A Nightwish concert always begins in grand fashion, and this show was no different. As the arena suddenly goes dark, the strains of "Red Warrior," taken from The Last Samurai movie soundtrack, fill the air, making the tension in the arena almost unbearable. As this epic opening theme builds to a climax, the four male band members take the stage and charge right into the opening song, "Dark Chest Of Wonders." The crowd are already in a frenzy, but when Tarja takes the stage a moment later, the place literally erupts.
The band's stage show is quite massive, rivaling that of any other arena band in the business. Before Tarja even sings her first words, you are already bombarded with the first round of staggering explosions. Their enormous lighting rig must have cost a small fortune, but it provides one of the most dazzling light shows I have seen in a while. The band really fancies the use of strobe lights too, so take caution if you are prone to seizures. In true Kiss-like fashion, damn near every song performance features at least one round of explosions and giant flame throwers just for good measure.
But as overwhelming as the stage show can be at times, it is the powerful Nightwish music that holds their fans captivated throughout the entire show. Bassist Marco Hietala is an imposing figure who looks like he just stepped off of an ancient Viking warship. He sports a giant blond mane and long beard that is braided into two separate tails, which resemble a couple of foot-long icicles hanging from his chin. Hietala occasionally shares lead vocal duties with Tarja, and nowhere do they both shine more than on their excellent cover of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic "Phantom Of The Opera."
Tarja is a striking figure who looks like a Nordic goddess onstage. Her long, straight black hair flows over numerous wardrobe changes throughout the show, which alternate between black gothic and white angelic styles to help capture the mood of each song. Her powerful soprano vocals sound amazing live, and her enchanting stage presence is reminiscent of a young Stevie Nicks.
Eight of the eleven songs from the new Once album were performed this night, and they also take on some unexpected covers of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes" and Gary Moore's "Over The Hills And Far Away." These two songs fall far from the band's unique style, but they turn in some remarkably faithful and impressive performances. The band also invites Oglala Lakota Native American musician John Two-Hawks onstage to perform his own song, "Stone People," before joining them on "Creek Mary's Blood," which featured his vocals and cedar flute playing.
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