Band Accents Turbulence of Amos’ Songs

Touring with a full band for the first time, Tori Amos showcased her new album, “From the Choirgirl Hotel,” at the Wilshire Theatre on Wednesday in a 90-minute performance that blended her complex, classically based piano compositions with heavier rock instrumentation that complemented the emotional turbulence in her music.

Planted between her grand piano and an electric keyboard, Amos immediately set the evening’s tone with the dramatic, menacing sprawl of “Black-Dove (January).” Her forceful playing and near-operatic singing, which have always strongly recalled English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, gained even more power with the added guitar (Steve Caton), bass (Jon Evans) and drums (Matt Chamberlain).

The band served as a conduit for the anger and defiance in her material while giving her the opportunity to revisit older works in a new context.

Though Amos gave fans a taste of the old days with a solo piano interlude featuring the disturbing classics “Icicle” and “Silent All These Years,” she also seemed interested in seeing where a band could take her songs, offering an almost bluesy variation on “Cornflake Girl.”

In spite of the extra sonic texture, however, hooks were in short supply. But the hypnotic undercurrent of the music, along with Amos’ ever-improving knack for writing memorable poetry and hilarious one-liners, could draw in even the casual listener, and the juggernaut of her personality was tough to resist.

The show got a late start after a last-minute scramble to move from the El Rey Theatre (because of a fire marshal’s reduction of the El Rey’s capacity, according to a promoter). As a result, opening act David Poe’s set was cut short, but the singer-songwriter’s brutally honest, sometimes bitterly funny 30-minute performance was a fitting prelude. Poe plays tonight at the Largo.

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* Tori Amos plays Sept. 18 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 8 p.m. $30. (714) 740-2000; Also Sept. 22 at the Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., 7:30 p.m. $22.75-$32.75 (213) 480-3232. Tickets for both shows on sale May 15.