Concert Review-Tori Amos Washington DC April 6, 2005

Tori Amos played to an absolutely sold out house at the Warner Theatre this past Wednesday April 6 as part of her solo tour of intimate venues promoting her recently released album "The Beekeeper"...

The crowd seemed to love the performance..wish I could say the same... Tori Amos is the type of performer that seems to go that extra mile to emphasize and accentuate the Goddess-Worshipper/Subject relationship... any performer that looks to put up walls instead of developing a more genuine and even relationship with her fans is going to make me wonder...responding to calls of "i love you tori" with "i know you do" reminds me of the great Ishtar track "Dangerous Business":

Telling the truth can be dangerous business.
Honest and popular don't go hand in hand.
If you admit that you can play the accordion,
No one'll hire you in a rock 'n' roll band.

Ms. Amos is doubtlessly skilled and talented with the piano -and keyboard, and organ and harmonium and whatever else she needed to prove she can play- and on a few songs played two pianos simultaneously by utilizing one hand and foot for the respective keys and pedals (try to picture that!)..tori amos delivered personal lyrics summoned from an all too well publicized difficult childhood growing up repressed a minister's daughter in the suburban hell hole of rockville maryland

however, i found myself invariably drifting during her songs... the piano playing seems superb, although a bit theatrical, and the singing top notch but i just don't need all that angst!... its just all a bit too for me...

in fairness to ms. amos her audience was delighted and got exactly what they wanted and expected, with the lone exception of an effective and patently obvious cover of "like a prayer"... unfortunately, when the extra cover song is the song that works houston me thinks we have a problem...the usual idolizers and worshippers left content and were overhead saying "thats the thing she is one of the few who can do a cover and actually do it better than the original...".. "oh really says I? you need to take off those headphones and get out a bit more!"...

lastly, tori! do your fans a favor and stop charging them $20 for measly programs and $35 for shirts... and do you really need to hawk all those other trinkets? the "shirt stand" resembles a stand at a persian bazaar!