Evanescence // Live @ Riverbend Music Center // 8.1.26 -

Article & photos: Linda Carlson

Cincinnati, OH – Impending storms could not dim the excitement for Evanescence at Riverbend Music Center’s outdoor venue. Constant weather updates predicting massive storms kept uncertainty lingering throughout the evening. Despite the imminent threat of storms, the venue somehow escaped the predicted downpour that seemed to plague surrounding areas, and fans were rewarded with an evening of bands that featured female leads.

First to perform was Nova Twins, a London-based duo comprised of vocalist/guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South. These two ladies enthusiastically worked the stage. Their music is a distinct mix of alternative rock with a punk punch. It would be terrific to see them perform in a more intimate venue, where their resonating stage presence would shine even more powerfully.

Next was Canadian metalcore band Spiritbox, with Courtney LaPlante (lead vocals), husband Mike Stringer (guitar), Zev Rosenberg (drums), and Josh Gilbert (bass). The band performed selections from their two albums (2021’s Eternal Blue and 2025’s Tsunami Sea). LaPlante remained mostly center stage in front of the elevated drumkit, with Stringer and Gilbert working the full width of the stage. A strong performance!

And then… headliner Evanescence, with Amy Lee (vocals), Tim McCord (guitar, bass), Will Hunt (drums), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), and Emma Anzai (bass).

What can one say about Amy Lee that could do justice to her insanely intense vocals, range and delivery? She expertly balances elegance with rock edginess, taking the audience through a masterful journey of highs and lows, from fierce rhythms to piercingly impactful soulful melodies.

Although she spent most of her time moving across the front of the stage, with amazing head bangs with dramatic hair flips, Lee frequently spent time at the grand piano, wheeled in as needed, or at the electronic keyboard to the right of the stage.

The stage production included a large slanted platform that extended across the entire stage from the upper back, where Hunt manned the drums, all the way down to the front of the stage. It was a single, sweeping slanted platform that covered the stage from left to right. Along this platform, band members moved up and down easily.