Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to catch music superstars Evanescence and Within Temptation at the First Direct Arena, Leeds. The gig had been rescheduled three times due to the pandemic, so it was a joy to finally be able to attend.
Photos by John Hayhurst
Review by Jane Howkins
Unfortunately, we missed opening act Veridia as Leeds was gridlocked due to the gig and the Christmas markets, arriving just in time to see Evanescence take to the stage. The first song proper was Broken Pieces Shine from their latest album The Bitter Truth. It’s a fantastic track and one that sounds perfect as an introductory song, showcasing the talents of the entire band.
The setlist did draw rather heavily from the new album, but it’s the first time they’ve had the chance to perform those tracks on these shores, and they’re clearly a band not wanting to rest on the laurels of their debut record, Fallen. However, no album was left unexplored, with their reworking of Mozart’s Lacrymosa being a particular highlight.
Going Under, of course, received lots of applause, seeing the audience sing their hearts out like the teenagers most of us were when the track first came out, almost 20 years ago. A medley of songs including Lose Control, Part Of Me and Never Turn Back sounded truly amazing. The latter part saw a piano rise out of the stage, with vocalist Amy Lee performing the classical version of the song from their orchestral album Synthesis.
Far From Heaven was a particularly beautiful piano tribute to Amy’s brother Robbie, who sadly passed away a few years ago. The tempo was soon brought up again with the addition of fan favourite Imaginary, leading into feminist anthem Use My Voice. And what a voice Amy has, soaring over her songs in a fabulous way.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Evanescence gig without My Immortal and Bring Me To Life, both performed as an encore. The former saw Amy take to the piano, with the entire audience singing along, raising their phone lights up to the sky. BMTL felt like a party with old friends, as the audience went wild. The band have stopped playing the male vocals from the song live, reclaiming the song as their own (their record company forced them to have a rapper at the time, due to the nu-metal fad). All in all, a fantastic set from a band that shows no sign of slowing down.
Next up were Within Temptation. As this is a co-headline tour, both bands decided to swap the headline spot each night, making things fairer. One of the things that impressed me so much about Within Temptation was the theatrics and the stage set-up. The stage was full of props, seeing singer Sharon Den Adel fly up into the sky several times, as well as a slew of pyrotechnics.
See Who I Am was another bombastic opener, seeing Sharon’s powerful vocals roar over the chugging guitars and huge drum beats. Music videos from their singles played over several screens as the band flew through a selection of singles, including Faster and Paradise (What About Us?) That last song saw a projection of Tarja Turunen upon a screen, with her vocals added in to complement Sharon’s singing, just like the original single. It was a nice touch and one that went down well with the fans.
Angels saw Sharon appearing on high, singing to the crowd from a small cage at the very top of the stage. The band have changed their sound somewhat over the years, always wanting to keep things interesting. The Reckoning is a good example of this – whilst it’s still definitely a rock song, it’s also got elements of modern pop and electronica. It sounded fantastic performed on the big stage.
What Have You Done was another fan favourite, seeing guest star Keith Caputo’s vocals being played over Sharon’s, making for a nice dynamic change. An encore consisting of two of the band’s biggest hits ensued – Ice Queen and Mother Earth. Both songs sounded fantastic, but Mother Earth was particularly stunning, seeing the keyboard synths soar amazingly over the rest of the music in an anthemic fashion.
If you get the chance in the future, make sure you see Evanescence and Within Temptation, as they’re both fantastic performers. They’re performing at this year’s Download Festival – I can’t wait to see them both again there!
