EVANESCENCE's New Lineup Performs Live For First Time (Video)

EVANESCENCE kicked off its spring/summer European tour last night (Sunday, June 5) in Athens, Greece. The concert marked the band's first live appearance with EVANESCENCE's new lineup, featuring Emma Anzai of SICK PUPPIES on bass and EVANESCENCE's longtime bassist Tim McCord on guitar.

EVANESCENCE's latest lineup changes, including the departure of guitarist Jen Majura, were announced last month.

In a statement welcoming Anzai to the band, EVANESCENCE wrote: "We've been friends and fans for years, and the time has finally come to join forces. Emma will be pulling double duty as we have some shows with SICK PUPPIES coming up soon, so get ready for that!"

Regarding McCord's switch to the bass guitar, EVANESCENCE said: "After 16 years in the band as our rock solid bass player, Tim is taking a turn on his original instrument. Spoiler alert- he's great at it."

In the comments section below EVANESCENCE's Instagram post, singer Amy Lee added: "Making positive change in your life (and band) can be really hard. Some choices we make, some are made for us. But who we are in the end is how we handle whatever comes our way.

"Today is a big day in my band. Taking another step forward with my brothers who have been beside me for 15+ years, and welcoming in a beautiful friend we are so excited to share the stage with…. I'm happy.

"You never know whats around the corner, but when something is right you know it's right. And this feels so right. Welcome Emma! Love all you guys."

Jen's exit from EVANESCENCE was announced via social media on May 21.

"It has been a very special chapter in the band with our dear friend Jen Majura, but we have decided it's time to go our separate ways," EVANESCENCE said in a statement. "We will always love her and support her, and can't wait to see what she does next! We are so grateful for the good times and great music we made all around the world together."

A few hours later, Jen took to her social media to clarify: "I feel the need to address that none of this was my decision! I have no hard feelings against anybody and I wish EVANESCENCE all the best. I am allowed to carry beautiful memories of these past years, I am grateful."

The 38-year-old musician, a self-described "half-Asian living in Germany," joined EVANESCENCE in August 2015 as the replacement for Terry Balsamo.

Shortly after she landed the gig, Majura spoke to EMP Rock Invasion about how she came to connect with EVANESCENCE. She said: "My name was somehow recommended by a sweet friend of mine, Alex Skolnick of TESTAMENT, and Dave Eggar — he's also known as a very good cellist, and he's a musician working in New York. And all of a sudden, there was this e-mail popping up: 'Are you interested in joining…?' And I was, like, 'What the fuck?' So I stopped breathing until my face turned kind of blue. And then afterwards, I was, like, 'Okay, I've gotta read it again.' Three days later, I found myself suddenly on an airplane, flying over to New York to meet Amy Lee. And we had some very, very cool talks. She's an awesome person. She's a very, very great musician. And so I found myself suddenly inside of his empire called EVANESCENCE."

Regarding the fact that she didn't even have to "audition" for EVANESCENCE, Jen said: "Yeah. To be honest, I was kind of concerned. I told [Amy], 'Do you want me to bring my guitar?' And, 'Would you like me to audition?' And she was totally, like: 'Nah, I know you can play. I've seen plenty of videos of you. And I know your live experience and you're touring the world, so… No, just come over and let's have some food and talk.' Yeah, and that's it. So, actually, what I was surprised by very, very much was that she actually had another guitar player on her list, and that was the guitar player of Alice Cooper [Nita Strauss]. And she's now with Alice Cooper and I'm now with EVANESCENCE. This is, like… I still can't believe it."

In 2019, Lee said she was happy to have Majura in the band. "She has added a lot to our live shows because she's a singer," Amy explained. "It has been a really awesome thing to have live background vocals for the first time. I am such a fan of layered vocals, and to have that better represented at our show has been a cool breakthrough for me. And also, she's just rad energy. She's got a great attitude, fun personality, very engaging, killer onstage, so she has been a fun addition to our family. And of course, it's awesome having another girl in the band for the first time."

Majura has released two solo albums thus far, 2014's "Jen Majura" and 2017's "InZENity".

Last year, EVANESCENCE released "The Bitter Truth", its first album in 10 years.