g~y ili t 0o#1ot Stage 1tvlDf Orson Welles' "Moby Dick Rehearsed" will be at the Performance Network July 30 through August 9. Call 663- Monday f 0696 for more information. July 27, 1998 7 Amos pleases old & new fans u:n By Alexandra Ruh Daily Arts Writer I went into Thursday night's Tori Amos show knowing very little about the performer or her music. When I emerged from the Palace, I was a fan. I had always grouped Amos with the many recent solo female singers whom I find quite boring; that was a mistake. Amos has emotion, energy and a fire in her belly that is rare, and this translates into some great music and an even reater performance. The Devlins, an all-male band from England, was the opening act for Amos and proved to be a surpris- ingly good male complement to her music. The Devlins played songs from the Tod Amos hand's new a I -b u m Pine Knob ahldn W a i ti n g, l 2319 c eluding the title track and "Where are you tonight." The band's music went back and forth between acoustic and electric, all the while consistently tilling the auditorium with rich sounds. For an opening act, this band .icited unusual enthusiasm from the rowd. .......===::. , - ma As the openers left the stage, excitement began to grow. There was a buzz in the air as the crowd grew in anticipation of Amos' arrival. (The crowd was undeniably mostly female, although there was a healthy male contingent present.) Before she even set foot on stage, you could tell how much they loved Amos just by listening to them talk. Fans spoke of her as if she was a big sister, best friend and an inspiration. As the lights dimmed. the enthusi- asm of the crowd seemed to penetrate every nook and cranny of the massive interior of the Palace. Amos took the stage, and the crowd exploded with screams and cheers of "I love you, Tori." This was not the fairly subdued response I had expected to a singer whose strength lies in her rich vocals and her mastery of the piano. But the minute Amos sat down and started to play "Precious Things," all _my pre- conceived notions of what the show would be were shattered. Amos may be a classically trained pianist, but she uses her prodigal talent to belt out complex and rich rock songs. Her music is deep and thick; the kind that overwhelms and fills you with emotion. Backed by her band (the members of which she refers to as her brothers) and enhanced by wild-col- ored lighting and smoke, Amos put on, a show that rivals any I have ever seen. Although she sits behind her piano for mnst of the show her dramatic motions Tori seemed to want to interact with everyone, especially the photogra- phers, at the Palace last Thursday. parallel the mood and intensity of her songs. Amos played new songs such as "Cruel" and "Spark" off her latest album,-"From the Choirgirl Hotel," as well as some of her best known songs like "Cornflake Girl" and "Caught a Light Sneeze." The crowd sang along with every word of each, song. Her fans' familiarity and love of her music made the huge space within the Palace seem like a small, intimate venue. At one point during "Spark," Amos messed up. She immediately caught herself and pointed out the mistake to the audience, and the crowd cheered. It is candidness such as thisthat is part of Tori's huge' appeal. She comes across as less of a rock star and more of a confidant playing a great rock show. Amos' show revealed a harder and more aggressive performer than her, earlier years, and the songs off her new album reflect this. For someone who knew only Amos' first release, "Little Earthquakes", I was caught off guard. But Amos' more aggres- sive sound is not off-putting, just stronger and more intense. Amos still shows off her amazing voice, which is rich and multi-lay- ered, rising and descending with beautiful perfection. Initially, this style of vocals captured the atten- tion of the public with songs such as "Crucify." She has the ability to sound innocent and childlike one moment and strong and voluptuous the next. I have been meaning for quite some- time to listen to Amos' newer songs. After seeing her energetic and gifted performance Thursday night, I plan on making a bee line to the record store to buy up everything I can. I came into the concert with ignorance and left mirroring the sentiments of the fans. After seeing only one performance, I too "love Tori.' Although showing signs of fatigue after touring for so long, the Pietasters still had the energy to make a detour to Detroit and put out some great ska. Warped Pietasters reserved but read By Gabe Fyaurl doubt). Regardless of the audience Daily Arts Writer makeup, the Murphy's took the stage, A cozy crowd gathered downtown greeted by raised fists, beer, and chants, for the Pietasters' triumphant retum to all nicely backed by the sound of-bag- Motown last Sunday. Fresh from a stint pipes filtered through the loudspeakers. on the Warped From the back of the club, the Murphy's tour, the' was nearly swallowed up by the hyper Summer-long % crowd that overtook the stage enough punk n' ska times to make venue staff tell the band extravaganza, to stop playing more than once. General the Pietasters PietaSterS mayhem and draconian bellows of "Oi" looked a bit The Shelter from the feisty crowd characterized the road-weary, but u i, se' duration of the band's set, and the head- still gave the liner had yet to perform. audience what it The 'Tasters took to the sweat- deserved - an drenched platform around 9:15 to a energetic, if severely thinned crowd. From the slow, hour of looks of things, the Murphy's had soul ska that the brought in almost half of the customers band has built its that night and sent themhome when its reputation on. set ended as well. Hailing from Boston, 4i-rockers The See PIETASTERS, Page 10 Dropkick Murphy's took the stage after a bland offering of straight-ahead punk from Detroit's very own Gutter Punx. There were a few noticeable grimaces in the crowd when a handful of Nazis were spotted (there to see the Murphy's, no Great Brands - er QA 0 2050 Commerce E Ann Arbo M 48103 663 33 /t~* * Nt Student discotts an ey e examrs and ' eyegiage Hours Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri 9-5:30 Wed_& Sat 9-1 320 S State St. 9ichardson's Decker Drugs)l 662-1945 , Perhaps the concert was a trifle too intimate, but fans thrive on the unpredictabil- ity and frankness of Ams both as a performer and as a composer.