Fiona Apple is a woman posessed. It’s more or less public knowledge, but the piano playing songstress’ level of intensity wasn’t entirely clear until we saw her Monday night at Wolf Trap.

She took the stage in a long blue dress with her hair hanging down, without pomp or introduction, and launched into “Get Him Back,” from her latest ablum, Extraordinary Machine. Assuming her position at a beautiful piano, she made little commentary as she powerfully delivered her first few songs. Because Wolftrap is an outdoor venue, the heat soon got the better of her; her hair went up into a knot on her head, and her demons came out as the night progressed. She tore through the high points of all three of her albums, from “Shadowboxer” to “Get Gone” and every other favorite in between.

Never pretending to be demure, it came as no surprize that Fiona Apple was an impassioned performer. What we weren’t expecting was the writhing, the singing while doubled over and shaking, the yelling at herself when the mic was away from her mouth. She’s performed all of her songs, particularly those reaching back as far as Tidal, countless times. But she’s not bored or apathetic singing any of them. Each song was delivered with as much emotion and energy as she likely felt when she wrote it. She appears to be going through the times she’s singing about, there on stage, bearing all for her audience. All while never missing a note.

Photos by Andi Kling/Courtesy of Wolf Trap