For opening act Veridia, an emerging alt-rock/pop band from
Nashville, every single lyric of singer Deena Jakoub could be heard
cleanly. The sound quality was similar for Evanescence, though
there were moments where Lee’s voice fought to compete with
the guitar, bass and drums maelstrom.
From one corner nearest the stage to a corner farthest away, the sound seemed clear and solid to me, though I sought a second
opinion from concertgoer and audiophile Jimi Miller, drummer
for The Times’ former Best in The Valley band Sidewinder.
“It didn’t sound like an auditorium,” Miller said. “Subs were
kicking. I could feel the bottom end in my seat and on my feet. In
my opinion, better than the Palumbo (Center) ever sounded,
cleaner than Carnegie of Homestead. The side of the stage where
we were sitting in Sec. 106 upper level could have used a couple
more speakers for clarity when Amy was talking. All in all, I
thought the sound was very good, and I would go see other shows
there.”
A concert site in Moon Township is a godsend for Beaver Valley
concertgoers weary of fighting Pittsburgh traffic. Though before
Sunday’s 8 p.m. show, a single-lane line of cars was backed to the
stoplight at University Boulevard and Beaver Grade Road,
crawling slowly but steadily toward the Robert Morris driveway.
I didn’t see much of a line to enter the building, and the Will Call
window went quickly and smoothly. Between both bands’ sets, the
congregation of fans bottle-necked slightly in the pathway from the seats to the restrooms and concessions. Restroom lines
between acts were what you’d expect (I counted 10 guys in front of
me, with the ladies’ line double that). And c’mon fellas, let’s not set
the precedent of using the restroom’s exit as an entrance.
Evanescence’s set started at 9:15 p.m., and didn’t offer much
variety, though the loud cheers from fans and their eagerness to
light up and lift their cellphones for encore number “My
Immortal” proved they were enjoying themselves.
Lee expressed her gratitude to them for sticking with Evanescence
more than 15 years since the band’s breakout success.
“Thank you for willing to not be cool,” she said before “Lost in
Paradise,” a song that began with Lee’s pretty piano work before
evolving into a raging rocker.
Will Hunt entertained with his drumstick twirls and tosses in
“Going Under.”
Though you couldn’t take your eyes off Lee in her punk-Gothic-
Victorian look, with platform boots and hosiery adding a dark,
progressive-metal vibe. Some women in the crowd emulated the
Goth clothes and makeup.
Lee sank to a knee for extra drama in “Made of Stone.” In “Sick,”
she belted out the “sick of it all, sick of it all” line with such
conviction, you had to feel the same way, even if you needed to
personalize a meaning to the song.
The concert ended around 10:45 p.m. I heard from someone
afterward who waited 26 minutes to get out of the upper parking
lot, which he was quick to point out was to be expected (and much
quicker than the wait at KeyBank Pavilion).