| As
we emerge from the subway outside the Carling Apollo it's instantly
obvious that the popularity of Finland's Nightwish has grown in stature.
Once again the crowds have flocked in their thousands to see the band
perform their unique brand of rock. A style that has had its
copiers over the past few years, but still retaining Nightwish as the
true pioneers of this particular style of rock.
Indeed while waiting
outside we heard more than a few regulars saying how shocked they were
to see such a huge queue. One chap told us in the five years he's
been coming to this particular venue he'd never seen a turnout anywhere
near as huge as this for a concert. People had been standing in
the queue for hours before the doors were due to open, not because they
needed to get a ticket on the door, no they'd stood that long because
they wanted to get as close to the front and the band they loved so
dearly so badly that nothing and no one was going to stop them. If
that meant standing around for hours outside the venue before the gig
then so be it!
After waiting in the queue for nearly forty minutes we eventually got
inside the venue. My good wife had acquired her photo pass was off
down to the photo pit like a woman on a mission. This gave me just
enough time to grad a pint and make my way to my seat to catch the last
few numbers from Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost are a band that I
had been looking forward to seeing again after their recent reformation.
Such a pity that their set was a good way through before the majority of
the crowd even got across the front door.
The few tracks I did manage to catch left me somewhat dismayed by the
poor sound quality. The sound seemed very weak and was sometimes lost in
the vastness of the venue. For some bizarre reason it didn’t
travel beyond the downstairs of the venue and was lost on those of us
higher up. It certainly seemed that not all the sound equipment
was used for the support, and this is a pity as Paradise Lost have a big
sound, and need plenty of oomph for you to really appreciate their
songs.
 |
Luckily
enough the sound was not a problem for the main event Nightwish,
as they opened up with 'Dark Chest of Wonders' off the bands
highly successful 'Once' album. The roof nearly came off
the place as the crowd simply erupted in a deafening roar of
both approval and excitement. All the male members of the
audience had their eyes firmly fixed on Tarja as she hit the
stage looking stunning in a yellow and black ensemble.
This is the third time I have seen the band perform live in the
UK and they just go from strength the strength every time I see
them. The first time I saw them play was last year at
Bradford Rios, and due to the small size of the stage the band
were a little restricted in their performance. However, on
the bigger stage at the Apollo the band could really stretch
their wings and give us the type of show that they regularly
perform in Europe. A show complete with pyro and a
stunning light effects that had to be seen to be truly
appreciated. |
The intensity and
euphoria of the crowd continued as the band went into 'Planet Hell' also
off 'Once'. Then it was into the bands vast back catalogue with
the tracks 'She is my Sin' and 'The Kingslayer' off the one of my own
favourite albums 'Wishmaster'.
Then Andrew Lloyd Webber was given the Nightwish treatment as Tarja and
Marco duelled vocals on the magnificent 'Phantom of the Opera'.
The crowd once again going absolutely wild at the beginning and close of
the song. 'The Siren' and 'Sleeping Sun' also went down a storm
with guitarist Emppu and Marco covering as much of the stage as the
possibly could.
As Marco took over vocal duties on the next track, Tarja left the stage
for another wardrobe change. Marco announced that here on stage
tonight we were looking at four prime examples of Finnish manhood.
Now it was time for the females in the audience to show their
appreciation and screams of delight and whooping could be heard the
length and breadth of the auditorium.
When Tarja returned it was back to business with the majestic 'Bless the
Child', closely followed by the outstanding 'Wishmaster' and 'Slaying
the Dreamer'. Throughout 'Wishmaster' the crowd were thrown into a
frenzy of excitement by the spectacular light show, and plumes of fire
which exploded high up into the air every few seconds. To the left
of the stage we saw Tuomas thrashing about during behind his keyboards
during the guitar solo. His hair wringing wet he looked like a man
possessed by the spirit of the very music he created. You
could almost hear the adrenalin coursing through his veins.
Then
it was time for Tarja to give a one of the most charismatic
vocal performances, as she stood alone on stage and sang 'Kuolema
Tekee Taitejtijan'. A song so delicate and beautiful which
truly showcases the diversity of the song writing that runs
strong throughout the many albums by this band.
Next it was time for Tuomas to shine on the bands most
successful single to date 'Nemo'. A song that once again
received the full respect of the crowd. As the rest of the
band left the stage and Marco was stood alone on stage absorbing
the crowds appreciation he said '' I know two words that
will make you louder still '' the crowd cheered, then he
said with a wickedly cheeky grin "Good Night"! |
 |
The band returned to the
stage once again for the encore. Tarja took to the stage after a
quick change of clothes looking a absolute vision in white. They
then let loose into the grandiose 'Ghost Love Score'. As the
song came to a close, two of the biggest confetti canons I have ever
seen exploded either side of the stage and sent out a wave of pink and
white confetti which well and truly covered the entire crowd, both
upstairs and downstairs.
Then the final track of the evening was the wondrous show stopper 'Wish
I had an Angel'. Which hailed a first for me as afterwards the
band came to front of the stage to take a bow to the audience, the
entire venue, I truly mean every last man, woman and child, stood up and
gave them a standing ovation. Something that was in itself that
was extremely moving and made the night feel that little bit extra
special. I don't know how the band felt at that point but it made
me swell with pride on their behalf and brought a tear the the eyes of
all who witnessed it.
If you haven’t seen this band before then I would thoroughly recommend
you go out and purchase a ticket for any of their gigs next time they
honour these shores with their presence. I promise you really will
not be disappointed.
Once again I'd give them 10/10 for their performance and then some.
Setlist Included:
Dark chest of Wonders, Planet Hell, She is my Sin, The Kingslayer,
Phantom of the Opera, The Siren, Sleeping Sun, Bless the Child,
Wishmaster, Slaying the Dreamer, Kuolema Tekee Taitejtijan, Nemo, Ghost
love Score, Wish I had an Angel
|