Evanescence brought Manila "back to life" for a one-night only concert last Sunday, February 19, at Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Patron seats were moved back, leaving the middle area open to serve as a dance floor/mosh pit for fans of the Grammy-winning gothic rock band.
At around 8:30 p.m., Lovi Poe entered the Smart Araneta Coliseum with rumored boyfriend Ronald Singson. Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles were also spotted at the Big Dome that night.
Serving as the front act was the Bush band led by frontman Gavin Rossdale.
At 9:45 p.m., the lights dimmed, marking the start of Evanescence's set.
Lead vocalist Amy Lee came out on stage wearing a black halter dress matched with violet leggings and black knee-high boots.
Fans sang along as the band opened with "What You Want" and "Going Under."
The husky-voiced Amy kept on moving from one side of the stage to the other as she sang the lyrics that go: "I'm going under (going under) / Drowning in you (drowning in you) / I'm falling forever (falling forever)."
After singing "Going Under," Amy told the jampacked crowd: "Hello Manila! Thank you so much. It's been forever but we finally made it here. We're huge fans of Bush and it's an honor to share the stage with them. They totally rocked tonight."
She then proceeded to the keyboards to serve as accompaniment for the song "The Other Side."
The female-fronted metal group also performed other songs such as "Weight of the World," "The Change," "My Last Breath," and "Made of Stone."
Halfway through their set, Amy introduced a special guest that night. "This time, I'd like to ask Dave Eggar to come up on stage. He played the cello on our album Evanescence."
The head banging continued as the band performed "Lost in Paradise," "My Heart is Broken," Lithium," "Erase This," "Sick," "Sober," and "Imaginary."
As soon as the familiar tune of "Bring Me To Life" started playing, audience members cheered as they sang along with Evanescence's hard rock classic song.
The Big Dome reverberated with lyrics that go: "Wake me up (Wake me up inside) / I can't wake up (Wake me up inside) / Save me (Call my name and save me from the dark) / Wake me up (Bid my blood to run) / I can't wake up (Before I come undone) / Save me (Save me from the nothing I've become)"
At 10:40 p.m., Amy Lee simply told the crowd, "Thank you Manila!" before she went backstage with her band mates.
The audience members waited for Evanescence to come back while some shouted, "We want more!"
Soon, a piano was brought out on stage and Amy Lee did come back to wow the crowd once more.
She enthusiastically pointed out, "I can't believe so many of you came out tonight."
For their encore, the band performed "Never Go Back," "Swimming Home," and "Your Star."
Their final song for the evening was "My Immortal" with heartbreaking lyrics that go: "These wounds won't seem to heal / This pain is just too real / There's just too much that time cannot erase"
Before giving her final goodbye, Amy told Filipinos: "Thank you! We love you! We hope to see you soon!"
BUSH THRILLED TO BE IN MANILA. Prior to Evanescence's performance, Gavin Rossdale led the alternative rock band Bush in warming up the crowd.
"What a privilege to play for you good people. We were in Muhammad's dressing room... I could feel him in there," quipped Gavin, prompting the crowd to clap and cheer.
It will be recalled that legendary boxer Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in a monumental match held at the Araneta Coliseum in 1975.
The band performed their songs such as "Machinehead," "All My Life," and "Greedy Fly."
Halfway through their set, Gavin jumped off the stage and went around the Big Dome hugging fans and shaking hands. The vocalist/guitarist even climbed up to the upper box and continued with his quest to reach as many fans as possible.
Bush and Evanescence performing back-to-back on one night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum created rock euphoria that won't be forgotten by concertgoers for a long time.