The energy seemed to fade midway through the set during a period named the Lizard Lounge, where Amos performed two solo songs at her piano. Matt Chamberlain on drums and Jon Evans on bass know how to accompany Amos without outshining her, but for the final few minutes of the song, they were every bit as impressive as anything she was doing.

As she sang, “By the time you’re 25, they will say you’ve gone and blown it / By the time you’re 35, I must confide you will have blown them all”, both extremes seemed to intersect.Īnother high point came with “Lady In Blue”, a sultry, blues-inspired number that not only let her display her vocal prowess but also gave her band a chance to shine. For the sake of full disclosure, I saw the first of my many Tori Amos concerts in 1999, and the transformation she’s made from casual, jeans-wearing songstress to glammed-up rock goddess has been astounding. Her early work was praised for being raw and confessional, yet her past few albums have relied on characters and concepts. “Curtain Call” is easily one of the best tracks Amos has composed in this decade, and it was fascinating to watch her sing about mistakes you make and regrets you have as you grow older. Many of the show’s highlights came in the first half of the set. But by the time she got to her trademark “Cornflake Girl”, she found her confidence and her piano work, which is unparalleled in contemporary pop music, proved why she has the rabid fanbase that she does. She struggled to replicate the highly manipulated vocals of the album version, and a shakiness in her voice continued into the next song.

Adorned in gold and silver, Amos walked on stage to the trip hop beats of new track “Give”. In town to support her most recent album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Amos dabbled in both the old and new during her hour and 45 minute show. Monday night, attendees of Amos’ Chicago Theatre show experienced all three in droves.

When attending a Tori Amos concert, you can count on a few things: a lot of keyboards, obsessive fans, and songs about the intersection of religion and sex.

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