Evanescence @ Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, 3rd April 2018
Arriving at the Motorpoint Arena tonight I felt a large sense of intrigue from the masses who arrived early to check out the half an hour support slot from the Orchestra playing later on with Amy and Co. The buzz around the large room was intense from the get go; something a little different to what Evanescence usually play on tour.
The opening Orchestra kicked things off with some classics, ‘La Chasse’, ‘Moonlight Sonata’ and ‘Sally’s Song’, performed with undeniable talent but becoming more and more evident to me that maybe the rock has been toned down for this gig with openers from Mozart and Beethoven.
Amy entered onto the stage lit with a single light and playing the piano for ‘Overture’, the array of mobile phone lights made for a great spectacle. It did well to set up for ‘Never Go Back’, the Orchestra playing a bigger part. The soft murmurs amongst the crowd was a slow start regarding atmosphere; but Amy Lee’s voice was as angelic as ever; well suited to the operatic nature of the production.
‘My Heart is Broken’ an older track and more drastic lighting; the distinct lack of guitars in general though makes some classics like this feel overall very different and although performed well and with considerable vocal power, the rocky nature is minimal. Bring Me the Horizon tried something similar in a live setting.
Even the most popular ‘Bring Me To Life’ evoked a dissapointing sing-a-long reaction from the crowd. ‘You guys are so quiet’, Amy stating, which drew the one of the bigger cheers of the night. Followed by a man shouting at a child for making too much noise; a wave of uneasy laughter trickled through the Arena. ‘Secret Door’, the production gets into full swing with a large screen illuminating behind Amy and the collosal drumkit behind behind Amy. The spacey/trippy visuals were a nice addition to the set. Amy continued to fluctuate between centre stage and the piano, ‘Lost in Paradise’, a true Arena belter was definitely a highlight.
‘My Immortal’, caused waves of excitement to flood the room. Classic.
Overall I think that it was definitely a new angle for the band to try, using the term ‘band’ very loosely as it was definitely the Amy show performing Evanescence songs. The rock/guitar nature was missing if almost completely which was a tad disappointing for me. Instead the Orchestra and synthesizers were the prominant sounds which more suited a crowd into theatre and well, Opera, than the traditional Evanescence listener.
Never the less, Amy performed very well and so did the Orchestra. A great effort but not for me.
Reviewer and Photographer: Neale Hayes