Hourly Update

Review: Ashlee Simpson in concert at the TCC

Ashlee Simpson's new year seems to be off to a strong start. That's good news for the pop singer, who, among other things, had to face the "Saturday Night Live" lip-syncing debacle in 2004 and crowd booing during an Orange Bowl halftime performance in 2005. Despite the bumps along the road to pop stardom, the singer showed significant and undeniable signs of improvement at a concert Sunday at the Tucson Arena. The younger sister of pop singer/reality TV star Jessica Simpson took the stage promptly at 8 p.m. clad neck to toe in black — a scarf, razorback tank top, skirt, knee-length leggings and Converse "Chuck Taylor" sneakers. Her chin-length hair — which is blonde again, not black — was pulled back in a low ponytail. Simpson kicked off the show with the title track off her 2005 sophomore album, "I am Me," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in October. "On my new album, there are a little bit more dance songs so feel free to dance and shake your booty," she said as she introduced the song "Coming Back for More." She followed it with the Gwen Stefani-esque dance tune "L.O.V.E.," which hit No. 1 on MTV's "Total Request Live" last week. After six songs, Simpson introduced her band and took a seventh-inning stretch while the five-member band jammed out an instrumental piece. The interlude provided the most rocking riffs of the night. Simpson's show drew around 3,100 people and raised more than $35,000 for local youths, according to Josh Offenhartz, the 17-year-old chief executive officer of TEAM (Teen Empowerment and Advocacy Movement), which put on the event. Proceeds will benefit Our Family Services' Street Outreach programs, which helps homeless youths get off the streets, and Skrappy's, the youth center and venue. "What a great cause," Simpson said. "It's great to see teens supporting teens. We're a whole generation who need to support each other." Local rock bands Thrive, Jetlag and Faire Verona opened the concert before a sparse crowd, which filled out for Simpson and predominantly consisted of glitter-clad teen and tween girls and their parents. During the show, the darkened arena sparkled with countless tiny points of light from cell-phone cameras. Simpson ran through her hits off both albums but sang more from her punky 2004 debut, "Autobiography." Songs such as "Shadow" and "Pieces of Me" showcased a voice that has matured since her last Tucson performance, shortly after the SNL fiasco, which she blamed on acid reflux. There was no need for excuses this time. Simpson put on a solid show that thrilled the crowd and probably would have impressed dissenters, had any been in attendance. Simpson sang a jazzy intro to "La La," which got the crowd jumping and singing along. She repeated the word "scream" from the chorus of the song, "you make me want to scream," and the crowd took the bait. It screamed when Simpson skipped off stage and continued screaming until she returned for a one-song encore — "Boyfriend." Simpson's show was short — the 11-song performance lasted less than an hour — but at the end of those 50 minutes, fans were still screaming for more.