Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
March 12th 2016, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim CA: Over the past few years, the re-emergence of Finnish symphonic metal group Nightwish has been a success story in every sense of the term. Ever since they recruited Floor Jansen as the new frontwoman, they’ve been unstoppable, playing the biggest shows of their career. Following the release of their eighth full-length studio album ‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful’ in 2015, the band did a North American headline tour wherein they performed at the prestigious Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and they returned for a second leg with support acts Sonata Arctica and Delain, to play a sold-out show at the Grove Of Anaheim last Saturday March 12th 2016.
Doors opened at 6 PM, and shortly after the long line of ticket holders was successfully escorted indoors by the venue staff, Dutch symphonic metal band Delain were the first to take the stage at 7 PM. Upon a quick assessment of the surroundings, you knew you weren’t at a conventional metal show at the Grove. The general admission floor was divided into three sections, with tickets priced as high as $100 for the front-most GA section. And if you happened to be in or near the photo pit, you were very close to fainting, not from the stench of sweaty, smelly dudes, but from the strength of the female singer’s perfume. As for Delain, the term ‘metal’ is very loosely used here because the guitars play an insignificant role in their sound, and it’s all about the singer and the synth. Full marks for stage presence, visual presentation, energy and perfume strength, but musically, Delain wasn’t anywhere near as compelling or memorable as the two that followed, even though in all fairness a good portion of the crowd was enjoying what this band had on offer through this 30-minute set of theirs.
Delain photos:
Set List:
01. Suckerpunch
02. Get the Devil Out of Me
03. Army of Dolls
04. Mother Machine
05. Turn the Lights Out
06. We Are the Others
07. Don’t Let Go
08. Not Enough
Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica were next to take the stage, and delivered a masterful performance, playing a seven-song, 45-minute set that did justice to their caliber as songwriters and performers, and their stature as a band that’s been in existence for more than two decades. Tony Kakko is absolutely one of the finest in heavy metal as a vocalist and frontman, and showed as much with a splendid exhibition to wow the audience gathered here in Anaheim. There is no doubt that Sonata Arctica would have played to a much smaller crowd as a headline act, and judging by the reaction from this Nightwish crowd, this tour is doing wonders for Sonata Arctica in terms of their North American fanbase. That being said, there was a sizable legion of the band’s own fans that made their way towards the front row and were heard chanting ‘Sonata!’ throughout the set. Sonata Arctica have been a thoroughly enjoyable power metal band with some excellent material released through eight studio albums over the years, and not only did they serve as the ideal precursor to an epic set by the headliner here, but left attendees wanting more and already awaiting their next tour.
Sonata Arctica photos:
Set List:
01. The Wolves Die Young
02. My Land
03. Full Moon
04. Last Drop Falls
05. I Have a Right
06. The Cage
07. Don’t Say a Word
And lastly at 9:15 PM, Nightwish arrived on stage amidst huge cheers, and for the next 90 minutes, proceeded to orchestrate a spellbinding 16-song set that left the audience awe-struck and overwhelmed. Floor Jansen’s mesmerizing voice and towering personality fits this band to perfection, so much so that it almost makes one think that she’s been in the band since the very beginning.Even those that never got to see Nightwish with the previous vocalists and have no frame of reference can’t possibly imagine anyone doing a better job of this than Floor Jansen, as she seemed to put a 100 per cent of her heart, soul and talent into doing full justice to these songs. While she gracefully dominated the forefront of the stage, keyboardist and songwriting mastermind Tuomas Holopainen was elegantly creating all the symphonic layers with his instrument, while bassist Marco Hietala also played a crucial role with his vocal contribution, as did guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, donning a variety of folky instruments throughout the set to help recreate the exact sound the band delivers on the studio recordings.
The sheer authenticity of the live sound was, in all honesty, pleasantly surprising for this first-timer, and perhaps the most striking feature of this Nightwish set, and instead of any visual gimmicks or stage production enhancements, this is what the band primarily focussed on at this show. There was no such thing as backing tracks in this band’s performance, and the musicianship of each member as an individual and part of the group was there to be experienced in full. The set list comprised quite a few tracks from ‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful’, as expected, but the album comes across as an extremely strong effort from the band, which is why the fans were perfectly familiar with this new material and were having a blast during this show. ‘Weak Fantasy’ off of this new album was undoubtedly the turning point of the set, which started very strong, but then reached its peak with this song and stayed there for the remainder of its duration, with one epic rendition after another of tunes such as ‘Bless The Child’, ‘I Want My Tears Back’, ‘Nemo’ and ‘Sahara’. The set came to an apt end with chapters 2 and 3 of ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, and the audience departed the venue completely satiated with what they had just witnessed, unanimously agreeing that the show was worth the money and then some.
A truly incredible show by a fantastic band that every metalhead needs to experience live.
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Nightwish photos:
Set List:
01. Shudder Before the Beautiful
02. Yours Is an Empty Hope
03. She Is My Sin
04. Storytime
05. My Walden
06. While Your Lips Are Still Red
07. Élan
08. Weak Fantasy
09. Bless the Child
10. I Want My Tears Back
11. Nemo
12. Sahara
13. Stargazers
14. Ghost Love Score
15. Last Ride of the Day
16. The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapter 2 & 3)
Remaining Tour Dates:
3/16/2016 Uptown Theater – Kansas City, MO
3/18/2016 Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
3/19/2016 Aztec Music Hall – San Antonio, TX
3/20/2016 New Orleans Civic Theatre – New Orleans, LA
3/21/2016 Iron City Live – Birmingham, AL
3/23/2016 The Ritz – Tampa, FL