Evanescence – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 24th August @ Riverstage, Bris QLD

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Paul 'Browny' Brown

Evanescence Amy Lee Live 2023 Brisbane Fallen Tour australia

Evanescence
Riverstage, Brisbane QLD
August 24, 2023
Support: The Beautiful Monument

Fun Fact: Back in my High School film and TV class (2003-2004), we used to make films for assignments and around that time, our go-to soundtracks were the likes of P.O.D., KoRn, Linkin Park and a group known as Evanescence, a fresh new band that already had their music in key scenes throughout the movie Daredevil; which not only helped the group be heard by the mass amount of punters who hit the cinema, but also set them up as key players in the alternative rock scene at the time with their album Fallen. What’s this got to do with the gig you might be asking? Well, can you imagine in all that time since I’ve never actually seen Evanescence in concert before? Crazy right!

I wasn’t going to let another tour slip past my sights, especially since it’s been 20 Years since Fallen dropped and changed the landscape of the alt-scene for good; AND the band specifically handpicked The Beautiful Monument to support their Australian tour… because they have impeccable taste!

Arriving at a Sold Out Riverstage show (after being stuck in peak hour traffic for 90mins), we were met with thousands of keen fans who had made their way in early to secure their spot in the venue, and The Beautiful Monument were well and truly on their way to wining over new fans.

Playing ‘Stay‘ in a huge venue, overlooking so many faces would have been a daunting fact in itself; but the band, lead by Mini Amy Lee herself Lizi Blanco, dominated their performance, encouraging the punters in attendance to get involved as much as possible. Guitarist Alex Manhire and bassist Amy McIntosh didn’t venture too far from their spots on stage, but they played with precision and interacted with the crowd at various points. Drummer Adam Pinzone was nestled back on his kit, but left an impression with plenty of fills and that huge smile on his face was infectious.

Lizi’s stage presence, as mentioned, was akin to that of Ms. Lee, stalking the stage and sharing stories of growing up listening to Evanescence, to now be playing with them on this Australian run. She jokingly said heading into the final song of the night ‘Hellbound‘ that she’ll be done soon so Amy can come and eat her up next, but I have to say, having seen this band performing to 20+ people at Crowbar, to now playing to thousands on the biggest arena style venue in Brissie was full-circle material. Though their set time was short, they left an impact on the growing audience and I without a doubt know they’ll wake up to a stack of new fans because of it. Congrats TBM – you’ve worked hard for this and there’s a reason you were hand-picked for the honour – make sure YOU get there early to catch them if you’re heading to this tour.

Then the short wait until the big moment arrived with the house DJ tearing through some questionable choices in music (including KoRn and Rage Against The Machine) the lights dimmed and Amy Lee‘s hauntingly beautiful voice came over the speakers as the band entered the stage to thunderous applause launching into ‘Broken Pieces‘, invoking sing-a-longs for self-titled album single ‘What You Want‘ before Riverstage lit up with mobile phones recording the first Fallen hit of the night, ‘Going Under‘ – which immediately transported the majority of us (who were alive then) back to the early 2000s with memories of piercings and black hair dye coming back to haunt/delight us.

I spent the majority of ‘Take Cover‘ and the “Triple Threat” Medley making my way down to the mosh for a better view (as the sound was a bit off for my liking back near the sound desk) and arrived just in time for radio anthem ‘Call Me When You’re Sober‘ in which Amy’s vocals really started to shine. There aren’t many artists who can pull off sounding exactly like the CD of their older release, but there’s a reason why Amy Fucking Lee is who she is – astonishing from start to finish. ‘Lithium‘ followed and you could hear murmurs amongst the mosh of fans who remembered the song from The Open Door album, while others spent time taking photos and watching on.

It’s around this time that I picked up on a familiar Aussie face in the band, bassist Emma Anzai joined the group in 2022 and if the name sounds familiar, it’s Em from Aussie rock group Sick Puppies – an exciting moment in itself for her to play to crowds she deserved to in her own home country. (FYI ‘You’re Going Down‘ from 2009’s Tri-Polar is a belter – give it a spin). Will Hunt nestled up on the high drum riser was in fine form all night – whether it be the slower moody jams or the rock-filled anthems from the Fallen era, he kept up and offered theatrics all evening. Guitarists Tim McCord and Troy McLawhorn also didn’t venture too far away from their chosen spots on stage, but deserve kudos for their efforts throughout the set.

A longer medley of hits from Fallen and the back catalogue, including Haunted / My Last Breath / Cloud Nine / Everybody’s Fool / Weight of the World / Whisper gave us a much-needed dose of serotonin before Amy stepped up to the mic to deliver a powerful speed about using your voice and standing up for yourself. Alone we’re small but together, all of us, we can make an impact, resulting in a massive display of affection from the crowd cheering on as she started up The Bitter Truth‘s ‘Use My Voice‘ and ‘Blind Belief‘ before rounding out the set with a mesmerising performance of piano ballad turned rock show hit ‘My Immortal‘, which had the entire venue sporting mobile phone lights and singing along. It seemed as if everyone got involved with this one and you could see the band feeding off that energy when the rock-filled ending kicked in.

Rounding out the night with their biggest hit to date, ‘Bring Me To Life‘ was also a surreal moment to hear the song that kickstarted it all – live and up close and personal. Once again, not a single soul was left without singing along and the band fed on that energy all the way until the end. Amy Lee‘s performance, especially on this track, was nothing short of incredible. Her range, her tone and the way she handled herself really needs to be seen first hand to understand why this band are still so important – 20 years after the release of their biggest album, they’re still releasing new songs that will withstand the test of time and after 11 years between visits (playing a total ROCK set, not the orchestral synth/strings tour they did a few years back), it’s safe to say Evanescence are still as awe-inspiring as they were when we were first introduced to them way back when.

A class act, with fresh blood support and a night of nostalgia and new memories – what more could you want?

Gig Review by Paul ‘Browny’ Brown @brownypaul

Setlist

Broken Pieces
What You Want
Going Under
Take Cover
Lose Control / Part of Me / Never Go Back [Medley]
Call Me When You’re Sober
Lithium
Wasted on You
Far From Heaven
Imaginary
Better Without You
The End of the Dream
Haunted / My Last Breath / Cloud Nine / Everybody’s Fool / Weight of the World / Whisper [Medley]
Use My Voice
Blind Belief
My Immortal
Bring Me To Life

Photo Gallery by Charlyn Cameron. Insta: @chuck_stuff
Please Credit and tag Wall of Sound and Charlyn Cameron if you repost photos.

The Beautiful Monument