00:00Well, it's Klein Alley's show on the world-famous K-Rock, and we are backstage at K-Rock's Almost Acoustic Christmas with not only, I would argue, the big star of the show, but the birthday girl, the great Amy Lee of Evanescence. Happy birthday.
00:15Thank you very much. I am very happy to be here. There's nowhere I'd rather be. This is our final show of the year.
00:20Well, we talked about whether it's good to work on your birthday or annoying to work on your birthday, and obviously if it's something that you love, then it doesn't feel like work, but also just a little part of you feel like you'd rather just be like Netflix binging something right now in a hotel room?
00:36No.
00:37No, okay.
00:38You know what's cool? Besides the fact that we get up on stage and get to have the coolest job in the world and play a show, I got a whole bunch of my friends right here with me, so there's no organization really required.
00:49We already have a dressing room. Like, after the show, we can just cheers and have a good time.
00:53Well, we wanted to get you a present to celebrate the day, and we went to every store in Southern California, but we decided that the gift shop right here at the Kia Forum would have the best gift for you.
01:02This is a very special crew. This now means you're officially working. It's a crew K-Rock shirt with a skull on it. It's black.
01:10You'll love it. That's yours.
01:11Anything black.
01:12That's totally non-refundable, so please keep that and enjoy it. Wear it proudly.
01:16Thank you so much.
01:17Absolutely. I want to talk about the big announcement, because when you announced this world tour, everyone got very excited.
01:23This is the first headlining world tour in four years, but everyone was confused, because they go, there's no L.A. date on the tour, yet every other date was there.
01:31You're going to a lot of countries, a lot of shows, and we were able to announce at K-Rock's Almost Acoustic Christmas that you will be right back here in the Forum in July for an L.A. show, because you have some serious, hardcore Southern California fans.
01:42We do, we do.
01:43So what does it mean for you to play here tonight? Is it like a practice for the big July show?
01:48Yeah, we were talking about it. It's funny. I don't know that we've ever actually played here.
01:53Really?
01:53Yeah, we've done the stadium. We've done all those things.
01:57You were at the Hollywood Bowl recently.
01:58Yeah, but I don't feel like we've done the Forum.
02:00Or I just, it's just all a blur.
02:03But that makes sense. I probably would be for me if I was doing it.
02:07It feels like a blur for us. We're not even singing.
02:09Yeah, we're very excited.
02:10It seems like you guys are having a blast. You just performed with Metallica, and that was an incredible experience.
02:16Are you noticing a new generation of Evanescence fans and people who were fans growing up that now have kids that listen?
02:22How has it changed over the years?
02:23It's just a big, ever-expanding family around the world, honestly.
02:26It's been such a beautiful thing to watch it grow way beyond where I thought we'd be still growing as far as that's concerned.
02:35When we were doing this starting out in 2003, you know, like, wow, everything big, number one, blah, blah, blah.
02:42I was like, okay, let's see how long we can make this last.
02:45No way in hell we're still going to be doing this 22 years from now and playing bigger places than we were back then.
02:51So I am nothing but stoked and grateful.
02:53What's so amazing, too, is that it feels like these songs over the years have gone into multiple lifespans now.
03:00And it's interesting when you think about, like, Bring Me to Life.
03:02That's a song that originally, and I don't know if this is true or rumor, you thought maybe this is not going to be a song that we should release or it's not going to have a rap part in it.
03:10Oh, the rap was definitely not what was the plan for me.
03:13So when you have that moment where you're like, I don't think so, and then it becomes one of the biggest songs in the history of music,
03:18like, is it hard for you now to ever scratch a song because you're like, maybe that is also going to be as big?
03:24No, you know, it's funny.
03:25You would think you would know also, like, did you know that would be a hit?
03:30I really didn't.
03:31I thought Going Under should be the first song.
03:33And, like, Afterlife has done really well for us this year.
03:35I love it.
03:36It was so fun to do, but it wasn't that there was something about it that I was like, oh, this is miles apart from every other song.
03:42No, it's just like, yeah, it's great.
03:43They're all great.
03:44I don't know.
03:44I guess I'm just not very good at making videos.
03:48Like, what's going to, like, hit, you know, when you make a video and it's never the thing you expect.
03:52It's a lot of things that weigh into that.
03:54Timing and the moment and, I don't know, the energy.
03:57But it's really cool to be doing it still.
04:00You know, you picked up a new instrument with a harp.
04:03I know it's not new for you now, but was there a moment where you were like, why did I pick the heaviest instrument?
04:09It was already a grand piano.
04:10Because I always, right, I always think, you know, people who did cello and harp and the grand piano, like, those are the most annoying instruments to lug around.
04:19Was there ever a moment where you were like, why didn't I pick the harmonics?
04:21It was probably just pride.
04:22Like, I want the biggest, most dramatic celestial instrument that no one can deny.
04:28Yeah, that's what my grandma used to make that joke every time I'd be lugging my big 88 keyboard down the staircase.
04:35She'd be like, why didn't you play the flute?
04:37Do you have, like, a backpack version?
04:40Or are you always rolling?
04:41No.
04:42No, it's too big for that.
04:44It's like a rolly backpack?
04:45I think it's respect, too.
04:46The more you play it, the better you are, the bigger they get, right?
04:48That's not you.
04:48It's like a black belt in karate.
04:50The bigger the instrument, the more respect.
04:52I've always thought it's interesting, and the gaming community has embraced Evanescence in such a big way.
04:56And you are a gamer.
04:57And do you ever game with people that have no idea, like, that you're playing you, and you're just like, I just smoked some 12-year-old?
05:04Oh, no.
05:06Never happens?
05:07No, I haven't, actually.
05:08That's funny.
05:09I guess those aren't really my usual type of games.
05:12Unfortunately, like, they're more like either the solo player thing or, you know, chilling with my son.
05:17Like, I mean, we'll do a little Fortnite.
05:20I guess that's happening.
05:21Yeah.
05:21But I'm never like, guess what?
05:23Guess who I am?
05:24I just picture you at home yelling at the screen.
05:27Take that.
05:28We wanted to talk, and Allie brought this up earlier, but, you know, you're married to a therapist.
05:33Allie's wife's a therapist, too.
05:34We're here talking about mental health right now.
05:37Well, one thing I wanted to bring up is, well, I wanted to ask you, is it impossible, do you agree that it's impossible to fight properly with a therapist when you're married?
05:48Because I always have the most complicated fights with my wife because she knows her stuff.
05:54It's like Jedi mind trick.
05:56She can pathologize.
05:57She can be like, well, that's, you're projecting, and then all of a sudden it's like back and around.
06:01Yeah, she knows all the words and all the things, and I'm like, whoa, what's happening right now?
06:05But it's also very helpful for obvious reasons because I feel like I've gotten so good at communicating and what I need to communicate and hearing people and taking my ego out of it.
06:14Yeah.
06:14So what's it been like for you?
06:15Oh, God, I, um, okay, well, I think everybody's different and nobody's perfect, and no matter how many right words you know, like, learning each other and respecting each other and leaving space for each other to not be perfect is a big thing.
06:28And knowing when you need space from each other, too.
06:31Like, we've been married for 18 years now, and I love being together, and we have an amazing son, Jack, he's 11.
06:38Um, but also, like, you know, time to be able to focus on your own thing, for me to be able to go out in the world and have this as well.
06:45Get a chance to miss each other for a little bit and come back home is nice, too.
06:48Yeah, much space.
06:49If you are hearing this interview now and you did not get a chance to be at K-Rock's Almost Acoustic Christmas, the good news is Evanescence will be back in Southern California in July.
06:58The tickets go on sale Wednesday morning, so get them.
07:01We'll put up all the links.
07:02We actually have a pair that we're going to be giving away this morning on K-Rock, and, uh, of course, Amy Lee will be here.
07:07As always, we wrap up every chat with not one but two epic questions.
07:10Allie, give her epic question number one.
07:12All right, Amy, what's the better movie soundtrack, Practical Magic or City of Angels?
07:16City of Angels.
07:17Wow, you need to have to think about it.
07:18Landis Morissette, uninvited, totally inspired, bring me to life.
07:22Yes.
07:22You, like me, enjoy living life barefoot.
07:24You've been barefoot many a times because you like to feel grounded, but being barefoot on stage is dangerous.
07:30There's wires, there's things to trip on.
07:31Any injuries while enjoying the barefoot lifestyle?
07:34I don't usually do that on stage.
07:35I do think that would be dangerous.
07:37There's spit up there.
07:38There's broken things, nasty bits of tape.
07:41So never on stage.
07:42I mean, I have done it before, but that's not, no.
07:44I need big, heavy, chunky, stomp-your-face boots.
07:48That's good.
07:48That's more of my, yeah.
07:49Well, Florence, while she was always barefoot, and she's had a lot of gnarly-ass injuries.
07:54I think she was, like, bleeding out her foot for an entire show, and she was like, but
07:59I got to do my spins and my bare feet.
08:01I have sausage toe because I smashed my foot into a table.
08:04It's a real condition.
08:05Guys, we love evidence.
08:05That's a warrior.
08:06This has been a relationship now for over two decades with K-Rock.
08:09The band is as big now as ever.
08:12The songs are so great.
08:13The new album, I just want to mention, I don't want to ask too much about it because I know
08:17it's going to come out, but the new songs will be played on the new tour.
08:19Oh, hell yeah.
08:20That's what the tour is for.
08:22It's weird to announce the tour before the album is quite done.
08:24I know.
08:24It's kind of, like, weird panic happening inside me, but we've got it.
08:27I'm very, very excited about the new music.
08:30Yes.
08:30We can't wait.
08:31We are not going back out there without an album full of new shit.
08:33So get ready.
08:34Lots and lots of Evanescence in your future, and we'll give away some tickets.
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