Tori Amos on stage at the Manchester Apollo. Photograph by Ian D. Hall

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 6th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating * * * *

Tori Amos has long been touted as one of the best female performers of the last 20 years, her albums have touched millions of fans, all of whom share some infinity and connection with the Cornish based, American born singer, so much so that her live shows are keenly awaited and strongly attended by all cross sections of society.

It’s been a while since Tori since toured the U.K. and the Manchester Apollo was one of only four venues that would host the self-appointed Cornflake Girl this time round before going back to South Africa and to her homeland of North America. For those that were lucky enough to get tickets for this series of concerts, they would have been treated to a spectacle that only Tori can deliver in what must be said, outstanding and peculiar style.

With a career stretching back to the days of Y Kant Tori Read in 1988, Tori has refined her image and her song writing so many times that each album holds a special place in her fans’ hearts and the same can be said for each particular gig. Opening her night at the Apollo with tracks such as Scarborough Fair, the spine-tingling Velvet Revolution and the evocative Leather, Tori captivated her audience with her use of an excellent string quartet that added an extra dimension to her own superb piano playing.

Tori spent a spellbinding couple of hours on the Apollo’s stage and even when the mic disconnected itself and she couldn’t hear herself play, she continued and thrilled the fans with a rendition of what she does when she mucks up, the humour in her voice beguiling and teaching a lesson to any budding musician in the audience and even well established artists that sometimes the best thing to do is just carry on and get over the mishap.

Tracks such as the powerful Winter, the incredible Mr. Zebra and Hey Jupiter reinforced the notion that Tori Amos is one of the most unique and emotionally charged performers to have thrilled an audience. By the end of the evening the crowd, which had waited patiently to join Tori at the front of the stage and away from the confines of the restrictive feel of the stalls’ seating, piled forward en masse to show their affection for a musical hero that truly deserves the accolade.

Tori Amos finished a powerful and emotional set with a couple of stunning encores which included the long awaited and much called for Precious Things and the dramatic Big Wheel.

Ian D. Hall