Critic's evaluation
The sky was gray and the temperature was a balmy 24ºC. Near Mall Bourbon, the sidewalk on Francisco Matarazzo had a peculiar movement. Several people, in their black suits, were walking briskly towards the West Plaza mall.
As we followed the flow, we could see that the anthill was the B entrance to Allianz Parque. There, a large number of people were already crammed between the railings that indicated the layout of the premium track for the Evanescence concert, which was to take place on the evening of that Saturday, October 21.
Inside the stadium, there was a general rush to get the best seat. As far as the premium track was concerned, the paying fans had to fight over the leftovers left by the public who had opted for the higher entry options, such as the so-called early entry and sound check, which, in this case, was already in the central part of the fence.
Even so, it was possible to notice something curious in that scene of prelude to chaos. The area dedicated to the premium runway was visibly larger than the other concerts held at Allianz Parque, which meant that the audience's view of the stage from the ordinary runway was impaired. Even so, the crowd kept coming and coming, so much so that by 5:30 p.m., all sectors were already packed.
To ease the wait, coincidentally, the audience was already entertained by the soundcheck of Ego Kill Talent, the band that would be opening for Evanescence on that occasion. However, what seemed to be a surprise entertainment was short-lived, leaving the audience once again in the company of the sun and the buzz of cross-talk.
Under a now moonlit sky, the audience on the railing of the premium floor was surprised by an unreasonable interaction with Amy Lee's security guard. At that moment, the professional handed out straws to those pressed up against the fence and, when he got up on stage, threw the rest of the straws at random, causing a brief and great dispute over the souvenir.
Ego Kill Talent
At 7:42 p.m., when the stadium's security information was displayed on the big screen, the audience showed signs of a curiously contagious tiredness. Shortly afterwards, at 8:54 p.m., with the lights still off, Ego Kill Talent took to the stage to a lukewarm reception as they performed Sublimated, the opening track.
It was then that Emilly stood in front of the microphone and made a brief interaction: "E aí, São Paulo! We're Ego Kill Talent e estamos muito felizes de tocar para vocês essa noite!" she said as she launched into Call Us By Her Name, a song released the night before this performance.
Finding Freedon came in the form of the same novelty. Released alongside Call Us By Her Name as a preview of the EP of the same name to be released on November 10, the track featured, at the behest of guitarist Theo van der Loo, synchronized hand claps alongside the electric guitar solo.
The show went on with a few more songs, with Last Ride having the most audience participation. During the closing track, at Emilly's command, the audience began to raise their arms with closed fists in an orderly pose. The landscape remained the same until the unison sound explosions that marked the end of the show at 20:24.
As a pressure-packed performance, Ego Kill Talent's show at Allianz Parque served, according to Loo, as a way of officially introducing Emilly Barreto as lead singer. The singer definitely takes over from Jonatan Dörr, who left the group to pursue new projects.
In retrospect, it was clear that Emmily was a good choice as the new lead singer. After all, she presented a well-tuned, powerful voice backed up by a theatrical interpretation, matching the group's sound profile. However, during the show, the volume of the instruments often exceeded that of the microphone, making it difficult to interpret and hear what was being sung.
After Ego Kill Talent's instruments were removed from the stage and Will Hunt's drums were played, the playback played Admirável Chip Novo. The moment drew a curious and euphoric participation from the audience, who sang the song in chorus throughout. The same happened when Teto De Vidro was played, showing and proving the influence, notoriety and relevance that Pitty carries with it as a national rock exponent.
Evanescence
When the clock struck 9pm, the stage went out and Killing In The Name, a single by Rage Against The Machine, was played on the playback as the start of the show's prelude. Artifact/The Turn followed as the real wake-up call for the official performance on that cold São Paulo night.
While the lighting waltzed synchronously to the melody, the five members of Evanescence took their places and Broken Pieces Shine came on as the opening act for the group's first concert in 16 years at Allianz Parque, which at the time was called Palestra Itália. As expected, the song was responsible for forming the first highlight of the show, as the audience gave a euphoric and insane reception, singing the song in a unison chorus, as well as making a festival of horned hands that drew the entire field.
Without losing their breath, the audience followed suit, with the same euphoria and dedication, during What You Want and Going Under, the next tracks. After a brief interaction with Amy Lee, who thanked them for coming back, it was Take Over's turn to be the stadium's soundtrack.
As for Wasted On You, the song that came after the medley Lose Control/ Part Of Me/ Never Go Back and the solo Call Me When You're Sober, the Allianz Parque was illuminated only by cell phone lights. The initiative was marked as a moment to build a kind of metallic serenade.
A similar feat, but now on the part of the band, occurred in Far From Heaven. Amy Lee took her place at the piano, accompanied only by Hunt on drums, and proclaimed the lyrical plot in an intimate and visceral interpretation until she left the stage with her colleague.
Then there was a dramatic pause. No one on stage. Meanwhile, on the big screen, scenes from past tours are broadcast, creating a huge nostalgic atmosphere. Then, upon returning to the stage, Evanescence launched into the powerful and sombre Imaginary, accompanied by the unison chanting of the audience, who seemed, at that moment, to have received extra doses of adrenaline.
Proof of this came during the performance of Better Without You. In it, the audience seemed to be in ecstasy, shaking their heads, singing at the top of their lungs and raising their horned hands as high as possible. Taking advantage of this delivery, Amy even encouraged the audience to raise their arms in a pose of order whenever the name of the song was pronounced.
End Of Dreams was also a highlight. The song was introduced a cappella by Amy who, shortly afterwards, was joined by her colleagues in closing the song, which also featured an extended solo by Troy McLawhorn. In Use My Voice, the last highlight before the encore, the singer encouraged the audience to sing the vocal verse, which was promptly answered.
After Blind Belief, the band left the stage for a moment, standard behavior to instigate the audience to want more and thus satisfy them with an encore already scheduled. When they returned, Amy took her place at the piano and launched into My Immortal. "I don't want this time to end", she said as she urged the audience to accompany her with cell phone lights, turning Allianz Parque into a touching setting.
Bring Me To Life was the closing track, which received a poignant and visceral rendition from the audience, who were surprised to witness, during the track's performance, an explosion of confetti that left the stadium completely colored. Not only that, Evanescence also provided a beautiful fireworks display, which left the audience divided between following the last moments of the performance or catching a glimpse of the beauty of the colorful explosions in São Paulo's night sky. Adorned by a beautiful closing, the group left the stage at 10:35 p.m., putting an official end to what was their first performance in São Paulo in six years.
In retrospect, Evanescence's concert was a much-anticipated spectacle and, with the change of venue from Novo Anhangabaú to Allianz Parque, it managed to double its audience. However, it's possible to say that expectations weren't entirely met.
In a performance lasting just over 1.5 hours, the group delivered a setlist full of hits, it's true, but it was a cold performance. In the midst of the 17 songs selected for the night, Evanescence didn't interact much, relying on short, standard phrases like 'i love you', 'it's so good to be here', among others.
What's more, the band still didn't take advantage of the ample space they had on stage, with catwalks extending to both sides of the stage. It's no wonder that the audience was located, especially, in the left area, which had a partial view of the band and, consequently, of Amy, who only took advantage of the center and right areas. The only one who walked to the left, briefly, was Tim McCord, who went back and forth with mechanical movements.
In short, there's nothing to say about the sound, punctuality or quality of the setlist. It was intense, precise, poignant and grandiose, starting and ending on time. Even so, the show had a cold and bureaucratic soul, making the audience a mere participant in a moment that, if it had had more heated interactions, could have made them protagonists and not just supporting actors.
