Fiona Apple gave a perfectly pitched and dramatic performance to a crowd of enthusiastic fans at The Capitol Theatre on Oct. 10.
Slipping from low to high octaves and incorporating her signature falsettos, Apple mostly sang songs from her latest album, released June 19, "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.” Apple’s performance at The Cap is part of her 2012 tour that began this summer, and is the first she has held since her last album was released in 2005.
During Wednesday’s performance she threw in three songs from that album, “Extraordinary Machine,” and charmed the audience with her last song, a cover of Conway Twitty’s 1950s “Only Make Believe.”
During the performance Apple switched frequently between the piano and the standing mic. She also entertained the crowd during drum, bass and guitar solos as she held onto the side of the piano behind her and danced, unreserved, in the direction of the band. At one point she was crawling to the mic stand in the middle of the stage.
Twisting her face as she sang her songs, filled with ingenous lyrics, Apple's performance was raw, as was her look. She wore a simple black dress with high slits and a hint of sheen, purple stockings, seemingly no makeup and messy hair that she took up and down throughout the show. Apple certainly demonstrated the mysterious and dark demeanor she has been known for since her first hit single, “Criminal,” was released in 1995, but she did crack a few smiles and thanked the crowd at the end of her performance.
Read more about Apple on The Capitol’s website and in this candid interview with Billboard magazine.
Click through the photos above for a view of Fiona Apple's performance at The Capitol Theatre on Oct. 10, 2012.
