SURE SHOW: Evanescence.

Roger Daltrey’s throat problems brought on by bronchitis forced the Who to postpone shows in Tampa, Fla., Mexico City and San Antonio in the past several days, and when the Arkansas Times went to press on Tuesday there wasn’t certainty that Thursday’s much-anticipated show here with the classic British band would go on.

According to the Who’s Pete Townshend on his personal blog, Daltrey had been ordered by a doctor to rest his voice. The band postponed Tuesday’s planned show in San Antonio on Monday morning.

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“Right now, what we’ve heard from the promoters is that they’re still coming,” Alltel Arena general manager Michael Marion said late Monday. “We’d hope that if they postponed, we’d hear something 24 hours before the show since we know we have people coming in from out of town.”

Even if the Who must move the date to May, which it has done for the Tampa show — Tampa fans got to hear one song by Daltrey, Townshend and the Who before the lead singer said he couldn’t continue — there is yet another big show in town, Sunday’s return by hometown heroes Evanescence, led by singer Amy Lee. Joining Evanescence at Alltel Arena in the 7:30 p.m. show are New York-based modern rockers Chevelle and Louisiana natives Finger Eleven. All seats are $35 through Ticketmaster.

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Also, for fans of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which has sold out Alltel Arena in its past two Christmas season visits, several members of the band make up the blues-jazz-funk side project O’2L, which will play Sticky Fingerz Rock ’n’ Roll Chicken Shack beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday. O’2L features Jane Mangini Pitrelli on piano and Al Pitrelli on guitar, along with drummer John O. Reilly, percussionist and singers Tommy Farese and Mad Max Mann.

Tickets are $10 through the club website (www.stickfingerz.com) or at the door.

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At the Clear Channel Metroplex on Thursday, Houston-based radio rock band Blue October will be playing starting at 7:30 p.m.

If Daltrey is healed enough to wail on “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and the other Who hits, the show will open at 7:30 p.m. with Rose Hill Drive, a loud power trio from Colorado with shades of Led Zeppelin, but with an appeal to the jam-band crowd. They supported a Van Halen appearance at Alltel a couple of years back. They’ve also played Sticky Fingerz twice.

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Based on its appearance at Phoenix, the Who’s setlist likely will contain such favorites as “Who Are You,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Baba O’Riley,” Townshend’s “Eminence Front,” “You Better You Bet,” “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me Feel Me” from the rock opera/movie “Tommy” among its 27-song set.

Tickets for the Who are $75 and $52 through all Ticketmaster outlets (www.ticketmaster.com, 975-7575) or the arena box office (975-9000). The Times’ blogs (at www.arktimes.com) will have updates on the show today (March 22).

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Evanescence, which won two Grammy Awards in its breakout year, followed up the 14-million-selling 2003 release “Fallen” debut album with “The Open Door,” which opened No. 1 on the Billboard album chart last October. It spawned the single “Calm Me When You’re Sober,” which Lee wrote about former boyfriend Shaun Morgan of Seether, who had shared a duet with her on the Seether hit “Broken.”

Along with Lee, guitarist John LeCompte and drummer Rocky Gray are local products in the goth-rock band, and both had a hand in the songwriting on “The Open Door,” according to the band’s press material. Terry Balsamo, the former Cold guitarist who replaced co-founder Ben Moody in the band, suffered a stroke after the album’s release, and is still recovering but touring. Balsamo wrote many of the songs with Lee on “The Open Door.” Lee also had a high-profile split with the band’s previous manager, signing on last year with Andy Lurie.

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“But everything we’ve been through together has benefited this album,” Lee said in a press release. Lee, according to her father, local radio personality John Lee, fought for the new songs on “The Open Door” after Wind-Up’s leadership first told her and Balsamo that it was not pleased with the album. Since its release the record has sold 3 million copies.

“Fallen,” which spent more than 100 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, included “Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal.” Other standout songs on the new album are “Lithium,” “All That I’m Living For,” “Weight of the World” and “Good Enough,” which like a lot of the first album incorporates strings and choir.

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