Nightwish in Louisville, Kentucky
Review of Finnish Metal Band at Headliners Music Hall, May 30, 2008
Finnish symphonic/power metal band Nightwish made a stop in Louisville during their first US tour with new singer Anette Blyckert.
After a dramatic intro comprising an operatic/orchestral recording, Nightwish strode onto the stage and kick-started the show with one of the strongest contributions to their latest album Dark Passion Play (and first with new Swedish singer Anette Blyckert), Bye Bye Beautiful; the lyrics of which are purportedly in reference to Tarja Turunen, the band's singer for five studio albums. Turunen (who now goes by the stage name Tarja), a classically trained soprano, was dismissed from the band in 2005, and has since begun her solo career.
The song provided for a strong opening, albeit a puzzling one, being the first single from the new album. It was quickly made clear as to why Beautiful was selected as the opener. The song is catchy and pop-oriented, yet also very heavy, serving to get the crowd moving and comfortable with the new singer before she broke into older songs.
Can Blyckert Live up to Tarja's Reputation?
Blyckert (who also goes by Anette Olzon) delivered a confident, passionate performance throughout. Coming from an AOR background, her approach to singing is more rock/pop oriented than the soaring opera vocals that Nightwish was known for when fronted by Tarja.
The songs from the new album sounded quite good, as Blyckert does possess a strong singing voice. She was, however, unable to match the dynamics of Tarja's voice. She stayed mostly within her range, but did occasionally attempt to sing notes that were a bit beyond her capabilities.
This isn't to say she didn't perform well. As this was the second to last stop on their current US tour, she had plenty of practice. Displaying a great deal of confidence, she bantered comfortably with the crowd, and moved about the stage with poise and gracefulness.
Although no Tarja, she managed to hold her own. Time will tell whether or not Nightwish will retain the level of worldwide popularity they had with Tarja. Judging from the overwhelmingly positive response from the crowd, and the fact that the show was sold out, this isn't likely to be a problem.
Tuomas Holopainen & Marco Hietala: Nightwish's Cornerstones
Although Nightwish is generally recognized for having a female vocalist within a male-dominated genre, the symphonic, epic nature of the band's music is a key driver in their popularity. Keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen (who is also a founding member and composer), provided a solid backdrop to the crunching guitars and soaring vocals, occasionally coming to the forefront with a solo.
A dominant force in the band's music and stage presence is bassist and second vocalist Marco Hietala. In addition to providing clean male vocals (both backing and leading), his enthusiastic presence and showmanship provided an additional level of entertainment. His attempts at pronouncing Louisville in a Finnish accent were particularly comical.
Rare Performance by John Two-Hawks
The highlight of the evening was the band's second-to last closer, a guest appearance by John Two-Hawks, an Oglala Lakota Native American from Arkansas. Two-Hawks contributed to the song Creek Mary's Blood, an ode to the plight of the Native Americans from their 2004 album Once. Two-Hawks is a multi-instrumentalist who has devoted much of his life to promulgating Native American culture through music, books and speaking engagements.
Two-Hawks played the cedar flute, provided background vocals, and chanted a poem in his native language. This was the first of only two performances in which he would take part, with the last being the final show of the North American show at The Pearl Room in Mokena, Illinois. The show was closed with a rousing rendition of Wish I Had an Angel.
Swedish Band Sonic Syndicate Opens for Nightwish
A special mention should go to openers Sonic Syndicate. These Swedish metallers tore up the stage with their bone-crunching yet highly melodic sonatas of death and destruction. After debuting in 2007 with their first full-length Eden Fire, they were selected out of over 1,500 submissions for a recording contract with the major record label Nuclear Blast. The band was touring in support of their 2007 album Only Inhuman.
Nightwish will be touring Europe through August, and will return to North America in September, after which they will close out 2008 in South America. Details of their current touring schedule can be viewed at their Web site. Sonic Syndicate is currently touring Europe, and will be supporting fellow Swedes In Flames in October. See their Web site for tour dates and additional information.
