Concert Reviews - Nightwish (Calgary)

This was originally supposed to be a dual review for the Edmonton/Calgary shows back-to-back but due to time constraints, long weekends, and me being a fucking moron, Edmonton was a no-go.

This was the Passion for North America Tour part II (I'm guessing the concert we saw in October was part I).

The opening band was this strange thing called Sonic Syndicate. They seemed part metal, part punk, and part alternative. The sound was good but it had a bit of the annoying quality that hardcore punk has. They were quite strange to watch too as the girl was being really harcore and it looked like while she was playing she was getting repeatedly punched in the back of the head. They had two vocalists, the stranger of the two looked more like he was giving himself whiplash than headbanging, but overall they sounded pretty good and if you're into that sort of thing, which I am not particularly, then you'd probably like them.

Nightwish started out with opening up with a Hans Zimmer tune from Gladiator and let me tell you, combining Tuomas Holopainen and Hans Zimmer is so good it should probably be illegal. They started out with Bye Bye Beautiful, and played from that CD, The Poet and the Pendulum, Amaranth, Sahara, Whoever Brings the Night, The Islander, to my intense pleasure Last of the Wilds, and to my even greater pleasure, 7 Days to the Wolves.

Anette and Marco playing together with Jukka in the background.

They also brought out some older ones, including Dark Chest of Wonders, Nemo, The Siren, I Wish I Had An Angel, Dead to the World, and one song off either Oceanborn or Wishmaster that I didn't know the name of.

Emppu goofing off any making people smile.

I want to start by telling you how much I love everyone in this band. Anette and Marco talk to the crowd, joke, make fun of themselves, and generally are a feel-good band that not only play good music but make you happy to be around them. Even though the sound quality beside the speakers was shit, you still go crazy because you're so excited and pumped full of adrenaline. Emppu was the one I could see clearest since he was for the most part right in front of us and he doesn't talk onstage but he goofs around while he's playing and interacts with the crowd, doing silly things to make your already enormous grin even bigger. Marco does it too, grabbing Emppu's boob and bugging him while he's playing.

Tuomas playing at the beginning before losing his shirt.

I didn't see Tuomas as well as I would've liked because he's pretty stationary behind keyboards on the other side of the room, but his music speaks for itself. Anette's singing is good in her own way, which is still nothing compared to Tarja but is good and she's a bit of a goof herself, making you unable to really dislike her because she's fun to watch.

Near the end she announced the last song and they actually were... booed on stage? The crowd "turned against them" with unhappiness at this announcement so she jokingly turned over to Marco, who said that they were just lying to make the crowd scream for more. So after they left everyone screamed and demanded their return, so they came back and played 7 Days to the Wolves (which made me SO happy because they didn't play it last time and I was so very let down) and another, ending off with I Wish I Had an Angel, keeping true to the set list they had in Ontario, beginning and ending the same.

This was an intensely good show. I'm sad that I missed the Edmonton but twice is still good for me. I would recommend seeing this band to anyone who has ever heard their music. You may not like Anette as much as Tarja, but I would say that you should go anyways, the music is great and the band is fun. It's a great atmosphere so why not?

Year: 2008
Who I went with: Michael Widmer with guest appearance by Justin Dillman
Opening bands: Sonic Syndicate
Location: MacEwan Hall Ballroom, Calgary

The full band near the end of the show.

Concert Reviews - Nightwish (Toronto)

I will always be disappointed that I never got to see Nightwish while Tarja Turunen was singing for them.

I saw them in Ontario while they were on tour for their new album, Dark Passion Play with the new singer, Anette Olzon.

Paradise Lost was the opening band - not one I'm familiar with, but they were good for an opening. I had a few friends who were there just for the opening and they left happy after the show.

Let me start now by saying that the music was fantastic. Marco's got quite a weird voice but he can sing and he does it well live. They are all great showmen and they make you happy to be there. Tuomas was wearing... oddly... what appeared to be a dirty wife beater, which seemed a bit inappropriate considering I find him to be a musical genius, but hey, as I said, if you're a rockstar, you wear whatever you want onstage.

I think that, in the end, the show would have been better with Tarja. I loved her opratic vocals and she was a dark performer and I liked her stage presence in their videos and DVDs. However, Anette performed the DPP songs beautifully, and if you like the new stuff, I think you'd love the concert. She did a good job of the old songs as well considering she hasn't been with the band all that long and I think as she grows with them and improves, she'll do even better. However, I still feel that they would have been better with the original singer performing them.

I think that Anette was a decent choice for the band. She is definitely different but I think it's in a good way. If you like the new CD, you'll like the concert, but if you're a hardcore Tarja fan and don't like the new music you might decide to skip this one. I'm a fan of both and I'll be seeing them again on their western Canada dates.

Year: 2007
Who I went with: Michael Widmer
Opening bands: Paradise Lost
Location: The Docks, Toronto