Korn & Evanescence In The Woodlands, Texas

Sunday afternoon, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion hosted a one-of-a-kind show to all surrounding Houston rock lovers with a lineup of Korn, Evanescence, Palaye Royale, and Dana Denata. Following a week of non-stop rain with not much to do, being able to finally get out of the house and enjoy an outdoor concert was definitely needed for many, let’s just say you could instantly tell by how much energy Houston fans showed up with.

Canadian-born Dana Denata started the afternoon with an interesting set. I’ve never listened or honestly heard of her at all until then and it took a bit to finally get warmed up to her. With A black tracksuit, latex face mask, and surrounded by Barbie dolls, Dana brought a kickstart to the night with her mixture of unapologetically sexual lyrics and hip-hop but also a rock-n-roll vibe creation. It was a pretty captivating set that clearly got everyone’s attention.

Dana Denata – Photo: Krystiee Lee Photography

Next up was Las Vegas-Brother formed band Palaye Royale, and woahhhhhhh did these guys put on a show. Starting off with “Nightmares” they quickly got the crowd on their feet with thundering upbeat tunes. The first thing I thought to myself was “Damn these guys have style,” with gothic yet 70’s fashion, they were so much fun to look at. Palaye Royale are so close to their fans too, they truly want them to have the time of their lives and connect with them in so many ways even while being onstage. The band then covered The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” which obviously made every single attendee scream at the top of their lungs. Seriously, there wasn’t one human out there that wasn’t singing or at least nodding their heads to the song. Overall, Palaye Royale are some crazy talented individuals and were an absolute blast to watch.

Palaye Royale – Photo: Krystiee Lee Photography

The atmosphere really started to get into motion once goth-rock OG Evanescence hit the stage. This was the set I was most excited for and have literally been anticipating for months, and the time was finally here. The stage went black, the fans started screaming, and next thing you knew the sweet voice of Amy Lee surrounded the Pavilion with opening song “Broken Pieces Shine” from their latest album The Bitter Truth. The stage was lit with deep purple and blue colors and it was just absolutely gorgeous. As a photographer, there wasn’t an artist I was more excited to capture than Amy Lee. Her sense of style and appearance is just as mesmerizing as her music. To say I was fan-girling is definitely an understatement. I was smiling from ear to ear running around shooting and singing along to their songs, it was quite the task!

Shifting into “Going Under”, Amy and the band kept in perfect sync, as if the song had never aged a day. After all these years Evanescence still has it, there wasn’t a pitch or high note that wasn’t on point and the energy coming from the band was just the same as it was 10+ years ago.

Evanescence – Photo: Krystiee Lee Photography

Finally, to end the already badass night, Korn was up and ready to tear your faces off. Starting their set off behind a metal, cage-like screen, “Rotting in Vain” began to blast through everyone’s eardrums and it was really time to rock out. Everyone swarmed together like a pack of bees and instantly started jumping along with the music. Joining Korn on Bass, Ra Diaz was noticeably stoked to be up on stage and without a doubt filled the shoes for the absent Fieldy. After “A.D.I.D.A.S,” The visually active metal cage-screen finally lifted, showcasing the band and its stage, that was the exact moment the crowd went completely wild. Jumps after jumps, moshes after moshes, Korn was alive and bringing out the craziness in us all. Still embracing their nu-metal roots, each song was sharp and intense and really just made you fall back in love with them again. Once you thought the night couldn’t be any more epic, Amy Lee then surprised everyone and came out to join Korn in a legendary jam-sesh to “Freak On A Leash,” making a brilliant end to the show.

It was an incredible thing to witness, especially being a fan of Korn and Evanescence for as long as I can remember. The whole night was one for the books, and I’m so damn glad I was able to capture it all.