KEY POINTS:
Get a microphone stand, Amy Lee. And your band should lurch out from behind their fold-back speakers and rock a little, too. Plus, tell your drummer to use his two - not one, but two - kick drums with a bit more brawn and to stop being so
lazy.
Evanescence, the US goth-rock-pop band who played two shows in Auckland this week, need a few more dynamics and a couple more props to play with up there. The stage is stripped back and devoid of cords, courtesy of "remote technology", which makes them look ridiculously detached from their amplifiers and it's as if they're miming - just like Top of the Pops.
It's also a shame when a stunning frontwoman, with a voice like Lee, who moves effortlessly from her normal range to a swoon, falsetto and operatic wail all within one song, is backed up by a stolid and staid band. Over the course of nearly an hour and a half, the songs all start sounding the same.
Apart from Lee - who's gothed up in 20-spot high-heeled black boots, a black lace skirt and black tank top - the only hint of excitement from the rest of the band are a guitarist's manky, flailing dreadlocks. These guys are playing some pretty beefy metal riffs but they lack oomph and penetration.
On the flipside, the electronic effects make the performance more sonic, and of course the main highlight is Lee. When she talks to the crowd you get to see how young, innocent and slightly goofy she is. She could be the goth chick from High School Musical, if indeed that teenage musical movie phenomenon did have a dark side. But she is a star. When the grand piano is rolled out, and she takes her seat for the beautiful Lithium, off their latest album, The Open Door, the crowd start swaying and when it reaches its heavy climax they are baying.
The biggest sing-a-long is saved for the epic Bring Me To Life, their breakthrough hit from 2003's Fallen.
The downstairs crowd especially were loving it and with a little more effort from the lads in the band, this could have been a cracker Evanescence gig. Shame it was just the Amy Lee show.