Early video resurfaces showing 17-year-old Amy Lee at Tiny Club

A grainy video has surfaced showing a not-yet-famous Evanescence playing in a small bar in Arkansas in 1999.

Early Evanescence Live Video

Most of the videos on John Furman’s YouTube channel are off-road, gun, or dashcam footage. Some of his most popular videos, however, are rare live performances from the early days of Evanescence.

A 1999 show from Vino’s Bar in Little Rock features a 17-year-old Amy Lee performing with former bandmate Ben Moody and backup singer Stephanie Pierce. An unnamed violinist is also onstage.

The show is set in the Evanescence timeline before the band in 2000 Origin demo and their studio debut, Fallen. The show will feature songs from both releases, including “Imaginary” and “Whisper” from their popular 2003 debut album.

While the sound isn’t great (it is a video recorded in 1999, after all), it’s interesting to see an early version of what would eventually become the Evanescence that made it big. Lee remains calm throughout the performance, while the rest of the artists try to keep everything on track. This includes Moody, who has to step aside to start the pre-recorded drum track for some songs amidst microphone feedback.

The video shows what appears to be the entire hour-long performance, ending with a moving moment where Lee and Pierce play together in near darkness over fading drums.

Evanescence’s Huge 2002 Comeback Captured on Video

A second video on John Gorman’s YouTube channel shows Evanescence returning to Vino’s Bar for a 2002 New Year’s Eve show. This time, there’s a full band, better lighting, and Lee trading in her regular 1999 attire for a black dress with matching angel wings.

The set is filled with rare covers, including Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box,” the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Zero” and The Offspring’s “Self Esteem.”

The members who appear here, and who were also there in 1999, are more polished and confident. This version of Evanescence is closer to the one we know today.

Evanescence is currently scheduled to play just about every major rock festival this summer and fall. You can catch them at Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma on August 30th and Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky on September 26-27th.