W&I: Wesley James

Evanescence have started their UK leg of their world tour an impressive 20 years after their second studio album “The Open Door”, to celebrate their new album “Sanctuary”! They brought an intimate yet intense performance to the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. Before the show the crowd was eagerly waiting and from the very beginning the engaging intro had the
crowd fully engaged as the energy radiated around the arena. From the very start of the show the band matched the crowds energy and a real connection was build through small conversations between the amazing Amy Lee and the crowd.

The powerful stage presence of all 5 members of Evanescence made the show so unbelievably engaging from the head banging guitarists during “Going Under” to the slow intimate solo songs Amy performed such as “Forever Without You”. An obvious highlight of the show was the performance of “Bring Me To Life”, a fan favourite song that everyone watched in awe as confetti rained from the ceiling and pyrotechnics erupted on the stage,

making for one of the best concert moments many people will ever see. A personal favourite moment for me was the beautiful performance of “My Immortal” where Amy rose above the end of the stage and sat at her grand piano, illuminated by the torches
of everyone in the entire venue. The light show was such a moving moment and it felt like time stopped for the duration of the song, with a chorus of voices filling the venue with everyone singing.

With moments like both support acts joining the band separately for their songs with Amy/Evanescence - K Flay joining for “Fight like a Girl” and Poppy joining for “End of You” - the crowd were spoilt for memories that will last a lifetime across this entire show. The chemistry between all of these amazing musicians was something very special to see and the performance has set the bar for the rest of the shows on the world tour.

To conclude the evening Amy gave thanks to her band, the supporting acts, as well as the crowd for sharing this amazing experience. The crowd closed out the night giving the band a standing ovation as they stood arm in arm with each other on stage and waved everybody home. What an incredible night, thank you Evanescence.