Regina Spektor and Only Son at Fillmore Miami Beach, November 17

But the visual display was also well synced with the music for ominous mood-setting red hues for the more brooding numbers and dramatic blackouts save for Spektor's lone spotlight as a bold exclamation-point finale for many of the songs.

Photo by Marta Xochilt Perez

But ultimately, this was a performance about chops, which Regina Spektor has like Jay-Z's got problems. Moving through straightforward balladeering, Russian folk, synth-pop, and indie-orchestral bombast, this performer was nothing short of a maestro. We heard Elton John, Billy Joel, and Tori Amos before we realized any kind of genealogy would be impossible. Because Regina Spektor is in a league of her own.

Photo by Marta Xochilt Perez

Critic's Notebook

The Crowd: Mostly women, polite people, nice kids, actual children, couples of all ages, begrudging boyfriends, folks with good jobs, All Songs Considered enthusiasts, librarians.

From the Crowd: "I love you!" was a phrase shrieked countless times by nearly the entire audience.

From the Stage: "You can find me on Twitter. And of course, Instagram. How can we talk about MySpace at a time like this? How could I not direct you to Facebook? And holy crap, there's YouTube too." - Jack Dishel, otherwise known as Only Son

Regina Spektor's Setlist:
-"Ain't No Cover"
-"The Calculation"
-"On the Radio"
-"Small Town Moon"
-"Ode to Divorce"
-"Patron Saint"
-"How"
-"All the Rowboats"
-"Blue Lips"
-"The Prayer of Francois Villon" (Bulat Okudzhava cover)
-"Call Them Brothers" (with Only Son)
-"Dance Anthem of the '80s"
-"Better"
-"Don't Leave Me"
-"Firewood"
-"Oh Marcello"
-"Ballad of a Politician"
-"Sailor Song"
-"Open"
-"The Party"

Encore
-"Us"
-"Fidelity"
-"Hotel Song"
-"Samson"

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