Nightwish’s return was a celebration of undying music in a breathtaking setting – A night at the virtual tavern, part 2/2

The sky is painted with shades of dusk. Out of the clouds comes forth a decorative zeppelin that heads towards a building surrounded by masses of water. Beneath a dome of glass grows an age-old tree lit by braziers and surrounded by statues and mysterious books. Welcome to Islander’s Arms.

This virtual tavern, a result of months of hard work, acts as a stage of our country’s biggest metal band for two consecutive nights, and for such a setting I couldn’t picture a band more well-fitting. Its epic and visual music fits here like a fist in the eye (as one of our language’s beautiful proverbs states). The first set (Friday 28 May) was more aimed towards European timezones whereas the second one on the following Saturday rather for American ones. Luckily I didn’t have to be up at three in the morning for the second one as it could also be watched later.

While the sets were aimed towards different audiences the sets weren’t identical. Both were still quite hit-oriented the main focus being on newer stuff. Both gigs began with a slowly growing intro of “Music” then switching straight into “Noise“. The band was a joy to behold right from the first beats and it seemed quite clear that they’ve been missing the live stages.

The second song, “Planet Hell” and its position in the early set was clearly meant to dispel any doubts about the band’s continuation without Marko Hietala. This version kicks some serious ass! Floor Jansen’s voice is absolutely out of this world and manages to make this version almost as amazing as the original. This was indeed one of those moments that helped me believe in the band’s future without Hietala. The visuals during the song earn a special mention, too: The lake and waterfall turned into lava, the serene hills into volcanoes and the tavern’s yard into a pyromaniac’s wet dream. They nailed this one!

Having said that the void left by Hietala’s departure hasn’t been completely filled it became very apparent in songs like “I Want My Tears Back” and “Ever Dream“. Jansen along with multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley did a wonderful job on Hietala’s parts, but there’s still something missing. The diversity of voices has always been a strength for the band and I do hope that one day we see a powerful male voice in Nightwish again. As for the often tricky basslines Jukka Koskinen did a great job.

Getting back to Donockley it might be that it’s been too long since my last Nightwish gig, but I was positively surprised by how well he’s integrated into the band, both musically and as a member. He plays everything from mandolin to flutes to guitar, sometimes even within the same song. In addition, his warm voice fits some songs beautifully. He’s almost never in the center of attention but adds his own flavor to each song in some way. As an example, the aforementioned “Ever Dream” where he provided guitar harmonies, something rarely heard in Nightwish‘s music.

The second night saw a slightly more relaxed band and the joy of performing was more apparent. Considering this, it’s sometimes almost hard to believe that the band is performing without an audience in front of a green screen. Especially the new songs seemed to be the most enjoyable for the band, which is understandable. In addition to new material and the aforementioned “Planet Hell” my own personal favorites from the first set include “7 Days to the Wolves” and “She is My Sin“. As for the second one “Sleeping Sun” was a pleasant surprise made even better by the virtual eclipse. Also, the mammoth songs found in the end of both sets, “Ghost Love Score” and “The Greatest Show on Earth” are some of my all time favourites.

Both nights ended with massive orchestral “Ad Astra“. The rest of the band was gathered around Floor Jansen, whose impressive vocal cords had one last ride of the day with the operatic singing part of this epic album closer. Jansen is the undisputed core of the band’s live performances and it seems they acknowledge the fact quite well.

Nights in the virtual tavern were a strong return from the two and a half year hiatus but even more so a moment of truth for a band who just lost an important part of itself. Nightwish survived its trial admirably well proving that it’s music still lives on. And things will only get better once they’ll get back to some real world stages!

Setlist (Friday):

Intro: Music
1. Noise (live debut)
2. Planet Hell (first time live since 2013)
3. Tribal (live debut)
4. Élan
5. Storytime (first time live since 2016)
6. She Is My Sin (first time live since 2016)
7. Harvest (live debut)
8. 7 Days to the Wolves (first time live since 2016)
9. I Want My Tears Back
10. Bless the Child (first time live since 2016)
11. Nemo
12. How’s the Heart? (acoustic version)
13. Shoemaker (live debut)
14. Last Ride of the Day
15. Ghost Love Score
16. The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapters I-III)
Outro: All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World: Ⅷ. Ad Astra
(Jansen singing her own part live)

Setlist (Saturday):

Intro: Music
1. Noise
2. Planet Hell
3. Alpenglow (first time live since 2016)
4. Élan
5. Storytime
6. How’s the Heart? (album version)
7. Harvest
8. Dark Chest of Wonders
9. I Want My Tears Back
10. Ever Dream (first time live since 2016)
11. Nemo
12. Sleeping Sun (first time live since 2016)
13. Pan (live debut)
14. Last Ride of the Day
15. Ghost Love Score
16. The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapters I-III)
Outro: All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World: Ⅷ. Ad Astra
(Jansen singing her own part live)