NIGHTWISH bewitch from a virtual wonderland.
VALOVA, VANTAA, FINLAND
Finland’s symphonic imagineers create an immersive wonderland
YOU CAN RELY ON Nightwish to take concept of the livestream not only to the next level, but the highest one possible. For two consecutive nights, the symphonic titans perform two shows acting as a prelude to their
Human. :||: Nature. album tour. It comes three years after their last live performance, but it’s no less polished. Before the event gets underway, VIP viewers are introduced to the band’s new session bass player, Jukka Koskinen from Wintersun, who takes on the gargantuan task of filling Marco Hietala’s shoes after his departure from the band in January, and joins his Wintersun bandmate, drummer Kai Hahto, in the Nightwish line-up.
The show video opens to a stunning CGI visual following a steampunk airship landing at an island house on the edge of a picturesque waterfall. It signals the band’s arrival at the virtual location where they will perform: the building’s atrium interior and a fictional travellers’ tavern called the Islanders Arms with windows revealing the changing weather outside. Supported by breathtaking graphics, it immerses you in a world far away from your own computer screen.
Selected picks from Human. :||: Nature. make their live debut beside fan favourites. The set opens with
Noise, already settling in as a storming setlist staple, that leads into a rapturous return of Planet Hell from a whopping eight-year live break, accompanied by CGI lava flowing from the virtual venue’s waterfall. Tribal’s first outing precedes a captivating triumvirate of Élan, Storytime and She Is My Sin, showcasing vocalist Floor Jansen at her narrative best, guiding the swirling melodies and detailed storytelling Nightwish do best. The tempo suddenly drops to welcome in the quaint Harvest, a comforting natural experience that may differ from its peers but provides a neat atmospheric shift to lead into the enchanting 7 Days To The Wolves.
The windows behind the band turn frosty as virtual winter arrives outside to herald the Imaginaerum concept for
I Want My Tears Back, showing off its
Noise Planet Hell Tribal
Élan Storytime
She Is My Sin
Harvest 7 Days To
The Wolves I Want My Tears Back Bless The Child
Nemo How’s The Heart? (Acoustic) Shoemaker Last Ride Of
The Day Ghost Love Score The Greatest Show On Earth folky riff and towering instrumentals in the live environment for which they were created. Bless The Child
arrives as quite an odd choice to return to the setlist after five years away, but somehow its unusual setting breathes life into the Century Child
throwback before plunging into classic hit Nemo. Judging by Jukka Koskinen’s vibrant performance mucking in alongside his new bandmates, Nemo
is everybody’s favourite: whatever age you were when you first heard this track, that first note throws you straight back there.
A break in the proceedings welcomes a sweet acoustic rendition of new blood How’s The Heart? from Floor and Troy Donockley, fitting in with the homely setting of the virtual Islanders Arms. Cosy singalongs aside, Shoemaker
makes a powerful entrance as one of the most anticipated new arrivals into the setlist, paving the way for a cinematic close to the immersive livestream. Last Ride Of The Day puts on a frenetic display via both Jukka and Nightwish mastermind Tuomas Holopainen, who appears as exuberant as ever through one of their most intense sets. A phenomenal show of Ghost Love Score’s theatrical riffs bleeds into the operatic highlight aptly named The Greatest Show On Earth,
a regular set-closer that actually sounds even more enthralling without a crowd presence. The quiet CGI setting