Sydney, Australia - Qudos Bank Arena, 26 Aug 2023

[rionka]

#2 show of the Australian Tour.
Support: The Beautiful Monument

[rionka]

🔥 Sydney Photo Dump: Even Without Wings!


Amy's 👗 by Masaaki Sato and AmyLeeEV (source). I love the wings!


Photos by:
chris neave, Rebecca McArdle, Angie New, Sarah Ambrose, Ashley Mar, Flavio Brancaleone, JD Garrahy, glenn pokorny








 

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Reviews: 

Amy Lee is one of the most influential and revered vocalists of our generation, and live, she is absolutely flawless. Delivering a powerfully emotive and pitch-perfect delivery throughout the entire evening, without faltering. Accompanied by some of the finest musicians, including Sydney native Emma Anzai from Sick Puppies, Troy MacLawhorn who people will remember as Seether’s touring guitarist, Will Hunt who is one of the most in demand session drummers in the US, and finally Tim McCord from The Revolution Smile on rhythm guitar. (...) A highlight for me was a stripped-back version of Imaginary accompanying a heartfelt video montage showcasing the band’s experiences on the road.
On many occasions a digital grand piano was wheeled out to centre stage for Amy Lee, and this was a clear indication of the track’s impending. The classical influence ever evident in the final two songs of the evening, My Immortal and Bring Me To Life which would conclude an amazing evening and musical journey. Every single person in the 21,000 seat venue, singing along to every song performed and on several occasions with a sea of mobile phone lights, swaying in unison, illuminating the intimately breathtaking moments of the set.
heavymag.com.au/evanescence-the-beautiful-monument-qudos-bank-arena-sydney/



With Amy Lee’s hypnotic vocals and the band’s next level energy, they were born for arena tours and seemed very at home in the large venue (as they damn well should). Their set, a mix of latest record The Bitter Truth, and some of their best tracks from Fallen, Evanescence and The Open Door (either in full or in medley format), showed off the absolutely impressive discography, killer musicianship, and of course Amy’s indescribably amazing vocals. (The woman is a literal goddess and you can’t tell me otherwise.)
(...)Fan favourite hits like “Going Under”, “Call Me When You’re Sober” and “Lithium” were fantastic to hear, as were some of the newer faves such as “Use My Voice” and “Better Without You”, but there was not a single song on the set list that didn’t get the crowd excited. On the last twenty years of Evanescence, Amy expressed an emotional thank you to the fans for following them this far and her disbelief at what the decades have brought the band. Few post-eighties bands have had the success of Evanescence, but every record and every live show is testament to the band’s skill, talent and hard work, proving that this success is well deserved.
spotlightreport.net/featured/live-review-evanescence-brought-sydney-to-life



Finally, the voice of the gothmother herself, Amy Lee, took to the stage, warbling etherically as the crowd became entranced in her presence. Opening with Broken Pieces Shine, the crowd found their voice and regained the ability to move again, headbanging and dancing to the song.

Amy Lee, renowned for her operatic, soprano voice that effortlessly delivers on belting out long held notes as well as delivering the silky, soft vocals for the more piano-based tracks in the band’s repertoire like Lithium, hardly falters in her live performance. The backing vocals are delivered by ex-Sick Puppies founding member and bass player Emma Anzai, who perfectly complements the frontwoman’s voice. Drummer Will Hunt ties the group together, illuminated by the transparent red kit he is throned behind. (...)
While the tour is to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Fallen, the setlist only featured three tracks from the album, Going Under, My Immortal and Bring Me To Life, in lieu of a monster medley composed of remaining tracks and expertly executed. The hour and a half set instead featured a nice combination of new and old material, a journey spanning the band’s lengthy career. What You Want revitalised the crowd, being a more upbeat number, while Amy moved around the stage edge, addressing her congregation as she emphasises the empowering lyrics by gesturing to the fans singing along at the front of the crowd. In perfect contrast, tracks like Lithium and Wasted On You which showcase the encapsulating voice and piano prowess of Lee while also creating an ambiance that moves the crowd from moshing to swaying, torches illuminating the amphitheatre.
www.everblack.com.au/2023/08/25/evanescence-and-the-beautiful-monument-riverstage-bris-qld-live-review/



So there were few surprises at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday night. Big ripples of crunchy guitars and even bigger vocals? Check. Long black hair and flowing cape? Double check (both on stage and among the crowd). Soulful tinkling of the pianos before the drums and bass kick in? Triple check: it was a trick they pulled a few times.
(...)The show was in part a celebration of debut album Fallen’s 20th anniversary. A medley two-thirds of the way in featured tracks including Haunted, Everybody’s Fool and Whisper. On the bright side, fans were served slices of deeper cuts they might not have otherwise heard, but being snippets they felt a bit underdone.
The show ended where Evanescence began, with the first big hits. Lee sang My Immortal with terrific control and the same conviction as ever, and had the crowd enraptured. For the finale, Lee proved Bring Me to Life doesn’t need a male counterpoint to be an undeniable anthem. Few surprises, maybe, but no complaints.
www.smh.com.au/culture/live-reviews/dance-work-about-consent-is-funny-sexy-and-frankly-weird-20230821-p5dy98.html



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