Eccentric singer-songwriter-pianist extraordinaire Tori Amos rocked -- that's right, rocked -- the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Tuesday night.

Before more than 1,000 of her devoted following -- some of whom had been waiting since 9:30 in the morning outside the venue to get in -- Amos put on a riveting, hour-and-45-minute show with material from her beat-heavy new album, From The Choirgirl Hotel.

Helping Amos rock out in a big way were a tight trio of musicians, including longtime collaborator Steve Caton on guitar, and drummer Matt Chamberlain and bassist Jon Evans, who provided a deep groove for Amos, flanked by a piano and keyboards, which she sometimes played simultaneously.

The vocally and musically gifted Amos, recently named by SPIN as among the "top 40 most vital artists in music," was last in town at Massey Hall in 1996, but then it was just her and Caton.

With Choirgirl, which hits record stores on Tuesday, Amos said she wanted to branch out from "the girl and the piano thing" by recording and performing -- for the first time -- with a band.

The change suits her, and the audience -- who stood there transfixed, often with arms outstretched, when they weren't shouting things like "You're my goddess, Tori!" -- apparently agreed.

Amos, who has been through major personal change in the last few years (getting married and pregnant and then suffering a miscarriage) also seemed thrilled with the result. What else could explain her literally skipping off the stage at the end of her set?

When Amos wasn't winking at Caton or beaming at Chamberlain or Evans, she was making eye contact with her fans and engaging them in dialogue.

"Love you back," she said at one point to the crowd and blew them a kiss.

Amos -- who made her entrance by walking up to the front of the stage to accept various bouquets of flowers -- opened the show with two new songs, notably the impressive Black-Dove (January) and Iieee, before trotting out older material like Horses and Doughnut Song. But it was the new work that really stood out.

Spark, Northern Lad, and Cruel packed a major emotional punch even if there was a slight loss of momentum during slower numbers like Jackie's Strength.

Amos is currently on a rare club tour, previewing material from Choirgirl in 12 North American cities before embarking on a larger-venue road trip this summer, which will likely bring her back to the Molson Amphitheatre in July.