Tori Amos Honors Sinéad O’Connor With Emotional Covers at San Francisco Show: ‘A Force of Nature’
Tori Amos is honoring the legacy of Sinéad O’Connor the way she knows best: performing a few of her songs. During her show on Wednesday night, hours after O’Connor’s death, in San Francisco, the songstress performed O’Connor’s tracks “I Am Stretched on Your Grave” and “Three Babies.”
She described O’Connor as “one of the most important songwriters” that has lived as she honored her for warning the world about the abuses of the Catholic church. “This is a person who was powerful, who wrote incredible music, and we honor her tonight,” she told the crowd prior to performing her song “Crucify.”
Amos performed the two I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got tracks on piano, and the crowd cheered as they realized which songs she was performing. Amos opted for the somber piano as she sang “I Am Stretched on Your Grave,” which O’Connor originally recorded in a more upbeat way.
Following the news of her death Wednesday, Amos shared a photo of O’Connor, describing the singer as a “force of nature.”
“Sinead was a force of nature. A brilliant songwriter & performer whose talent we will not see the like of again,” Amos tweeted. “Such passion, such intense presence & a beautiful soul, who battled her own personal demons courageously. Be at peace dear Sinead, you will forever be in our hearts.”
On Wednesday, O’Connor’s family confirmed the singer’s death in a statement to Irish news network RTE. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.” No cause of death was provided.
London authorities have ruled that her death is “not being treated as suspicious after Scotland Yard spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that authorities found the singer “unresponsive” and “pronounced [her] dead at the scene” at 11:18 BST.
On Thursday, her management company revealed that O’Connor was “completing her new album” and was considering going on tour and working on a film based on her book.
“As tribute to those who were part of Sinead’s team over our tenure, it has to be mentioned that Sinead was completing her new album, reviewing new tour dates for 2024, and considering opportunities in relation to a movie of her book,” the management company wrote on their website. “Wonderful plans were afoot at this time. Testament and tribute to those who have put their hearts first for Sinead, to whom we are forever grateful.”
