News: Manchester Evening News Concert Review (July 5, 2007)

Tom Oliver attended Tori’s show at the Manchester Apollo on July 5th and, as his review in the Manchester Evening News reveals, wasn’t too impressed.

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Tori Amos @ Apollo
Tim Oliver
6/7/2007

3 of 5 stars
05/07/07

TORI clearly likes playing Manchester. And Manchester clearly likes her.

One third of the way through her near-two-hour show before a capacity crowd the American songstress finally talked to us.

“When I was first here, many years ago, I was petrified,” she confides.

“It was the biggest place I’d ever played. I almost wet my pants.

“But now… it feels like home.”

Cue appreciative roar from the Tori faithful.

She then launches into the wrenching Crucify, off her 1992 debut album Little Earthquakes, and gets the biggest cheer of the evening so far.

Unlike the seven songs that preceeded it, this is an old favourite and mercifully has her compelling voice and beloved Bösendorfer grand piano to the fore.

It’s what she does best. Sadly, tonight there is too much screeching glam-rock guitar band and heavy dance-floor beats which have cluttered her recent studio albums.

Kookiness

The flame-haired queen of kookiness emerged on stage as one of the four Greek goddess-inspired alter-egos Clyde (Persephone: idealistic but emotionally bruised, apparently) who feature on her sprawling new album American Doll Posse.

In practice this means strutting model posturing, a slinky satin trouser dress and a long auburn wig which obscures her face. Whatever.

Her opening song is the new album’s clap-and-dance-along standout single Bouncing Off Clouds. Good fun – but not her finest.

What follows is too much rather dull, ‘samey’, MOR-orientated rock-lite from recent works. Even Little Earthquakes is a frustrating choice of the weakest track off the eponymous album.

The chiffon curtain uber-bedroom stage set, complete with fairy light stars and purple and pink light scheme has my mind involuntarily wandering to the Barbie doll and My Little Pony aisle of Toys R Us. Not a good sign.

It’s all a bit overblown ’70s glam rock excess.

She quits the stage as the band blandly rocks out and re-emerges as Tori – which in practice means she wears a loose shimmering red-sequin jumpsuit and a haircut that lets you see her face.

Old favourite Cornflake Girl gets the crowd really in the mood and sees Tori having fun with the band and fans. She’s red-hot and in her element.

Minimalist

Bells For Her also hits the mark – a minimalist, delicate and achingly haunting ballad about bruised relationships. It’s what she does best. A fact underlined when she ditches the band and is left with just her pianos for an acoustic mini set that captivates the audience – especially the poignant and emotionally-charged Silent All These Years.

Her cover version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is less engaging.

Then it’s back into rock band campery again. A pity.

Fans rushed to the front to stand and cheer the two encores (which include These Precious Things, Secret Spell and God).

The Strange Little Girl bids farewell with Hey Jupiter, a delicate ballad that got crushed by too much drums, synth and guitar overlay – stripping the song of its achingly beautiful intimacy.

Tori’s strengths are her piano melodies, her spellbinding voice and opaque but deliciously-captivating lyrics.

Sometimes less really is more.