Chilling
Evanescence seem to manage to attract a lot of twelve year olds - there is no denying that. Tonight Wembley certainly has its fill of under-16s and that is to be expected. It also has its fill of the over-30s parents of these children - still, that is not always a bad thing. The strange thing is that there does seem to be a group of hardcore Evanescence fans that manage to be of reasonable sanity, taste in music and age - and are here tonight.
With having already heard Amy Lee's voice during her duet with Seether, there is already an indication of what is to come. There is no denying the fact that Amy has a very good voice. It is better than that. She has the kind of voice that manages to send a chill throughout the entirity of my body - I do not know of many others with the same ability.
One thing I have to get out the way is that I don't like sampling when it is not neccessary. In some bands it adds to the sound - but when instruments that could be played live, or are simply not required for a live sound, appear in the middle of the track I feel it detracts from the set. Sadly, this happens in Evanescence shows and I really wish it wouldn't. There is also no need to sample in backing for Amy's voice - she has proved she can sing live and the fact that she doesn't seem to do so without backing harmonies means that Evanescence will never receive 5/5 as long as I review them.
A good set is presented, filled with unreleased material and covers - as well as the majority of Fallen. There are a couple of different reactions from the crowd. Unsurprisingly, there is a phenomenal reaction to the hit singles that have been released - but prior to 'Bring Me To Life' the most momentous part of the set appears.
The band, by which I mean Amy's voice and her piano, perform 'Hello' - one of the slower songs off the album. It may not have been a single but everyone seems to know it, despite the fact that it is so far away from the likes of 'Bring Me To Life'. Amy's voice soars above this song as easily a bird gliding through the sky. The atmosphere is electric and it provides one of those moments where you feel isolated from the other 9,999 bodies at Wembley - something that doesn't happen very often. Listening to this song it is impossible not to get drawn in and wonder - at nothing in particular - as you feel chills run up and down your spine. The song finishes with an almighty roar from the crowd, who have quite clearly been feeling the same.
Such moments really do show the capacity that Amy has as a singer/songwriter and she allows herself to show her raw passion on stage - something that not everybody can. It's one of those experiences that are hard to explain and more than justify the entire gig.
The only thing to say about this set is that I have no idea what happened with the first song after the encore - "Zero" does not suit Amy's voice, and managed to let an otherwise flawless set down.
Forget the twelve year olds, forget the fact that they have been described as sitting in every genre from nu-goth to nu-metal to nu-this and nu-that - the fact is that Evanescence are a damned good band. I'm looking forward to their next album.