On a frozen and blustery early November day Evanesence brought their “Synthesis Tour” to Brooklyn’s lovely King’s Theater. The restored vaudeville theater is astoundingly cool. Regal even. The setting was perfect for Evanescence’s tour which featured a different symphony orchestra accompanying the band in every city and played for the official record release of their Synthesis (BMG) album.

Evanescence has always danced between two worlds of writing gothy rock songs with huge anthemic hooks and a symphonic flair that comes from composer and vocalist Amy Lee’s childhood background. The blend of these two forces have guided the band throughout their over two decades in music, and the sold out crowd was clearly all in, buying up tons of merch and double fisting the new album.

The orchestra warmed up the crowd as we found our seats in the vast hall. They popular selections by Beethoven, Mozart and even ‘Sally’s Song’ from The Nightmare Before Christmas, by Danny Elfman. This was especially fitting since it has been recorded and performed by the headliners before, and is said to be among Lee’s favorite songs.

After making a dramatic entrance in darkness, the band had taken their place among the orchestra, with Lee entering last, as a featured soloist would at the Opera.

Opening with a brief overture, Lee sat at the piano at first for the opener ‘Never Go Back’. After the intro she took her familiar place for most of the night, center stage next to the conductor. She alternated the between the two spaces all evening.

The audience was naturally singing along, to every word, although some were unaware of the show being seated the for the performance. The crowd was entertained, but felt a little restless.

As the band performed a mix of hits and newer songs, Lee assumed the role of curator. It was great, as she used the time between songs to share stories about the meanings of songs, or band history. The best of the night was before they played ‘My Immortal’. It’s no secret that the most beloved song in the Evanescence catalog is the one she has openly hated for years. She conceded that as the years of the band have gone by, and meaning of the song grew deeper for fans, she earned a new respect for the track. It was a very sweet moment.

Lee has always been a fantastic vocalist but something about this setting, the confluence of all of her influences seemed to bring out her best tonight.

Hopefully, some of these shows were recorded for posterity, since a perforce like this is rare and would make a great live album.

WORDS BY KEITH CHACHKES

PHOTOS BY OMAR CORDY OJC PICS