Sinead O'Connor Plays With Priestly Fervor at NYC's City Winery

Sinead O’Connor’s performance on Saturday (Nov. 9) at New York’s City Winery -- her second of four straight American Kindness Tour shows at the intimate venue -- was awe-inspiring. The controversial singer arrived onstage sporting a "Rasta at Heart" t-shirt and dark sunglasses -- the latter of which she claimed she needed due to shyness -- and proceeded to electrify the house with a nonstop 90-minute set.

O'Connor opened the show with a version of American singer-songwriter John Grant’s ‘Queen of Denmark,’ a standout track from her latest album, ‘How About I Be Me (And You Be You).’ With lines like “I wanted to change the world / But could not even change my underwear and "I had it all the way up to my hairline / Which keeps receding like my self confidence,” the song elicited chuckles from the mostly middle-aged audience, setting the tone for a lighthearted rock 'n' roll experience.

A few years ago, O’Connor was ordained as a Catholic priest, and she performed as if she were preaching, deftly moving her body around the microphone, palms reaching to the sky. It was evident she and her five-piece band were thoroughly enjoying themselves for the duration of the show.

“Forgive me," she said at one point, "I’m a religious maniac."

Drawing mostly from her 1990 breakthrough album, ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,’ and ‘How About I Be Me (And You Be You),’ Sinead served up gems like her international hit ‘Nothing Compares 2 U,’ ‘Emperor’s New Clothes,’ ‘The Wolf is Getting Married.’ ‘4^th and Vine’ and a stunning a capella rendition of ‘I Am Stretched On Your Grave.’

Sinead was charming throughout, smiling and bantering with the audience and giving her all. She did several songs a capella and in three-part harmony with her bassist and guitarist. When she sang sans instrumentation, the venue was completely silent and enchanted by her sheer force and extraordinary talent.

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Nicole Fara Silver