Evanescence Dazzle Hollywood Audience on Second Night of Their Tour

If anyone thought the several-year layoff of the multi-platinum and Grammy winning rock band Evanescence might result in a lackluster show at the start of a new tour, they would be sorely mistaken.

As the band proved at the Hollywood Palladium at tour stop last night, they are more than ready to play. Comprised today of Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Will Hunt (drums) and of course one of the most compelling front people of her generation, singer-pianist Amy Lee, Evanescence hit the stage promptly at 10:05PM and through the course of 17-songs took the tightly-packed house on a journey that focused heavily on their new album 'Evanescence ' (released the day of the show), while also delivering the anthemic hits.

Kicking off with the album's first single, 'What You Want,' it was clear from the outset that Lee's performing chops have only gotten stronger during her time away from the band. From the moment the purple and aqua lights washed over her, she was sashaying, swaying, and dancing with the flow of the music, letting her body flow freely against the muscular, brooding chords of the new music.

Dressed in a black sequined dress with a plaid wrap around her waist and knee-high boots, Lee evoked other classic female rockers from earlier eras, such as Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush. Still a gothy, raven haired beauty who understands how to sell a song onstage, Lee seemed thoroughly energized performing the new songs, girlishly chatting them up and then delivering them with the force of the gods.

Her full-bodied voice still soars when she wants it to, but it has also aged nicely and allows her to bring new earthy drama to her performance, in particular when she sits down at the Baldwin baby grand mid-set for several songs including the new 'My Heart is Broken' and 'Lithium,' from the band's second album, 2007's 'The Open Door.'

But for all the introspective grace and delicate, airy intensity she brings at the piano, it's when she's stalking the stage that Lee seems the most gripping, commanding and lusty. Although she has been out of the Evanescence limelight for a couple of years, Lee's sultry priestess of rock persona has evolved nicely. Physically throwing her self into the music as she does, she elevated the crowd numerous times over the course of the evening, pausing several times to revel in the moment of the new album's release.

But in the end, it's about the songs, and the new material melded strongly with the classics. This may not be an official 'comeback' but clearly this is a band that has picked up right where they left off, delivering smart, emotional, darkly catchy anthems to an audience whose appetite for the band seems only to have grown.

This was a triumphant night in Hollywood. Welcome back Evanescence. Welcome back, Amy Lee.

Setlist:

'What You Want'

'Going Under'

'The Other Side'

'Weight of the World'

'The Change'

'Made of Stone'

'Lost in Paradise'

'My Heart Is Broken'

'Lithium'

'Sick'

'Oceans'

'Call Me When You're Sober'

'Imaginary'

'Bring Me To Life'

Encore:

'Never Go Back'

'Your Star'

'My Immortal'

New York rock band The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons both delivered strong opening sets.

Tour Dates:

Oct 14 Phoenix Comerica Theatre

Oct 15 Tucson AVA Amphitheatre

Oct 18 San Antonio Sunken Gardens

Oct 19 Dallas Palladium

Oct 21 Milwaukee Eagles Ballroom

Oct 22 Chicago Congress Theatre

Oct 24 Detroit Royal Oak Music Theatre

Oct 25 Toronto The Sound Academy

Oct 27 Montreal Metropolis

Oct 28 Boston Palladium

Oct 30 Atlantic City Showboat - House of Blues

Nov 1 NYC Terminal 5