When I was seven years old, my father brought me home a copy of Fallen when it first released. He had heard about Evanescence and had a feeling I would love them as he did. Turned out that he was correct, and that album accompanied me and my portable CD player on the school bus many times. Fast-forward over 20 years, and somehow I never got to see Evanescence live. Something always came up, or I was away on tour. In 2025, I last-minute flew to Tampa, FL, to see My Chemical Romance with Evanescence as the opener. I was absolutely blown away by their performance in the opening slot, so I knew that I could not miss their next headliner. So, when they announced a tour with Spiritbox and Nova Twins, I blocked that day in my calendar immediately. And present me is so thankful that past me did that.

The night kicked off with Nova Twins, a duo hailing from England. Their energy was infectious and the perfect band to get the crowd ready for what was to come. Exuding confidence, both Amy Love (vocals/guitar) and Georgia South (bass/vocals) owned the stage. They didn’t shy away from engaging with the audience, and I left a fan of both their music and stage presence.

Spiritbox was up next, and if you know me, you know it’s no surprise I’ll rave about them. I’ve watched them grow from opening slots on club tours to selling out venues across multiple headlining tours. In that time, I’ve only watched them get better. The effort the band puts into their performances will always have the utmost respect from me. Each show, whether they are the opener or headliner, is thoughtfully curated—both visually and musically.

The stage production masterfully brings the songs to life and adds to the music instead of taking away from it. The band, composed of Mike Stringer (guitar), Josh Gilbert (bass/vocals), and Zev Rose (drums), flawlessly executed each song live. If they’ve ever made a mistake on a song, I never noticed. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante switched from screaming to singing seemingly effortlessly. When I think she can’t possibly sound better than she already does live, somehow she proves me wrong. Her energy on stage is infectious, and you can tell she is having the best time. The highlight of the evening for me was “Holy Roller”—I’m always blown away each time I hear it live. There’s no doubt in my mind that some Evanescence fans walked away from the show as new Spiritbox fans.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for Evanescence. As the stage filled with smoke, members slowly walked out on stage to thunderous applause. Jumping right into new music, the set kicked off with the title track of their latest album, Sanctuary.

Throughout the show, Amy Lee proved herself as, in my opinion, one of the best vocalists of our generation in the metal/rock scene. It’s rare to find someone who sings live just as good as (if not better than) studio recordings, and Lee knocked it out of the park. Throughout their approximately hour-and-a-half-long set, her voice never lost its power.

While Lee is a powerhouse herself, the band, consisting of Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Will Hunt (drums), Emma Anzai (bass/vocals), and Tim McCord (guitar), deserves their flowers as well. Seamlessly in sync with each other, the presence of each member kept fans engaged from every angle of the venue.

The set switched from older fan favorites like “Bring Me To Life” to their newest releases, such as “Afterlife,” ensuring there was something for everyone, no matter how long you’ve been a fan of the band. My favorite moment of the night, however, occurred right before starting “Forever Without You.” Lee sat down at her piano and offered words of encouragement to the entire audience, which I think in the current state of the world, a lot of us needed to hear more than we realized:

“Please trust me,” Lee asked of the crowd, “that as scary, and terrifying, and impossible, and ungrateful it makes you feel, or you’re made to feel, to take that first step out the door: you deserve to find out what you’re capable of. You owe it to yourself and to the world to find out what you’re capable of.”

As the night came to a close, the band surprised fans with Courtney from Spiritbox and Nova Twins to assist with vocals during “Fight Like a Girl.” You could feel the genuine joy that radiated off all four of them as they sang together at the end of the catwalk, and the crowd loved the surprise features as well, providing endless cheers and applause.

To beat the inevitable traffic that was to come, I headed out slightly early. As I walked back to my car, I could hear Lee’s voice radiating through the parking lots. Even hundreds of feet away, the band sounded perfect. Once I sat in the car, I said to myself that I couldn’t believe I never saw them headline until this moment, and I now know I should never make that mistake again.

If you haven’t seen them live, don’t miss this tour. Evanescence are better than ever, and they’re worth the trip to see.

Evanescence

Spiritbox