Evanescence Brings a Halestorm Into Edmonton With Warning

Female lead bands Warning, Halestorm and headliners Evanescence took over Rogers Place in Edmonton recently for a powerful night of metal, rock and goth favourites.
Edmonton’s goth army was in full force this night as they filed into Rogers Place to see their goth queen in person. The black clothes, nail polish and lace was evident on many fans who have been waiting a while for the return of Evanescence. Amy Lee was in her finest form as she took the stage with Broken Pieces Shine from Evanesence’s most recent studio album, The Bitter Truth (2021). Hill was given an early chance to stretch her vocal chords across the near capacity crowd who lapped it up eagerly.

The general admission pit was alive when they broke into Going Under from their debut album Fallen as the crowd heaved en-mass and they wouldn’t let up for the next couple of hours. Evanescence delivered a powerful high energy show with skilled musicianship from Tim McCord and Troy McLawhorn on guitars, drummer Will Hunt and the newest member, bassist Emma Anzai. They proved to be the perfect soundtrack to Hill’s breathtaking vocals that shook the rafters. This current line up is solid.

It was a perfect night with a good mix of old favourites sprinkled througout the set list. My personal favourite moments came when Amy Lee was at the piano with Wasted On You and Lithium. I could see tears starting to well up in some fans eyes proving again the therapeutic impact of music, especially when they are witnessing one of their heroes belt out chill inducing vocals that hit the nether regions of Rogers Place. I’ll admit that I was quite moved by this moment of the show as my flesh was crawling in response to that voice. Amy Lee also had a message for the predominantly female audience. “Don’t believe the lies. Don’t let anyone tell you who you are or who you should be. Be yourself. And together we have the power.” When the opening piano notes of Bring Me To Life the crowd erupted on cue putting the cap on a flawless performance. This was my first Evanescence show, but it won’t be my last.

As mentioned earlier it was a night of girl power, or more appropriately GRRL power, Mexico’s The Warning kicked the night off with a furious set that was way too short for my liking. From the opening beats of S!CK, I knew we were in for something new, fresh and exciting. The three sisters, Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra Villareal Velez beagn playing at a young age have a skill set comparable to musicians who have been doing for decades. Their infectious energy was the perfect opening for a night of powerful female driven rock. I was left in awe of their tight set.

Last year I was blown away by Halestorm and was looking forward to seeing them again. Lzzy Hale opened with an acappella version of Raise Your Horns, to which many fans complied, before blistering into I Miss The Misery and a rapid transition to Love Bites (So Do I). This set the tone for a frenetic set laced with songs from the past 15 years and their latest single, can you see me in the dark. When Lzzy say down at the piano for Break In I was hoping this would be a great time for Amy Lee to join her onstage. Well we were not disappointed. Huge cheers for Ms Lee when she walked out and sat down and accompanied Lzzy in a fabulous duet. Their harmonies were a match made in heaven. One of my favourite songs from Halestorm is Familiar Taste Of Poison which feature some chilling vocals with the music building to an incredible climax and a great show of her vocal prowess.

My only complaint about the Halestorm show is that it was way too short. This is the second time they’ve been in support of other acts in Edmonton. I eagerly await the day they are headliners However it was perfect match for this all female fronted (or all female band in the case of The Warning) to which Lzzy Hale stated, “I’ve been looking forward to this tour for a long time since we were first asked to be a part of it.” I’m truly blessed to have witnessed this powerful tour showcasing women in rock.

For more info visit: https://thewarningband.com/, https://www.halestormrocks.com/, and https://www.evanescence.com/home/.