Stratovarius start their European tour without bassist Lauri Porra

Last night, the Finnish power metallers Stratovarius started their joint European tour with Sonata Arctica in the Swedish city of Umeå and announced just right before their kick-off performance that their bassist Lauri Porra would not be part of it, at least at the beginning. The reason for this is a happy one as Lauri Porra has become a father:

“Due to the joyous birth of our child I will be missing part of Stratovarius’ Nordic Power Metal Titans European tour. Luckily we have gotten our friend Jani Liimatainen to handle bass duties for the first part of the tour, starting today in Umeå. Jani (Insomnium/The Dark Element) is a close member of the extended Strato family, and coincidentally also played in Sonata Arctica, who are also on this tour. The band is in top form and I’m sure you will enjoy the shows. I will be happy to join at a later stage, and am very much looking forward to seeing all you people from the stage again soon. But first things first!” – Lauri Porra

Insomnium and The Dark Element guitarist Jani Liimatainen comments on his new task as follows:

“This is something I never thought I would find myself doing, but here we are. Should be a blast!” – Jani Liimatainen