Thaïs Parvez
“Wake me up inside… Bring me to life.” Evanescence landed this Thursday, October 1st, in Barcelona to subtly wake us up, bring us back to metal life, and invite us on a journey straight into pure early-2000s nostalgia.
Some concerts completely rewrite the rulebook, and the one delivered by Evanescence, Poppy, and Nova Twins at the Olímpic Arena in Badalona marked a definitive before and after.
The tour has brought together three completely distinct forces of metal and rock on a single stage, connected by a shared visceral drive: smashing molds, defying musical genres, and delivering an unforgettable live performance.
Thanks to promoter Doctor Music, Hot BuZz (Mag) caught the action as nu-metal, industrial rock, and sonic avant-garde pop collided spectacularly.
Nova Twins: Explosive grooves and unstoppable revolutionary attitude
The evening kicked off with Nova Twins on fire.
The British duo formed by Amy Love and Georgia South proved from the very first second why they have become a benchmark for modern, politically charged alternative rock.
Their explosive mix of punk, heavy rock, and urban electronic textures blended with hip-hop shook the venue like an earthquake.
Instrumentally, their setlist was an absolute eclectic masterclass. Georgia South unleashed a powerful, heavy bass sound with plenty of groove and a massive boost (we’re huge fans of that pedalboard with such carefully crafted and versatile sounds) that you usually only experience with great eclectic bassists like Christopher Wolstenholme of Muse.
In fact, at moments during the performance, it brought a smiling reminder of the early days of the British band led by Matt Bellamy, while Nova Twins’ punk-urban attitude, grit, and Amy Love’s hip-hop vocal runs shone brightly as she nailed it on guitar.
Both members connected perfectly with the audience, running from one side of the stage to the other.
With massive anthems like Cleopatra, Choose Your Fighter, and Antagonist, they delivered a futuristic vibe that made it clear the future of the genre is in safe hands.
Poppy: From ethereal pop to powerful industrial metal
If Nova Twins set the room on fire, Poppy brought an intriguing vibe. The American artist delivered a hypnotic set that mixed the most ethereal pop sweetness with the brutality of industrial metal.
Her universe continues to defy all the rules of the current music industry, fusing extreme and experimental metal sounds with a magnetic visual identity that rejects any attempt at categorization. The vocalist easily shifts from a melodic whisper to deafening growls without losing her stage presence.
And that was great to witness.
Poppy took the stage with a powerful Bruised Sky.
During the set, she performed some of her hits like Concrete, Public Domain, and The Cost of Giving Up, mixing screams with deeply dramatic pop songs.
One of the most memorable moments was when she brought out her signature theatricality, mask in hand, to give it her all on Scary Mask.
In the final part of her concert, she sang massive songs like V.A.N (a Bad Omens cover) and New Way Out.
Nevertheless, the vibe with Poppy felt a bit colder compared to Nova Twins. Despite giving it all and asking the crowd for some mosh pits, the connection didn’t quite reach the epicness throughout her performance, even though her musical show with a touch of experimental metal was quite fascinating.
Evanescence: A nod to nostalgia, new “Sanctuary” anthems, and stellar collaborations
The headlining heavyweight of the night arrived with Evanescence‘s breathtaking performance.
The magic had begun long before hitting the stage. Hours before the concert, Amy Lee shared photos on her social media taken at the exact same spot in Barcelona where the iconic My Immortal video was filmed years ago, creating a great connection between past and present.
With an impressive visual production and thunderous sound, the band proved their generational anthems are more relevant than ever, blending them with fresh material from their new album, “Sanctuary” (BMG, 2026).
The setlist included recent songs like Sanctuary, Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough, Rapture, and Afterlife (from the Netflix series “Devil May Cry”) with all-time classics like Going Under and Lithium.
All backed by a visually captivating stage design featuring fire, an interactive piano appearing and disappearing like magic, an illuminated ramp inviting the members to move up and down the stage, and deeply immersive background video screens.
One of the most epic moments came when Amy Lee recalled that twenty years had passed since a key era, leading straight into Like You.
Right before Forever You, seated in front of her piano, she delivered a very emotional speech: “You’re not alone in the world. Never regret love. You’re not bad, you’re not stupid for loving someone. You don’t have to stay; I promise it’s better on the other side.”
After expressing several times how fortunate they felt to return to Barcelona after so many years, the final stretch gave us unforgettable moments, including an amazing collaboration with Poppy on End of You, followed by Who Will You Follow, an emotional My Immortal (closing that intimate circle with Barcelona), and finishing off by hanging up their instruments after an energetic Wide Open Heart.
Evanescence, Poppy, and Nova Twins at the Olímpic de Badalona (Barcelona): A night for metal history
This stellar lineup on stage proved that female-fronted metal is in peak condition, driven by different creative visions.
Nova Twins brought the street-level hip-hop rock, Poppy brought the experimental metal pop, and Evanescence delivered timeless catalog mastery, bridging their legendary legacy to a new era of heavy music beyond all etiquette.
It was a fantastic musical combination that left the audience with the absolute certainty of having witnessed one of the best concerts of the year.
And, despite the passage of time, Evanescence proved that there are things in life that time cannot erase (“there’s just too much that time cannot erase”) and that musical legacies are truly immortal.
Comments
Loading…