News: Syracuse Post Standard Concert Review (October 14, 2007)

Mark Bialczak, who wrote a nice piece for the Syracuse Post Standard leading up to last night’s concert at the Landmark, also reviewed the show for the same paper (though he is unclear about which doll kicked off the evening; hopefully that’s due to an editorial snafu rather than a dinner that ran extra long!)

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Tori Amos review

Sunday, October 14, 2007
By Mark Bialczak
Staff writer

Much has been made of the distinct personalities Tori Amos shaped for her new CD “American Doll Posse.” Amos took her gang of four from her mind to the stage of the Landmark Theatre on Saturday night.

From the moment the singer-songwriter-pianist ambled out front of the crowd of 1,700 or so fans, the guessing game began. With the long red wig, would she start as the rambunctious character Pip? Or could it be Santa, Clyde or Isabel? Maybe Tori herself?

The fans were into it. Their ages ranged from somewhere in the 40s, like Amos, to a couple of generations below. In fact, it looked as if a fair number of women brought their teen or ‘tween daughters to share the experience that is an Amos concert.

They got what they wanted. Whether it was supposed to be the precocious and flamboyant Pip, unafraid to splay her legs and move to the music, or any of the other three, the whole darn thing was inarguably all Amos.

It was a noisy rock show, an artsy spectacle of light and, most importantly, a chance for Amos to show that she’s a wizard on the keyboards. Whether it be a delicate ballad or a powerful punch, Amos can flat-out play. As for her voice, she can still hit the high-as-the-sky notes, too.

From the moment she sashayed out front, placing a kerchief on the stage before sitting at the piano stool, the lights were dancing. At times, the strobes were distracting, at best, and nauseating to those prone to motion sickness, at worst.

The lyrics to “Bouncing Off Clouds” from “American Doll Posse” further pulled the crowd under the singer’s spell.

“Make it easy, make this easy. It’s not as heavy as it seems,” she sang. “Wrapped in metal, wrapped in ivy. Paint it in mint ice cream.”

Yes, an Amos concert is an acquired taste, much like that flavor of ice cream. The crowd seemed to be mostly true believers, so they lapped it up, eccentricities and all.

After a costume change following the first half-dozen songs, Amos came up in a much more energetic demeanor. The fans loved “Big Wheel,” too, as she sang, “You think I am your possession, but you’re messing with a Southern girl.”

Amos delivered a saucy line, and the crowd answered back, “Don’t you forget.”

Soon enough, the singer even took a moment to talk.

“So, it’s homecoming here, huh,” she said, referencing Syracuse University’s big weekend event. “So, I don’t want you to feel like you missed out on anything, like a homecoming dance. I want you to know you’re with a former homecoming queen!”

Opener Yoav warmed up the crowd with a quite interesting mix of acoustic guitar and vocals. He used the guitar as an instrument of percussion at least as much for its strings, banging on the body to keep a deadly beat. He also hummed into the hole and caught the sound on a loop to repeat through a song.

“Most of you haven’t heard of me because I’m new. Brand-new,” Yoav told the crowd.

His MySpace profile lists Cape Town, London, Montreal and United Kingdom under “hometown,” and a long list of influences that include Timbaland for the beats and Bob Dylan for the words.

For now, we’ll call Yoav’s silky yet trippy sound folk-hop.