Tori Amos, Companion
Orpheum Theater 216 State St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Desmond Murray
Tori Amos
It's hard to underestimate the raw emotion that Tori Amos brought to popular music when she hit the scene with her album Little Earthquakes in 1992. A breathy, no-holds-barred singer in the mold of Kate Bush, Amos was fearless in the personal issues she addressed in her songs. And her piano playing — like Beethoven on a bender — was a revelation. In the ensuing years, there have been more fearless female singer-songwriters who owe much to Amos. She's touring in support of her new album, Ocean to Ocean, which deals with, in part, the psychic effects of the pandemic. With Companion.
$79.50-$39.50.
media release: A trailblazing musician, author and activist, Tori Amos has announced a massive North American 2022 tour, with stops in NYC, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia and more. Thrilled to connect with fans once more, her captivating live show will bring the new album, Ocean to Ocean, to life and include some career-spanning fan favorites. Ocean to Ocean was released digitally and on CD in October and had been made available as a beautiful vinyl package Friday, January 28. The record received widespread acclaim by fans and media alike, with features spanning Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, Stereogum, SPIN and NPR. The record debuted at #2 on the Billboard Current Alternative Albums Chart and #6 on the Billboard Album Sales Chart, marking her tenth “Top 10” appearance.
Ocean to Ocean is Amos’ most personal work in years - an album bursting with warmth and connection, with deep roots in her earliest song writing. As communities around the world suffered the loss of life, live music, travel, and much at all to observe, Tori had a difficult time during the pandemic. She descended to an emotional state lower than she had been to for a long time - but the depths became creative, forcing a return to the kind of introspection she recognised from her debut album Little Earthquakes. The new collection is an expression of kinship and love, of emotional and geographical dislocation. It explores environmental concerns, the restraints of the pandemic for those on the cusp of adulthood, empowerment, loss & healing delivered with Tori’s trademark urgency and passion.
A pioneer across multiple platforms, Tori Amos’ second book RESISTANCE, a New York Times Bestseller, was released in 2020. Unrepentant Geraldines was her eighth studio album to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 Chart. Her decidedly feminist stage musical The Light Princess debuted at #2 on the Broadway Billboard Chart. Nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, she was the first major label artist to offer a single for download, has had her songs turned into graphic novels and has produced ground-breaking videos throughout her career. In late 2016 she released the title song “Flicker” to the acclaimed Netflix documentary Audrie and Daisy, addressing issues of high school rape. A noted humanitarian, Tori was the first public voice for RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization, and continues to be member of its National Leadership Council.
Tori will be touring North America, UK and Ireland in 2022. For tickets, visit www.toriamos.com.
"Ocean to Ocean shudders with new, roiling tension." - Pitchfork
“The legend, the icon” - NPR
“‘Speaking With Trees’ is full of groovy guitars, rocking drums, and of course, some spirited keys.” - MTV
"Tori Amos has remained a pivotal and prolific singer-songwriter who has always been able to meet the moment." - Entertainment Weekly
"As if by magic, Tori consistently manages to spin a thorny yarn into something artful and exquisite." - SPIN
“For Tori Amos, a piano is not merely a musical instrument. It is an entity with whom one can have entire conversations.” - Stereogum