Tori Amos - Definitely a raisin girl

****1/2

Beautiful evening at the London, Palladium

Tori Amos ****1/2 is definitely a raisin girl, because she is such a rare find.  It was true back in the day when she first sang ‘Cornflake Girl’ and it’s even truer now. It takes a whole load of talent to stay the course, to keep growing and changing. She always has something meaningful and impactful to say, while never losing that sparkle and magic that attracts a loyal following and bewitches an audience. Tori Amos’ performance tonight was that of a highly refined, consummate showoff... and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

She plays three pianos with so little effort, her voice is note perfect, and it fills the room. It is not because the sound guy is on form, and is working wonders with the levels. I realise I have somehow become witness to a paradox. Her musicality is so effortless as to seem ordinary, and that is truly extraordinary. You can watch the performance unfold without  registering the talent it takes to perform like that. You just get swept away by her music. It is completely natural, and almost elemental, for her to seamlessly switch between her three pianos part way through each song.

She periodically looks up to connect with the audience with a look that projects a great deal of warmth and richness of character and personality. It feels like I have come out from the cold to be greeted by a roaring fire in the hearth. Someone has placed a glass of brandy in my hand and offered me a few Pink Champaign truffles... the Charbonnel et Walker ones - not M&S.  I no longer feel like the poor post Covid-19 toad like creature that the lockdown turned me into.  I have a feeling the rest of the audience is feeling the same way. They cheer at each little flick of her hair and every playful kick of her leg as she turns around to play the piano behind her. Her subtle movements carry the mood of the crowd. They shout “we love you Tori”. 

I am loving the feeling of being able to experience yet another paradox, which is of joy within the catharsis of Amos’ music. The one thing I like about the Palladium as a music venue is I am sitting next to a group of very lovely guys who are just enthralled by the performance. There is no mad girl standing behind me ready to pull my hair, or just about sexually assault me, just so she can get a little bit closer to the barrier. Her fans are as sophisticated as she is. 

It is only when you recall some of her earlier performances, some as long ago as more than ten years ago, when she sang with Maynard from Tool... that you really perceive her to be on another level. She is possibly on an ethereal plane, although that can also be a trick of the lighting and her choice of wardrobe. She seems to be wearing a sparkling meadow of flowers.  All kinds of possibilities follow this thought bomb, can you imagine Tori Amos in a battle of the pianos against Elton John. Her three pianos vs his one, wouldn’t that be just the most amazing spectacle!!!. The show was everything you would expect, she played some of her old favourites as well as songs off of her new album ‘Ocean to Ocean’. The new songs included ‘Ocean to Ocean’, ‘Addition of light Divided’, ‘Devil’s Bane’ and ‘Spies’. Her new album is authentically conscious of the environmental plight of our planet, and if you have not heard it... you really should.

I use the word authentic because it just forms a part of her own musical journey, it follows on from themes explored in ‘Native Invader’. Rather than being anything that it is cynically virtuous; she is critical and political. She gave a powerful and moving performance of ‘Ocean to Ocean’, the title track from the new album.  It was a big song within the show.  It helped somewhat that the lighting created a feeling of being underwater. ‘Baker, Baker’ was another highlight, at least for me. It has the same whimsicality to it as ‘MacArthur Park‘, as sung by Elaine Paige, which actually veils something very serious and fragile. In MacArthur Park the imagery of the lyrics, “Someone left the cake out in the rain” makes  me smile inside... but of course it is very sad. It is about losing a part of your life, losing something wonderful. Once the cake is wet it is not really good to eat anymore, would you want a wet cake?.

I guess we have all had that experience to different degrees. ‘Baker, Baker’ has the same tone of remembering loss, and accepting that loss.  There is just nothing you can do to change it now, but there is ultimately the hope of creating something new. ‘Baker, Baker’ marked a change in the mood of the show as it flowed into ‘Russia’ and ‘Mother Revolution’ and the audience can’t help being drawn back into the continuously unfolding tragedy in the real World. I will never be ashamed to admit that ‘Cornflake Girl’ was my favourite moment in the show. Not that I need any affirmations to validate my tastes, as I am quite happy to be the odd bod in the room, but the audience seemed to agree.

They came to life, the song provided a tangible relief to the emotionally and politically charged songs preceding it. It was the perfect song to end on, before the encore. She ended the show with an encore of ‘Spies’ and ‘Precious Things’. ‘Spies’ has a slightly faster tempo and ‘Precious Things’ is just so dramatic. It was a seasoned performance. Her fingers danced in a  ballet  across the keys of a grand piano and her two other key boards. It was a poetry recital in song. It took me out of reality while being rooted in the bleak and the political. It was a joy, while at the same time it evoked and invited a deep introspection. Her music is always a dance of opposites, colliding in orchestra of sound.

Review and Photo's by Dezadie

Listen! to the Track 'Addition of light Divided' Below...