Imaginaerum World Tour 2012 starts in Los Angeles, CA

Thank you Melisan for your review. To me, there is just one person that can sing "Wishmaster" the way I like, and that is Tarja. Which is the reason why I hope that the band would bury that song for good, just let it remain one of the gems of the Tarja-era. There are plenty of great songs that Anette can perform well, this isn't one of them. So to me, I'd be happy with the setlist sans 2 songs, but hey, can't have it all!
As for changing the old songs; I'm all for it. Because it's not possible for Anette to sound like Tarja so it's to me a much better idea to instead change the old songs a bit.
 
Did anyone else buy the extra-special, $250 VIP package? It was pretty disappointing IMO. They advertised as "limited backstage access" which turned out to be so limited that there wasn't any.
 
I thought I saw something out of sorts, but I was taking pictures and so I thought that my LCD viewer was acting funky. :lol:

No, I never bought any VIP because I'd heard a while back that the band wouldn't be doing a meet-and-greet along with it. Because of the interview, we ended up in that area anyway. It wasn't so bad; met a lot of nice Nightwish fans, and that's never a bad thing! ;)
 
I thought I saw something out of sorts, but I was taking pictures and so I thought that my LCD viewer was acting funky. :lol:

No, I never bought any VIP because I'd heard a while back that the band wouldn't be doing a meet-and-greet along with it. Because of the interview, we ended up in that area anyway. It wasn't so bad; met a lot of nice Nightwish fans, and that's never a bad thing! ;)

Yeah, wish I had known that. Without any meet-and-greet, it really was a waste of $$.
 
Did anyone else buy the extra-special, $250 VIP package? It was pretty disappointing IMO. They advertised as "limited backstage access" which turned out to be so limited that there wasn't any.

Yeah... it should've been called the Patio Access Package complete with Portable Heaters.

Disappointing is a nice way to put it.

We did get a signed poster from that Heineken tent and met some awesome folks like Chris. No clue what the hell to make of the poster design.


My $35 VIP for Houston two years ago got me:

- Early Access to the Venue and Meet/Greet
- Signed DVDs (I supplied my DVDs)
- Pics with each band member (I supplied the camera, my wife took the pics).
- Signed Poster (the venue provided the poster and I had each member sign it).
 
I just got home 10 minutes ago, (26 hours total on the bus) but couldn't help but pop in to see what ever one else thought of the show, before headed off to bed.
Considering this was my first Nightwish concert ever, all I can say is wow! I was really impressed with Annette, although I hated the dress. On the DPP songs, especially Poet, she sounded way better than she did on the album.
My only complaint was that even though I was only a couple rows behind the pit, I was in Orc 6 so I couldn't see Tuomas all that well.

I have to ask, did anyone else notice the pyro mishap?

Yep. I captured it on video. Occurs toward the end of Poet and the Pendulum. I'll have it uploaded in a few hours.
 
I wrote a review up here and linked all my favorite pictures, but my internet connection timed out just as I was getting ready to post!

Well, here's my favorite picture of Tuomas from the Key Club show. I'll rewrite the review tomorrow.

january19th201259.jpg


The band taking their bow at the end of the night:
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To see the rest of the pictures, you can view the album:
http://imageshack.us/g/818/january19th201206.jpg/
 
Oh Tuomas looks so happy! I'm so jealous of you who got to seem them twice during one weekend! I've really enjoyed reading the reviews, but oh I wish I had been there too....
 
Anettewrote in her blog Jan 23. 2012

Hi all! We arrived to wonderful Miami yesterday and wow, the weather is perfect! 28 degrees and sun and my pale Scandinavian face sure
need it:)

LA was just wonderful and I need to write about all the things we did when I get back home but THANKS to everyone who came to Gibson, to Key club and our signing session. My heart is just filled with gratitude and love to you all cause without you we couldnt have done our gigs in LA with such joy as we did:) I dropped some tears standing in Gibson in mother and father and it was pure awe seeing all of you before me. Thanks so much:)

Looks like the LA gigs were obviously a huge success to Nightwish by any measures :)

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Marc Gromen's review of the LA show from Bravewords.com


NIGHTWISH - Magic Kingdom: Wonderful World Of Dizzy!

Hot Flashes
Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 at 09:33:27 EST


Images and words by Mark Gromen

To kick off the the Imaginaerum world tour, with an exclusive one-off concert on American soil seems a far cry from a pair of back-to-back nights in Montreal a dozen years ago. Then, the Finns brought their unique orchestral-tinged metal to these shores for the first time. While the faces have changed and grown a bit older, in a business ravaged by shrinking war chests (of wonder), NIGHTWISH remain one of the few artists who sell millions of albums. Despite a none too secret club show (wink, wink), under the pseudonym of Rubber Band Of Wolves, two nights before, Universal Studio's Gibson Theater was packed with fans and well wishers from around the globe.

night8copy.jpg


Odd, that in the flashbulb popping paparazzi world of LA that photographers can't shoot a live performance with a flash, as scores of kids, just two feet behind the rail, use their I Phones for just that purpose, if not bootleg the entire show outright. WTF? The industry needs to abolish these archaic rule, for the betterment (better quality representation) of the artists. To the Sibelius classical piece 'Finlandia', the band enters the stage one-by-one, beginning with mastermind Tuomas Holopainen, drummer Jukka Nevalainen and seated guest piper Troy Donockley. A bottle of red wine (perhaps from the previous day's tastings in the Napa Valley) is concealed beneath Holopainen's triple bank of keyboards. Guitarist Emppu Vuorinen appears next, followed by the bearded wonder, bassist Marco Hietala. Only when they launch into the opening 'Storytime' does singer Anette Olzon make her entrance, to a rapturous roar. The song not only signifies a new chapter in the ongoing NIGHTWISH saga, but surely solidifies the validity of Holopainen's latest creation.

While the 6000 seat theater is by far the Finns' largest North American concert, by metal standards, this is a safe crowd, largely composed of couples: dates or married, as well as a fair share of moms/dads with their/neighborhood children. That said, there was still an awfully long line for the men's room! A good portion of the audience was from outside California, including many from overseas. One of the reasons NIGHTWISH opted to kick off their world tour here was the ability to use their full production, which includes flame throwers, a rarity on US soil. The initial pair of 'Storytime' and 'Wish I Had An Angel' were peppered with enough fire to be mistaken for one of the Universal Studios attractions: eight canisters across the front of the stage and smaller ones atop the stacks of amplifiers.

With the keyboardist stationary to the audience's left, it was up to Marco and Emppu to interact with each other and the paying customers. Both wandered in front of the monitors, to the edge of the semi-circle, to get closer to the fans, the closest of whom were still 15-20 feet away. Olzon danced around, expressively waving her arms and her face alternating between Cheshire grin and playful mugging to the crowd. Hietala still does most of the between song banter, at one point addressing the “Ladies, gentlemen and multi-sexual alien beings.” I know it was only night #1, but this might be the only area where NIGHTWISH needs improvement, especially with American audiences, who like chatty frontmen.

night6copy.jpg


'Scaretale' is Olzon's new calling card, seemingly handmade for her voice. Marco and Emppu continue to play off each other, but the diminutive blond guitarist is the center of activity, even visiting the Mt. Olympus of synthesizers with a gleam in his eye. The guitarist plays with legs splayed to a distance that rivals his height. Minus the big budget effects, this is essentially the same set as that secret gig at the Key Club, two days earlier. The slow jazz groove of 'Slow, Love, Slow' spontaneously breaks into an audience clap along. Pink and white lights shine down as Jumbotrons flanking the stage offer close-ups of each musician. Ending with the telltale ticking of a clock, upon completion, it received one of the largest ovations of the evening. Case closed on any lingering hints of controversy.

'The Crow, The Owl And The Dove' leads into 'The Islander', the band, apart from Holopainen, seated once more. They remain so for a like minded (albeit newly unveiled) acoustic rendition of 'Nemo', Olzon donning a plumed hat fit for a Bourbon St. funeral procession. After her ingenue moment, she gets a chance to rest, as it's boys only for the lively instrumental jig, 'Call Of the Wilds', Donockley's pipes lending the authentic Gaelic touch. As 'Planet Hell' begins, under a rain of fire, Holopainen is obscured in hues (shades?) of deep purple, flames all around him. Bits of 'Gethsemane' can be heard within.

Newbie 'Song Of Myself' is another standout moment for Olzon, then followed by 'Last Ride Of the Day', which fittingly closes the main set, showers of confetti launched from cannons on both sides of the stage. The band returns for an encore of 'The Poet And the Pendulum' and the always welcome Gary Moore cover of 'Over The Hills And Far Away'.

That was it, for most people, but you ain't really seen anything like a bunch of Finns (band, crew and visiting countrymen/women) wandering around, looking for alcohol, after the hotel bar closes at 1:30am. They simply set up their own, in the lobby, complete with vodka, beer and other leftovers from the evening's rider, much to the chagrin of the nervously onlooking hotel personnel/security.

The band is tentatively scheduled to return to these shores next year. Hurry back!

More photos can be found in a gallery here.



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I have to say that of all the excerpts that Enigma added above, I think that Anette did the best job of "The last ride of the day"! It's one of my absolute favourite songs of the album, and I'm delighted that she pulled it off so well! I do think that in some songs Marco drowns her voice a bit. So not on "The last ride of the day".
 
Just listened to "Over the hills and far away" at the Gibson Theater and I never ever ever thought I'd say this, but Anette sounds better than Tarja. Wow.
 
Forgot I recorded this from the Key Club and just uploaded it. Bass still a little overpowering.

I Want My Tears Back (HD)

 
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