During the marathon concert, there was only one clinker -- "Professional Widow." The Boys for Pele track is an amazing song . . . reduced to a dance mix on the collection Tales Of A Librarian. Amos elected to offer that version on Friday, stripping the bulk of the lyrics away (lyrics which allow for some very adventurous vocals) and instead offered up a jam (with a plethora of pre-recorded vocal lines) that seemed to go on far too long especially that early into the set. For the record, we go to clubs for dance mixes, we go to concerts to enjoy songs. In fairness, its inclusion appeared to exist for the costume change.
The great news? The new songs from American Doll Posse work amazing well in the set list. "Bouncing Off Clouds" especially offers a new strength that may be missed by some when listening to the 23-plus track CD. Amos opened with that track, a sure sign of confidence to greet an audience with it cold. As the opening notes sounded, they floated over in a spooky riff while the lighting effects went wild and then passion was added as Amos began playing along on the piano. On the opening performance, Tori can sometimes strain for a note or two (ones she'll reach after a few songs) but there was none of the strain on "cloo-uuuds" or "eee-asss-y" that was evident of the Scarlet's Walk tour when she opened with "A Sort Of Fairy Tale" and had to hit minor notes on some of the soaring vocals to put the song across.
"A Sort Of Fairy Tale" also made the set list, appearing near the end of the concert and Amos' destroyed the audience with that song. It's due to become one of her signature live pieces the way "Cornflake Girl" and "Precious Things" have become -- both of which were performed in Friday night's performance the latter as one of the encores. The big surprise may be that "Little Earthquakes" appears to be on the verge of becoming a set piece. Amos performed that early on and it's been reconceived in a more mournful manner.
The encores were "Precious Things," "Parasol," "God" and "Hey Jupiter." Which indicates that Amos was pleased with the audience response. She's known to pull out certain songs for encores, like the wonderful "Mary," when she doesn't feel like she and the audience have connected.
Biggest complaint is not the dance mix of "Professional Widow." Biggest complaint is the temperature in the hall which only seemed to get hotter and hotter as the concert went on. With all the fire Tori Amos was sending out, the least Orpheum could have done is provided the audience with some decent cooling.
Amos spoke a little about troubles crossing the border (strip searches) and, except when she had trouble hearing the sound in her ear piece, that was pretty much it electing to communicate instead via her music.
Of the attendees they spoke with after, most were thrilled with the concert. The exceptions were the ones who had also seen Thursday night's concert in Boston and felt the set list overlooked too many gems ("Jackie's Strength" was the most often cited song performed Thursday that didn't make Friday's set).
"Space Dog" (from Under the Pink) was performed (with a lengthy vocal intro) and that was one of the canon tracks most often cited as a pleasant surprise. In a set that also included "Northern Lad," "Bells for Her" and "Juarez," set list complaints will most likely derive from the exclusion of personal favorites.
Amos opened the show as Clyde, one of the characters from American Doll Posse, and the concerts will continue to utilize that disc's cast of characters to warm up the audience. In terms of expanding, "Big Wheel" (already a huge audience favorite) came and went far too quickly (around four minutes and it was the briefest of all songs she performed). The opening riff could be expanded upon after the song's second verse creating a tremendous jam.
Though not fans of TicketMaster, we'll provide the link for Tori dates because this a tour not to be missed and if "Beauty of Speed" is included in the set list of the performance you attend, pay close attention (and don't rush the applause before Tori's finished) -- the performance is a blend of all her strengths and far more amazing than you might initially grasp. Wally sees her in Florida next month, the core six will see her (some see her again) in December when she comes to the Bay Area.