News: On Milwaukee Concert Review (November 4, 2007)

This review of the November 3rd show at The Riverside Theatre appeared in the November 4th edition of OnMilwaukee. Thanks to mkemoxy for the link!

Amos Satiates Fans Desire Saturday

By OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writers
Published Nov. 4, 2007 at 8:13 a.m.

Tori Amos brought her fans a much-needed experience Saturday at the Riverside Theater. Amos, who hasn’t been to Milwaukee since the 2002 Scarlet’s Walk tour, whet the appetites of her loyal fan base with a medley of songs pulling from almost every record she has produced.

Currently on her American Doll Posse tour, Amos did not disappoint, commanding the piano and bending her voice to make even unfamiliar songs seem familiar. Her theatrical interpretation of her songs drew the crowd in, who for many, seemed as though they had arrived at Mecca.

Amos opened with Bouncing Off Clouds from the American Doll Posse release as Clyde, one of her performance personas. Accompanied by Matt Chamberlin on drums, Jon Evans on bass and Dan Phelps on guitar, Amos’ plugged in sound played well with the crowd on both old favorites like Little Earthquakes and Professional Widow and newer material like Big Wheel and Roosterspur Bridge.

She began the concert as Clyde – her character who sees the potential in all – dressed in mile-high platform espadrilles and a flowing geometric print dress. Clyde pulled the crowd in with her theatrical hand gestures and body language. After an instrument change halfway through the performance, Amos returned as herself dressed in a full-on sequined magenta jumpsuit – an outfit only Amos could pull off and her fans reveled in.

After plugged in performances of Crucify, Cornflake Girl and Lust, the band left the stage for the T & Bö portion of the evening where Amos returned to her earlier performing roots featuring just herself and her beloved Bösendorfer piano. A commanding rendition of Winter followed along with a brief performance of Strange, which she cut within the first minute with “I f—-ed up, I f—-ed up…” and proceeded to sing a song about how badly she messed up the song and had to move on because she’d just “laugh her a-off if she had to continue singing the song.”

Amos finished the concert with Horses and Father Lucifer, returning for an encore of old-school favorites Precious Things and Tear In Your Hand. Throughout the performance, Amos worked the piano often straddling the bench in her signature style to play two keyboards at once. Her command of her music and her relationship with the crowd made for a fulfilling night at the Riverside.

If you missed the concert, Amos has set up bootlegs of the show for purchase through her Web site: http://www.toribootlegs.com/.