REGINA SPEKTOR

'All The Rowboats' sees beams of red luminescence scan over the audience like searchlights - this song is not a performance, but an experience. In contrast, 'Blue Lips' is far more focused on Regina, watching her fingers flow over the piano like water, and the cello making the song more immediate and dire.

The band then leaves Regina on stage, which seems like a good time for one audience member to call out, "I love you Regina!" Another cries out, "I love you more!" In her quiet way, she chants, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" She then introduces Jack Dishel from Only Son (her husband - who also opened for her) for 'Call Them Brothers', a song they wrote together, performed with a spine-tingling harmony. Going solo, she plays her version of one of her favourites, 'The Prayer of François Villon'.

With the band returning to the stage, Regina positions herself at keyboard for 'Dance Anthem of the 80s'. While it starts with an innocent simplicity, Spektor once again sends shivers down spines when she professes, "It's been a long time since before I've been touched, now I'm getting touched all the time".

Returning to the comfort of her piano, Regina belts out 'Better' - a rockier version heavy with drums. In perhaps the closest rendition to the album, 'Ne Quitte Pas' is joyous, bubbly and 3 minutes of divine fun.

Firewood is a quiet piano number, showing off a more delicate side of Regina, while 'Ballad of a Politician' has the live layering of her vocals, for an execrable effect.

'Sailor Song' brings a delicate piano with a rollicking rock chorus, while 'Folding Chair' and 'Oh Marcello' are light-hearted fun. She then launches into the uplifting piano-driven epic, 'Open', bringing an operatic quality to the song. Regina finishes off the celebration with 'The Party', before leaving the stage.

The rapturous applause was silenced by a disembodied voice: "I am the ghost of the Sydney Opera House. Regina's not coming back!" But it didn't take much to convince her to - in fact, it seems she had made her way up to the Concert Hall grand organ for a rendition of 'The Sword and the Pen' - halfway through the song remarking, "Holy shit, I'm playing an organ!"

Upon returning to the stage, Regina revealed that it was a first for her: "I've never played an organ before... It's fucking hard, especially the feet!" Regardless of the fact, the audience is ecstatic.

She then launches into 'Us', as rambunctious as ever. The cheers from the crowd are only topped when the first notes of the next song reveal themselves to be 'Fidelity'. Spektor is sincere in her emotion, and the accompanying cello perfectly complements to her beautiful vocals. This is followed by 'Hotel Song', where he shows off her beatbox skills.

Regina finishes off the evening on her own, performing a solo version of 'Samson', soft and solitary at the piano, with a standing ovation from the audience.

The evening revealed a diverse and plentiful choice of songs - the new album wasn't favoured over any others, and was nicely spread between the 25-odd songs. Regina Spektor's live performance is more vivid and vociferous than any album could ever capture - to watch this small woman produce such phenomenal sounds is a superb experience.

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