Mitsubishi Electric Hall, Düsseldorf, Germany26th March 2018
Evanescence - Synthesis Live With Orchestra
EVANESCENCE from Little Rock, Arkansas, can certainly be considered as one of the biggest phenomena in rock history of the last decade. Two Grammy awards, more than 25 million records sold, and fans all over the world certainly speak for themselves. However, few bands have attempted such an abrupt change of musical direction. Distorted guitar riffs and rap vocals certainly seem to be a thing of the past for EVANESCENCE, and it would be interesting to see, how this new direction would translate into a live experience. Arriving at the venue, it became clear that this would be a very different concert evening, as there were seating arrangements, as well as additional service personnel guiding you to your seat.
Orchestra Opening
The symphonic orchestra accompanying EVANESCENCE on this leg of their tour acted also as a warm-up act. Exactly at 8pm, the conductress of the orchestra, Susie Seiter, entered the stage and people were delighted to hear the characteristic opening tunes of a very famous classical music piece by WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART. The orchestra was complemented by a piano player at the second track and continued to play classical music pieces. The 5,000 seated fans of the sold-out Mitsubishi Electric Hall kept surprisingly quiet during the orchestral performance and applauded neatly during the breaks. The spectators got a brief glimpse of what would happen to the EVANESCENCE songs, when the orchestra played the 2011 single ‘Together again’ as an instrumental version and left the stage after 25 minutes of playing time.
Setlist
01. La Chasse (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
02. Moonlight Sonata (Ludwig van Beethoven)
03. Lacrimosa (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
04. Sally's Song (Danny Elfman)
05. Zelda's Lullaby (Koji Kondo & Asuka Ohta)
06. Together Again (Instrumental)
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 8
Light: 5
Total: 7 / 10
Evanescence
With their latest release, ‘Synthesis’, EVANESCENCE have seemingly morphed from Goth rockers into something that can only roughly be described as electro-orchestral opera composers. Teaming up with Beck’s father, the renowned producer David Campbell, singer Amy Lee and her band have transformed many of the band’s iconic songs into classical arrangements. For more about the band go to http://www.evanescence.com or https://www.facebook.com/Evanescence.
Music & Performance
Shortly before 9pm, the orchestra members took their seats on the large stage and started with the characteristic tuning of their violins. A few moments later, the conductress and the band members appeared on stage under the anticipating applause of the audience. Singer Amy Lee took her place at the centre of the stage and started with a song called ‘Overture’. At this point it became immediately clear that – unless you had a block of ice in your chest instead of a heart – this would become an evening to remember. Amy’s voice developed so much more nuances and impact in the context of the classic arrangement, which more than compensated the loss of heavy guitar riffs et al. The electronic synthesizer elements, as well as the electronic drum set operated by drummer Will Hunt, added to the grandeur of the arrangements.
However, sometimes it felt like they were eclipsing the gentle orchestra sounds. Especially striking was the contrast during the massive hit songs of the band, such as ‘Lithium’, or ‘Bring me to life’, which the cheering crowd more than welcomed. The instrumental transformation offered a truly magical moment, when the melancholic ‘My Immortal’ came up, a song that probably benefitted most from the rearrangement, and developed an almost wrist-slitting intensity. Before the diverse audience knew it, it was time for the encore, which began with the AMY LEE song ‘Speak to me’. After two more songs it was time to adjourn. When the lights went up again around 10:30pm, quite a few audience members could be seen wiping tears from their eyes, which basically tells you what extraordinary immersive kind of experience this was.
Setlist
01. Overture
02. Never Go Back
03. Lacrymosa
04. End of the Dream
05. My Heart Is Broken
06. Lithium
07. Bring Me to Life
08. Unraveling
09. Imaginary
10. Secret Door
11. Hi-Lo
12. Lost in Paradise
13. Your Star
14. My Immortal
15. The In-Between
16. Imperfection
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17. Speak to Me (Amy Lee song)
18. Good Enough
19. Swimming Home
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 9
Sound: 9
Light: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
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