Tori Amos @ City Recital Hall, Sydney – 20 November 2014

I thought I was going to resist the lure of Tori Amos tickets this time. I’d been spending too much on big-ticket concerts, the inevitable Christmas splurge was looming, and the last few of her albums hadn’t struck me the way that her earlier material had. But then a by-request show at the intimate City Recital Hall was announced and all of my calm, rational decision making flew out the window. When I was rewarded with front row seats in the closest box to the stage, it felt like confirmation that I’d made the right call. I wish I had some photos to show you just how close I was to the incomparable Tori, but considering that I listened to the “no cameras” warning on the back of the ticket you’ll just have to take my word for it. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Before Tori we were treated to the musical stylings of Melbourne singer-songwriter Matt Walters. Now you might remember me gushing about Matt’s music way back in 2009 and 2010. He sort of fell off my radar in recent years, but I was so excited to see him doing his thing in the flesh, all stripped back with just an acoustic guitar and his incredible voice. He effortlessly moved from husky masculine tones to a soaring falsetto, and sang lyrics that I really connected with. I was in raptures, and actually kind of disappointed when he announced his last song. His set must have been six or seven songs long but it felt far too short for me, even though it meant we were that bit closer to Tori.

There’s such a wonderful energy about Tori Amos. I’ve seen her live a few times now and I’m always struck by her presence. Always a woman of few words, preferring to let her music speak, there was a little more banter between her and the crowd than I’ve seen at recent shows. Perhaps it was the intimacy of the venue, which holds only around 1200 people, that helped the walls come down.

The good people of Sydney didn’t disappoint when it came to helping Tori create the perfect set list. I was thrilled to hear “Putting the Damage On,” one of the five songs I submitted through her website, and “Northern Lad” and “Cooling,” the two songs I thought probably should have made my top five after I hit send, on the set list. Hearing those songs that have such a special place in my heart performed in person brought tears to my eyes. She also made me remember how much I loved tracks like “The Power of Orange Knickers” and “Sleeps with Butterflies,” even though I haven’t listened to The Beekeeper in ages.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Tori having as much fun on stage as she did last night. Cheeky songs like her cover of Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl,” “She’s Your Cocaine,” “Raspberry Swirl,” and that breakthrough single “Cornflake Girl” were all delivered with such joy and pure abandonment. She fed off the beautiful people in the crowd who gave her so much love all night. I sometimes found myself watching them, dancing in their seats, rapturous, punching their fists in the air. I sort of wish I was down there with them, even though I had such a great bird’s eye view.

When you’re asked to submit a list of songs you want to hear, it’s hard to walk away without wishing you heard a little more of them. But having said that, I think this was the most well-rounded, exciting, and satisfying Tori Amos show I’ve been to. Too often I’ve felt like I’ve heard more of the new album than I wanted to, at the expense of that rich back catalogue. Last night, not one song from Unrepentant Geraldines made the cut. It was a concert not for promotion, but for connecting with and giving back to the people who’ve been there from the beginning. I feel so privileged to have been a part of it.