02 May Evanescence Draws Massive Crowd, Brings Purple Rain

Posted at 10:25h in Blog by

If there is one act that surprised me the most this weekend (in a great way) it would be Little Rock, Arkansas’ Evanescence.

I had preconceived expectations in my head about the dark, romantic rock band, led by the beautiful and haunting Amy Lee. I didn’t know what size crowd they would bring, I didn’t know what their set list would sound like.

Whatever I thought, was wrong.

Long before Saint Asonia took the Tire Kingdom stage, Evanescence fans began to search for their perfect spot near the stage. Before a single T-shirt was unpacked, a lengthy line formed by the merch tent. Loyal fans of Lee and her talented troupe were NOT messing around.

By the time dusk fell, a massive crowd stretched before the Tire Kingdom stage. The gothic beauty that is Evanescence greeted them with “What You Want,” off their third album. The crowd went wild.

Lee’s vocals are captivating on her album, and even more enchanting in person. Black hair, black dress, black boots, the lightest part of this talented being shines from her beautiful, pale throat.

The group moved into their smash hit “Going Under,” “Weight of the World,” and “Other Side.”

Later in the show, Lee would delight her fiercely loyal fans with a stripped down rendition of Led Zepplin’s “Going to California,” as well as a quieter, acoustic version of “My Immortal.”

They also made sure to play their beloved dark anthems, “Whisper,” “Call Me When You’re Sober,” and “Bring Me To Life.”

What left me speechless was Evanescence’s encore. Lee and her band returned to the stage and her screaming fans to perform Prince’s “Purple Rain,” which remains in my heart the best cover of the weekend.

We mentioned Train opened and closed with Prince tributes. Capital Cities and Steve Aoki sampled music from Prince as well. But Evanescence’s heartfelt and overwhelming version will be remembered as the best.

We had an excellent time playing Sunfest tonight. West Palm, you ROCK!

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