In Concert: Tori Amos

Tori Amos Music Hall in Kansas City May 31, 2022

Opening Act: Companion Review: I’ve been a Tori Amos fan since her debut album, 1992’s Little Earthquakes but this was my first time seeing her live. I have a great respect for artists who have produced a large enough catalog to allow them to pretty much do what they want in concert instead of sticking to a must-play-these-hits-every-time setlist. Amos has definitely reached that point in her career. I’m also impressed when artists dip into every phase of their careers instead of overdosing on the hits or the current release. Once again, Amos accomplished this task. Having said that, I admit the perfect Tori Amos concert (for me) would have pulled almost exclusively from her first two albums and B-sides from that era. She did play “Girl” and “Precious Things” from Little Earthquakes, but none of the singles from that album (“Silent All These Years,” “Crucify,” “Winter,” “China,” and “Me and a Gun”). I’d have also loved to see her version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a B-side for “Crucify.” Similarly, she barely touched sophomore album Under the Pink. She did play arguably her best-known song, “Cornflake Girl,” from that album, but ignored the other singles (“God,” “Pretty Good Year,” “Past the Mission”). She did play “Honey,” a B-side from “Pretty Good Year.” So was it a good concert? Sure. I’m glad I went. I just wish there would have been a few moments where I was ecstatic about her playing one of my favorites. Click here to see other concerts I’ve attended. “Juárez” and “Bouncing Off Clouds” Live in London, 3/13/2022 Setlist: 1. Juárez 5 2. Bouncing Off Clouds 9 3. A Sorta Fairytale 7 4. Caught a Lite Sneeze 3 5. Ocean to Ocean 6 6. Girl 1 7. Honey 2 8. Jesse (cover of Janis Ian song) 9. Oysters 14 10. Russia 15 11. Don’t Make Me Come to Vegas 7 12. Addition of Light Divided 16 13. Siren * 14. Tombigbee 15. Devil’s Bane 16 16. Cornflake Girl 2 Encore: 17. Precious Things 1 18. Raspberry Swirl 4 Discography – Studio Albums: 1 Little Earthquakes (1992) 2 Under the Pink (1994) 3 Boys for Pele (1996) 4 From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) * Great Expectations soundtrack 5 To Venus and Back (1999) 6 Strange Little Girls (2001) 7 Scarlet’s Walk (2002) 8 The Beekeeper (2005) 9 American Doll Posse (2007) 10 Abnormally Attracted to Sin (2009) 11 Midwinter Graces (Christmas songs, 2009) 12 Night of Hunters (2011) 13 Gold Dust (rerecordings, 2012) 14 Unrepentant Geraldines (2014) 15 Native Invader (2017) 16 Ocean to Ocean (2021) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Tori Amos Dave’s Music Database: “Concerts” Setlist.fm: Tori Amos 2022 Setlist at Music Hall, Kansas City Spotify playlist: Tori Amos 2022 Setlist at Music Hall, Kansas City First posted 6/1/2022.

Tori Amos Ocean to Ocean released

Ocean to Ocean Tori Amos

Released: October 29, 2021 Peak: 104 US, 25 UK, -- CN, 46 AU Sales (in millions): 0.01 US Genre: piano-based adult alternative rock

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Addition of Light Divided [4:05] Speaking with Trees [3:55] (9/29/21, --) Devil’s Bane [4:32] Swim to New York State [4:20] Spies [5:59] (10/14/21, --) Ocean to Ocean [3:30] Flowers Burn to Gold [3:41] Metal Water Wood [4:00] 29 Years [4:47] How Glass Is Made [3:56] Birthday Baby [4:44] All songs written by Tori Amos. Total Running Time: 47:38

Rating: 3.403 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “For many, the early 2020s was a course-shifting season of change, when a global pandemic and sociopolitical upheaval cast a shadow over much of life. It was no different for singer/songwriter Tori Amos, who, during one of England’s many lockdowns, penned an entire album that she later scrapped for being too divisive. In its place, she started fresh, shifting focus and processing grief with her 16th album Ocean to Ocean. As she declares on Metal Water Wood, ‘It has been a brutal year.’” AMG “Against this backdrop, Amos does what she does best: turning personal trauma into a universal experience, carrying both herself and listeners out of the darkness with sights set on renewal. Despite the bittersweet emotions and the still-lingering uncertainty at the time of release, Ocean to Ocean comforts like a warm hug, benefitting from a sumptuous depth of layered production that is at once soulful and satisfying.” AMG “From the outset, a familiar team -- husband/guitarist Mark Hawley, daughter/backing vocalist Tash, drummer Matt Chamberlain, bassist Jon Evans, and orchestral maestro John Philip Shenale – joins Amos as she whips up a storm of sound and emotion with her trademark piano and vocal sorcery.” AMG “Diving headlong into the album's main themes on Speaking with Trees, Amos addresses the death of her mother, Mary Ellen, crying, ‘I cannot let you go’ as she copes with the devastating loss. Mary Ellen’s memory is also alive on Flowers Burn to Gold, a heartbreaking piano ballad that dwells beside Toast and Mary’s Eyes as one of Amos’ biggest tearjerkers.” AMG “Emotions flow on the tender Swim to New York State, a sentimental declaration of love and recognition to a loyal partner that swells atop a grand string section and cinematic horns. Turning her focus outward, she revisits common themes such as religious hypocrisy and misogyny (on the smoky fire-and-brimstone Devil’s Bane), while calling out ‘those who don't give a goddamn’ about the climate crisis on the turbulent title track.” AMG “Amos later brings ‘Me and a Gun’ full circle with 29 Years, this time tackling trauma and the devastation it can cause by reconciling the past through reflection and rebuilding.” AMG “Some much-needed mirth appears on the highlight Spies, which rides Evans' bouncing bass and Shenale’s stabbing strings like a propulsive late-era Radiohead tune filtered through a quirky Beatles lens. Named after the mischievous entities who protect us from the bad dreams, ‘thieving meanies,’ and ‘scary men,’ it's an antidote for unsure and fearful times that’s destined to become a fan favorite.” AMG “Closing on Birthday Baby – a self-empowering tango that recalls the cinematic flourish of Abnormally Attracted to Sin – Amos sings, ‘This year, you survived through it all,’ a testament to endurance and emerging from the gloom. Like Native Invader before it, Ocean to Ocean is a late-era standout for Amos, who reaches through the dark cloud of collective grief to be that supportive presence for listeners, healing with familiar touches and a timely message.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: AMG All Music Guide review by Neil Z. Yeung WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 6/3/2022.