It got real quite fast watching Fiona Apple repeatedly scream "This is not about love," while she flailed her body around like a helicopter seed in a tornado.

Not since the tragic death of Kurt Cobain and the demise of Nirvana has there been as much passion on the mainstream stage. Magical, shocking, brutal and beautiful was Apple at Detroit's State Theatre, 2115 Woodward Ave., on Wednesday.

Her mood flipped from Princess Grace of Monaco to Courtney Love at a dizzying speed. Crowd members were just trying not to blink and miss Apple sharing her deepest secrets with fluorescent lights dancing all over her wiry body.

In a black tube top and full length flutter skirt — that she constantly tugged, grabbed and fiddled with — the genius demanded your attention, even when it hurt.

Moving out from behind her grand piano to center stage every couple of songs and back again, Apple made the crowd nervous. She was so intrinsically motivated with her stage presence that it became almost unnerving, but to look away was to deny sheer brilliant expression.

For some odd reason, the venue set up folding chairs on the floor. But when a crowd member yelled out "Can we stand up and dance, Fiona?" two things became apparent: The audience drooled over every word the angelic piano girl uttered, and at the same time, they didn't want to disappoint the devil in her.

And in the cutest voice ever, Apple replied "You can dance if you want to," to which the crowd erupted while she peacefully rested behind her piano ready to explode into another chaotic, yet structured, heartfelt jam.

During a heart-pounding version of "Fast As You Can" the stage lights rapidly flickered between blackness and brilliant pastel colors to frame Apple in one hissy-fit dance move after another. It was an awesome display of raw human emotion.

The stage crew was on high alert as Apple made it a habit of slamming microphone stands into the floor, and when she received feedback in her microphone, she would just start screaming. She wasn't bratty, but lovably barbarous, which is a surprise coming from a woman so twiggy in proportion.

For the encore, Apple performed her normal two ending numbers: "Extraordinary Machine" and "Criminal." The songs provided the perfect dichotomy between the fragile charm and refreshing anarchy that defines Apple's wild stage performance.