“First let’s just unzip your religion down.”
— “Crazy”, Tori Amos

Michelle and I saw Ben Folds and Tori Amos tonight at the Hardees Walnut Creek Alltel Pavilion. It was hot, and the air was still, but the show rocked.

Ben Folds opened, playing solo, banging the hell out of his piano. He’s an amusing character, and interacted with the audience a lot between songs. Notable: an audience-participation version of “Army”, and a great song called “They Give No Fuck” from his new forthcoming EP “Sunny 16”.

Tori came on and was her normal, graceful self. She seldom interacted with the audience, but when she did, she preferred to do so by singing little improvised songs. Her facial expressions are so amusing to watch when she sings. She has also learned how to use her band effectively to add drama and texture to her live performance, allowing some of her more terse arrangements to stretch out and relax. Highlights were her cover of Don McLean’s “Vincent”, as well as her really energetic renditions of “Take to the Sky” and “Wednesday”.

We got home at 11:30, and Michelle went to bed. Then, I noticed that a Tori performance was on PBS’ Soundstage, so I’ve been staying up watching it.

And now it’s time for bed.