REVIEW: Evanescence, Halestorm deliver heavyweight performance at SAP Center
riffmagazine.com/reviews/evanescence-halestorm-20211109/Text: Mike DeWald
November 10, 2021, 5:59 am
SAN JOSE ā Two of modern rockās heavyweight vocalists teamed up for a powerhouse bill at SAP Center. Amy Lee of
Evanescence and Halestormās Lzzy Hale showed off their formidable vocal prowess during their bandās respective sets, even joining forces multiple times throughout the night. The tour was not only a long time coming for fans, but even longer for the bands.
āItās been two years since weāve played live!ā Lee said early on in her bandās set.
Bay Area fans likely have to go back even further. Evanescence played two Northern California dates with an orchestra on its Synthesis Tour; otherwise, the clock needs to be wound back to a 2011 appearance at Oaklandās Fox Theater. For this tour, the band broke out some of its most elaborate set design ever, with a tiered stage with laser lights and a triangular video screen.
Evanescence avoided nostalgia or a greatest hits set, instead going for a showcase of the band in its present form. Playing nearly all of its latest release, The Bitter Truth, the current lineup has gelled and that chemistry showed in the performance. The band opened with a duo of dramatic brooding rockers in āBroken Pieces Shineā and āMade Of Stoneā before ripping through ferocious new track āTake Cover.ā
Lee was the focal point throughout the set, commanding both sides of the stage and attacking the front as the tempo built to a crescendo. Her vocals were stunning from the first note to last. No hill was too steep to overcome. The singer didnāt address the crowd often, but when she did, she made the words count. Lee seemed to be on the verge of tears as she introduced older track āLithium.ā She addressed the pandemic and the suffering and loss many have felt, urging the crowd to not become desensitized by the onslaught of bad news and still feel the pain of tragedy.
Drummer Will Hunt used every piece of his sprawling drum set. Guitarist Troy McLawhorn and bassist Tim McCord supplied the down-tuned riffs and low end, while guitarist Jen Majura rounded out the sound with stellar backing vocals.
Some of the sets highest points came during the bandās lesser-known songs. Infusing elements from Synthesis, āEnd of the Dreamā was spectacular in both stage design and performance. Midway through the set, a āhome movieā video montage ran with scenes from throughout the bandās career before launching into the thunderous āBetter Without You.ā
āWe thought it would be really funny to play the longest set weāve ever played,ā Lee quipped midway through the performance. The 19-track, 90-minute set certainly gave fans their moneyās worth. Lee brought Hale out to sing together on a cover of a heavy Linkin Park song, on which both singersā complementary vocals shined. It was the second time the two appeared on stage together. Lee also joined Hale to perform Halestormās āBreak Inā earlier in the show. The mutual admiration the two singers hold for each other was apparent and infectious.
Lee got the South Bay crowd singing along on the anthemic āUse My Voiceā as well as the bandās breakthrough hit, āBring Me To Life.ā After a short encore break, Lee took to the piano to perform ballad āMy Immortalā before the rest of the band returned to close things out in dramatic fashion with new track āBlind Belief.ā
Halestorm also owned the stage, opening with thundering new track āBack From the Dead,ā serving as a rallying cry for Hale and co. on a number of levels. The band kept its set upbeat and riff-heavy, focusing on its heaviest rockers in an 11-song set. Hale also showed off her own vocal power, but in a contrasting way to Lee. There seemed to be no limits when she pushed her vocal to a near-scream on closer āI Miss the Misery.ā
Along with guitarist Joe Hottinger, bassist Josh Smith and drummer Arejay Hale, Halestorm ripped through songs like āDo Not Disturbā and āI Get Off.ā Donning a black leather cap, Hale showed off her own guitar skills, matching Hottingerās solos multiple times on the handful of extended jams the band mixed into the set. Her brother, Areyjay Hale, performed a lively drum solo (including an appearance of his oversized drum sticks. The band concluded with one of its most dynamic tracks in āBlack Vulturesā before finishing with the anthemic rockers āFreak Like Meā and āI Miss the Misery.ā
Also deserving an honorable mention were the eveningās openers,
Plush. The young rockers delivered a phenomenal set, fusing ā80s rock with grunge and modern hard rock. Singer and guitarist Moriah Formica is a powerhouse vocalist in her own right, belting out the bandās material as well as a cover of Heartās āBarracudaā (in the home of the AHLās San Jose Barracuda, no less). Some fans arriving to the show were caught off guard by the early start. Plush began well before the 7:30 p.m. start time printed on tickets.
The tour may have overshot slightly in playing the large SAP Center, but the thousands in attendance more then made up for it by cheering and singing along throughout the show.
Photos by Chloe Catajan:
