After Evanescence [ tickets ]'s show Friday (10/27) at Phoenix's Celebrity Theatre, it was easy to see why the band has become one of rock's top acts. Singer Amy Lee, diminutive and graceful, has a voice that reaches heights heard primarily from overly dramatic R&B singers, but it compliments her band's complex songs.

Lee's vocals during the 90-minute set were so perfect that several in the audience questioned if she was actually singing. But she clearly was, as evidenced by the subtle deep breaths she took in between the intermittent headbanging and ballet-like dance moves that accompanied some of her most dramatic lyrics.

Lee may have had her heart broken by Seether's Shaun Morgan, as she revealed on the song "Call Me When You're Sober," but she channeled that pain into an aggressive, low-tech set full of soul-searching songs.

Kicking off with "Weight of the World," from the once-No. 1 album "The Open Door," Lee, dressed in a lace-like skirt, shorts, red-and-black striped tights, boots, and a tank top, pounded her fist in the air and swung around her long, black hair. She belted out a vocal solo during the song that proved she's one of the best singers among her peers, and she arched her back and gracefully lifted her arm like a ballerina when the song ended.

Perhaps the most striking part of the show was Lee's solo rendition of "Lithium," during which she played the piano without her band, her hair tied in a ponytail. The only downside of the performance was the fans who shouted "I love you Amy" or "Go for it" during the song.

A machine-gun drum solo courtesy Rocky Gray introduced "Call Me When You're Sober," and the rendition was dead-on, CD perfect. Besides the drum intro, the only change to the original--improvisation was rare during this show--was that the song did not end with Lee singing "I've made up your mind." The punch of guitarists Terry Balsamo and John LeCompt, as well as new bassist Tim McCord and Gray, served up a reprieve and ended the song.

The searing guitars of "Bring Me to Life" cut through the audience's screaming in thanks for "Call Me When You're Sober." An enthused Lee spun in circles as the audience sang Paul McCoy of 12 Stones' vocal parts on the breakthrough single, until the rap portion, through which LeCompt aptly sang and growled--better than the original.

The Celebrity Theatre, which celebrated its 400th show with Evanescence [ tickets ], is an in-the-round venue, but used a three-quarter format for the performance. An overselling of tickets left many patrons sitting in seats alongside the stage between the drummer and the backdrop. Lee made the best of the situation, climbing around one of two pianos to reach out to the audience. During other parts of the songs, she oscillated between playing portions on the piano and singing the chorus at center stage. "This stage is very unusual," she told the crowd. "So I'm doing my best to work all of you". The effervescent singer is a true show-woman, and Evanescence is primed and ready for arenas.

New York-based Revelation Theory offered a powerful, 40-minute opening set. Future stars in their own right, the rockers spent their time pushing songs from their album "Truth is Currency" and its single "Slowburn." To prove his band's mettle, singer Rich Luzzi canvassed the pre-show entrance line with a portable CD player in hand, offering fans a chance to listen to "Truth is Currency."