Pre-pain
Spent the wednesday night at the pre-show of Tuska Festival, watching a trio of quality bands.
Arrived just in time for Epica. The dutch art school goth metallers put on a good show, despite the rain moving onto the arena. A couple of thunderclaps added to the effect nicely, and even though most of the audience didn’t really have a clue about their records, the reception was positive.
During Amorphis‘ show the skies broke open, and at times the rain fell in quasi-biblical proportions. This was actually my very first time seeing the band, and their fifty-odd minutes on stage were entertaining indeed. Didn’t recognize all the songs, but the entire show, not just the couple familiar ones from Silent Waters were much appreciated.
The main event kicked off with the most played song on Radio Rock. Nightwish took the stage with Bye Bye Beautiful and didn’t let go for almost two hours. This was the first time I saw them with the vocalist, and while Anette Olzon is no opera singer, she executed both new songs and old classics well on stage (and the printed summer frock was a definite change of pace from Tarja Turunen’s black leather). The set list below gets an assist point for Imperiumi, a couple of songs went unrecognized on stage. The highlights (measured on how bad the songs made my skin crawl) were The Islander and Sleeping Sun.
Bye Bye Beautiful Dark Chest of Wonders Dead to the World The Siren Amaranth The Islander Poet and the Pendulum Slaying the Dreamer While Your Lips Are Still Red Sahara Nemo --- Sleeping Sun 7 Days to the Wolves Wish I Had An Angel
I blame the heavy number of tourists on the success of Nightwish, it’s been a long while since I’ve met so rude people on a gig, bumping and crowding was the order of the day, not courteous co-existence usually so common.
Never checked out the vendors, but according to hearsay the t-shirts were beyond the point of comfort at 30€.
Nightwish was the only band with any pyrotechnics on stage, with the exception of red streamers whipping in the wind, the technology was pretty much wasted on a well-lit night, and thus by far the greatest special effect was provided by mother nature: the double rainbow (with a bonus supernumerary rainbow within the primary) in the sky.
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