TORI AMOS BEGUILES, BEWITCHES AND BEWILDERS AT COUNT BASIE THEATER, RED BANK NJ, 08-14-09

by Jeff Boule in Concert Reviews, Editorials, Musician Reviews, Opinion Posts, Reviews, Song Reviews

Ever enchanting Amos warms the ivories on her trusty Bosendorfer piano. Photo by Lynn Vala.

Picking up from last time, we are now reviewing the concert show for Amos’ most recent release Abnormally Attracted To Sin.  Red Bank to the average visitor (which I consider myself to be) is a quaint hamlet akin to Philadelphia’s South Street before the Mardi Gras riots of a few years ago.  After a lovely dinner at a local diner, we venture to the venue.  An all-American meal before seeing a show from an all-American girl.

Who just so happens to live in England.

I was enjoying listening to the ELO track that was pumping through the PA when One Eskimo took the stage.  A nylon string guitarist, a bassist, a vocalist and a hillbilly kit drummer comprise One Eskimo.  They were crammed at the front of the stage around Amos’ keyboard rig, so tight that the vocalist never strayed far from his monitor.  One fancy trick I am seeing more and more bassists do is using their right hand or string “plucking” hand doing something else, and the left hand still hammering-on the notes.  If you strike the string against the frets and neck hard enough with active pickups, the note will still sound.  In the case of One Eskimo, their bass player used his right hand to play French Horn.  Another element that made One Eskimo unique was that the drummer would trigger midi phrases on the beat of one for eight counts.  Every eight notes or so, he would strike the Roland drum trigger and trigger a midi sequence of chords, notes, etc., even vocal samples.  Definitely fresh.  The guitarist was highly plectoral in style, much like Robert Fripp.  Just not for me.

Front and center is Amos’ Bosendorfer Grand Piano.  House music between sets?  Blondie.  Oh, woe is the audient.  The house is filling up nicely.  It was not so the case for One Eskimo.  Set lists are being taped to risers.  An interesting demographic: old, young, male, female, counter-culture, establishment types, geeks, bloods, dweebies, jocks, wasteoids, they all love Tori, they think she’s a righteous dude.

For John Hughes.

I noticed two sets of vocal mics pointing out towards the crowd.  Recording in process.

The lights go down and Chamberlain starts off a beat-box for “Give” from AATS.  As Evans makes bass noises, Amos poses in front of her keyboard rig.  Her voice is in great shape.  She is having fun during this very tight version.

Matt Chamberlain wearing a set of phones to ensure the electronically generated beats mesh with the elasticity of this rhythm section. Photo by Lynn Vala.

The next song offered is called “Beauty Of Speed” from the American Doll Posse album.  It is a banging version thanks to the drum line, constantly moving.  Amos characteristically stretches herself between keyboard stacks and hops back and forth between mics without missing a note. What heavenly notes they are.  There isn’t much here to make me think I am not listening to prerecorded music, except for all the labor going on onstage.

I still must apologize to Jon Evans and his fans who might be reading this.  I did not see hyde nor hair of the man except briefly when exiting and entering the stage.  Oh I heard him just fine.  But I could not comment on what guitars he played when, his stage presence (which, from memory, was appropriate for her music) so for that I must apologize.

Amos comments about going from her last venue (Radio City) to her current one (Red Bank).  The look of “How-Did-I-Get-Here?” on her face is amusing until she recalls how her mother had driven her up here (from Baltimore) for some sort of youth concert.  For those of you not familiar with Amos’ history, she is a child prodigy having been tossed out of some prestigious music schools for the dreaded learning disability, “Too Cool For School-itis”.  For the layman, that means while her hands were stuck learning the dreary classics, this young spitfire’s mind and soul had been consumed by the Rock And Roll disease coursing through her veins, and while her instructors were instilling Mozart, Beethoven and the like, her mental focus was on Page & Plant and Lennon & McCartney.

Her instructors labeled her too difficult to teach.  Too bad.

Matt Chamberlain attempts to settle in for the show despite having multiple snare drum issues. Photo by Amanda Collins.

The ever-popular “Cornflake Girl” from Under The Pink is next, and before the first vocal starts and Amos plays to the crowd during the cheery mandolin part, Chamberlain has to swap out his snare drum (hole in the head).  He and his crewman do so without a hitch nor a missed beat.  Professional.  Not to be outdone, upon realizing the feat, Amos feels compelled to upstage her drummer-brother by laying down a vicious solo.  When you are in this sort of spirit, sometimes the vocal line becomes optional.

Another snare is brought out for Chamberlain to swap in before the start of “Horses” from the Boys For Pele disc.  A most regal version replete with even a starry background, almost as full of stars as this song was full in terms of sound.  It began to twinkle during the first chorus break, which combined with the music makes this song so entrancing.  An eerie delay on the line “I can’t go, you said so” has drawn me in.  I must have been entranced, as I have no more notes on this song.

Amos twinkles as the stage show shimmers. Photo by Amanda Collins.

A seemingly revitalized version of  “Glory Of The 80’s” from the double disc, (one live, one studio) To Venus And Back has a driving beat and a traveling feel.

She solo piano ripples into From The Choirgirl Hotel’s “Pandora’s Aquarium” with a little help on guitar.  This is a staunch version, and Amos wails the vocal at the end.  Awesome!

The band go right into a rhythmically-challenging version of “Siren”. This is an Amos track I am unfamiliar with as it is from the movie soundtrack for Great Expectations.  If it isn’t animated or a comedy, I don’t see “chick flicks” in the theater, so I missed this one. Chamberlain rides a shaker in his hand for the first verse or so.  When the band’s dynamic picks up, her vocal got a bit lost.  Otherwise, her playing is still spot on and the rhythm section is as expansive as ever.  A well oiled machine.

But the house explodes when she trots out the old favorite from the first album, Little Earthquakes, that track being “Tear In Your Hand”.  From the near silent breaks to the band full out at times, the audience is additionally entranced, following with either quiet intrigue or explosive euphoria.

Often the lighting stole the show from Amos who was as frenetic as said light show. Photo by Amanda Collins.

Amos turns to the synth for this next song, “Hotel” from  …Choirgirl Hotel but turns back around for the chorus to play piano.  During the verses, her voice hit near Operatic timbres.  Brother Chamberlain grabs the vibe at the end of the song and rides it out as Amos sings “I’m still alive” to the end.

With a half synth and piano intro, Amos launches into “Doughnut Song” off of the Boys For Pele album. Chamberlain rides the shaker again as Evans plays a bowed bass.  Keeping this simple as the song is demure, so be its review.

A "lounge" set of music is delineated from the show under the heading of Lizard Lounge. Photo by Amanda Collins.

Evans and Chamberlain leave the stage for what is the Lizard Lounge section.  She solos an improv sung mostly about how she is not dressed as a bee but rather a taxi, for the song “Taxi Ride”, the lone representative of the Scarlett’s Walk disc.  But her voice sent a collective shiver down the audience’s back.  At an appropriate spot in the song, Amos flies the bird and mugs up the lyrics.

Amos stares down this blogger's photographer during her solo "lounge" performance. Photo by Lynn Vala.

Next at the Lizard Lounge is “Boys In Trees”.  A slow piece loaded with arpeggios which is not an official Amos song, but a cover from Carly Simon, from her album of the same name.  The same album that contained that dreadful duet with Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers and Muzak fame) “You Belong To Me”. Never heard the original so I have no point of reference.  The lyrics seem to have great sentimental value to Amos, and the audience.  How does one react to lines like “Daughter to daughter, mother to mother” when one has been neither?

The band comes back for “Josephine” from To Venus And Back.  Another one of those almost demure songs done most eloquently, not much more could be said about it.

If any of you read my last review of Amos’ album Abnormally Attracted To Sin, you read that I felt it would be a shame not to include “Not Dying Today”.  Not only did they play it, but this was the debut of it live from what Twitter has to say about it, and we all know how reliable that is as a source for accurate information!  What a treat!  The twinkling lights turned to video-bubbles.  The way the crowd reacted you would have thought this was the single.

While the band start into “Bliss”, also from …Venus… a B3 organ is moved in to replace Amos’ synths.  The light show seemed to come to life during the end half of this near perfect take.  Again, not much to complain about in this fairly perfect version.  But the B3 is really wheeled out for the next song.

Armed with a B3 Organ, Amos is ready to grind it out. Photo by Amanda Collins.

“Fast Horse” from AATS is what that organ TRULY was brought out for.  The version is tight and accurate.  Of course the crowd erupts when Amos replaces the word ‘Tennessee’ with ‘New Jersey’.  So now I have the live version of this song to run through my head at inopportune moments in time.

A revamped and amped version of “Precious Things” from Little Earthquakes means we are close to the end.  The first line of her vocal was lost as her mic was turned down.

Sigh.

This is a stronger than album version and one of the interesting tricks Jon Evans pulled was strumming muted bass strings for a churning effect.  This sort of dictated the pulse of the rhythm.

Suddenly, inexplicably, during “Strong Black Vine” also from AATS, the crowd rush the front of the stage.  This prompts the rock star attitude in Amos to come to the surface.  While playing the synth behind her, she acts every bit the rock star.  Every time the obscenities leave her mouth, the crowd are entertained.

Hidden behind his fortress of percussion, Chamberlain is working hard to earn a spot on this blogger's upcoming Top Ten Musician's List for 2009. Photo by Amanda Collins.

That brings us to the end of the show, but the encore begins with Chamberlain and Evans jamming, Evans playing slide, they eventually rejoin and break into “Big Wheel” from American Doll Posse.  The well-oiled version gives way to a clap and sing along.  Yee-haw.

Next we meld into “Take To The Sky” found on the Winter maxi single also featuring a sing and clap along.  As long as the people sing and clap along, the encore keeps going?  One of the hysterical interpretations included mutations into Carol King’s “I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet”.  The band brings the song to the appropriate dramatic close.  She ends the show by saying she loves us.

In the words of former President Reagan, "Is it over already?" Photo by Amanda Collins.

We love you too, Tori.

Next time good PREX people, we will be going undercover to explore the inner workings of a promoter at work, some behind the scenes peeks and an insider look at how such a position functions in relationship to an artist.

In real-people speak, my best thing to ever happen to me and myself work at the ticket sales and Will Call window at the Stamford CT Todd Rundgren performance of his progressive ground breaking album A Wizard A True Star from 1973.  As usual at a Rundgren Radio event, I find myself getting into some pretty unbelievable situations.

Trust me, I can’t make this stuff up.