Amos sates fans' desire Saturday

By Erin Ulicki, special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Nov 04, 2007 at 8:13 AM

Tori Amos brought her fans a much-needed experience Saturday at the Riverside Theater. Amos, who hasn't been to Milwaukee since the "Scarlet's Walk" tour in 2002, whet the appetites of her loyal fan base with a medley of songs pulling from almost every record she has produced.

Currently on her "American Doll Posse" tour, Amos did not disappoint, commanding the piano and bending her voice to make even unfamiliar songs seem familiar. Her theatrical interpretation of her songs drew in the crowd, many of whom seemed as though they had arrived at Mecca.

Amos opened with "Bouncing Off Clouds" from the "American Doll Posse" release as Clyde, one of her performance personas. Accompanied by Matt Chamberlin on drums, Jon Evans on bass and Dan Phelps on guitar, Amos' plugged-in sound played well with the crowd on both old favorites like "Little Earthquakes" and "Professional Widow" and newer material like "Big Wheel" and "Roosterspur Bridge."

She began the concert as Clyde -- character who sees the potential in all -- dressed in mile-high platform espadrilles and a flowing geometric print dress. Clyde pulled the crowd in with her theatrical hand gestures and body language. After an instrument change halfway through the performance, Amos returned as herself dressed in a full-on sequined magenta jumpsuit -- an outfit only Amos could pull off.

After plugged-in performances of "Crucify," "Cornflake Girl" and "Lust," the band left the stage for the T & Bö portion of the evening where Amos returned to her earlier performing roots featuring just herself and her beloved Bösendorfer piano.

A commanding rendition of "Winter" followed along with a brief performance of "Strange," which she cut within the first minute with "I f---ed up, I f---ed up..." and sang, instead, about the mistake and how she had to move on because she'd just "laugh her ass off if she had to continue singing the song."

Amos finished with "Horses" and "Father Lucifer," returning for an encore of old-school favorites "Precious Things" and "Tear In Your Hand." Throughout the performance, Amos worked the piano often straddling the bench in her signature style to play two keyboards at once. Her command of her music and her relationship with the crowd made for a fulfilling night at the Riverside.

Yoav, a London-based acoustic guitarist, warmed up the crowd for Amos with a 20-minute set. Barefoot with only his guitar and the microphone, the one-man-band wowed. In addition to playing the guitar traditionally, the Israeli/South African musician used his instrument percussively, looping and layering the sounds to create sonic landscapes. Post show comments of "that opening act was awesome" peppered the crowd.

If you missed the concert, Amos has set up bootlegs of the show for purchase through her Web site: http://www.toribootlegs.com/

Complete Milwaukee Set List: http://undented.com/tour/906/milwaukee-wi

Act I -- Clyde