nightwish europe tour 2016

• Festival Report
• Album Reviews
• E.P. Reviews
• DVD Reviews
• Concert Reviews
• Festival Reviews

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get The Latest Rock & Metal News Straight To Your Inbox!

• Band Interviews

INTERVIEW: NIGHTWISH’s Troy Donockley On Sold Out European Tour, Fanbase & Upcoming Live DVD

Owais 'vitek' nabi.

• January 10, 2016
• 2 minute read

Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish took the world by storm in March 2015 with their eighth studio album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful . Overcoming hiccups throughout the years with the two previous vocalists, in 2013 the band officially announced Floor Jansen as the new front woman, and Troy Donockley on back up vocals and folk instruments. After the announcement, the band hit the studio and prepared to release an album that not only earned them new fans worldwide, but impressed the loyal base the band had built over the years. With yet another massive theatrical release under their belt, it is no question why Nightwish is the most successful Finnish band, known worldwide. To celebrate, Nightwish hit the European shores with a two month long tour with Swedish melodic death metal giants Arch Enemy & Finnish progressive metal masters Amorphis .

Right before the show at Leipzig Arena, our Editor in Chief Owais ‘Vitek’ Nabi had a chat with Troy Donockley. The Interview is divided into two parts. In Part 1, Troy discusses European Tour with Arch Enemy & Amorphis , sold out shows, selling out Wembley Arena, live response to 5 new songs from  “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” , recent Paris incident and how it modified the security, the visceral visuals and pyrotechnics used on tour, how Tuomas explored his vocal range on new album, how he practices his breathing while playing multiple instruments, playing with drummer Kai Hahto (Wintersun), how Kai adjusted to the band sound and plays with the same spirit as Jukka Nevalainen and his road to recovery from his illness.

Stream Part 1 Interview Below:

In Part 2, Troy discusses the biggest crowd on tour with 12000+ people in Prague, touring United States and how band plans to increase the fanbase in U.S., how the band gathered the momentum with few sold out shows in US, playing in South America and Australia in January 2016, possibilities of playing in India, whether Nightwish has the potential to headline European Metal Festivals, playing at Download Festival with Iron Maiden, new live DVD which will be released in 2016 with footage from Wembley and other venues.

Stream Part 2 Interview Below:

Metal Wani's Boss aka Chief Operating Dude aka Proghead \m/

You May Also Like

BTBAM’s Dan Briggs on Colors I and Colors II Celebration Tour, Writing New Music & More

• Julien Bigras
• March 31, 2024

Slaughter’s Dana Strum on Debut Australian Trip & Highly Anticipated Glam Fest 2024

• Paul Tadday
• February 11, 2024

Marc Lopes on Australian Tour And What Fans Can Expect From Metal Church In The Future

• December 2, 2023

The S.O.P.H.I.E Lancaster Foundation In 2023

• Carl Rourke
• July 5, 2023

David Ellefson on Dieth’s Debut Album ‘To Hell And Back’, Kings Of Thrash and Megadeth

• Jessie David
• May 20, 2023

Devildriver’s Dez Fafara on ‘Dealing With Demons Vol. 2’, Touring and Coal Chamber Reunion

• May 14, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Get Latest Rock & Metal News Delivered Straight To Your Inbox!

Made with Mailchimp

• [ May 17, 2024 ] Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats release a banger of a single ‘David and Goliath’ Music Review
• [ May 14, 2024 ] Review: The Ar-Kaics’ album ‘See the World on Fire’ Music Review
• [ May 13, 2024 ] Review: Letdown’s new single ‘Raincoat’ Music Review
• [ May 10, 2024 ] Chatting with Katherine Yeske Taylor, author of ‘She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism’ Interviews
• [ May 9, 2024 ] Michigan blues rock band Second Hand Mojo release single–and a beer line! Hot News

The Chronicles of Nightwish: reflection on a road tour

By Steven Neff, Rock At Night Orlando Correspondent

Reflection on Touring with the band Nightwish

Once upon a time, in the small town of Kitee, Finland, a man had an idea for a music project while sitting at the campfire one night. He took the idea to friends and they began moving forward together with the project until the trio had recorded their self-titled demo in the winter of 1996. Their first song on that demo spawned the name for the man’s idea and set in motion what would become a new musical landscape whose influence became far reaching and widely known. Nearly twenty years later and over eight million albums sold, 60+ gold and platinum awards, five number one albums, and thirteen number one singles later; Project Nightwish successfully turned the metal world on its proverbial head.

It’s hard to imagine that Nightwish will be twenty years old this year; and with those twenty years has come an epic journey for the band and fans alike. They were pioneers of the genre of symphonic metal and influenced millions of fans and countless musicians, all in just two decades.

With the passing of this space of time, the band has undergone its own evolutionary process, climaxing with the addition of metal goddess frontwoman Floor Jansen and pipes extraordinaire Troy Donockley; who, with founding members Tuomas Holopainen and Emppu Vuorinen, bass player and vocalist Marco Hietala, and drummer Kai Hahto; have written another chapter in the Nightwish saga known as “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”.

Nightwish is immensely influential and popular in Europe. While many across the pond have yet to encounter their metal brilliance, that is changing with each sold out venue during the band’s 2015 and 2016 North American tours. Perhaps in the future they can take a look at venue booking Birmingham , and other cities around Europe and the UK, have to offer.

And so we begin our “Chronicles” series, an extended road tour coverage where we attempt to bring the energy of the symphonic metal splendor that is Nightwish. Our tour coverage alone spanned 4,000 miles and twelve states in just one week, making us realize that we’ll need our own tour bus in the future, but not until we insure it with somewhere like zebra auto insurance so we know for definite that we are protected and covered should any accidents happen during our road trip.

The Chronicles Of Nightwish is about six master musicians and a tour of six cities where a beloved band and its fans met in the middle for a warm, metal embrace; experiencing something very special that would have lasting effects on everyone who was there. I was there and had the pleasure of that experience.

Tour Stops:

March 16, 2016 Kansas City, Missouri-Uptown Theater

March 18, 2016 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -Diamond Ballroom

March 19, 2016 San Antonio, Texas -Aztec Music Hall

March 20, 2016 New Orleans, Louisiana -New Orleans Civic Theatre

March 21, 2016 Birmingham, Alabama -Iron City Live

March 23, 2016 Tampa, Florida-The Ritz Ybor

There are few bands that bring a live concert experience the way Nightwish does. There are no missing parts in this collaboration of masters, no ego, and no shortage of music. The setlist itself was some sixteen songs from an extensive track catalogue spanning several albums.

Endless Forms Most Beautiful 2.0

This writer was surprised and excited when it was announced that Nightwish would make a second tour run across the pond to North America in 2016. We covered the 2015 concert at the House of Blues Orlando and were captivated by the Nightwish experience.

As one onlooker put it, “It was the best live show I’ve seen. And I’ve seen bands like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac live.” While that may seem like a strong statement, you’ll understand once you’ve entered the realm of Nightwish live in concert.

This second tour run continued the success of the band’s eighth album Endless Forms Most Beautiful , which has garnered rave reviews; and some will argue is one of Nightwish’s best, if not the Magnum Opus of their twenty year history. The album itself was released on March 31 of 2015 in the US. The album’s concept? Evolution and the celebration of the diversity of life, which the band’s songwriter Tuomas Holopainen has masterfully created.

This writer listened to the new album, from beginning to end; discovering that “ Endless Forms Most Beautiful ” was not just a new Nightwish album, but a new Nightwish experience. Bravo. Endless Forms is one beautiful piece of work. The strength of the album’s success made it an easy choice to make another North American tour run.

FROM NIGHTWISH WITH LOVE

Sounds like another James Bond film doesn’t it?

Sources close to the band told us that Nightwish was playing this leg of the tour sick. They had to cancel the Boise show and I wasn’t too encouraged that additional shows wouldn’t result in the offering of refunds. To our surprise, the band pushed on and played the remainder of the tour. Unfortunately, due to the entire band having been sick, our interview, along with everyone else’s, was cancelled. But for the fans, the show continued; proving that Nightwish’s loyalty to its fan base is as noteworthy as the quality of the shows themselves.

STRONG SETLIST

The tour’s setlist comprised some sixteen tracks, varying slightly at times with the inclusion of “Nemo” from the band’s 2004 “Once” album and Alpenglow from the “ Endless Forms Most Beautiful ” album.

• Shudder Before The Beautiful
• Yours Is An Empty Hope
• While Your Lips Are Still Red
• Weak Fantasy
• I Want My Tears Back
• Ghost Love Score
• Last Ride Of The Day
• The Greatest Show On Earth (Chapters 2 & 3)

POWERFUL SUPPORT BANDS

An also great experience for fans was the choice of the support bands in Sonata Arctica and Delain. Both bands have headlined their own concerts and did a solid job during Nightwish’s 2016 tour. A note of importance is that the crowds during Sonata Arctica’s and Delain’s setlists were large, indicating that both have a strong fan base of their own as shown in every show this writer attended.

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

Bass player and vocalist Marco Hietala spoke to the crowds during the shows, alluding to the fact that there were all kinds of things going on in the world; wars, religious and political issues, etc. Marco wanted the people to enjoy the music, and enjoy it they did. Night after night, the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour proved to be a concert event that fans would talk about for years. There really were no bands from Europe and there wasn’t an ocean separating people and there were no conflicts. The tour became a bridge that brought people together to enjoy the language and love of music, each and every night. If that kind of oneness can make a difference in a concert venue, what could be accomplished globally?

SHOW REVIEWS

Nightwish is the metal version of the IMAX cinematic experience when live in concert. You don’t just hear the music; your senses come alive as the band takes you on a melodic journey. The band experiences this as well as you can see them all smiling as they connect with fans and each other and even closing their eyes to take in the experience of the music they created. They truly enjoy what they do.

Having the opportunity to experience six live Nightwish shows myself, I have to say that my review for each will be the same, spectacular. Given the fact that the band was sick and still managed to put on such an amazing show each and every night, this was truly impressive.

With that said, what more can we talk about in regards to a Nightwish concert that hasn’t already been said? They don’t ever put on a bad concert, ever. The last six U.S. shows were no different, each being an enormous success.

NIGHTWISH WINS TWO EMMA AWARDS

Before our tour coverage began, it was announced that Nightwish had won two Emmas at the Emma Gaala in Finland; one for Metal Album of the Year and the other for Export of the Year. Due to the tour in North America, the band was unable to attend the award show.

KANSAS CITY

We began our tour coverage in Kansas City at the beautiful historic Uptown Theater on Broadway. Built in 1928 by famed Austrian born theater architect John Eberson, the architecture and ambiance of the Uptown was a perfect backdrop for a European metal concert.

Kansas City was also a bit of a homecoming for composer/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen. As a foreign exchange student in Kansas, Holopainen’s host family took him to see Metallica and Guns ‘N Roses in Kansas City. That experience would change his path as a human being and a musician, evolving into what is today Nightwish.

As expected, the Uptown Theater was filled with faithful Nightwish fans. Delain and Sonata Artica both provided solid shows for the evening, despite being relegated to short but intense setlists.

When the intro began to play, the crowd erupted as this was the beginning of what they had come for. The stage remained dark as the intro played on for several seconds before the silhouette of Kai Hahto could be seen climbing atop the drum riser. When the crowd saw Hahto appear, the cheers reverberated throughout the theater.

Tuomas Holopainen could be seen in the darkness positioning himself at the keyboards as the Richard Dawkins intro played. Dawkins narration was the calm before the symphonic storm; for at its conclusion, the peacefulness and tranquility was quickly replaced by the melodic tempest “Shudder Before the Beautiful”. This is perhaps the strongest track on the new album in terms of what fans have come to expect from a symphonic comprised song on a Nightwish album.

After twenty years [come August], Holopainen still loses himself in the music. Watching him during live shows, you could sense that the music he composes continues to move him deeply as he plays and creates his own plane of existence during the live shows. He enjoys the connection to the music and extends it to the audience through his keyboards superbly.

I wonder if Holopainen had ever given thought that his idea, conceived while sitting at a campfire; would make such an impact in music around the world. The Kansas City fans were just a small example of that idea’s influence. I’m sure that he had as Tuomas is a thinker and a man given to reason.

From this writer’s perspective, Kansas City was indeed a successful homecoming of sorts for Tuomas Holopainen as Kansas City was the place where the spark began; and nearly twenty years later, Tuomas was giving back the fruit of that spark. The crowd showed its appreciation the entire show.

What a beginning for covering Nightwish’s live shows; sixteen tracks and a 90+ minute flawless performance.

OKLAHOMA CITY

Our next stop on the tour was Oklahoma City. Having never been to Oklahoma, I was surprised to have driven so many hours to see… nothing. These were dismal hours of my life that I can never get back. While on that lonely highway of I-35, there was nothing but field after field and no people. I would later find out while at the venue from one of the locals that there’s not much in terms of population until you get to Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Note to self, take travel to Oklahoma off your bucket list.

Expectations for a good Nightwish fan turnout were a bit bleak on my part. To make matters worse, it was cold and winds were clocking 25-30. The upside was that if there were no people and the weather was bad, I should be able to park up front and quickly walk into the venue. Nobody’s coming when the weather is this bad. But just to be safe, I arrived at the Diamond Ballroom about an hour early in the event a few people showed up that would otherwise force me to park in the second row.

The Diamond Ballroom is the epitome of Oklahoma’s version of Gilley’s. Oklahoma, like Texas, is flooded with cowboy hats and boots. What was Nightwish management thinking when they booked this concert? Your band isn’t even from southern Europe; they’re from northern Europe for god sake. Oklahoma City doesn’t look good people.

So I turned into the Diamond Ballroom on South Eastern Avenue an hour early to get that first row parking spot. What I got was directed to the back of the property because of the hundreds of cars that got there before I did. There seemed to be more cars in the parking lot of the Diamond Ballroom than the number of cars I saw on the road driving through Oklahoma, seriously. As I got out of the car, I moved as quickly as one would expect to get out of the cold and found myself at the back of a line that stretched around to the backside of the building. I stood in line in the cold for over 30 minutes behind hundreds of Nightwish fans.

What I ended up finding out is that the Diamond Ballroom has hosted major musical events with the likes of Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb Of God, Twenty One Pilots, Gov’t Mule, Steel Panther, Halestorm, Ted Nugent, and countless other solid acts. To top it off, Nightwish had actually played there before. The Diamond Ballroom hosts more rock and metal than country events. With over 50 years of live music history, the Diamond Ballroom is a major force in concert venues in the area.

So when I finally got inside, to my amazement; the DB was almost full. Delain had not even started their set yet.

A standout moment during Delain’s set was when Marco Hietala came on stage for a duet with Charlotte Wessels for the band’s song “Sing To Me” from Delain’s The Human Contradiction album where Hietala is featured as well. This he did for several shows on the tour.

Marco is an absolute gentleman whom the fans really appreciate and he let everyone know he may come out later to do some more [to the crowd’s delight]. “For now” he said, “I’m gonna piss off.”

Following great shows by Delain and Sonata Artica, the Diamond Ballroom was just about filled to capacity.

Chants of Nightwish, Nightwish, Nightwish began to spread across the ballroom. Chants turned to cheers as the intro began, signaling the Metal Monarchy’s appearance on the stage.

True to his word, Marco Hietala returned to play a little more for the fans, sporting the beast in his Warwick/Framus doubleneck guitar. The guitar itself could have been called the Green Goblin with its size and intimidating presence. That presence mirrored the glance that Hietala gave this photographer before transitioning into a warm smile. Thanks for that great moment Marco!

Hietala was a good addition to Nightwish’s arsenal since becoming a member of the band family in 2001. His heavier but powerful vocals are a good fusion with Floor Jansen and his guitar work is superb. Hietala’s lyrical influence can also be heard and felt in Nightwish’s current studio effort Endless Forms Most Beautiful [Weak Fantasy, Yours Is An Empty Hope, Our Decades In the Sun, and My Walden].

Hietala and Nightwish rocked a full house in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was an overwhelming success for the band and the fans. Oklahomans indeed proved that they can rock with the best of them. Maybe that’s why it’s called Rocklahoma.

SAN ANTONIO

We headed south to San Antonio, Texas where Nightwish was headlining at the historic Aztec Theatre on North Saint Marys. Built in 1926, The Aztec was known as a motion picture palace and enjoyed popularity for many decades. That popularity would diminish over time and it closed in 1989. Some two decades later, this architectural wonder was re-opened as a concert venue in 2009.

Based in San Antonio’s Riverwalk area, the Aztec is a premier Live Nation Entertainment venue with a capacity of 1,500 people. This beautiful venue was a good size for a Nightwish concert, but still small enough for an intimate experience with fans.

In talking with one of the fans, they mentioned that it had been eight years since Nightwish had come to San Antonio. So the excitement was building among fans as a Nightwish concert in the area had proved to be somewhat of a rare event. Now the time had arrived for devotees who were gearing up for the expected symphonic metal explosion.

Like the previous venues we had covered, the Aztec was quite full during Delain’s and Sonata Arctica’s performances, which again proved to be at headlining excellence. It’s always a more enjoyable concert experience when you have quality support bands building the energy for the headliner and both bands delivered once again.

Emppu Vuorinen’s live show entrance had him exploding onto the stage at the opening of the first track. From there, it was a non-stop performance on his part for 90+ minutes, engaging with fans and bandmates alike. Vuorinen enjoys himself on the stage, but you could tell that he’s easily this way when there aren’t thousands of fans watching.

Vuorinen seems to be more of Nightwish’s quiet partner. While having no interest in being a guitar hero, Emppu’s influences in Nightwish are undeniable and his virtuosity at the guitar well known.

He enjoys experiencing the music as it happens; whether it’s alongside his mate Marco Hietala or Troy Donockley; whom one night he walked a beer over to with a towel draped over his arm like a waiter during the show. Emppu can always be seen having fun and he doesn’t seem to take himself seriously.

The only serious thing about Vuorinen is his driving guitar playing, which comes by way of the ESP EV-1 [Emppu Vuorinen-1]. While serious about his guitar skill, it’s been said that Emppu isn’t a fan of the guitar solo. The solos that you’ll find attributed to Emppu Vuorinen however are some of Nightwish’s greatest tracks [Ever Dream, Nemo, and Ghost Love Score], which by the way were on the 2016 tour setlist. Vuorinen’s guitar solos are short, but always memorable; allowing fans to sit and play them back over and over again in their minds long after the Nightwish concert is over. Perhaps that was Tuomas Holopainen’s purpose all along when he wrote the songs that included the Vuorinen short guitar solos.

The long Nightwish drought was temporarily over and San Antonio fans would not soon forget the concert experience served to them that night via Emppu Vuorinen and company. It was magnificent as expected. I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before Nightwish would return again to the Alamo city.

NEW ORLEANS

Our next stop, The Big Easy, New Orleans; or as some call it “NOLA” at the New Orleans Civic Theatre.

We rolled into New Orleans and arrived at the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery on Tchoupitoulas Street where we were treated to rock star treatment [even the Do Not Disturb signs made us feel like rock stars, until we found out all the guests had them] and to the best hotel experience of the tour. Sorry Nightwish, but this was hands down better than sleeping in a tour bus folks.

Located four blocks from the French Quarter in New Orleans’ Warehouse Arts District, this five [rock] star hotel began its life as a warehouse serving the Port of New Orleans when first built in 1854 and over a century and a half later it is a premier staying place for the rock star in you.

New Orleans Civic Theatre is located on O’Keefe Avenue and was the scene for the next Nightwish live show. Built in 1906; the Civic Theatre is the oldest venue in New Orleans with a capacity of up to 1,200 people.

As expected, the Civic Theatre was at capacity during the Nightwish concert the night the symphonic metal invasion took over The Big Easy.

The inevitable conquest began when Kai Hahto ascended the drum riser during the opening intro, heralding the beginning of the show. Cheers came from the NOLA crowd when seeing the master of drums appear and Hahto gave a big wave of acknowledgement.

Kai Hahto has been a big player for Nightwish. The impeccable drummer was contacted by friend Jukka Nevalainen [Nightwish’s full time drummer] in 2014 who asked him to play on Nightwish’s Endless Forms Most Beautiful album and the supporting tour. Nevalainen needed to step away from the drum seat due to health reasons over serious insomnia concerns.

Hahto agreed and his skill as a drummer can be heard on the new album and he proved to be a solid asset during both tour runs in 2015 and 2016. He has an extensive body of work that includes drummer for Wintersun, Max on the Rox, Trees of Eternity, Swallow the Sun, and work with countless other bands and artists; not to mention the fact that he serves as a studio drum tech when his life slows down, which as of late, doesn’t happen often.

Nightwish fans were happy to have Kai Hahto behind the drums and you could hear it each and every night he stepped on the stage. The Big Easy was no exception.

With two concerts left on the tour, I began feeling that the end was getting near and that was a bit sad. Four different shows had provided an already memorable experience. I forgot about the sleep deprivation and focused on the task at hand; finish this wonderful tour and take in as much as I could.

Heading east, we pulled into The Steel City, Birmingham, Alabama; for the second to the last concert of the tour. The venue, Iron City Live.

Another historical area, the connected buildings that now house Iron City Live were built in 1929 and originally operated as an auto facility. What a great place to bring imported European metal [music]! Iron City Live has a standing capacity of 1,300 and once again, Nightwish fan numbers challenged that limit.

A big surprise, especially with Birmingham being in the Deep South; was that Iron City was playing symphonic metal during intermissions. This was unexpected and this honestly was the first club I’ve been in that plays the genre. Well done. The capacity crowd was obviously well acquainted with the music and was looking forward to a night of metal mania.

Following Nightwish’s explosive beginning, the band took a turn from their usual and transported the crowd on a Celtic journey with “My Walden”. “My Walden” was the fifth track on the band’s setlist. This is a beautiful Celtic ballad which also marked the entrance of Troy Donockley, pipes virtuoso. As Nightwish fans already know, Donockley has been collaborating with Nightwish since 2007.

Troy Donockley is a multi-talented instrumentalist that has truly become part of the evolution of Nightwish and an adopted member of the band family. Donockley’s journey with Nightwish has come full circle with his inclusion into the band as a full time member in 2013. What began for Donockley on Nightwish’s 2007 release of Dark Passion Play as a guest musician spawned into appearances in Nightwish’s next studio album Imaginaerum, subsequently followed by joining the Imaginaerum World Tour and appearing on Nightwish’s DVD ‘Showtime, Storytime.

Donockley expands an already extensive arsenal of musical talent in Nightwish and he already had a very lengthy body of work before joining the Metal Monarchy and has been an active musician since the age of sixteen; working with the likes of Iona, Maddy Prior, The Bad Shepherds, Midge Ure, Dave Bainbridge, The Enid, Barbara Dickson, Kathryn Tickell, Mostly Autumn, Roy Harper, Mermaid Kiss, Magenta, Kompendium, and Ayreon.

Donockley’s contributions on the new album can be heard in “Élan”, “My Walden”, “Alpenglow”, “Edema Ruh”, and “The Eyes of Sharbat Gula”; with the first three being on one of the chosen setlists for the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour. Troy’s addition to the band adds even more to the cinematic and epic effect you get from a Nightwish album. And how is the live show with Donockley? Cinematically and epically moving.

The Iron City Live was bestowed with Imported Metal Live, culminating into an epic concert event that Nightwish fans had been waiting for.

The Metal Empire extended its reign with the final stop in Tampa, Florida at the Ritz Ybor. The Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour of the U.S. had come to an end.

The Ritz Ybor was built in 1917 and underwent a $2 million renovation to become one of Tampa’s leading concert venues. If you must end such an epic tour, Tampa was a good place for the U.S. chapter of Endless Forms Most Beautiful to close.

The Endless Forms Most Beautiful album had been the band’s first studio effort with frontwoman Floor Jansen. Jansen erased any doubt on whether the band could continue with a new singer. Her vocals are just stunning.

Jansen’s metal stage presence is a thing of beauty. In this writer’s opinion, stage presence from the frontwoman position during live shows was the one thing missing in a Nightwish concert prior to Jansen’s inclusion into the band. Not anymore. Jansen’s vocals effortlessly captivate an audience and when she’s not singing, she’s head banging and moving to the symphonic melodies coming from her band mates. Her choice of stage attire and her intuitive choreography to the music, coupled with the spectacular vocal range, make for one memorable live concert. Nightwish found the perfect leading lady. Jansen’s metal prowess can only be described as “elegance with a serrated edge.”

YOU HAD ME AT GHOST LOVE SCORE

Jansen’s first album with Nightwish was “Showtime, Storytime”; a live album from the 2013 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. Performing before 80,000+ fans, Jansen’s remarkable vocal display on “Ghost Love Score” alone proved that Nightwish would continue to be a tour de force in metal and that an exciting new chapter had begun.

Jansen brought her powerful pipes with her to Tampa for one final North American performance. As this writer watched the show, I noted once again the high energy this band produces with its fans.

I watched as Floor and the fans; both with uplifted hands, joining together and celebrating the splendor of the music. I watched Tuomas, Marco, Emppu, Kai, and Troy all enjoying the moment with fans too. It was as if we were all at a movie premier and the band was in the audience with the fans, experiencing that epic moment together.

As the band played, I went up to the balcony to catch the overall view of the stage and standing room capacity crowd. The stage lights illuminated a sea of metal conscious Nightwish fans who, like all the other cities; had connected with the band in their own personal way and were feeling the energy coming from the stage.

Tampa was a sad, but triumphant goodbye for Nightwish and its fans. But what better way to say goodbye?

Music speaks the language of love like no other. Nightwish provided this in each and every live concert. Thank you ladies and gentlemen; until we meet again.

This writer wonders if the future Nightwish album would complete a trilogy of sorts.

To date, Tuomas Holopainen has taken fans on a journey through the land of imagination with Imaginaerum . With Endless Forms Most Beautiful , we have an album that touches on the origins of life. With the power of imagination in Imaginaerum and then visiting our origins in Endless Forms , where could Nightwish go from there and is there the potential of a follow up story in the future album?

We anxiously await the next chapter in the Nightwish saga.

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks goes to Kristin Torres of Nuclear Blast Records for honestly listening to my crazy idea of The Chronicles of Nightwish and helping make it a reality. You are truly appreciated.

To Ewo, band manager, and Roger Smith, tour manager; thank you gentlemen for helping to make this endeavor possible as well. I am very grateful.

And finally, to Nightwish; many thanks to all of you for allowing me to be a part of something very special and then bringing that experience to fans. You are all remarkable human beings.

• Recent Posts

• Nightwish open air hits Florida’s Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, Florida - May 4, 2018
• Valhalla Lights To Release “My Gracious Highway” April 6th - January 29, 2018
• THE CHARM THE FURY – Releases “Songs Of Obscenity” Music Video! - January 29, 2018

Forest Live Festival – UK

Manchester Psych Fest – UK

Totally Tubular Festival

Need Professional Marketing Help? Get Your Band’s Name Out There !

—–ALL YOUR GRAPHIC ARTS NEEDS—–Album Covers – Music Videos – Websites

August 31st – Manchester UK

Gibson Garage London

Download Fest – Donington Park, UK – June 14-16

Sad Summer Festival – US

80s Festival – Totally Tubular Festival

Louder Than Life – Louisville, KY – Sept. 26-29

Upheaval – Grand Rapids, MI – July 19

Email Dingo Mick with all your music questions!

Copyright Rock At Night 2024

Music & Lyric Videos

Album/ep covers, graphic & website design.

No thanks, I'm not interested!

Have you been going the DIY route?

How's that working for ya' , it's time to call gina for help .

No thanks, I’m not interested!

• Statistics Stats
• You are here:
• Tour Statistics
• Song Statistics Stats
• Tour Statistics Stats
• Other Statistics

All Setlists

• All setlist songs  ( 962 )

Years on tour

• 2023  ( 12 )
• 2022  ( 54 )
• 2021  ( 6 )
• 2020  ( 1 )
• 2018  ( 82 )
• 2016  ( 67 )
• 2015  ( 84 )
• 2013  ( 22 )
• 2012  ( 85 )
• 2009  ( 39 )
• 2008  ( 114 )
• 2007  ( 43 )
• 2005  ( 58 )
• 2004  ( 71 )
• 2003  ( 25 )
• 2002  ( 35 )
• 2001  ( 30 )
• 2000  ( 67 )
• 1999  ( 59 )
• 1998  ( 7 )
• 1997  ( 1 )

Show all tours

• Dark Passion Play  ( 180 )
• Decades: World Tour  ( 82 )
• Endless Forms Most Beautiful  ( 149 )
• European Déjà Vu Tour 2009  ( 15 )
• Human. :||: Nature. World Tour  ( 72 )
• Imaginaerum World Tour  ( 107 )
• Oceanborn Europe Tour  ( 26 )
• Once Upon A Tour  ( 129 )
• Summer Of Wilderness  ( 33 )
• Wishmaster World Tour  ( 97 )
• World Tour Of The Century  ( 60 )
• Avg Setlist
• Concert Map

Average setlist for year: 2016

Note: only considered 66 of 67 setlists (ignored empty and strikingly short setlists)

• Song played from tape Roll Tide ( Hans Zimmer  song) Play Video
• Shudder Before the Beautiful Play Video
• Yours Is an Empty Hope Play Video
• Ever Dream Play Video
• My Walden Play Video
• Storytime Play Video
• While Your Lips Are Still Red Play Video
• Élan Play Video
• Weak Fantasy Play Video
• 7 Days to the Wolves Play Video
• I Want My Tears Back Play Video
• Nemo Play Video
• Stargazers Play Video
• Ghost Love Score Play Video
• Last Ride of the Day Play Video
• The Greatest Show on Earth Play Video
• Song played from tape The Greatest Show on Earth Play Video

Show Openers

Main set closers, show closers, encores played.

This feature is not that experimental anymore. Nevertheless, please give feedback if the results don't make any sense to you.

• May 16, 2024
• May 15, 2024
• May 14, 2024
• May 13, 2024
• May 12, 2024
• May 11, 2024
• FAQ | Help | About
• Terms of Service
• Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
• Feature requests
• Songtexte.com

• Moscow concerts Moscow concerts Moscow concerts See all Moscow concerts ( Change location ) Today · Next 7 days · Next 30 days
• Most popular artists worldwide
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Moscow concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Popular artists

Nightwish  

• On tour: no
• Upcoming 2024 concerts: none

250,596 fans get concert alerts for this artist.

Join Songkick to track Nightwish and get concert alerts when they play near you.

Find your next concert

Join 250,596 fans getting concert alerts for this artist

Similar artists with upcoming concerts

Tours most with, past concerts.

Unknown venue

Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen

View all past concerts

Nightwish are a Finnish metal band, who infuse their heavy-hitting sound with symphonic cutaways and choral backing vocals. They are known as much for their gaudy aesthetic as for their progressive, new age fusion of neoclassical and power metal.

Onstage, they adorn themselves with satin and red velvet, black, shin-length leather coats and silver trinkets, mascara and long, warlock-like locks.

Vocalist and keyboard player, Thomas Holopainen is frequently seen in his cabaret-esque top hat, and vocalist/bassist Marco Hietala is equally impressive, with a meticulously maintained double-platted beard.

Lead female vocalist, Floor Jansen, is partial to the odd bit of studded leather and, being classically trained as a soprano at the Dutch Rock Academy, can belt out operatic wails and death growls interchangeably.

Nightwish are some of the pioneers of the symphonic metal sub-genre, alongside Sweden’s Therion, the Netherlands’ Epica and Norway’s Theatre of Tragedy. They formed back in 1996 and lay the foundation for a new, classically-gilt sound that would take off in Scandinavia and across Europe in the 90s and into the 2000s with a new swathe of Nightwish-inspired bands appearing including the likes of Epica out of the Netherlands, Haggard out of Germany and Norwegian Leaves’ Eyes.

Typically of symphonic metal, their influences are expansive and literary, ranging from cinematic musical scores to nursery rhymes and fantasy novels by CS Lewis, JRR Tolkein and Steven King.

Their songwriting draws strongly on fantastical and mythological themes. “Elvenpath” off their debut, Angels Fall First (1997), and “Wishmaster”, the title track of their 2000 album contain an array of references to Tolkien and other fantasy writers, the latter also taking its title from the 1997 horror film directed by Robert Kurtzman and produced by Wes Craven. “FantasMic”, also off “Wishmaster”, is a tribute to Walt Disney and the animations to come out of Walt Disney Studios, amongst the broad list of references being Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Lion King and Mulan, and the classic Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck.

Other songs touch on darker, perhaps more mature, themes. “She is My Sin” is about frustrated desire and lust, “The Kinslayer” refers to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and “10th Man Down” deals with civil war.

Lyrically rich, classically trained and nerdily fulfilled, for those that aren’t diehard fans, Nightwish are much to be discovered. They are luminaries of symphonic metal with an impressive gambit of intriguing songs.

Live reviews

When seeing Nightwish live, you are expecting to see the classic female vocals accompanied by the sweet gentle sounds of the orchestra with the soft piano notes in contrast with the heavily distorted guitars and the fast metal drum beats. The sound of all these instruments combined together creates the gothic atmosphere that everyone sees at a Nightwish concert. Strobe lighting with the fire shooting up and down followed by all the firework explosions is certain as the artists are trying to get the fans energetic and fired up ready for a spectacular show ahead of them. When going to a symphonic metal concert, judging by what I have seen of Epica, Withtin Temptation and Nightwish, the fans are energetically jumping around really enjoying themselves and learning to appreciate the music. Nightwish performs symphonic metal with grandiose female vocals. The string instruments and keyboard create the gothic atmosphere. Their music is known to be complex and layered and their approach is theatrical and operatic. It is “always very melodic with memorable choruses” says critic Chad Bowar. The music of Nightwish had been distinguished by the operatic vocals of Tarja Turunen but when she left Nightwish, they left behind their signature soprano or operatic sound. Now their style of vocals have changed as heard by their current vocalist Floor Jansen. Even though Nightwish’s music is centred around a female lead vocalist, they have done some form of variation by featuring some male vocals on their albums throughout all of their history. Something interesting about the experience I had at the Wacken Open Air Festival 2013 was that there was one unusual part where the bassist spoke about a letter that he or the band received about their anniversary and that they said something funny about that they liked sausages meaning romanticism because they were in Germany. The show itself was just simply outstanding and the highlight of the show was Floor Jansen’s supreme vocals that blew the roof off the stage. It was not just Jansen’s incredible singing ability but the entire line up and the way that the band played was astonishing and really rocked the place. They played with confidence and desire to impress the crowd and they succeeded in doing so with style and perfection. You could just see that they were true professionals with tons of experience when it came to playing with enormous crowds. All 82,000 fans would go ballistic whenever the bassist joined in with the singing which proved to be a great combination. They really knew how to get the fans up on their feet and scream and shout, especially with the melodies that they played. They were so beautiful and breath-taking that everyone’s jaws dropped and they were speechless by the end of the show including me because they were that amazing. Considering that this was my first time ever at a metal festival outside of England, this was an extremely unforgettable first experience and it will live long in the memory. I had always dreamed of seeing Nightwish ever since I first listened to them and this will go down as one of the best concerts that I have ever been to in my life. I really recommend other fans that have never seen them live before to check them out because they will never fail to impress with music of such quality. Symphonic metal lovers will all be amazed by how much of a superb show Nightwish can perform and how Floor Jansen’s vocals flatten all of you with shock of how talented and unbelievably awesome she is at singing. When the string instruments and the keyboard join in, it creates that marvellous gothic atmosphere which all gothic or symphonic metal lovers will adore. The entire ensemble itself is just a master class and they play so mouth wateringly well that it will wow anyone during a live concert of theirs. The special effects will add the extra boost of energy to the fans. The band are so good at doing what the special effects can do that no one could ignore their encouragement, it is almost like an order but a pleasant one.

Report as inappropriate

In a way, it’s important to go to a Nightwish concert with a different frame of mind and a very different set of expectations to what one would normally go to a gig with. When one goes to a rock show they’re usually expecting an event that prioritises atmosphere over a note-perfect recreation over what was on the record. This isn’t the case with Finland’s finest and countless other symphonic metal bands, and this isn’t because they’re playing it safe or that they don’t care about playing live, it means quite the opposite. The music that they have on the record is so intense, complex, and epic in the traditional sense of the word, that playing it live exactly as it is on record makes what was on the record sound even more exciting. They need a choir for some songs? They’ll get a choir for some songs. There’s a famous actor reading a monologue during the outro of their latest album opener? They’ll film the actor reading it and play it on the massive screens they have. They have moments of galloping, film-score inspired excitement, with dazzling heavy metal solos, operatic vocals and lyrics about battles between orcs and men? They’ll be perfectly recreated live, except louder and with pyrotechnics, and pyrotechnics make everything better. Yes, it sounds similar to the record, but that’s because, unlike The Libertines, these cats can actually play their songs. So no, a Nightwish gig is not your average rock show, in fact it has more in common with a Classical music concert, where a decent proportion of the show is spent marvelling at the technical ability of the people on stage. Of course, what’s also encouraged at a Nightwish show is singing, dancing, moshing and pyrotechnics, and all of those things, as we discussed earlier, make everything better. Even if you’re not a fan of symphonic metal, Nightwish are a band that anyone who likes the idea of music with an outrageous sense of scale can spend an evening with and love every moment of it.

I have experienced a lot of metal shows over the years. Experiencing Nightwish on their North American tour vaulted them near the top of my list. Their musicianship, stage presence, high energy, and dedication to the highest caliber audience experience was on full display.

They did several songs of the new album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful and several more from Imaginaerum. The Buffalo, NY crowd got warmed up by Delain and Sabaton, so by the time Nightwish took the stage the audience was fully engaged.

Shows at small venues like the Town Ballroom in Buffalo provide the setting for great sound when done right. Nightwish did the sound right. Floor's vocals were powerful, soaring; Tuomas's keyboards provide so much content in the music you may not believe it until experienced in person. Marco and Empuu's bass and guitars drive, grind, flourish, embellish, and move the musical flow. Kai's drumwork is outstanding and simply has to be seen and felt to be believed. Of course, Troy's mixture of pipes and whistles provide perfect punctuation to the driving beat.

One thing you feel is how truly heavy these guys are. Their performance epitomizes the best of what symphonic metal can be. Their songs have passages of power cords and backbeat that are relentless. Combine that with a theatrical flair, feminine lead vocals, and a tightness to envy and you've got something well worth the price of admission. Two solid hours of metal bliss.

See, hear, and feel Nightwish first hand. Make the trip. You will not be disappointed.

I last saw Nightwish in 2005 in what turned out to be original singer Tarja Turunen's last tour. Her replacement, Annette Olsen never really clicked with me although the two albums she recorded with them are pretty good. however that has all changed for me with the arrival of Floor Jansen, someone I am familiar with from one of her previous bands, After Forever.

From the fist moment Nightwish started their show at a sold-out Wembley Arena it was obvious this was going to be a very special night. From the opening song 'Shudder Before the Beautiful' to the closing 'The Greatest Show on Earth', which they performed the first three parts complete with an appearance from Professor Richard Dawkins who contributes spoken word on the album, it was simply stunning.

A very impressive, and fully utilised, moving light show was supplemented with screens, fireworks, and flames, to provide a spectacular show. Everyone in the band looked to be having the time of their lives, always something I look for as a band "going through the motions" is always easy to spot, with great interaction between them and the crowd.

Personal highlights for me were 'Ghost Love Score' and 'The Poet And The Pendulum' but overall it was as near to a perfect gig as I have ever seen.

-1 out of 10.

They changed the start time some weeks before the gig so that meant I couldn't make it in time and missed Amorphis.

Next up, despite the tickets saying we could take bottles of water in, the door staff insisted that we remove the lids from our water bottles. We had to carry two open water bottles around the arena. I can only imagine what imaginary "threat" this measure was designed to counter.

The sound for Arch Enemy was absolutely terrible. All I could hear (and feel!) was a smashing low frequency rumble. All the detail, even the kick pedal on drums, was drowned out. Vocals and guitar never had a chance of being heard. I've never heard such a complete and total fuckup on sound. I'd have walked out of it wasn't for

Nightwish's performance was good but the sound still wasn't great - lots of bass and ear splittingly loud. It's not like I'm a stranger to loud gigs but this was something else. Ear plugs helped but it was still _really_ loud. It was much better than for Arch Enemy though, so it didn't completely spoil the performance.

Overall, disappointed. I had the cheaper tickets (£40 a pop) and I'll be hassling Gigantic for a refund. I can only imagine what the £110 ticket holders were thinking.

It was my first time watching Nightwish and it will definitely not be the last! What a show! What a feeling! What an experience!

While I did not know half the songs, because I've mostly heard old Nightwish material, back form when I was 15, 16 and 17, I was not the least disappointed, because the sound - the voice - that Nightwish creates together, is simply amazing. I felt like I was in a fantasy world, both happy, sad and hopeful, and it was a beautiful combination. It wasn't too slow, or fast, just a perfect mix of powerful songs, amazing fire effects, strong pictures, wonderful animation sprinkled with hope for our world and the people living here.

When they played some of my favourites, Wishmaster and Ghost Love Score, I got so happy because they mean a lot to me, and because I recognize them. And when they played My Walden, Shudder Before The Beautiful and Storytime, I was equally enchanted, even though I didn't know these songs. Because apparently, that is something Nightwish masters. And they do it very, very well.

Nightwish, a symphonic rock experience as opposed to a simple gig. The band are one of Finland's most internationally celebrated exports as they have achieved commercial success across Europe. They also have a cult-like fan base in the UK and during their last tour the demand to see them was huge.

Beginning with an introduction by the classical Hans Zimmer, the tone is set and the audience applaud loudly as they walk onstage and take to the vast array of instruments. The classical and the conventional instruments sit well together and blend wonderfully during a melange of 'Storytime' and 'Dark Chest of Wonders'.

The audience reacts in different ways as at parts you feel like you are at a rock show and others it is like watching a classical composer. The band build a great rapport with the audience and put them at ease so the applause come more naturally during 'Ghost River' and 'Ever Dream'. By the final dreamy tones of 'Last Ride of the Day', the audience are in total awe of these talented instrumentalists.

This is the kind o concert the dreams are made of. First a support band I wanted to see as much as Nightwish: Amorphis. What I great show! Then other support band I didn't know that well because their sound is not my style but that gave a such great show that I became a fan. That band is Arch Enemy and gave a true great show. Even if much of the crowd didn't seem to understand what was going on since they were more into more slow bands.

And then Nightwish with a great sound. Not the kind of sound you have in the albuns but a true powerful and 100% metal sound, the kind of sound that is headbangable to the most.

In the end the music, the pyro, the whole atmosphere gave us a concert to remember, and to forget the less great albuns from other times. Sadly some old songs were left out of the set, mainly the hit Wishmaster.

I've been hanging out to see these guys for years. I missed the last time they were in Melbourne and had been kicking myself ever since. I even wrote to them in early 2014 to ask when they were coming back. To my surprise they answered and said to sit tight and they'd definitely be back. The wait was worth it. Almost 2 hours straight through, no bullshit encore and a kick-ass show from start to finish. The band were obviously having a great time and were equally enthusiastic to make sure everyone in the crowd did the same. It's a pity the Melbourne noise curfew meant they had to stop on the button of 11PM. Now I just have to wait til they're back again. One last thing: You can't review this show without giving the support band Taberah a huge wrap too. If they're playing in your neck of the woods don't miss them.

Seen last night in Toulouse. Wonderful show! Perfectly played, great sound but most of all, very thoughtful and supportive.

They even played an older song as a tribute to the enduring spirit we should stick to. All the song had a different meaning last night and the leitmotiv "We were here" meant far more than originally intended.

The show was intense but fun also. Musicians were obviously pleased to play for us and were enjoying it all the way. Emppu was playing tricks on everyone, even undoing the shoe laces of the drummer in the end.

In short: great show, musically excellent, great pyros and very emotional. Every thing you wish for in a show.

note: Floor is wonderful.

Videos (17)

Photos (17)

Posters (459)

Find out more about Nightwish tour dates & tickets 2024-2025

Want to see Nightwish in concert? Find information on all of Nightwish’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

Unfortunately there are no concert dates for Nightwish scheduled in 2024.

Songkick is the first to know of new tour announcements and concert information, so if your favorite artists are not currently on tour, join Songkick to track Nightwish and get concert alerts when they play near you, like 250596 other Nightwish fans.

Last concert:

Last concert near you:

Popularity ranking:

• Showtek (1657)
• Nightwish (1658)
• Radical Face (1659)

Concerts played in 2024:

Touring history

Most played:

• Helsinki (22)
• Los Angeles (LA) (14)
• London (14)
• Montreal (13)
• Budapest (13)

Appears most with:

• Sonata Arctica (59)
• Delain (54)
• Amorphis (45)
• Sabaton (37)
• Beast In Black (37)

Distance travelled:

Similar artists

• Most popular charts
• Campaigns for promoters
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• But we really hope you love us.

Concert Review: NIGHTWISH at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City

NIGHTWISH with SONATA ARCTICA and DELAIN at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City

Words by randy shatkowski | photos by john thornbrugh.

Randy Shatkowski

Concert review: maynard james keenan’s sessanta tour defies storms and adverse weather to triumph, concert review: the babyklok tour: a metal extravaganza ravages san francisco, concert review: heilung’s ritual at red rocks: an unforgettable experience, preview: heilung live at red rocks amphitheatre: an immersive journey into ancient sounds, concert review: the ocean (collective) and the world is a beautiful place & i am no longer afraid to die, concert review: the blackout – o2 academy birmingham, concert review: metal allegiance at the house of blues anaheim, namm 2024 review: innovation, inspiration, and musical mastery, concert review: igorrr and melt-banana in san francisco, ca, concert review: escape the fate – los angeles, ca, related articles.

Concert Review: ANOTHER LOST YEAR with DRUGS DELANEY at Pearl Street Brewery in La Crosse, WI

Concert Review: OPETH with GOJIRA in Kansas City

Concert Review: Guns N Roses at BST – British Summertime Festival

Single Review: THE SOUL SHAKERS – “ Here To Have A Good Time “

Nightwish retire from touring for the foreseeable future: "we won’t be touring the next album"

Nightwish have released a surprising announcement confirming that they are 'hanging up our spurs' for a while when it comes to touring

Finnish symphonic metal heavyweights Nightwish have released a surprising announcement confirming that they are retiring from touring for the foreseeable future, stating that they won't be touring their next studio album, which is tentatively due for arrival next year.

Their statement, posted earlier today on the band's social media channels, reads as follows:

"After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be 'hanging up our spurs' for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won't be touring the next album.

"The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's [Jansen, Nightwish frontwoman] pregnancy or our other individual projects.

"However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure.

"Stay tuned for updates from our legendary Nightwish band camp & studio this summer!"

Nightwish have toured extensively for their most recent studio album, 2020's Human. :II: Nature. The record was released soon after the world had started to go into lockdown during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning that touring plans for the album had to be repeatedly paused and postponed.

Metal Hammer Newsletter

Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!

The band have a smattering of tour dates currently planned for this coming June across Europe, taking in stops in Stockholm, Athens, Nova Rock festival, Gelsenkirchen, Kitee, Vasa and Tons Of Rock Festival. 

In November, Nightwish singer Floor Jansen revealed that she is now cancer free after a short battle with breast cancer. In a statement posted on Facebook, she explained:

"The surgery took everything cancerous out and it hasn’t spread! I’ll get local radiation therapy in February to make sure everything stays out.

"I'm getting my energy back after the surgery and feel a huge relief to know it was successful! I’m not back to a 100% but I have no doubt the shows will give me the power push I need to rock with all of you on the upcoming European tour"

"Thank you for your amazing support and well wishes"

Posted by nightwish on 

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site. 

Documentary about Māori metal sensation Alien Weaponry to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival next month

Heavys H1H headphones review

Watch Steven Tyler join the Black Crowes onstage for a rip-snortin' romp through Mama Kin in London

Most Popular

NIGHTWISH Announces 2016 North American Tour

Finland-based symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have announced their 26-date headlining tour of North America for 2016, launching in Sayreville, New Jersey on February 19, hitting six Canadian cities plus Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and New Orleans, then closing out in Tampa, Florida on March 23. Opening for the tour will be Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN .

Checking in from the first leg of the North American tour, NIGHTWISH shared the following about the second leg of the tour in 2016: "The first one was so brilliant that we just gotta come back!"

Advance tickets for the confirmed tour dates are now on sale exclusively at EnterTheVault.com . A limited number of VIP meet-and-greet tickets (which include a poster signed by the band and a tour program) are available for each show for purchase. Tickets will go on sale June 6 at all other outlets.

Tour dates:

Feb. 19 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ Feb. 20 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT Feb. 21 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC Feb. 22 - Music Hall - London, ON Feb. 24 - Carnegie Music Hall - Pittsburgh, PA Feb. 25 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH Feb. 26 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI Feb. 27 - Rave - Milwaukee, WI Feb. 29 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN Mar. 01 - Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB Mar. 02 - O'Briens Events Center - Saskatoon, SK Mar. 03 - Winspear Center - Edmonton AB Mar. 05 - MacEwan Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB Mar. 06 - Wilma Theatre -Missoula, MT Mar. 07 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA Mar. 08 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID Mar. 10 - Knitting Factory - Reno, NV Mar. 11 - City National Civic of San Jose - San Jose, CA Mar. 12 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA Mar. 14 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ Mar. 15 - City Auditorium - Colorado Springs, CO Mar. 16 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO Mar. 18 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK Mar. 19 - Aztec Music Hall - San Antonio, TX Mar. 20 - New Orleans Civic Theatre - New Orleans, LA Mar. 21 - Iron City Live - Birmingham, AL Mar. 23 - The Ritz - Tampa, FL

NIGHTWISH has just released a new single, the title track of the band's latest album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" , as a limited-edition MCD, 10-inch vinyl and as a download.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Endless Forms Most Beautiful (album version) 02. Sagan (instrumental; previously unreleased) 03. Endless Forms Most Beautiful (alternate version) 04. Endless Forms Most Beautiful (radio edit; previously unreleased)

As previously reported, the NIGHTWISH show in Vancouver, British Columbia on April 25 at The Orpheum was filmed for a future DVD release.

NIGHTWISH is currently on the road in North America with special guests SABATON , a Swedish heavy metal band that gives us a history lesson in their songs on war and historical battles, and Dutch female-fronted metallers DELAIN .

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was made available on March 27 in Europe and March 31 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast .

The "Élan" four-track single, which arrived on February 13, features the album version of the title cut, a radio edit and an alternate version of "Élan" , as well as the non-album bonus track "Sagan" .

The cover artwork for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was created by the band's longtime collaborator Toxic Angel . Famed evolutionary biologist and atheist writer/leader Richard Dawkins appears as a guest on the effort.

Longtime NIGHTWISH drummer Jukka Nevalainen sat out the recording sessions for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" due to health issues. He has since been replaced by Kai Hahto ( WINTERSUN , SWALLOW THE SUN , TREES OF ETERNITY ).

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).

European Tour Dates 2022 Confirmed!

Get tickets here

AC/DC Launches First Tour in 8 Years: Videos, Photos, Set List

AC/DC launched their European Power Up tour with a performance in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on May 17.

The European trek marks the legendary hard rock group’s first full tour since 2016, though they did perform at the Power Trip festival in 2023. AC/DC certainly got things started with a bang during the Germany gig, delivering a fiery set full of their most celebrated hits.

After a video introduction, the band began their set with “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” an emphatic opener that got the crowd cheering. “Wonderful to see you all again!” frontman Brian Johnson declared as the tune came to an end. “Enjoy yourself, OK?” From there, AC/DC launched into “Back in Black,” their iconic 1980 single that had the whole stadium shaking.

READ MORE: AC/DC’s Most Historic Concerts

“Demon Fire” was next in the set, marking the first song of the night from AC/DC’s most recent album, 2020’s Power Up . Still, it was the classic material that fans wanted to hear the most — and AC/DC was more than happy to oblige. “Thunderstruck,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “Highway to Hell” were just some of the many timeless tracks featured throughout the performance.

After rocking through 22 songs, the band departed the stage momentarily, only to return for a two-song encore of “T.N.T.” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” See videos and a full set list from the concert below.

Who Is Playing in AC/DC’s New Lineup?

AC/DC’s lineup for the Power Up tour is notably different than the one they used a Power Trip in 2023. Original lead guitarist Angus Young is still in the fold, as is longtime singer Johnson, who arrived in 1980 following the death of Bon Scott . Joining them is rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, who became part of AC/DC after Malcolm Young ’s death in 2017.

The band’s two newest additions are drummer Matt Laug and bassist Chris Chaney, the latter of whom is best known to rock fans for his time in Jane’s Addiction . The Germany gig was Chaney’s first with AC/DC, having officially replaced Cliff Williams — who had been with the group more than 40 years — earlier this year.

AC/DC’s European tour will run through the summer, with the final show scheduled to take place on Aug. 17 in Dublin, Ireland.

Watch AC/DC Open Their Show With ‘If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)’

Subscribe to Ultimate Classic Rock on Youtube

Watch AC/DC Perform ‘Back in Black’

Watch Angus Young Performing at AC/DC’s 2024 Tour Opener

Watch AC/DC Perform ‘Thunderstruck’

Watch AC/DC Perform ‘Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be’

AC/DC, Veltins-Arena, May 17, 2024 Set List

1. “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”

2. “Back in Black”

3. “Demon Fire”

4. “Shot Down in Flames”

5. “Thunderstruck”

6. “Have a Drink on Me”

7. “Hells Bells”

8. “Shot in the Dark”

9. “Stiff Upper Lip”

10. “You Shook Me All Night Long”

11. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train”

12. “Shoot to Thrill”

13. “Sin City”

14. “Givin the Dog a Bone”

15. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”

16. “Dog Eat Dog”

17. “High Voltage”

18. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”

19. “Riff Raff”

20. “Highway to Hell”

21. “Whole Lotta Rosie”

22. “Let There Be Rock”

23. “T.N.T.”

24. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

Next: Underrated AC/DC: The MOst Overlooked Song From Each Album