The Bell Centre was buzzing with anticipation as the seats quickly filled with fans of every age. We were all in for a great treat with a lineup of extremely talented bands, each of them ready to perform setlists that would blow everyone’s socks off. As soon as the house lights dimmed, putting all attention on the stage, the stadium’s population cheered with pure excitement for the first scheduled band.
The Warning
Up first for the night was The Warning, a three-piece band made up of the Villarreal Vélez sisters (Daniela, Paulina, and Alejandra) from Monterrey, Mexico. They started their set with “S!CK,” a song from their 2024 released album called Keep Me Fed. It’s a fast-paced alt-rock song that had all attendees headbanging along, a perfect opening track to get the crowd amped up.
Their energy on stage was extremely fun and exciting. You could feel their strong musical bond as sisters no matter where your spot was in the venue; they were in perfect sync with one another, and each of their strengths complemented each other satisfyingly. There were a ton of fans of theirs that I saw singing along, including someone who was at the very front of the pit, air drumming to every single song they performed to a tee.
Each of them had taken their own turn at lead vocals throughout their set, proving to their audience that all three of them have a multitude of talents that they use to add further textures and feelings to every song. Their setlist consisted of songs like “Sharks” and “Automatic Sun” from their latest album, and some tracks from their third album ERROR like “MONEY” and “DISCIPLE.” The Warning’s set primed the Montreal crowd for the next two performances that were coming up, and as excited as we all felt for the rest of the night, I’m sure I was not the only one to feel sad to see them leave the stage after the end of their set.
Watch our interview with The Warning below:
Halestorm
Appearing on stage right on schedule was Halestorm, founded by lead vocalist and guitarist Lzzy Hale and her brother, Arejay Hale, on drums. Lots of siblings in this night’s lineup! Lzzy stood in front of her audience and started the set off with a short a cappella rendition of “Raise Your Horns,” which was immediately followed by “I Miss the Misery,” a thrilling start to their set.
Lzzy’s powerful vocals amazed everyone in the venue; her voice was absolutely incredible, truly a perfect match for rock and roll. Her energy on stage was intoxicating as well; she interacted with the crowd and her bandmates throughout their set, making her passion and personality loud and clear.
Her crowd interaction included a lovely monologue about how special this tour is, being all women-led. How hard she and the other artists performing worked to break down doors and gender norms in the music industry. How they’ve said “fuck you” to anyone who didn’t believe in their great talents merely due to misogyny. Her audience cheered in complete agreement with her words, most audience members having experienced misogyny themselves.
Halestorm performed songs from a wide variety of their albums released over the years. A band like Halestorm that’s been active since 1997 is bound to have multiple bangers like “I Get Off,” “Freak Like Me,” “Do Not Disturb,” “Familiar Taste of Poison,” and “Takes My Life,” all of which were included on their setlist.
There were multiple incredible moments during Halestorm’s set that made their performance extremely memorable. At the half-hour mark of their set, a white grand piano was brought onto the stage for Lzzy to sit down at. She reminded the crowd that a rock show is not a place for judgment.
“The rock show doesn’t care whether you’re a boy or a girl, or what you do for a living, or how you wear your hair,” she stated. “We’re all the same tonight.”
She then continued the show with “Break In,” an emotional song that showed off her beautiful vocal capabilities. Partway through the song, Amy Lee, the lead vocalist and pianist from Evanescence, joined Lzzy Hale on stage. The crowd immediately broke out into loud cheering as Amy Lee made her appearance, but as soon as she and Lzzy started to sing together, the crowd fell in complete silence as they listened carefully, holding onto every word. Once the song was finished, they shared a sweet hug while everyone cheered in adoration. A moment that the crowd, and myself, won’t ever forget.
Although Lzzy Hale and Amy Lee’s duet was incredible, Halestorm’s set was far from over. Arejay Hale performed an insane drum solo, taking the crowd’s breath away with how impressive his playing was. The rest of the band were seen bringing giant floor toms to the stage, and they quickly joined in on Arejay’s playing, who eventually joined them in the drum circle. They all played in perfectly practised unison, earning loud applause and cheering from their audience.
The drum portion of the show was not over yet, though. Just when the crowd didn’t expect it, Arejay ran back to his drum kit and pulled out comically large drumsticks. You’d think that the size of them would hinder his playing, but it made no difference. He continued his solo with them, somehow keeping a perfect beat while wielding sticks that his hands couldn’t fully wrap around.
After such an exciting set that buzzed with electricity, Halestorm stood side by side and took a bow. They threw various items like drumsticks, guitar picks, and frisbees into the crowd, signed whatever was handed to them from the pit as well before stepping off the stage, officially ending their set and leaving Montreal amazed. The anticipation only grew tenfold after Halestorm’s engaging performance.
Evanescence
After what felt like the longest half-hour of my life, it was finally time for the house lights to go dark again, and for Evanescence’s iconic emblem to emerge onto the giant screen in the back of the stage. The audience’s voice erupted as flames wrapped around the familiar symbol, while “Artifact/The Turn” began playing, filling the air as Amy Lee and her bandmates took their places on stage. “Broken Pieces Shine” was the following track, making the first moments of their set absolutely breathtaking.
Evanescence’s energy on stage was intoxicating. I could not pry my eyes away from their performance, and I doubt anyone else around me felt any different. The crowd was going ballistic for every single song, singing along with Amy Lee’s mind-blowing vocals and cheering loudly when their favourite songs were played. I could still see the air-drumming guy going strong in the front, never missing a single beat on that invisible kit in front of them.
There is so much nostalgia revolving around the iconic Evanescence for myself and for so many others around the world. Their debut album, Fallen, was released over 20 years ago in 2003. I’ve had Amy Lee’s voice in my ears since I was a very young child. I remember sitting in the back seat of my older sister’s car and watching her insert various CDs, showing her two younger siblings the magic of multiple different bands and artists. Fallen and The Open Door were two albums that were in her CD rotation, and they are part of my earliest memories regarding music.
I heard a good few songs from those two albums in their setlist, like “Going Under,” “Call Me When You’re Sober,” “Lose Control,” and “Lithium.” All of which brought me right back to the back seat of that black Toyota Corolla, jamming out with my younger sibling while our older sister and her best friend sang along to the lyrics. I felt extremely emotional, as if Amy Lee herself was pulling at my heartstrings with her incredible singing.
The theatrics throughout the show really tied together the princess of darkness kind of aesthetic as well; anything you could think of that would fit that description, it was up there. The lights shone brightly with piercing shades of blues, greens, purples, and reds to match the colour scheme of the album that the song belonged to. Evanescence’s emblem stayed on the screen, large and proud, surrounded by jellyfish, then crows, and then butterflies.
Smoke crept onto the stage as well, encasing Amy Lee as she sat down in front of a small, black grand piano, playing beautifully while her audience sang along to the lyrics with her. Hearing the crowd’s voice accompanying Amy Lee’s was very sweet to the ears; it really sounded like her voice was always meant to be accompanied by the sound of thousands of voices singing softly as to not miss out on hearing her sing.
After they had finished performing one of my favourite songs, “Imaginary,” a sentimental video montage played on the large screen. It showcased various moments throughout the band’s long career as a melancholic piano tune rang through the stadium. Moments from concerts, shots of crowds smiling and crying during shows, music video productions, moments backstage, anything and everything you could think of, it was up there on that beautiful montage of memories. You could hear the crowd laugh at funny moments, and “aw” in unison for tender clips. The emotions were high in the venue, as we watched 20 spectacular-looking years fly by on screen.
Amy Lee’s interactions with her audience were warm and wonderful. She repeatedly encouraged the crowd to use their voices, to help others in need, to support one another.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t matter,” she commanded. “It’s not true! Look around! Do you feel the love here tonight? Together our voices make a loud sound, so use your voice!”
She also spoke about how she is in disbelief that even after 20 years, there are still so many people who support her voice and her music. She expressed how she was at a loss for words for the feeling she had in her chest as a 42-year-old woman who is still singing for thousands at a time, sharing moments with fans old and new. She thanked everyone for their attendance, and for their 20 years of love.
Evanescence continued their set with songs from their self-titled album and The Bitter Truth, like “The End Of The Dream” and “Blind Belief,” before going back in time and ending their set with “My Immortal” and “Bring Me to Life,” which the crowd went crazy for. During their last song, purple ribbons shot through cannons and rained down onto the crowd; they gave their most famous song their absolute all, receiving the same kind of energy back from the crowd.
I never thought I’d ever get the chance to see such an iconic band perform live, and I literally have zero complaints about the entire experience. It was perfect, it had everything you could’ve ever wished for from an Evanescence show. The crowd and myself cheered and cheered as the band said their goodbyes to us all, bowing, signing, and gifting items that are sure to be treasured by the receivers. They were sent off the stage with love by the audience, and their final farewell was sealed once “Crazy Train” began playing through the speakers. That was one of the craziest shows I’ve ever been to, and I definitely will never forget a single second of it.
Review – Jamie Siddall
Photos – Eric Brisson
