Evanescence at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, MI
On Saturday night, the masses fill into the Soaring Eagle outdoor concert area for the last time of 2024 for a SOLD-OUT show featuring the mighty rock band Evanescence.
Deciding to break the mold of musical line-ups, this show was not going to be driven by the music but who was in front of the band performing the music. This show was going to be about the women driving the band and the music. Taking months to align schedules to allow for this show to happen, Mount Pleasant, MI is the fortunate place to see this happen as Amy Lee (lead singer of Evanescence) gathers the girl power of rock for the show tonight. This All-Star roster of women rock includes Amy Lee and Evanescence, Lzzy Hale and Halestorm, Maria Brink and In This Moment along with Detroit’s own Eva Marie and Eva Under Fire. Included in this cast is the vast diversity of each of these groups with their unique personalities of rock music between rock, goth, heavy metal, symphonic rock and classical. With the many differences of character between them is the reason why the 12,500 capacity was met this evening and is a SOLD OUT show.
The evening gets under way with the latest addition to the night’s schedule and the local opening act, Eva Under Fire. Making the 150-mile trek from Detroit to Mount Pleasant, the band performs a quick 20-minute set as they sing songs from their 2023 album, Love, Drugs & Misery. The list includes “Comatose,” “Heroin (e)” and the crowd favorite “Blow.” The highlight of their performance is Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) joining Eva and the band for a duet of the Journey cover, “Separate Ways.”
Eva Under Fire is made up of Eva Marie (lead vocals), Rob Lyberg (guitar), Chris Slapnik (guitar), Edward Joseph (bass) and Dave Miller II (drums).
Eva Under Fire setlist:
Comatose / Heroin (e) / Separate Ways w/Lzzy Hale (Journey cover) / Unstoppable / Blow
After a short stage alteration, the fog machines are set to high and the heavy metal guitar and drums sounds as it is now time for In This Moment. Through the fog, the silhouettes of two female dancers appear on the staircases alongside Maria when she makes her appearance from two video walls at the back of the stage. The set sees Maria and her two dancers slither across the stage and atop the staircase with a heavy gothic theatrical show with numerous costume changes. Brink delivers a dark mysterious performance with songs from her past two studio albums, Blood and her current, Godmode. Songs include the show opening “Purge” “Blood,” “Sacrifice” and “Sanctify Me.” Already having the crowd captured in attention, Maria snags them deeper into her spell with “Adrenalize.”
The set ends with her talking to the crowd of the belittling treatment from her father and her proclaiming of taking her life back and for everyone to find their own power to be strong for themselves. Standing high above the stage at a tall podium with the famously familiar dunce cap, Brinks ends with the signature single, “Whore.”
In This Moment cast consists of Maria Brink (lead singer), Chris Howorth (guitar), Randy Weitzel (guitar), Travis Johnson (bassist), Kent Diimmel (drums), Erin Bridges and Ivanna Jackson (dancers).
In This Moment setlist:
The Purge / The In-Between / Blood / Sacrifice / Sanctify Me / Big Bad Wolf / Adrenalize / Whore
Standing at center stage in darkness with the Halestorm logo shining brightly on the video screen at the back of the stage, Lzzy Hale belts out “raise your horns” before being joined by the rest of the band for “I Miss Misery.”
With the crowd excited and raising their hands in the air, Lzzy welcomes them to “Bitchfest…I am surrounded by my sisters tonight. I see you all out there, here to join us this evening. We women do a lot of shit, it’s difficult shit but we do it and we survive.” It introduces the crowd to the band’s debut single from 2009 “I Get Off.” At the end of the song, she adds a snippet of “Crazy On You.”
To further cheer the crowd on, Hale announces that the band wrote the next song with some Michigan boys (IPrevail, rock band from Southfield, MI) and it has just gone to number one on the rock charts. As the crowd shows their pleasure, the band performs their current hit, “Can You See Me In The Dark.”
Brother and co-founder to Halestorm, Arejay Hale goes into a massive drum solo before coming down from his high-above-the-stage throne to join the band at front and center to perform a full band drum beat down. As Arejay returns to his perch up above to continue his drum solo, the band exits off stage and he switches his regular sized drumsticks to an oversized pair to conclude.
The band wraps up their set with “The Steeple,” but not before the crowd shows their appreciation for Halestorm performing tonight.
Halestorm is a four-piece band from Red Lion, Pennsylvania that formed in 1997. The band includes Lzzy Hale (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Arejay Hale (drums, backing vocals), Joe Hottinger (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Josh Smith (bass guitar, keyboard, backing vocals).
Halestorm setlist:
Raise Your Horns (intro) / I Miss Misery / Love Bites (So Do I) / I Get Off – Crazy On You (snippet) / Freak Like Me / Can You See Me In The Dark / Familiar Taste Of Poison / Takes My Life / Drum Solo – Circle / The Steeple
The time has finally arrived for the headlining Evanescence to take over the stage. With the crowd standing and ready, they immediately cheer loudly as Amy Lee and the band begin their set with “Broken Pieces Shine” and “Made Of Stone.”
The band is still on a world-wide tour promoting their 2021 release of their fifth studio album, The Bitter Truth. Songs from the album included in the show are “Yeah Right,” “The Game Is Over,” “Wasted On You,” “Take Cover,” “Better Without You” and “Blind Belief.”
Other songs from the evening include “Sweet Sacrifice,” “Going Under,” “My Heart Is Broken” and “End Of The Dream.” The set also adds the sensitive, powerful rock ballad “Call Me When You’re Sober” that has a classical piano beginning.
While Lee sits at her grand piano center stage, she takes a moment to thank the crowd for coming and being a part of this special show she has worked hard to put together and make happen. She recognizes and gives a shout out to the incredible female energy that has been on stage all evening. “We are on here, because we wouldn’t give up. Even though the Big Man would say that girls don’t belong on stage, but back behind the stage, we have stayed strong and fought back. Don’t ever let anyone make you think you are less than you are…use your voice.” As the crowd cheers Amy on, she strikes the keys on the piano for women’s power and to instruct to “Use My Voice.”
Before ending the evening’s performance, Lee once again addresses the audience for believing in and supporting her and the band for the past 21 years. She tells them that it has been a dream come true to share this life with them and “we have grown up together.” They conclude with the two crowd favorite soundtracks from the movie Daredevil, “My Immortal” and “Bring Me To Life.” The crowd sings along to every word and cheers loudly as the band exits off stage as the night turns to darkness.
With the band soldiering on for the past two decades, it has seen it’s share of musical chairs. Today’s make-up of the band’s roster includes Amy Lee (lead vocals, keyboards, piano), Tim McCord (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Emma Anzai (bass guitar) and Will Hunt (drums).
Evanescence is a band like no other band, it fits in many music genres (gothic alternative, rock, heavy metal, symphonic rock and classical) but doesn’t fit at all. With the powerful vocals coming from the pipes of Lee to the combinations of piano/synthesizer keys, riffs of guitar strings and the beating heartbeat of drum heads, the band has it’s own unique and distinctive sound that draws the masses of various crowds. Just like this evening’s SOLD-OUT show, if you aren’t first in line, you are standing outside the doors without a ticket.
Words by: Leslie Reasoner
Photos by: John Reasoner
Evanescence setlist:
Broken Pieces Shine / Made Of Stone / Sweet Sacrifice / Yeah Right / Going Under / The Game Is Over / My Heart Is Broken / Wasted On You / The Change / Take Cover / End Of The Dream / Better Without You / Call Me When You’re Sober / Imaginary / Use My Voice / Blind Belief / My Immortal / Bring Me To Life
Evanescence
Halestorm
In This Moment
Eva Under Fire
Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort