Tori Amos at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., Aug. 29, 2026
It’s time to come clean: My appreciation for Tori Amos was limited until recently.
That isn’t because of a dislike of her music — just a general ignorance of her catalog, really.
Her name was always familiar to me over the years, her visual aesthetic also something I was aware of … but for whatever reason, I never got around to actually listening.
Maybe that was due to my predisposition toward angsty rock bands and “nu metal” and not, say, the emotional singer/songwriters of the era in which Amos rose to prominence.
Well, I wish I had. And I wish Tori’s show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Aug. 29 wasn’t my first time seeing her live.
Having followed the trajectory of her In Times of Dragons tour, I was overwhelmed a bit by the set list, which seemed to venture around each night unpredictably, save for the first two songs, “Fire to Your Plain,” and “Shush,” the latter of which was the powerful lead single from her new studio album that inspired the tour’s name.
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As the night played out at the gorgeous outdoor venue adjacent to the U.C. Berkeley campus, I found myself captivated by Amos and her band mates — bassist/musical director Jon Evans, drummer Earl Harvin and backing vocalists The Angel Witches (Deni Hlavinka, Hadley Kennary, and Liv Gibson) — and their interplay.
The focus, of course, was on Amos, perched in the middle of the stage between a grand piano and keyboard setup. At times, she straddled her bench and played both instruments at the same time, one of her trademark concert moves.
My rudimentary knowledge of the Tori Amos songbook meant researching for this concert was tough. A handful of songs stood out above the rest, partly due to an innate familiarity likely due to being exposed to them at one point or another on the radio, on TV or in films. But as I prepared for the show, I expected to not hear much that I was familiar with due to the adventurousness of these set lists.
Imagine my surprise, then, when three of those songs made it into the set list in Berkeley: “Winter,” “Mary,” and, of course, “Cornflake Girl” (which actually hasn’t been played much on this tour).
“Winter” was a highlight. From an extended introduction that was part of her song “Garlands” to the entirety of “Winter” itself, it was a treat, the Angel Witches playing off Amos’ voice particularly well.
The two songs from In Times of Dragons hit especially hard. “Shush,” with lyrics about society quieting women’s voices in a time of social unrest and governmental antagonism toward the concepts of freedom and democracy, is as close to a protest song as anyone releases these days, a visceral reaction to scary times that even includes lyrics directly referencing a Peter Thiel essay.
But Amos didn’t devote any of her time onstage to speaking from her proverbial soapbox about her views of the world today. Instead, she let her music do the talking, and it conveyed a great deal about her creative vision.
It’s a vision that clearly influenced many current women musicians at the top of their game, the ones who imbue their songs and aesthetic with a similar tone of ferocity and refusal to take what they’re given, instead pushing back on society’s ills with their musical messages — think Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Florence + the Machine, Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple and the like.
Watching Tori Amos command the Greek Theatre and change course during the encore, abbreviating “Take to the Sky” before redirecting the band to play “Sugar” — while making a reference to “my menopausal mind” as the reason behind the change of pace — was like taking in a masterclass from an artist at the top of her craft.
I only wish I hadn’t slept on it for so long.
The set list from the Greek Theatre in Berkeley (note the difference between what played out below and the planned set list above):
Fire to Your Plain
Shush
i i e e e
Angelshark
Mary
Pandora’s Aquarium
Silent All These Years
Virginia
Little Amsterdam
Little Earthquakes
Taxi Ride
Winter
Encore:
Take to the Sky
Sugar
Cornflake Girl
Pretty Good Year
Tori Amos’ remaining tour dates:
8/31: Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Convention Center Complex – SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center
9/2: Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
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