Tori Amos (Primavera Sound)

A radically different style but I have to admit that Tori Amos was the second name on the line-up that made me pat myself of the back for buying my Primavera Sound pass at Christmas without knowing the line-up. Her appearances in Europe are not that numerous and as far as I know, this concert was her only scheduled date in Spain. Since I had never seen her live, I couldn't miss that opportunity...

One of the other things that struck me when I discovered the line-up of this year's Primavera Sound was the unusually high number of female artists. And I don't mean "the girl who plays bass with" or "the girl on the keyboards" (even though I very much enjoyed the gigs of The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, The Thurston Moore Band and The KVB!). No, I mean strong, powerful female song-writers, musicians and performers, each with very different and uncompromising styles, be them solo artists or in bands. And don't roll your eyes at me like I'm some sort of femi-nazi: even the singer-drummer of Death From Above 1979, who is a man, stressed that fact during his gig. 

If Ex Hex, Patti Smith and Sleater-Kinney gave me faith in rock'n'roll again on the previous night (as would Babes in Toyland later on that day), artists like Torres, Yasmine Hamdan or Tori Amos took me on a quieter journey, perhaps more introspective. No doubt Tori Amos' lyrics, be them on sexuality, feminism or religion, can stir you up quite a bit.

So OK, it wasn't the most rock'n'roll concert of Primavera Sound. I guess when you're alone on stage and sharing your time and scenic space between two pianos, it is not that easy to move or jump around, sure. But my, that was probably one of the most impressive concerts I saw this year. Of course, the virtuosity of Ms Amos' classical piano training is undeniable. But it goes beyond mere technique. It's this expressive, eloquent voice. And the story-telling... Musically speaking, Tori Amos may not be the artist that has fascinated me the most over the years. I love some of her songs. I find others a little too indulging in easy pop. But to me, she's still that artist who's able to play so beautifully one of my favourite instruments and to accompany these sweet and sour lyrics -sometimes disturbing, sometimes emotional, often powerful- with this peculiar voice of hers, both delicate and broken.

Enough words, here are my photos!




 And the bonus video:

Commentaires

Anonyme a dit…
je les trouve superbes ces photos!!!
Carole M. a dit…
Merci ! Il faut dire qu'elle est plutôt photogénique, Tori Amos... Et puis, l'air de rien, après tellement de festivals, j'ai pris le coup : j'arrive assez bien à me faufiler pour me retrouver tout près de la scène ! ;-)