease the crowd. Her comments, though few, helped carry her messages of hope, love and equality.
The lighting was unusually good for the 9:30 Club, and the crowd was less rough. Really, the only negative about this concert was the drummer. Percussion is supposed to be a bit more noticeable in concert, but this was a little distracting. Even Amos’ new music, which has a heavier beat, didn’t benefit from enhancing the drums.
Any fan of music could appreciate something about Amos. She has a real beauty and talent that is difficult to dispute. And in concert it’s hard not to clap and yell about it.
