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REVIEW: Evanescence, Spiritbox, & Nova Twins Deliver a Powerful Feminine Storm in Phoenix (7-15-26)

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PHOENIX — On the dusty, windy night of July 15, 2026, two storms brewed in Phoenix: one from the desert’s monsoon season threatening dust and rain, and the other a lineup of powerhouse female vocalists taking over Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre. Evanescence, a headliner needing no introduction to anyone who has listened to rock radio in the past 20 years, was supported by the ferocious Spiritbox and the electrifying Nova Twins. This was a millennial-fueled rock-girl dream lineup, mixing a legendary heavy hitter with two openers that have been making huge moves in the last decade. If there were any doubt about the draw, the lines wrapping around the venue for parking and entry made it undeniably clear.

Nova Twins

Nova Twins began their set as crowds were still wrapped around the venue and into the parking lot, but their sound carried well beyond the amphitheatre’s walls. They were impossible to ignore, even from the security lines. The duo may have been a familiar name for some, but for those unfamiliar, they wasted no time making a lasting impression. 

Amy Love of Nova Twins smiles at the microphone with a black electric guitar strapped across her body, both arms raised wide under red stage lighting, with a drum kit behind her
Amy Love, vocalist and guitarist of Nova Twins, throws her arms wide while commanding the stage at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix on July 15, 2026.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

Vocalist and guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South delivered a fierce, tightly controlled performance, pairing heavy bass-driven distortion with a commanding stage presence. Even in the final portion of the set, their energy took hold and demanded full attention. Seated a few rows back from the stage, I relied on a colleague photographing the performance for a few of the finer visual details.

Nova Twins bassist Georgia South performs with an animated, open-mouthed expression while holding her bass upright under red stage lighting, with a drum kit behind her
Georgia South, bassist of Nova Twins, delivers an animated performance beneath red stage lighting in Phoenix.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

Touring drummer Jake Woodward was positioned off to the side while Love and South worked every inch of the stage available to them. Both utilized extensive pedalboards, along with a unique ring-controlled system that allowed for real-time manipulation of bass and synth effects. Their setup, paired with a more compact stage footprint, contrasted with the larger productions to follow, yet never felt lacking. 

Nova Twins touring drummer Jake Woodward performs behind a large drum kit, raising both drumsticks mid-strike beneath red stage lighting.
Jake Woodward, touring drummer for Nova Twins, strikes the kit with focused intensity beneath vivid red stage lighting.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

Before they finished their set, I already had them pulled up and added to my playlist. Their infectious, loud, fun, and impossible-to-ignore energy set the spark for a triple-stacked lineup packed with talent.

Spiritbox

As the set change began, the skies darkened and lightning flickered in the distance, setting the perfect scene as Spiritbox prepared to take the stage.

Red and white lights flashed as the band took their positions on stage. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante reached toward the sky before the drop into “Black Rainbow,” opening a twelve-song set featuring several tracks from their 2025 sophomore album, Tsunami Sea.

Courtney LaPlante stands at a microphone with both hands lifted high above her head and fingers spread, framed against a dark stage with faint purple lighting.
Courtney LaPlante, lead vocalist of Spiritbox, holds the audience’s attention with an expressive gesture and commanding presence at center stage.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

LaPlante carried a noticeably stronger confidence throughout the performance than when I’ve seen her before, sauntering around the microphone stand before stepping to face the crowd and unleashing her signature screams. 

Low-angle close-up of Courtney LaPlante singing into a microphone beneath deep blue lighting, one hand gripping the mic and the other resting on the stand as her long dark hair flows behind her
Courtney LaPlante, lead vocalist of Spiritbox, carries herself with assured control as the band’s set builds toward its heaviest moments.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

Throughout the set, LaPlante took moments to connect with the crowd, thanking them for sticking it out in the Phoenix heat and building anticipation for Evanescence. She told the audience that “Most of you have no idea what you’re about to see, but I think it’s going to be the best show you ever did see.” Before “The Void,” she took a moment to shout out Nova Twins, telling the crowd, “We love them, and this next song goes out to them.” 

Side-profile view of Courtney LaPlante singing at a microphone stand in an all-black outfit, with her long dark hair streaming dramatically behind her and red nails visible against the dim stage.
Courtney LaPlante, lead vocalist of Spiritbox, brings a fluid sense of motion and poise to the band’s dynamic performance.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

A mid-set break shifted the tone as LaPlante told the crowd, “We thank you for your time, and this is the part of the set where we dance,” building into “Sew Me Up,” with drumming and clapping pulling the crowd into the rhythm. Another playful moment came when LaPlante inducted the wind as the fifth member of the band, saying “it’s making us look really cool.” The way the gusts whipped through their hair and clothing added to the atmosphere in a way that felt like an intentional part of the show. 

Close-up of Mike Stringer playing a red guitar, his tattooed hand gripping the neck as warm stage light illuminates his face and a drummer appears softly blurred behind him.
Mike Stringer, guitarist of Spiritbox, channels focused intensity into the band’s tightly controlled performance.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

The playful energy of the show took a sharp turn after “Holy Roller” finished. The set was stopped due to a disturbance in the pit, spotted by drummer Zev Rose from his elevated platform which LaPlante referred to as him witnessing “the fuckery about”, prompting the band to halt the show. 

Zev Rosenberg sits behind an expansive drum kit, looking downward as cymbals surround him and an electronic percussion pad partially obscures his right side.
Zev Rosenberg, drummer of Spiritbox, drives the band’s intricate heaviness with concentration and precision.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

“We’re not going to play another song and this show is not going to continue til we make sure everybody out there is safe. So I need you guys to be tattletales – who’s the fucking freak who’s hurting everybody? Point them out.”  

When the crowd shouted the person had run off to the restroom, LaPlante responded “Well guess what fucker, we all saw you, we know where you are, and your ass is going to get kicked the fuck out.” 

The crowd began chanting “kick him out, kick him out” while LaPlante checked in on an audience member. The individual was escorted by security out of the venue to a chorus of boos. 

The band and crowd rallied after LaPlante reminded the audience to take care of one another then rolled into their final song, “Soft Spine.” Their performance balanced intensity, control, playfulness and a deep care for their fans.

View Spiritbox photo gallery below.

Evanescence

After a lengthy changeover that seemed to rebuild the entire set, Evanescence emerged to a dramatically transformed stage. The show was now framed by cathedral-like structures behind them, backlit in deep crimson, while smoke rolled across a newly slanted stage and drummer Will Hunt sat elevated at the center. From the moment they took the stage, the crowd was on its feet, with many remaining standing for the entirety of the set.

Emma Anzai plays a black bass beneath vivid red and magenta lighting, with tall cathedral-inspired arches glowing behind her and the drummer blurred in the distance.
Emma Anzai, bassist of Evanescence, brings a poised intensity to the band’s visually striking set.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

Opening with “Sanctuary,” the title track from their newly released album, they wasted no time establishing the tone for the night. Amy Lee stepped to the front of the stage with a presence that felt both commanding and beautiful, her voice cutting cleanly through the instruments. The set continued with the new album woven throughout the 21-song set, effectively playing it in full across the night. The sands of time have not dared to dull Evanescence’s flame.

Amy Lee sings into a handheld microphone while leaning backward, her long dark hair falling behind her against a softly lit purple and blue stage.
Amy Lee, lead vocalist of Evanescence, leans into a soaring vocal passage with palpable intensity.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

When the band shifted to “Going Under,” the energy surged, phones rose throughout the crowd as fans captured a treasured moment. The transition between older and new material was seamless, creating a setlist that moved fluidly across each era.

Amy Lee sings into a handheld microphone with her head tilted back, one arm extended and her long dark hair sweeping broadly to the side under red and purple stage lighting.
Amy Lee, lead vocalist of Evanescence, pairs vocal power with dramatic movement during the band’s performance.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

“Lithium” shifted the performance into an intimate space, with Lee seated at the piano under a cool white spotlight. The tone softened, but the emotional weight was heavy. That same intensity deepened during “Like You,” the one song from their second album release they had never played live prior to this tour. Lee’s voice soared above the distorted growls of the guitar, adding depth to her clarity.

Tim McCord plays an angular black electric guitar while leaning to one side in a black leather jacket and ripped jeans, illuminated by bright white and golden stage light.
Tim McCord, guitarist of Evanescence, reinforces the band’s sweeping sound with forceful, finely controlled playing.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

The production throughout the set elevated the experience above and beyond rock standards. Between massive screens, shifting visuals, and pyrotechnics, it felt surreal to be in the audience, part of this magic.

That atmosphere of magic carried into the night’s more personal moments, particularly when Lee addressed the crowd before “Forever Without You,” sharing that the next song was very personal to her:

“I wrote it about my life, my journey and me getting here but I realize how many people have been through something so similar so if the story I’m about to tell you, if some words that I say resonate with you and make you feel like you’ve been there before or you are there now please uh,” she laughed softly, “first of all, don’t be afraid. I know that’s easier said than done but second of all never regret love. I’m done regretting love! You’re not bad, you’re not stupid for loving someone. But you don’t have to stay.” She then promised, “It’s better on the other side.”

Her words hung in the air as she moved into the song, her voice deeply emotive as it danced with her piano accompaniment. Lee held notes with precision, sustaining them in a way that felt almost impossible for such a heavy and personal performance, drawing cheers of support from the audience.

Tight close-up of Amy Lee singing with her eyes closed and mouth open, vivid magenta eye makeup contrasting with her dark hair and black stagewear.
Amy Lee, lead vocalist of Evanescence, is captured in a moment of complete immersion at the microphone.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

That emotional weight quickly shifted into one of the most explosive moments of the night with their 2003 Grammy Award-winning debut single, “Bring Me to Life.” The entire venue came alive as the crowd sang along, matching the band’s energy. Everyone on and off stage was rocking out. Lee held out the iconic note on “dead” with striking control before calling on the audience to join her, hands raised as confetti rained down over the pit. Without pause, the band pushed forward into “Imaginary,” maintaining a level of stamina that never seemed to falter.

Amy Lee sings with her head tilted back, microphone raised above her mouth and one hand extended upward beneath soft white stage lights.
Amy Lee, lead vocalist of Evanescence, delivers an expressive performance with striking theatricality.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

A standout and favorite moment of the night came when Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox, along with Amy Love and Georgia South of Nova Twins, joined Lee on stage for “Fight Like a Girl,” a track originally featuring K.Flay from the film Ballerina. The collaboration created what felt like a powerful, unified front at the edge of the stage, highlighting the strength of the female-fronted lineup. It’s hard not to want more from that combination.

“My Immortal” delivered one of the deepest, most nostalgic emotional moments of the night. The performance resonated throughout the crowd, bringing this millennial back to her teens, wiping away tears while watching Lee smile one of the biggest and most beautiful smiles of the night. She carried the moment with grace and sincerity.

Tight three-quarter close-up of Amy Lee singing into a black handheld microphone, her vivid pink eye makeup and long dark hair illuminated by warm yellow-green stage lights.
Amy Lee, lead vocalist of Evanescence, wears the song’s emotion openly, her expression conveying both vulnerability and resolve.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

The evening closed with “Wide Open Heart,” the band’s energy never fading as they pushed through the final moments of the set with the same intensity they opened with.

Will Hunt plays amid a large drum setup, his long blond hair falling across his face as cymbals frame him against a bright blue-and-white video backdrop.
Will Hunt, drummer of Evanescence, punctuates the closing stretch with an imposing presence from his elevated position.
Photography: Mark Greenawalt © All Rights Reserved

To call two-time Grammy Award-winning Evanescence and vocalist Amy Lee epic and legendary feels like only scratching the surface. The sheer force of the band, wielding their instruments like magicians time-traveling us through over two decades of beloved music, is an experience difficult to fully capture in words alone. Lee, alongside Emma Anzai, Will Hunt, Tim McCord, and Troy McLawhorn, delivered a performance that proves Evanescence continues to evolve while remaining exactly what fans have loved for decades and will continue to love for generations.

Photo Galleries

Photographer: Mark Greenawalt

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Evanescence
Spiritbox
Nova Twins

Evanescence, Spiritbox, Nova Twins – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre 7-15-2026

Photography © Mark Greenawalt.
All Rights Reserved

Concerts, Reviews

REVIEW: Nine Inch Nails Peel It Back & Get Closer at Desert Diamond Arena (3-6-26)

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High-angle view of Nine Inch Nails performing on a center platform under intense red lighting and smoke, with a suspended lighting rig overhead and a packed arena crowd surrounding the stage in Glendale, Arizona.
Nine Inch Nails turn the center-stage platform into a red-lit storm of fog and light.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

PHOENIX — An impressive crowd gathered at the Desert Diamond Arena for opener Boyz Noize and the legendary Nine Inch Nails. Bass pounded through the speakers as the opening set welcomed attendees to a darkened room, with occasional red lighting shifting between the center of the room, a shrouded, large box-shaped object sitting in the growing sea of fans.

High-angle view of Nine Inch Nails performing on a center platform under intense red lighting and smoke, with a suspended lighting rig overhead and a packed arena crowd surrounding the stage in Glendale, Arizona.
Nine Inch Nails turn the center-stage platform into a red-lit storm of fog and light.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

The room transformed as the walls were shed to reveal Trent Reznor playing the gentle notes to “(You Made It Feel Like) Home” (2022). His warm voice invites us into a feeling of intimacy while being surrounded by other fans in the shadows, gazing into the gold light holding him. The experience felt like I was the only one in the room, though when I looked, the arena had little room to spare.

Wide arena shot of Trent Reznor at a small center stage lit by a single white glow, surrounded by a dense crowd in near darkness.
Nine Inch Nails open the night with Trent Reznor alone at the center-stage rig as the crowd closes in around him.
Audience photo by: Ali Crimson

The band assembles and Josh Freese returns

The warm light became cold, brighter, and sterile as the music transitioned to “Non-Entity” (2007). Guitarist/keyboardist Robin Finck and bassist Stu Brooks appeared, coordinated in all black with Reznor, to loud cheers.

High-angle view of Nine Inch Nails performing on a small center platform surrounded by a packed arena crowd, with bright white stage light cutting through haze at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Nine Inch Nails perform on the center stage as the crowd packs Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona (March 6, 2026).
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

“Piggy” from the 1994 The Downward Spiral album followed, the lights shift back to gold, now a low glow this time with Reznor on his feet, bouncing with his finger to the ceiling signaling the room to bounce with him to the beat.

Close-up concert photo of Trent Reznor singing into a microphone on a dim, smoky stage, wearing a dark oversized jacket with in-ear monitors visible.
Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor grips the mic in a tight, moody close-up within the stage haze surrounding him.
Photo by: Sara Perez

The glow allowed the room to slip into darkness, leaving only a screen at the front of the room showing a drum solo that marked the entrance of newly returned drummer Josh Freese, starting only on the North American leg of the tour. The curtain that once showed Freese lifts, showing the entire band surrounded by sheer veils.

Black-and-white projection of a drummer playing fills large hanging curtains, with the arena around it mostly dark and silhouetted.
Nine Inch Nails project a stark black-and-white close-up of the drummer Josh Freese across the sheer curtains during the early set.
Audience photo by: Ali Crimson

Visuals as an instrument

Live projections of each band member are shown on the sheer curtains as the band blasts into “Wish” (1992). New visuals come with each song; “March of Pigs” (1994) is the first time soundwaves are projected. A dramatic piano piece guides the performance into “Reptile” (1994) a standout at the sixth song in their set, the introduction contrasting heavily, grinding with aggressively flashing green lights as white whips across the screens with the rise and falls of the music.

Side-angle view of the stage draped in translucent curtains, with green lighting and swirling black-and-white projections partially revealing the band while the crowd watches in the dark.
Nine Inch Nails perform behind shimmering sheer curtains as green light and abstract projections wash over the stage.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

Peak intensity and set highlights

“If there is a hell, I’ll see you there,” Reznor sings to us in the foggy, red-lit arena, as the audience claps along with “Heresy” (1994). Lights flash chaotically as the lyrics “God is dead, and no one cares” echo into every inch of the space. Shifting away from the earlier chaotic lights, the room darkens to a single spotlight on Reznor, with smaller projections on the walls between the band members that look like a house of mirrors showcasing dancing white silhouettes of him performing “Copy of A” (2013) from Hesitation Marks.

Wide arena view of the band playing behind translucent drapes, with bright backlighting projecting large silhouettes onto the curtains and stage lighting rigs hanging overhead.
Nine Inch Nails perform behind sheer curtains as towering shadows and silhouettes ripple across the stage.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

The energy high, beneath the red and blue flashing lights during “Gave Up” (1992), a small, seemingly friendly mosh pit begins on the floor level. The room is one with Nine Inch Nails, every moment seeming perfectly executed to the plan of long-time industry professionals.

Wide stage photo of Nine Inch Nails performing live in smoky yellow light, with the vocalist at a microphone, guitarist in the foreground, drummer at left, and lighting rigs behind the band.
Nine Inch Nails performing at the O2 Apollo Manchester on June 20, 2022.
Photography: aliina s. (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Drowned in red and fog, almost by magic, Reznor has returned to the smaller center platform. Electric fuchsia zaps and flashes in the foggy clouds surrounding the stage as “Vessel” (2007), from Year Zero, pumps through the veins of every listener. The music surges beneath the skin.

High, wide arena view with a bright white glow and haze rising from the center stage, surrounded by a dense crowd, with a large side screen showing black-and-white live footage.
Nine Inch Nails ignite the center stage in a burst of white light as the crowd surrounds them.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

The final stretch: “Closer” to the closing moments

Entering the final songs of the set list, the most popular song of Nine Inch Nails’ nearly 40-year career, “Closer” (1994) starts and engulfs the room in purple, fuchsia, and white, flickering to the heat of the music. The feeling this song gives is undeniable; the words are on the lips of everyone there.

High, wide shot of a packed arena with a small center stage surrounded by the crowd, as bright white beams cut through haze and cast rippling, curtain-like light patterns across sections of the audience.
Nine Inch Nails light up the center stage as rippling, curtain-like beams pattern the crowd.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

“Parasite” (2010), originally by How To Destroy Angels (a band featuring Reznor and his wife Mariqueen Maandig Reznor) poured fresh green lights and fog down the room. The projections return with close-ups of Reznor, where I note a link chain around his neck I hadn’t noticed before. In this song, Trent Reznor’s vocals have a more digitized effect than in previous songs in the set.

Nine Inch Nails bathe the arena in red as sharp white beams cut through the haze over the center stage.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

 “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” (2025), off the newest album TRON Ares: Divergence (a 24-track soundtrack for a movie of the same name) plays with coordinating white and red flashing lighting. The full band returns to play “Mr. Self Destruct” (1994) with the entire stage flashing, energy peaking — a song they had played so many times before, and it shows only with the smoothness of their performance. It is practiced to perfection.

Wide arena view after the sheer curtain lifts, with the full band visible through heavy haze and bright stage lights, while a large silhouette projection looms on a side curtain and the crowd cheers at the front rail.
Nine Inch Nails surge into the open stage as the curtains lift, flooding the room with light, haze, and towering silhouettes.
Audience photo by: Ali Crimson

“Less Than” (2017) raises the sheer curtains that provided the veiled cover for the entire show, signaling that it is one of the final three songs of the evening. This is the one and only time I believe Reznor plays a tambourine the entire show, which I did not expect.

“Head Like a Hole,” “Hurt,” and an unexpected interruption

The closing songs for the evening are fan favorites “Head Like A Hole” (1989), off Pretty Hate Machine, and “Hurt” (1994) from The Downward Spiral. “Head Like A Hole” is one of the most recognizable songs of the band’s extensive catalog, inspiring dozens of covers over the decades. 

Nine Inch Nails blast through a bright, blue-lit moment as Trent Reznor raises a hand to the crowd at Staples Center in 2013.
Photography: Al Pavangkanan (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

At the beginning of “Hurt”, a fight broke out in front of the stage. As it was yet to be broken up, Reznor stopped the song and spoke directly to the people saying, “Hey we’re not here for this shit man, hey HEY!! There’s enough bullshit happening out there, we don’t need it happening in the fuck here.” He turned, awaiting the resolution of the problem before continuing the performance after his very Dad-like scolding. 

Wide stage view with the band performing amid thick fog, diagonal light beams cutting across a wall of small lights, and a packed audience filling the foreground.
Nine Inch Nails push the full-band set into a haze of diagonal beams and drifting smoke as the crowd surges at the front.
Audience photo by: Ali Crimson

“Hurt” closed the show, giving us a finale of Reznor’s emotive lyrics and vocals to send us off into the night. There was no encore, and one wasn’t needed.

High-angle view of the arena after the concert, with the NIN logo projected on large hanging curtains as the crowd gathers and begins to clear the floor under hazy yellow light.
Nine Inch Nails leave the arena glowing as the NIN logo lingers on the curtains after the show.
Audience photo by: Katherine Amy Vega

Peeling back the decades

You would think this performance would be one of simple nostalgia, but the music felt as fresh as when I listened to each release by NIN throughout the decades. The professionalism of this show was unmatched, smoothly transitioning between stages like the members had teleportation powers. The industrial music coursed through my veins with a unique awakening, the memorized words flowing from my tongue. The Peel It Back tour is an apt title, as this set list peels back the layers of years, and it is new again.

Concerts, Media, Reviews

REVIEW: Purity Ring & yuniVERSE Lead Phoenix Into a Night Suspended Between Worlds (11-10-25)

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PHOENIX — Purity Ring’s fall 2025 “place of my own” tour came to The Van Buren, with yuniVERSE as the sole opener on her first tour. The beautifully historic, repurposed downtown venue set the stage for an evening the band had described in their July Substack tour announcement as “three-dimensional… expansive but intimate,” and the night delivered as promised.

yuniVERSE

The venue’s stage at first was strange to look at, one half covered in human-sized flowers and the other looking like metal stars or fans. I waited in the rapidly filling room with no idea of what to expect. When the lights faded, people abandoned the bars and the winding merch line spilling into the main room as the attention turned to a new performer on her first tour, yuniVERSE.

Singer kneels at the edge of the stage, singing into a microphone in front of towering pink paper flowers during yuniVERSE's set at The Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona.
yuniVERSE draws closer to the crowd at The Van Buren in Phoenix, kneeling at the edge of the stage as glowing pink blossoms tower behind.
Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

Even though she only used a portion of the stage, she invited us into the jewel-lit garden of her design, where she shared her intimate confessions through emotive electric pop. yuniVERSE weaves through each song like a layer within a dream, her hair gently blowing as she captivates the audience with her presence and movements. Her performance feels like a journey into her private world as she navigates through love and life. She continued to captivate the room completely, her sensual, charismatic movements paired with the softness of her vocals as she sang behind the mask she wore in unity with Purity Ring’s request for community care.

yuniVERSE performs at The Van Buren in Phoenix, stretched out across a stage monitor with her hair flying and giant paper flowers glowing behind her.
yuniVERSE leans into the mic while sprawled across a stage monitor, hair flying as she delivers an intense, theatrical moment in her set.
Photography:Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

yuniVERSE said she wished this tour were longer because she wasn’t ready for it to end yet, and I can imagine I’m not the only one who felt the same. She playfully joked, “I know you’re here for Purity Ring, but together, we’ll keep it a secret that you’re actually here for me, okay?” giving a little laugh before closing out her set and leaving the stage for the headliner, Purity Ring.

Purity Ring

The room settled as the stage shifted from yuniVERSE’s dreamlike garden into the darker, more mysterious world crafted by Purity Ring. Corin Roddick stood alone at first, lighting up sections of the stage with his touch while the star-shaped fans began to spin, projecting red light that looked like sparks spraying across the dark.

Corin Roddick of Purity Ring performs in a mask behind an illuminated console as red fan-like visuals surround him on stage in Phoenix.

Purity Ring producer Corin Roddick performs behind an illuminated console amid vivid red stage visuals at The Van Buren in Phoenix. Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

Megan James appeared a moment later, illuminated by a soft golden glow on her face in the sea of black around her.

Megan James of Purity Ring sings into a microphone while wrapped in a voluminous dark coat and white mask, scattered red LED streaks cutting across her in the otherwise dark stage at The Van Buren in Phoenix.
Purity Ring vocalist Megan James performs wrapped in a sculptural dark coat as red light streaks slice through the darkness.
Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

With each song, the room shifted through new worlds and galaxies.

Purity Ring producer Corin Roddick silhouetted at his console as blue galaxy-like visuals and sparkling light particles swirl across the stage.
Purity Ring producer Corin Roddick is silhouetted at his console as swirling blue visuals and scattered points of light turn the stage into its own small galaxy.
Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

During “Many Lives,” the lights flickered and danced like floating embers. “Obedear” pulled us into caverns and stars, with what looked like fireflies curling upward like smoke. “Soshy” arrived with bright, breathy vocals and pounding bass, blue lights sparkling before shifting into sharp red flashes deeper into the song.

Megan James of Purity Ring sits cross-legged onstage, masked and dressed in black, singing into a handheld mic as cool blue and white light streaks fall in the background.
Purity Ring vocalist Megan James performs seated and masked, framed by cascading blue and white light patterns that spill across the backdrop. Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

James took a moment to thank the people in the crowd who wore the masks the band provided for everyone’s health. She appreciated the contribution to community care and valued taking care of each other. As she gushed while thanking yuniVERSE, she admitted she was rambling before continuing the set. It was clear the two acts genuinely appreciated their time together. This became even more apparent after noticing Roddick’s contributions to at least three of yuniVERSE’s tracks (“FALL 4 U,” “18 nite texts,” and “wasted”).

ALT: Megan James of Purity Ring, masked and dressed in black, leans sideways into the mic as vivid red light patterns radiate behind her, with Corin Roddick faintly visible at the console below.
Purity Ring vocalist Megan James leans into the mic in front of spinning fan visuals while Corin Roddick works at the console below, both immersed in neon red light.
Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

Our journey resumed as holographic leaves of blue, green, and red light appeared and danced around the stage, swirling toward the crowd as the room stayed completely locked in the performance.

Purity Ring perform in silhouette as bright holographic leaf shapes burst from a giant blue seascape screen, drifting toward the crowd in the foreground.
Purity Ring perform in silhouette while shimmering leaf-shaped projections explode from a seascape backdrop and drift toward the crowd. Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

As the surreal landscape of each song immersed everyone further into the themes, the night kept expanding into something otherworldly.

Megan James of Purity Ring sings into the microphone with her arm extended as streaks of golden light spin around her against a vivid orange backdrop.
Purity Ring vocalist Megan James sings with her arm outstretched while spinning bands of golden light radiate behind her. Photography: Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

The final song, “Begin Again,” brought everything together. Galaxy patterns pulsed behind the band, and the twinkling vocals reached out with swirls of light bursting like magic. The fans met the band’s energy as they sang along during the quiet pauses. As we traveled back to reality with this song, and as the band thanked Phoenix to end the night, cheers of fanfare erupted and filled the room with adoration as we exited the enchanted world of Purity Ring.

Photo Galleries

Photographer: Katherine Amy Vega

View Extended Galleries for Each Artist:

Purity Ring

yuniVERSE

Purity Ring & yuniVERSE – The Van Buren 11-10-25

Photography © Katherine Amy Vega, Kataklizmic Design
All Rights Reserved.