Evanescence
with Electric Touch and Rival Sons
Hard Rock Live
Hollywood, FL
January 17, 2012
Review and Photos by Anthony Cave
Usually a rock concert warrants the typical suspects – head bangers, dark-dressed teens and a combination of both, but grandparents?
Electric Touch
After finding a rare parking spot, I really did not expect to be seated next to senior citizens at this concert. I thought it was a bad joke – who looks more out of place at a rock concert? Turns out they were watching their granddaughter in the row ahead – supervising the mayhem.
Mayhem in the form of two-time Grammy award winning hard rock group Evanescence.
British rock band Electric Touch opened with a surprisingly nice mix of heavy and softer tunes. Minus the terrible lighting while taking pictures, songs like “Don’t Stop” and “Love In Your Hearts” flowed well. Their set lasted a short 27 minutes – they needed more time.
Throw in a couple almost seizure-inducing lights and the crowd transformed into, well, a crowd at a rock concert.
Rival Sons
Cali-based Rival Sons followed. The lead vocalist overdid it a bit on a couple song endings, but their 30-minute performance, not a second too long, built up to Amy Lee and Evanescence.
Lee stormed on-stage in a multi-colored, but pink focused get up, singing the lead single, “What You Want” off Evanescence’s self-titled new album. Even after two rock bands and a strong opening song from Evanescence, the Hard Rock crowd was still pretty much seated, but that would change quickly.
An illuminated black and purple background appeared like the loading screen on a dial-up computer, as bits and pieces completed the band’s name. This paved the way for hits like “Hello,” “Like You” and “Breathe No More.”
Throw in a couple almost seizure-inducing lights and the crowd transformed into, well, a crowd at a rock concert. So much so in fact that two women in the upper level of seats started acting out songs, like something in “Glee,” even when everyone else was seated.
Evanescence
After “Going Under” and “Lithium,” the heavy hitters would soon follow. After “Call Me When You’re Sober,” I should have covered my ears, because not even five seconds into the piano keys, a unanimous deafening scream from the crowd signaled “Bring Me To Life.”
Lee’s vocals and the kick-ass guitar playing always makes me add “learn to play guitar” on my list of New Year’s Resolutions, and feel like a video game super hero character all at the same time.
The entire performance could be summed up like the guy in the Beats by Dr. Dre cell-phone commercial—he is tuned in to the music, while pure chaos ensues in the background.
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Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence