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Events and Reports - Nightwish - Live with Pain at Glasgow Carling Academy - March 31st 2008
Could new lead singer Annette Olzon perform to anywhere near the standard of her forerunner Tarja Turunen? Would the band even attempt to play any of the older songs that I loved them for and even if they did would the crowd really care?
I had perhaps made a mistake earlier in the day by relaxing at lunch in front of the TV to watch their splendid End of An Era DVD. Apart from the new album I had not actually taken the time to sit down and listen to Nightwish in quite a while and in watching the magic unfold it occurred how many utterly fantastic songs they really have.
In saying that it was a saddening experience to mark off the tracks I had no chance of hearing that night due to Annette lacking the necessary range. I had to consign myself to the fact that this was the closest I would get to hearing Slaying the Dreamer or Ghost Love Score preformed live that day.
My friends and I hit the venue around 8 o'clock after a couple of pints in a nearby pub (as is traditional) and had to suffer the end of Pain's set. It took some convincing that the pop/industrial metal pap that I was hearing was actually being masterminded by Peter from Hypocrisy. Their blatant theft of the melody from Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell was beyond the pale and their set closer Shut Your Mouth could not have been more aptly named.
After paying £3.10 for a pint of watered down Carling while cursing the rip-off merchants that run the Academy it was time for the moment of truth. The lights when down, the incredibly young audience started screaming like it was Beatle-mania all over again and the band took to the stage.
In my opinion they couldn't really have picked a worse opening song as Bye Bye Beautiful set me on edge almost immediately. I suppose the band were viewing it as a statement of intent but it came across as more of a petulant middle finger to a previous member who's ability had helped shape their music and allowed it to scale dizzying heights.
Perhaps I'm taking this all a bit to seriously and your reading this thinking "lighten up you miserable bastard, it's a good song" And in some respects you would be right, on the whole it is a decent song but its just galling to see this new singer (through no fault of her own, its not like she wrote it) prance about the stage singing about how big an ego trip Tarja was on.
Before I continue the review, I think having a word about Annette Olzen would be appropriate. Now as I said in my review of Dark Passion Play a couple of month's back she is an entirely acceptable singer, just not for a band like Nightwish.
She seems like a lovely girl, certainly pretty and much more svelte than some of the slightly unflattering promo pictures made her out to be. And she does posses an irrepressibly cute voice, but a voice lacking in the necessary depth and conviction to carry some of the material along. At points her vocals seem to get swept up and lost in the power of the music and that seriously affects the band over all performance.
Case in point would be their next song Dark Chest of Wonder, the chorus of which once possessed a majestic power which other female fronted operatic metal bands found hard to match. It is now replaced face-slappingly obvious lack of range and tone as Annette tries but just can't hit the notes with the conviction required.
There are other points where she has had to rearrange the vocal melody to suit her own ability. And while this is perfectly understandable it only further serves to diminish the songs. I've seen Tuomas describe her in the press as looking like "Pippy Longstocking from hell" and I couldn't think of a more accurate yet damning description.
However I am pleased to report the remaining Nightwish member's still sound fantastic even through the Academy's notoriously dodgy P.A system. Jukka still pounds the skins like a man possessed, Emppu scampers about the stage taking sneaky swigs from his strategically positioned beers while providing the necessary power chords and Marco belts out his lines with his trademark crazy Woice and has a smile so wide and bright that it's a wonder they need a lighting rig at all.
And what of the ringmaster of tonight's performance? Tuomas was his usual enigmatic self. Hiding in the corner under a top hat and teasing us with those lush notes and melodies from behind his keyboards. Also its always pleasing to hear him crank out a fast little solo now and again just to show they haven't left their Power Metal roots behind altogether.
The set was as Dark Passion Play heavy as you would expect. The band played no less than 8 tracks from that release. And like the album it was a mixed bag. I was pleased to see the wistful and beautiful The Islander getting an airing with both Marco and Emppu taking a seated position and donning acoustic guitars to steal our hearts. Annette's backing vocals were charming during its recital too. Also hearing the upbeat Last of The Wilds brought a smile to my face and I almost considered maneuvering myself down the front to jig along.
Poet and the Pendulum also stood out among the newer songs but suffered from its complexity as the band were forced to rely on backing tracks to take the place of the orchestra. Coming from an upbringing in a punk/hard rock background it's always disheartening to see a band wander off stage during a song leaving only a backing track being pumped out of the speakers. It's just not really what a live experience is about is it?
One of the biggest receptions of the night was afforded to lead single Amaranth. A song which I'll be honest and say I find very little worth in. But then it's the hit that entices people into coming to see the band so it's got to be played for them. I'll sum up my dislike for the song by quoting some guy standing in front of me: "That's it, I can leave now" (this being the 5th song of the night)
In a turn of events that alas wasn't all that shocking only a meagre two pre Once songs made it into the set. These being Dead to The World and Wishmaster. I'm both surprised and pleased say that I though Annette and the band pretty much nailed both of these and they were without doubt the high points of the evening. Wishmaster in particular was excellent with only Emppu's slightly sloppy solo work letting the side down.
The fact that these two songs were played so well and elicited a good response from the crowd left me even more deflated that they didn't play any more older (and dare I say better) material. Perhaps next time eh?
The night was rounded off with a thumping rendition of Wish I Had An Angel. The songs metallic euro-stomp got the entire place moving and was an entirely acceptable way to close the show. With all that was left after being the bands traditional post gig bow to the applause of a mostly appreciative Glasgow audience.
The gig as a whole was on just about the right side of good. There were dangerously low dips when some of the blander new material was played or with a shaky rendition of some of the songs off Once. But the band managed to pull through. It's just a shame that, to my eyes anyway, Annette just isn't the right answer to Nighwish's problems. But then I guess us die-hard fans just have to sober up and realize that the last DVD wasn't called End of An Era for nothing.
Setlist:
1. Bye Bye Beautiful
2. Dark Chest Of Wonder
3. Whoever Brings The Night
4. The Siren
5. Amaranth
6. The Islander
7. Poet And The Pendulum
8. Dead To The World
9. Last Of The Wilds
10. Sahara
11. Nemo
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12. 7 Days to The Wolves
13.Wishmaster
14. Wish I Had An Angel
| | Written by Stuart
Sunday, April 6, 2008 |
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RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by Sandra (Member) - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 
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Comments: 36
Ratings: 25 | | I agree with everything in your review, which is btw great. I went to Hamburg about a year ago or more to see Nightwish and it was almost the same set list just lacking 7 Days to The Wolves I was so disappointed about that... I was so sure that they would play it because I believe it is one of the greatest songs from DPP.
I feel for you about Pain, however, I had to suffer even more than you. A German band (I can't remember the name of the band haha) played before Pain and that was TERRIBLE totally Rammstein copy band awful... and I can't even stand Rammstein.. Pain was bad too, however, not as bad as the German band, I'm soo glad that I wasn't totally sober.
I completely agree, and I was thinking the same as you when they started out playing Bye Bye Beautiful I found it very obscure.
When Annette started singing my face looked like this: O I think it hit me, at that time, that Tarja had "left" the band , and I also found it very weird that Annette was wearing Hello Kitty cloths hmm, what a change, however, that's is just a detail.
The highlights that night: The Islander and Last of Wilds. The Islander was so well delivered and the atmosphere was cozy, I loved the DDP candles, Marco's voice was amazing that night. Last of wilds was amazing too and everyone in the audience also stared to hop around like madmen and holding each other's shoulders - it was so much fun.
It was my first Nightwish gig so, I was glad that I finally had the chance to experience them, but it was only OK.. Annette's voice had some trouble not only once but twice that night, so Marco had to help her out and Tuomas forgot to play the right notes, so that was funny. Annette is just too random for Nightwish imo.
Posted by Sandra
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 |
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| Comment by Stuart (Staff) - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 | 
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Comments: 116 | | Cheers! Yeah I saw them last summer for the 2nd time with Annette and they still failed to impress me.
I think I'll be giving them a miss on the next tour unless the next album is significantly better than Dark Passion Play.
Posted by Stuart (Staff)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 |
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| Comment by gizmo (Member) - Friday, July 24, 2009 | 
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Comments: 140
Ratings: 4 | | It´s funny cause I am pretty satisfied with Anette´s voice in Nightwish and I was one of the loudest speaking person who condemded the band after loosing Tarja.
Granted she has some problems singing the old songs but it´s nothing comparred to what I feared.
I think she does quite a good job besides she often dress horrible as Sandra pointed out ;0)
of cause there are some song they could never pull of with annette but all in all she is a good choice and when she sings The Escapist I hardly think anybody could do it better and Everdream is better than Tarja´s which i thought not could be done.
BTW I must be the only one who really hates the Islander (what a horrible song), everybody else seems so pleased with it, I really can´t understand that.
And I am very jealous on you guys that you got to hear Last of the wild´s, really love that song but they did not play that one in Denmark even though Indica supported the band, so they could have done it with lyrics and all, but noooooo :0(
(now come to think of it, the song was not recorded with vocals at that time, if I remember correctly)
Posted by gizmo
Friday, July 24, 2009 |
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