So last week I drove up to Chicago to catch Evanescence live for the first time in a few years. The band has changed a lot since then -- too much, some would say -- but another pilgrimage to another Evanescence show felt like a homecoming.

For me, there's no denying that the band rocks much less than when Ben Moody was a part of it. But there's also no denying that the fragile side of Evanescence has never been more beautiful... so much so that part of me wishes they would put all the bombastic rock trappings aside and just play everything acoustically. I know I wouldn't be alone -- the song that had the most traction with the Chitown crowd was "My Immortal".

Speaking of which, with spot-on recreations of the heavily-produced album tracks, Evanescence live has always sounded a bit too much like the recorded version for my tastes. But Moody definitely brought a sense of spontaneity to the shows -- I'll never forget him taking the time to fuck with me in Nashville -- but now it feels more like a canned recreation... like an touring performance of a Broadway show. And, indeed, I was saddened to learn that the set lists for all stops on the current tour are identical.

But in the end, I'm glad I went and am already looking forward to the next time.