It’s a packed out arena for a celebration of Evanescence’s sixth album, Sanctuary, and the twentieth anniversary of their second album The Open Door. With a stacked line up, and an eager front row for the evening, and the anticipation in the air, you knew this was going to be a good night.
LA based K.Flay is the opener for tonight, and she erupts on to the stage so effortlessly. With infectious guitar and bass tones that carry to each corner of the arena, the crowd clap and jump along to a setlist full of new and older tracks. Her energy is contagious, as she flows through each track seamlessly. K.Flay’s most recent single ‘Ants’ is her last song, it’s always tough to be the opener on an arena tour to a crowd that may not know you, but she’s done a fantastic job.
It’s no secret that the next act for the evening, Poppy, has experimented and developed her sound into one that’s now her own. Marching on to the stage with her masked band with ‘have you had enough?’ and ‘the cost of giving up’, their sound fills the arena with ease. There’s not much audience interaction between songs, as Poppy and her band walk off stage between every song, even though it wasn’t for long, it left the arena feel quite empty.
The set flows into Poppy’s collaboration with Bad Omens, ‘V.A.N.’, it takes a little while for the mosh pits to unleash, but after some Poppy persuasion, multiple pits open on the arena floor. She ends her set with ‘new way out’, her screams now fully warmed up, she moves across the stage with an enchanting confidence. Poppy’s set was powerful, and captivating an arena seems to come naturally, so I’d expect more arena appearances in the future.
It’s time for headliners Evanescence to take the stage, and just one look at the slanted staging and production you know it’s going to be a fulfilled night. Opening with their most recent album Sanctuary title track and ‘Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough’, the crowd respond instantly. Amy Lee’s vocals carry the songs beautifully, after all these years of touring there are no flaws in anyone’s performances.
One of their most famous tracks ‘Going Under’ is early in the set, as everyone in the seats is up on their feet to sing along. Their older catalogue, including ‘Bring Me To Life’ and ‘My Immortal’ got the largest reactions throughout the night, but nostalgia always captures fans the hardest. With ballad ‘Lithium’, we encounter an intimate moment with Amy Lee and her piano. Her vocals are stunning, and it stands out within the set.
K.Flay joins the band for their collaboration ‘Fight Like A Girl’, a high-energy feminist track that the crowd loved. During power anthem ‘End Of You’, Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante surprises us on stage to join both Poppy and Amy to bring the final moments of the song to a close, as a sea of phones flood the air to capture the first time all three women are on the stage to perform this song, it’s a special moment to witness.
Evanescence have once again proven that their headliners are a spectacle. With drum raisers and pyro, powerful vocals and surprise guests, this band put on a performance with minimal faults. With over twenty years under their belts, they show no signs of slowing down.