This performance was recorded in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd on October 21st, 2005 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. This is a rather large arena that can hold up to about 15,000 people for concerts, and it looked jammed to the rafters for this show. The band tore through 18 songs from their eight year, five album (at the time) career, focusing mostly on material from their latest epic, 2004's Once.
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.
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