The April 28, 2005 edition of the Gay & Lesbian Times included a review of Tori's April 25, 2005 concert in Los Angeles, CA at UCLA at Royce Hall Auditorium.

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You can go to gaylesbiantimes.com to read this review and see some nice photos from the concert. You can also read the review below. Thanks to Kushty for sending this info to The Dent.

'Original Sinsuality' and determined ferocity
Tori Amos wraps up U.S. tour at UCLA's Royce Hall Auditorium
BY ANTHONY BALDMAN

The final show of Tori Amos' 15-city "Original Sinsuality" U.S. tour brought out a spectrum of emotions from those who attended. Amos' most devout fans can be even more eccentric than the goddess herself, but at her final show in the states before embarking on the Australian leg of her tour next month, those at UCLA's Royce Hall Auditorium were treated to a truly captivating performance last Monday evening.

The audience was transported back in time to relish vintage-Amos classics, mostly from the early to mid-1990s, and to consume epic new material from her latest album The Beekeeper released earlier this year (Epic/Sony). After opening her set with the haunting "Original Sinsuality," the barest track on the new album, fans were treated to her trademark hit, "Silent All These Years."

Amos looked stunning, wearing a mystical, sleeveless emerald-green frock and letting her fire-red hair and slight curls flow. She played stripped-down, solo renditions of her song catalogue on her majestic Bosendorfer piano, Hammond B3 organs and Rhodes keyboard to the sold-out crowd of over 1,800.

Nostalgia set in for many upon seeing "the girl" with just her piano again. Amos went back to her roots during this tour, with no other musicians accompanying her on stage. The atmosphere was intimate, her piano skills seemed more precise and her vocals sounded more intense without a backing band to overpower her. Power was not sacrificed, though, as Amos played with the same determined ferocity. It's always interesting when Amos reworks other musicians' creations and makes them her own. During previous tours she would play covers sporadically, but this time around she does them during a structured segment called "Tori's Piano Bar." Fans have been requesting via her website which covers she should play.

Amos amused the crowd in responding to their Los Angeles requests. "You're doing pretty good, but you forgot something. This is Los Angeles. You're in the land of hairspray. I don't care how old you are or if you don't remember. I'm going to take you back to a time when a man was measured by the size of his hair."

A thrilling rendition of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" followed as the crowd reacted in disbelief. You never really know what she's going to pull out of her song arsenal. Amos had a lot of fun singing it, and even did some of her signature crotch-grabbing. During a beautiful and calming version of "All Through the Night," from '80s big-hair icon Cyndi Lauper, Amos mixed up the lyrics, stopped mid-song and said, "Oh fucking hell, that's a complicated lyric. Oh well, let's try this again" and then went into the remainder of the song with a more aggressive voice emanating from her chest.

Speaking of the '80s, another one of Amos' rarities surfaced in "Cool on Your Island," a song from the time she was in the failed late-'80s band Y Kant Tori Read, her first musical endeavor when she arrived on the L.A. scene. Amos has brought this one out of the closet often during the "Original Sinsuality" tour, and this time around she did a striking rendition of it on the Rhodes keyboard. It was definitely more subdued, taking the up-tempo swing out of the mix and incorporating a tranquil vibe.

Some of Amos' best work is arguably the lesser-known B-sides. A perfect example is "Ruby Through The Looking Glass," a rarity she played from a bonus disc that accompanied her live DVD, Welcome to Sunny Florida, released in 2004. Almost twice its usual length, Amos extended many of the piano riffs, melodies and lush lyrics.

Reminiscing on her darker days of failed relationships, Amos' version of "Doughnut Song" from her 1996 album Boys For Pele was simply extraordinary. Now a more mature, happily married, 41-year-old mother of one, Amos took us back to a time in her life when things weren't always so peachy. Anyone who's been through a failed romance can relate to the omnipresent, empty feelings that come with such an ordeal. Amos captured these intense emotions perfectly during this gem. "You can tell me it's over," she repeated countless times during the refrain, and the lyric spoke for itself. Her clear vocals reached extraordinarily high, long notes, holding the last word of the "I guess I'm way beyond the pale" line to close to a minute.

Straddling herself, as usual, between her piano and organ, Amos played many new songs from The Beekeeper. The faster-tempo "Barons of Suburbia" was superb. She demonstrated some great arm strength as she played both instruments simultaneously, and she sang beautifully, especially during the powerful culmination where she seemed to channel an inner warrior-woman, singing boldly, "She is risen/She is risen, boys."

Solely played on the organ, "The Beekeeper" was touching and ended her main set. It seemed to last forever. Amos referenced her brother who passed away last year, adding in the improvised line, "Take this message to Michael."

The sexy, swinging and soulful "Sweet the Sting" got the crowd moving during one of two encores in the 18-song set. Played only on the piano (as opposed to the organ on the studio track), there was more of a jazzy and seductive element incorporated into it. Amos became a seductress for the crowd.