Nearly 18 years after their last Calgary concert, Evanescence finally returned to a packed Saddledome on October 18th. Having been touring around the world in support of 2021’s The Bitter Truth album, Amy Lee’s five-piece current cross-Canada tour gave fans the opportunity to see them live again, or in many cases, for the first time.

Lee is a captivating frontwoman, whose emotion echoed through her voice as the show kicked off with Broken Pieces Shine off the latest album. The evening relied heavily on The Bitter Truth with just a sprinkle of songs from 2011’s Self Titled album, 2006’s The Open Door or 2003’s Fallen which launched their career. While the new material did have sing along and a strong response, the first big explosive reaction was to Going Under and Call Me When You’re Sober.

The band – rounded out by guitarists Tim McCord and Troy McLawhorn, basis Emma Anzai and drummer Will Hunt created a wall of sound to back of up Lee’s incredible voice. And the voice, along with lyrics about relationships, loss, heartbreak and joy were on full display.

"We only have a few songs left" Lee said to a chorus of disappointment. Just before the 90-minute mark Lee lead the crowd in My Immortal on a piano and ended on the high energy Bring Me To Life. After 18 years, the brevity of the show was disappointing. But what a show it was during that time. Lee has said in recent interviews that the band is planning to return to the studio soon. Hopefully Calgary and Western Canada won’t have to wait so long to see them again.

That is not to say that the night lacked in music. In recent years bands have often created a co-headlining style tours, and Lzzy Hale and Halestorm delivered a set that was headliner worthy in itself. From the moment she screamed I Miss the Misery, Hale left the Saddledome fans in awe as she belted out songs like Love Bites (so do I) and calling out to the "Calgary Freaks" on Freak Like Me. Often performing over 200 shows a year, it’s amazing the band – Lzzy, boyfriend & guitarist Joe Hottinger, brother Arejay Hale on drums and bassist Josh Smith, can deliver such a high energy set. Of the many highlights, the moment when Amy Lee joined Hale at a piano for a duet of Break In, their voices echoing in unison throughout the arena, was magical.

Monterrey, Mexico’s The Warning, consisting of sisters Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra Villarreal Vélez kicked off the evening with a 30-minute set that was worth arriving early for. Delivering songs from 2022’s Error and 2024’s Keep Me Fed, the trio made new fans with a strong show.

In 2024 it’s still kind of mind boggling that a tour of acts all fronted by women is rare, especially in the rock scene. A large chunk of the audience was made up of women ranging from people who were fans since Fallen to kids not alive when Evanescence was last in town. It was a night that showed that women can, and do, rock.

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Person Amy Lee |

Topic Concert Review |