First night of the tour supporting an album about our troubled age. Mike Gray says: “Let me sell you a bad-times Tori…”
So, on a surprisingly warm and sunny Spring day in Sheffield, the faithful have once again assembled;- this time to witness something genuinely new.
When I spoke to Tori for this magazine around the time of her most recent release, “Ocean to Ocean”, it was clear that politics weighed heavily on her mind, and how close US democracy had come to the edge on January 6th 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building.
It feels apposite, then, that this campaign for Tori’s new album, her 18th studio record, launches against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical crisis – the perfect storm for “In Times Of Dragons”, her bold, politically-charged, narrative new album.
It’s a debut of sorts on multiple fronts. This is the first date in support of the now delayed new record [now due for release 1st May]; meaning almost none of the audience have had the chance to sit with it yet. That’s no small thing with Amos, whose dense, layered work tends to reveal itself slowly, across multiple listens.
There’s also a new drummer in tow, master jazz drummer and session guy Earl Harvin and for the first time ever, three backing vocalists join her on the road. The only stalwart of previous campaigns tonight is bassist and musical director Jon Evans, a consistent presence since her 1998 “Plugged” tours, providing electric and upright bass.
Setlist:
Fire to Your Plain
Shush
Ruby Through the Looking-Glass
Little Amsterdam
Don’t Make Me Come to Vegas
Mary
Putting the Damage On
Pandora’s Aquarium
Caught a Lite Sneeze
Black-Dove (January)
Witness
Crucify
Encore:
Big Wheel
Cornflake Girl
It’s odd then, given the context, that neither the album nor politics get much of an outing at all, with only “Shush” from the new record, getting an airing, and Tori’s crowd interaction is limited to introducing the new members of the band, and an apology when she misses her cue in the encore.
So what do we get instead? Well, everything from obscure 1992 B-Side “Mary” to unlikely opener “Fire To Your Plain”, which had totted up just ten previous outing since it was released in 2009.
It’s the backing vocalists that are the elephant in the room here, because like them or not, there’s no ignoring their presence. Surely by design they are directly in Amos’s eyeline and she gestures to them frequently to convey her needs.
They prove very much a double-edged sword, providing deep texture and layered harmony that wasn’t previously available, doing a lot of work on the higher end and unlocking Tori’s ability to delve deep into the back catalogue for rarely played gems, like 1998’s “Pandora’s Aquarium”,
But sometimes less is more and they threaten to overwhelm Tori on “Caught A Light Sneeze”, which now comes with superfluous “Do do do”s and drown her out entirely as “Black Dove (January)” attempts to take flight on the chorus.
Traditionally Tori’s sets include a couple of acoustic solo songs, but tonight she claims she’s having too much fun with the band, and they remain for a tender “Putting The Damage On”, where the singers complement rather than overwhelm.
The musicianship is superb from all sides and Harvin quickly finds his groove with Evans, especially on a propulsive “Witness” which earns a standing ovation from the front rows, while Tori attacks her usual keyboard and Bosendorfer setup with typical skill.
Some of the arrangements meander: “Crucify” doubles its recorded length, drifting away from both verses and choruses and lessening the impact of an old favourite, while “Cornflake Girl” is delivered relatively faithfully to end the evening.
Tori mentions early on that they’ve worked up lots of songs, so fans worried that they will lose the variety that characterise her setlists should rest easy.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the album is released and more of it is introduced to the set, and what other gems the backing singers provide the key to unlocking.
As it is, it’s an intriguing start to the tour, a surprising setlist and virtuoso musicianship. Where it will be in 60 shows’ time when the tour comes to an end is an open question.
Words & Photos by Mike Gray
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