A Strange Little Girl In Nebraska: Tori Amos At Omaha's Orpheum Theatre South Carolina

A Strange Little Girl In Nebraska: Tori Amos At Omaha's Orpheum Theatre
by Sean McCarthy
For more than a decade, Tori Amos has made some of the most intimate recordings in mainstream music. Consequently, her live shows strongly reflect the intimacy in her recordings. Most Amos neophytes know when to shut the hell up when the lights go down at a show. As intimate as a Tori Amos show can be, she keeps interaction with the crowd to a minimum, opting to let the songs speak for themselves.

Before a sellout crowd of about 2,000 at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, Amos let her songs do the talking for a mesmerizing two hours. Wearing a burgundy and pale cream quilted dress, Amos showed little sign of fatigue from extensive touring promoting her latest CD, Scarlet's Walk.

Rhett Miller, the energetic lead singer of Old 97s, worked the crowd up with a brief, all-acoustic set. Jumping up and down and occasionally thrashing away at his acoustic guitar, Miller acted like he might have holed up at coffee shop next to the performing venue and loaded up on espresso shots a few hours before the show. Miller's themes for his songs typically revolve around love, be it gaining it or losing it. He also had some humorous comments about the hype surrounding the Omaha music scene. His strong songwriting ability make him a great choice for an opening act. For some younger fans in the audience, Miller's exuberant grin was enough to win over a crowd hungering for Amos.

Amos' traveling band is worth the price of admission. Matt Chamberlain, who handled percussion on Tori's most recent albums and Fiona Apple's …When the Pawn, once again proved why he is one of the most sought-after percussionists out there. And bassist Jon Evans provided a subtle presence, supplying a funky rhythm in some of Amos' more jamming numbers. The two are as seasoned of a rhythm section as you are likely to see. They were even able to throw off die-hard fans a bit when they turned the Amos staple "Crucify" into an extended jam session before Amos hit the familiar notes for the song.

When the band left midway through her set, Amos performed a devastating cover of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush." It was as close to a political statement as you were going to hear that night, but the chorus of sniffles around me suggested it carried all the raw power and more of an Academy Award acceptance speech by Michael Moore.

While this performance focused heavily on Scarlet's Walk, Amos incorporated a liberal sampling of songs from all of her albums, with the exception of Strange Little Girls. Her first encore was a slightly odd choice: "Horses," a very-subdued number from Boys For Pele. Amos has always been able to add more depth to her songs in a live environment, and this show was no different. Some songs that seemed too pedestrian on Scarlet's Walk were greatly improved upon hearing them in a live setting.

For her final encore, Amos did an enchanting version of "Space Dog." She closed the set with "Hey Jupiter," an amazing choice, given that she was on stage for more than two hours, and that song is one of the most vocally demanding songs in her arsenal.

The intensity of show was magnified by the concert environment -- it seemed that the heat was turned up a bit higher than it needed to be at the Orpheum. Still, this is the fifth time I have seen Tori and I have never heard her sound as good as she did on this tour. Opting to spend almost two hours on stage apparently proves that she still is enjoying what she is doing. Judging by the standing ovation she received, it looks like Amos will not have to worry about creating a hit single in the next few years; if she keeps giving shows like she did in Omaha, she will continue to pack venues with faithful fans.

For more music reviews, visit www.dailyvault.com.

TicketCity

We have best tickets for all sports, concerts and theater. Buy online or call 1-800-SOLD-OUT.

1-800-Sold-Out
5912 Balcones Drive
Austin, TX
Concert Tickets

WHO WE ARE

TicketCity is a ticket broker that sells tickets for all events. Unlike Ticketmaster, who only offers tickets for certain shows, TicketCity is a service that gets you the seats you need to the events you want to attend. We take pride our work, and that reflects in the job we do for you.

WHY BUY FROM US

TicketCity sells great tickets to the most memorable events in the World. Whether you need courtside tickets to the big game or the best seats at a concert you thought was impossible to get tickets for. We get you into the events that you will remember for a lifetime.

That’s why you Never Miss an Experience with TicketCity.

A knowledgeable and experienced service, we are your reliable source for great tickets.

* Orders backed by a 200% guarantee
* Established in 1990. We’re one of the most experience ticket companies.
* We attend the events we sell, because we’re passionate about them.
* We give recommendations based on our first hand knowledge.
* We own one of the largest ticket inventories in the World.
* We offer terrific deals on many of the tickets we own.
* Our prices and service charge are some of the lowest in the industry.
* Our long history means you can trust us with your important business.

Take the risk out of buying tickets, by getting yours at TicketCity.

WHAT WE DO

TicketCity sells tickets to all events. We have seats for any event in the World. Our tickets are sold at market value, not face value, so our prices are based on supply and demand. And we offer many additional features like event hospitality and on-site deliver; that allow us to create a package which meets all your needs.

We specialize in tickets for college sports & championship events.
* All major college football teams & college basketball games.
* College bowl games, the NCAA Tournament & Final Four
* The Masters, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl & US Open.
* Olympics, World Cup Soccer, Ryder Cup and Rugby World Cup.

Buy tickets from us for any event.
* NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball & NHL
* All concerts, theatre & special events
* Auto racing, tennis, golf, boxing and more!

BUY FROM US TODAY
* Buy online 24/7.
* Buy on the phone by calling 1-800-SOLD-OUT.
* Speak directly with our ticket experts.
* No waiting to talk to us, we’re open 7 days a week.
* All transactions are protected from fraud.
* We’re members of the BBB and our local Chamber.


We have over 100,000 loyal and happy customers to praise for our service. We offer email updates, to keep you abreast of upcoming events and offer you the latest ticket specials. And we’ll assign you a dedicated representative, that’s available to help you find the tickets you want. And if you are looking for a great gift idea, you can buy a TicketCity gift card today!

We strive to make buying tickets from us to be as unforgettable as the event itself.

– Bowl Game Tickets
– Christmas Spectacular Tickets