PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
First up were three-piece band Arcane roots. They put in an energetic set and go down well with the audience despite being very different musically to Evanescence. While they weren’t to my taste, their music having a Biffy Clyro sound is likely to see them getting very popular.
I’ve been a fan of Evanescence for a long time but have never seen them play live before. I’d heard mixed reports so wasn’t sure what to expect as the lineup has changed so much over the years.
Once they took to the stage it was clear almost immediately that Amy Lee’s voice is still absolutely fantastic. It’s very clear that this is her band as she’s the one in the spotlight at all times. For most of the show she only does vocals and during those songs she’s very active, constantly moving around the stage. She’s a great frontwoman and it’s impressive how well she can sing while racing around the stage. For some songs though she takes things at a slower pace, sitting at a grand piano as she plays and sings, or standing and playing keyboards.
The band deserve mention too – Will Hunt on drums is a blur of arms and hair flying as he plays, Tim McCord on bass, and guitarists Jen Majura and Troy McLawhorn all put in good performances too.
Because this was the second of two nights Evanescence were playing at the Hammersmith Apollo they decided to change things slightly from what they did the first night – something that went down well with fans that were attending both nights. For this show they decided to do two songs acoustically – “My immortal” and “The change”. It worked really well – “My Immortal” is a fantastic song normally, but hearing this acoustic version was something special.
There was only one choice that could end the show – “Bring me to life” – an absolutely fantastic song performed to perfection. After a short break we got “Your star” and “Disappear” as an encore, bringing the night to a close.
This was my first time seeing Evanescence live, and next time they visit the UK I’ll definitely try and see them again – they’re a fantastic live band.
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