Tori Amos is an icon. Now that we have assessed the obvious, let’s get educated, deconstruct, and simply learn. It’s a rare being that can transform your mind into something like a house of cards. We seek to be enlightened and Tori Amos does just that: she gives us the enexpected, an experience of rare lust and harmony, religious chaos coupled with a love for her elders.
As I have seen in shows past, Tori takes time to woo her adoring fans, both men and women alike. With a subtle androgyny, she attracts us all. The WAMU Theatre behind the Qwest Field is unassuming at best, but Miss Amos declared it her house on that beautiful Friday night. Wearing an emerald dress and gold shiny tights, she proclaimed, “Look I wore emerald for the Emerald City!”
She plugs into our minds as we are entranced by “Cornflake Girl” and “Crucify”, the standards we grew up on. But it wasn’t until “Landslide”, the cover written and made famous by Stevie Nicks, a cover I have lived in for so very long, and have heard many a performer attempt. Miss Amos not only made it her own, but she created an entirely new way to listen, a new planet to live on. With every song she continues as though she is a first time traveler to the world, giving her best performance at each note. Her dual microphones on both sides forcing her to turn her head as she belts is so pseudo sexual that you cannot help but wonder if it were on purpose, or did some technician find it the best way to vocalize her, either way, enthralling. 
As the night comes to a close, you begin to realize that yes, Tori Amos is an icon, but she was also a part of Seattle, she brought her best and gave it to us, and made us want it. Performing as both seductress and scientist, Tori bleeds on the keys, only there are multiple units on both sides and we are amazed at a multitasking wonder. People dancing in the isles wanting more, hippies and corporates alike, in the shadows waiting for those lines we live in like “…your mother stands up in a nasty dress..” and “…sometimes, I think you want me to touch you, how can I went you build the great wall around you.” Somehow, hearing those words live and out loud, gives you peace, to be able to live in the moment. Tori Amos in her Emerald dress is still and will remain an icon.
Photos: Dese’Rae Stage (Philadelphia 10/07)
