Tori Amos w/ Ray Mann @ Canberra Theatre Centre

It was a peculiar night at the Canberra Theatre as many gathered to watch Grammy-nominated Tori Amos. Although, as the audience witnessed a minimalist performance, they could not have felt anything but cheated by an underwhelming concert.

Supporting Amos, was Sydney musician Ray Mann. Having recently seen Ray Mann Three at Transit, it was interesting to see Ray Mann removed from his usual musical backdrop.

Ray Mann performed songs such as the heartfelt 'Morena', and 'Another Night with You'. He proved once again that he is truly one of the most talented musicians coming up through the ranks, with solid guitar work and a soulful singing voice.

Strutting out in a show-stopper outfit; sequinned tights and a fluorescent green dress, the audience became mildly rapturous as Tori Amos walked onto stage. To start the set, Amos sung her well-known tune 'Blood Roses' from her third studio album 'Boys for Pele' in 1996.

In 'Blood Roses' peculiar lyrics such as 'I think you're a queer,' set the tone for an esoteric concert. It quickly became obvious that Tori Amos was an extremely gifted musician. With perfect intonation, and sublime dexterity over both acoustic and electric pianos, she began to mesmerise the audience with her opening songs.

Sadly though, as the gig progressed I became increasingly unsettled by the uniformity of every song. Every song sounded the same, and it quickly seemed like Amos was becoming a less interesting, and blander version of the traditional alt-pop goddess.

Despite all her songs sounding mildly the same, the concert became even more monotonous due to the lack of a band. Great entertainers such as Elton or Billy Joel successfully perform solo as their stage craft and ability to hold an audience is simply captivating. Others are incapable, and in this instance, Tori Amos fitted into the latter category.

Over the entire course of the concert, Amos addressed the audience only once. Up beat songs such as 'Mother' and 'Beekeeper' did little to change the subdued mood of the concert.

My advice to any Tori Amos fans: next time she comes to Canberra – buy her CD, sit down with a glass of wine and enjoy the experience in the comfort of your living room.