The bond between Evanescence and their followers is a sacred one. It’s a shame, then, that some people have tried to undermine that covenant in recent days, sharing footage from the band’s show at Manchester’s Co-Op Live to illustrate, apparently, a rather muted audience response. Putting aside the fact that the footage was a few seconds from a 105-minute, 22-song set, and robbed of any context whatsoever, there’s something distasteful about commenting on the way others should enjoy a gig.
The truth is, though, adulation doesn’t always mean expelling energy, and volume isn’t necessarily a gauge of level of fandom. The 20,000 people here appreciate the band they’ve had a special relationship with for a quarter of a century in the most fundamental way possible, sitting or standing and listening with absolute reverence, entirely in awe. And as for any suggestion, as there was in Manchester, that people stream for the exits when megahit Bring Me To Life is played, only someone with a Trump-ian grasp of facts would claim it. Everyone is too busy being captivated by Amy, who has never sounded better.
Whether on her feet, stomping and swinging her hair like a deadly weapon during Going Under, or sitting at the piano delicately summoning the acutely personal Forever Without You, Amy’s vocals are a glorious force of nature that leave one dumbstruck. And she’s given harmonic support by Emma Anzai, the band’s bassist since 2022, and part of the strongest iteration of Evanescence there’s ever been, completed by guitarists Troy McLawhorn and Tim McCord, and drummer Will Hunt.