💜 Perth Show Photo DumpThe last show in Australia, sold out, in pouring rain, with three emergency stops. Wow.
Photos by:
Michelle Alyse,
Adrian Thomson,
Pete Gardner,
The Rockpit,
Sheldon Ang,
awii,
Dakota Rene Marie,
Red Hill Auditorium
Reviews:
Amy Lee has the most incredible voice, setting Evanescence apart from any other band of the genre, with her soaring and powerful vocals, frequently hitting 11 on the “Spinal Tap” scale, such as during Going Under and Call Me When You’re Sober, and the quieter ballads showcase her wonderful timbre, such as Lithium and My Immortal. After listening to her on album for so many years, hearing her live was a wonderful experience, and well worth a drenching.(...)
The weather did take its toll on some, with Amy Lee halting proceedings on two occasions, for people needing help or medical attention in the crowd – it’s so good to see the band taking care of their fans. The third time she stopped was right in the middle of a medley of songs celebrating Fallen. Calling the band to a sudden stop after a fight broke out mid-mosh. Once the dickhead culprits had been removed by security, Amy gave the crowd a choice, skip it or start again? The reply was predictable with Amy declaring “
you’re all getting a double show tonight!!”
The rest of the set continued without a hitch, and probably due to time and the weather the obligatory encore break was dispensed with, the usual encore songs running seamlessly with the rest of the set through to the evening closer Bring Me To Life, with the crowd in full voice enjoying every last wet steaming moment. A very wet, but enjoyable night, and although it’s been said before, Australia is often an afterthought for may international touring bands – and Perth often the afterthought to that, so when a band like Evanescence come along its worth buying the tickets, and drinking every last drop of that experience. Was it worth a few hours in the rain, hell yeah!
100percentrock.com/2023/09/live-evanescence-the-beautiful-monument-perth-2nd-sept-2023/nggallery/thumbnails“Perth, are you ready for this? Let’s get to work”, Lee getting down to business for their last show of the tour. Crowd favourite, Going Under, had the crowd singing along, vocals slightly off kilter (can’t be blamed with such cold, outdoor conditions) with guitar solo en pointe by lead guitarist Troy McLawhorn, pleasing the average punter. Next, a wall of sound purely generated by solid rhythm section power on Take Cover, impeccable fills by drummer Will Hunt with cranked bass tone by newcomer Aussie bassist, Emma Anzai, both were electric to watch on stage.
A slight pause in the set, due to a medical emergency in the crowd, had Amy genuinely concerned, but by
the third time cutting the set mid-song with security breaking up fights in the crowd, she asks “Is this how you guys’ party?” yep, welcome to Perth!
Take Cover and You Only Call Me When You’re Sober kept the energy high with the ever-enigmatic Amy taking her seat at the grand piano for the ethereal highlight of the evening, Lithium, proclaiming “Can we just be here right now in this moment and be together and let it all hang out? Just be who you are, life’s too short” allowing the audience to feel at ease with their place in the world.
Shifting to recent songs such as Better Without You and Use My Voice complete with epic laser show and crowd singalong, had everyone anticipating the end of the set. With Amy declaring her heartfelt thanks to the crowd for their support over the past 20 years, they closed with fan favourites My Immortal and the classic Bring Me To Life with a burst of purple and white streamers floating high into the sky.
Serial Music MagazineWith the wind whipping up the rain the stage goes dark as the band enter the stage as Artifact/The Turn plays them on. It’s all dark blues and purples onstage before the bright backlights burst and the stage burns red. The most impressive thing about it is that first sound of Amy Lee’s powerful voice against the cascade of drums and guitars that make up Broken Pieces Shine – the perfect opener from the new record.
With an impressive light show it’s a well-crafted set that includes a number of medleys so that we don’t miss out on moments from an impressive catalogue. But it’s the heavier early material that has the crowd roaring loudest and the early appearances of Going Under and Call Me When You’re Sober go down a treat after the first medley of the night which takes in Lose Control / Part of Me / Never Go Back that has the damp crowd defying the weather and singing along.
It’s a wonderful night despite that rain and there’s a real feeling of hope and togetherness in the diverse crowd though the show is stopped three times, twice to help a couple of people in trouble in the densely packed front of stage area and sadly once for a fight “Is this how you guys party?” Amy asks disappointedly of the latter break that cuts a song in half and extends the set by a few minutes. It’s great to see a performer so aware of their audience and so ready to step in to lend a hand “If you fall down, we pick you up” – it’s a wonderful ethos.
And Amy’s between song connection is just as positive and affirming throughout the night as she takes time to talk positively without ever sounding the least patronizing or less than genuine.
“Appreciate the moment”, she tells us before adding that sometimes life might suck but not to worry about the past or what might happen tomorrow, just focus on the magic of what is “right here, right now”.
Half way in the grand piano makes it’s first appearance for Lithium and it’s a wonderful moment when the rain stops dead and the emotions just flow: showcasing that other ‘power’ Evanescence has – that emotional connection that has the crowd mesmerized.
It’s the second medley that defies a new rush of rain: Haunted / My Last Breath / Cloud Nine / Everybody’s Fool / Weight of the World / Whisper is wonderfully done and whilst we go out heavy on new material adding two more from ‘The Bitter Truth’ with Amy telling us to stand together and that things can get better, it’s proof that live on stage these newer songs are equally as powerful as their mighty predecessors.
www.therockpit.net/2023/live-review-evanescence-celebrating-20-years-of-fallen-live-at-red-hill-auditorium-perth/‘It is a song about the pain and beauty of survival, the wisdom from suffering, the face that can be found in the acceptance of what it is…” said Amy during an interview of the opener Broken Pieces Shine, a message from the past that’s sweeping across the hidden venue like a telepathic wave from the goth and punk rockers.(...)
There was a moment for breather – for the capacity crowd; Amy sat at the grand piano, her vocal range then exposed to an emotional downpour through Lithium. Her voice reshaped as the instrument and took flight, gliding through the cold, wet night and taking the audience to a poignant chapter of their lives. The undulation of low note to the high note clearly narrated the yearning to break free from the negativity. No words can describe the gripping orchestration of Amy Lee’s performance.
And there was My Immortal – emanating another vocal masterpiece. The delicate, heartfelt piano ballad was sung with the visceral incantation that it deserves, as the ethereal lushness and darkness split the heavens even further – literally, as the downpour got heavier. The music drives the spirit that haunts someone, where the grieve was ever so touching as Amy Lee wailed through the haunting beauty in a spectacular performance. (...)
Evanescence is more than Amy Lee – perhaps one of the live best vocalists on the planet. As a group, they possess the musical dexterity that’s second to none, a water tight, synchronistic mechanical clog that doesn’t seem to stop. From the start to finish, the energy was mellifluously chaotic and drenched in high spirit.
“It’s 20 years of Fallen. We wouldn’t dream that 20 years later it would be like this. For me it is much more than I could ever imagine. Because of you, thank you very much. Thank you for opening your hearts, thanks you for sharing your lives, and your pain and your stories and your life with us. Here we are – 20 year baby- and here’s to 20 more.”
sheldonangmedia.com/live-review/live-review-evanescence/
