- Aug 11, 2007
- 2,573
- 1
- 38
Well, I made it back from the L.A. show in one piece and here's how it went down.
My friend and I get to the venue at a little after 5. Since it was the first day of the daylight savings time change, it was already dark. As we pull up to the venue, guess who we see? Ewo, Marco, and Emppu. We try to see if we can park up close to the front in the temporary (taxi) parking spaces (long enough to at least see if we could talk to them). We had to make a u-turn to come back around and by the time we did, they were gone. Damn!
But the night was young, and opportunities were plenty.
Since I was arriving in my chair, I was told to get there early so security could help secure me a nice spot in line. We park the car and get a spot right next to the door. By this point, the band has just started sound check, so we got a nice sneak preview of some possibilities of songs we might hear tonight. (I won't spoil it for anyone by saying what tidbits we heard, for that will become clear once I give you the setlist!) As we stand in line, someone notices me from other shows I have been to (such as Stratovarius and WT), and he hangs out with us in line.
We're eventually let in at about half-past seven (the doors were supposed to open at 7). I get a longsleeve and a 7 Days t-shirt. I am NOT wearing my OSA shirt to the concert tonight; I'm wearing a longsleeve from the Oceanborn days because it was damn bitter cold outside! But, I carry the OSA shirt with me like a flag, and show it to anyone who cares to look. I was told that Ewo works the merchandise booth, but the only time I saw anyone working in merchandise it was a very tall man with brown hair (who was very cool to me nonetheless). I would go back to that area twice more during the night and I never did see Ewo there. My friend went back to that area as well to grab some food and said he had no luck seeing him there either (then again, for only getting a 5-second glimpse at him at the door earlier in the night, my friend did not have much to work with!). Anyway, I noticed some Nightwish condoms at the counter as well; I considered buying one just to have something quirky to add to my collection, but I think I can pass.
So eventually Paradise Lost hits the stage. A couple of songs were OK, but to be honest I was not bowled over by them. Their set seemed to drag on longer than humanly possible. I remember going to the merch booth around the 3rd song and they still played about 5 or 6 more songs after that! And they didn't seem to always fall in the radio-friendly category of 3-4 minutes, either!
But it doesn't matter whether I liked them, I noticed a lot of people in the audience were into them and I had more fun watching their crowd's reaction than the actual music itself.
As if Paradise Lost's set couldn't drag on any further, it seemed the intermission between them and Nightwish lasted even longer! Maybe it was because everyone was getting anxious, but there were a few times when people were turning to each other and saying, "does it take this long?" But, Nightwish knows how to draw out the anticipation, so when they finally hit the stage, everyone went wild!
The setlist is NOT in order, but here are the songs they played:
Bye Bye Beautiful
Amaranth
The Poet and the Pendulum
Sahara
(These last two songs were actually in a row; I remember this because they are my two favorite tracks on the new album and hearing them back to back was sheer bliss.)
Whoever Brings the Night
The Islander
7 Days to the Wolves
Ever Dream
Dark Chest of Wonders
Nemo (when they did this song, Marco encouraged the audience to "pretend this is the last song", and totally let loose. Mission accomplished!)
Higher Than Hope
Wishmaster
Wish I Had an Angel (this was the final song)
Honestly, I thought it was an awesome setlist. They picked just the right older songs for Anette to do, and she sounded amazing. "Dark Chest of Wonders" was especially good. She put a lot of feeling into "Nemo". And finally getting to hear her version of "Ever Dream", the song that sealed the deal for the guys, I could finally understand why! "Wishmaster" had a strange intro that sounded like the "Master! Apprentice!" part, sped up to crazy proportions, and then eventually spiraling out of control until the band kicked in. While I don't think I could ever entirely get used to that song the way she does it, it was not an entirely unpleasant experience.
I got to hear "Higher Than Hope" at the soundcheck, and when they started in on that song live, it was very touching. Anette gave so much heart and soul to that song, she really made it her own. Her voice was so tortured and heartfelt when she sang the "red sun rising" part, you could feel the pain in that lyric. Before they started the song, they had given a thumbs-up signal, which obviously I did not understand until the song began, and then at the end when Anette blew her kisses to the Bruelands, I saw them sitting up above in the balcony right above me. They notice me and wave in my direction.
One highlight that came as a pleasant surprise to me was "7 Days to the Wolves". On record, it didn't do much for me. But to hear it live...wow! It really brought it home. That, for me, was the most rockin' moment of the show. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, when "The Islander" was played earlier that night, it was a nice break in the mood but I have still walked away from it not thinking it among my most favorite of Nightwish songs. Anette looked absolutely darling in her little tiara, but that was about all. I saw that point in the show similar to in the old days when the band would do a song of their own with just the 4 guys.
The last song of the night was "Wish I Had an Angel", and Anette dedicated it to the Los Angeles audience, deeming us her favorite city and proceeded to mention how she enjoyed the shopping! So that was definitely cool to know that the band was feeling the So. Cal. love (which Anette mentioned more than once throughout the night).
Obviously the major highlight of the night for me, was "The Poet and the Pendulum". I know they've been playing it over the last couple of shows, but I didn't want to start expecting it. And, when I saw the Vintage Vinyl concert on my friend's computer earlier that weekend, it made me even more pumped up to hear it live. So when "the end..." filled my ears, I was a happy girl indeed. To hear my second-favorite track, "Sahara" right after that...well, you couldn't have found a more content ticket holder in the room at that moment, I don't think!
Oh yes, and to save the BEST for last...I waved my OSA shirt/flag throughout the night like it was no one's business. I hope the people behind me were not too pissed, I tried to do it in moderation and only when I saw some of the bandmembers coming to our side of the stage. I got Anette to notice it twice, she gave me the thumbs-up the first time and waved to me the second time. But towards the end of the night, I got Tuomas to look over, point at it, and wave to me. F*cking awesome! He gave me a little nod as if he recognized me, and I waved back and threw up my horns.
OSA was representing in the West Coast, you can guaran-damn-tee that!
So, after the show ended and I was letting myself wind down in my chair for a moment, I look up to wave goodbye to the Bruelands and gesture to them to come down and say hi. They make a gesture saying they'll be down in a minute. So I wait for them. They greeted me with the biggest hug ever! It was so good to see them! They sent word to the OSA crew to thank for the tribute page for Marc on the old site, and they can't wait for us to get our new website going so that we can work on a new one! They thanked me for helping to keep Marc's spirit alive, and I had to be honest and say that it was my pleasure. Marc is an original American Oceansoul in my book and would like to hope that if things had been different, maybe he would have been a part of what we are doing now. I feel it's important to our "legacy" as American Nightwish fans to keep the memory alive of a fellow American fan, so doing what I can for the Bruelands on behalf of OSA is an honor for me.
As we part ways, I ask if they can give to Tuomas and Anette the gifts I had brought for them, seeing as how I did not have VIP tickets and was not able to stay for the meet-and-greet. I did ask if the band was considering coming out later, and was told that they would probably head right back to the hotel after the meet-and-greet. But the Bruelands assured me that my gifts would get to them and they would know where they came from. This is more than I ever could have asked for, I am so grateful to them for offering to help me. So right now Tuomas is richer a pair of Lady and the Tramp stuffed animals and Anette has a cute pair of earrings to wear at her next photo shoot if the need so strikes.
A few moments later, the HoB security gets on the loudspeaker and says that anyone who doesn't have a VIP pass has to exit the premises. That means my friend and I, so we head outside. We decide to wait for the crowd to clear, and then from there, play it by ear to see how fast people are coming out of the meet-and-greet. As we sat outside, we listened to various people reacting to the show, and I cannot tell you how many times the consensus was the same. I heard several times a statement pertaining to this, "it's not just Tarja and her backup band anymore, they are a real band!" It was great to hear so many people enjoying the new era of Nightwish.
On the same token, I have to give credit to my friend, he was a real sport. He had not heard Nightwish until I played them their music in the car on the way to the venue, and he really ended up having a good time (there was even a point before the band started where he said that sometime during the show he was going to go get another coffee. They kicked his ass so hard that he stayed from beginning to end!). He was more than willing to wait a while and see if we could catch any of the bandmembers coming out after the meet-and-greet. We stayed long enough to watch the band's bus pull up to the side of the venue, and see that there are about 3 or 4 cars left parked in the HoB parking lot. By this point it is 1:30 in the morning, and my friend has already waited an hour longer than we should have; he had school the next day and I had doctor's appointments in the morning. Reluctantly, we leave a few minutes later, just being unable to spend any more time. We both agreed that we would have loved to stay if we didn't have priorities so early the next day. But, I was not disappointed. I did what I came to do; I promoted OSA, got the band's attention, and they received the gifts I got for them. That was all I could ever ask. There is always next time, and from the looks of things, they'll be back here again soon.
So in closing, it was a fantastic show with a lot of positive reaction from the crowd to the band. And they showed OSA a lot of love in return. Anette and the guys have an onstage chemistry that is just full of positive vibes, one you want to see more of. I only hope I can get an opportunity to see them again in May. Nightwish is back and proved it time and again!
My friend and I get to the venue at a little after 5. Since it was the first day of the daylight savings time change, it was already dark. As we pull up to the venue, guess who we see? Ewo, Marco, and Emppu. We try to see if we can park up close to the front in the temporary (taxi) parking spaces (long enough to at least see if we could talk to them). We had to make a u-turn to come back around and by the time we did, they were gone. Damn!
Since I was arriving in my chair, I was told to get there early so security could help secure me a nice spot in line. We park the car and get a spot right next to the door. By this point, the band has just started sound check, so we got a nice sneak preview of some possibilities of songs we might hear tonight. (I won't spoil it for anyone by saying what tidbits we heard, for that will become clear once I give you the setlist!) As we stand in line, someone notices me from other shows I have been to (such as Stratovarius and WT), and he hangs out with us in line.
We're eventually let in at about half-past seven (the doors were supposed to open at 7). I get a longsleeve and a 7 Days t-shirt. I am NOT wearing my OSA shirt to the concert tonight; I'm wearing a longsleeve from the Oceanborn days because it was damn bitter cold outside! But, I carry the OSA shirt with me like a flag, and show it to anyone who cares to look. I was told that Ewo works the merchandise booth, but the only time I saw anyone working in merchandise it was a very tall man with brown hair (who was very cool to me nonetheless). I would go back to that area twice more during the night and I never did see Ewo there. My friend went back to that area as well to grab some food and said he had no luck seeing him there either (then again, for only getting a 5-second glimpse at him at the door earlier in the night, my friend did not have much to work with!). Anyway, I noticed some Nightwish condoms at the counter as well; I considered buying one just to have something quirky to add to my collection, but I think I can pass.
So eventually Paradise Lost hits the stage. A couple of songs were OK, but to be honest I was not bowled over by them. Their set seemed to drag on longer than humanly possible. I remember going to the merch booth around the 3rd song and they still played about 5 or 6 more songs after that! And they didn't seem to always fall in the radio-friendly category of 3-4 minutes, either!
As if Paradise Lost's set couldn't drag on any further, it seemed the intermission between them and Nightwish lasted even longer! Maybe it was because everyone was getting anxious, but there were a few times when people were turning to each other and saying, "does it take this long?" But, Nightwish knows how to draw out the anticipation, so when they finally hit the stage, everyone went wild!
The setlist is NOT in order, but here are the songs they played:
Bye Bye Beautiful
Amaranth
The Poet and the Pendulum
Sahara
(These last two songs were actually in a row; I remember this because they are my two favorite tracks on the new album and hearing them back to back was sheer bliss.)
Whoever Brings the Night
The Islander
7 Days to the Wolves
Ever Dream
Dark Chest of Wonders
Nemo (when they did this song, Marco encouraged the audience to "pretend this is the last song", and totally let loose. Mission accomplished!)
Higher Than Hope
Wishmaster
Wish I Had an Angel (this was the final song)
Honestly, I thought it was an awesome setlist. They picked just the right older songs for Anette to do, and she sounded amazing. "Dark Chest of Wonders" was especially good. She put a lot of feeling into "Nemo". And finally getting to hear her version of "Ever Dream", the song that sealed the deal for the guys, I could finally understand why! "Wishmaster" had a strange intro that sounded like the "Master! Apprentice!" part, sped up to crazy proportions, and then eventually spiraling out of control until the band kicked in. While I don't think I could ever entirely get used to that song the way she does it, it was not an entirely unpleasant experience.
I got to hear "Higher Than Hope" at the soundcheck, and when they started in on that song live, it was very touching. Anette gave so much heart and soul to that song, she really made it her own. Her voice was so tortured and heartfelt when she sang the "red sun rising" part, you could feel the pain in that lyric. Before they started the song, they had given a thumbs-up signal, which obviously I did not understand until the song began, and then at the end when Anette blew her kisses to the Bruelands, I saw them sitting up above in the balcony right above me. They notice me and wave in my direction.
One highlight that came as a pleasant surprise to me was "7 Days to the Wolves". On record, it didn't do much for me. But to hear it live...wow! It really brought it home. That, for me, was the most rockin' moment of the show. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, when "The Islander" was played earlier that night, it was a nice break in the mood but I have still walked away from it not thinking it among my most favorite of Nightwish songs. Anette looked absolutely darling in her little tiara, but that was about all. I saw that point in the show similar to in the old days when the band would do a song of their own with just the 4 guys.
The last song of the night was "Wish I Had an Angel", and Anette dedicated it to the Los Angeles audience, deeming us her favorite city and proceeded to mention how she enjoyed the shopping! So that was definitely cool to know that the band was feeling the So. Cal. love (which Anette mentioned more than once throughout the night).
Obviously the major highlight of the night for me, was "The Poet and the Pendulum". I know they've been playing it over the last couple of shows, but I didn't want to start expecting it. And, when I saw the Vintage Vinyl concert on my friend's computer earlier that weekend, it made me even more pumped up to hear it live. So when "the end..." filled my ears, I was a happy girl indeed. To hear my second-favorite track, "Sahara" right after that...well, you couldn't have found a more content ticket holder in the room at that moment, I don't think!
Oh yes, and to save the BEST for last...I waved my OSA shirt/flag throughout the night like it was no one's business. I hope the people behind me were not too pissed, I tried to do it in moderation and only when I saw some of the bandmembers coming to our side of the stage. I got Anette to notice it twice, she gave me the thumbs-up the first time and waved to me the second time. But towards the end of the night, I got Tuomas to look over, point at it, and wave to me. F*cking awesome! He gave me a little nod as if he recognized me, and I waved back and threw up my horns.
So, after the show ended and I was letting myself wind down in my chair for a moment, I look up to wave goodbye to the Bruelands and gesture to them to come down and say hi. They make a gesture saying they'll be down in a minute. So I wait for them. They greeted me with the biggest hug ever! It was so good to see them! They sent word to the OSA crew to thank for the tribute page for Marc on the old site, and they can't wait for us to get our new website going so that we can work on a new one! They thanked me for helping to keep Marc's spirit alive, and I had to be honest and say that it was my pleasure. Marc is an original American Oceansoul in my book and would like to hope that if things had been different, maybe he would have been a part of what we are doing now. I feel it's important to our "legacy" as American Nightwish fans to keep the memory alive of a fellow American fan, so doing what I can for the Bruelands on behalf of OSA is an honor for me.
As we part ways, I ask if they can give to Tuomas and Anette the gifts I had brought for them, seeing as how I did not have VIP tickets and was not able to stay for the meet-and-greet. I did ask if the band was considering coming out later, and was told that they would probably head right back to the hotel after the meet-and-greet. But the Bruelands assured me that my gifts would get to them and they would know where they came from. This is more than I ever could have asked for, I am so grateful to them for offering to help me. So right now Tuomas is richer a pair of Lady and the Tramp stuffed animals and Anette has a cute pair of earrings to wear at her next photo shoot if the need so strikes.
A few moments later, the HoB security gets on the loudspeaker and says that anyone who doesn't have a VIP pass has to exit the premises. That means my friend and I, so we head outside. We decide to wait for the crowd to clear, and then from there, play it by ear to see how fast people are coming out of the meet-and-greet. As we sat outside, we listened to various people reacting to the show, and I cannot tell you how many times the consensus was the same. I heard several times a statement pertaining to this, "it's not just Tarja and her backup band anymore, they are a real band!" It was great to hear so many people enjoying the new era of Nightwish.
On the same token, I have to give credit to my friend, he was a real sport. He had not heard Nightwish until I played them their music in the car on the way to the venue, and he really ended up having a good time (there was even a point before the band started where he said that sometime during the show he was going to go get another coffee. They kicked his ass so hard that he stayed from beginning to end!). He was more than willing to wait a while and see if we could catch any of the bandmembers coming out after the meet-and-greet. We stayed long enough to watch the band's bus pull up to the side of the venue, and see that there are about 3 or 4 cars left parked in the HoB parking lot. By this point it is 1:30 in the morning, and my friend has already waited an hour longer than we should have; he had school the next day and I had doctor's appointments in the morning. Reluctantly, we leave a few minutes later, just being unable to spend any more time. We both agreed that we would have loved to stay if we didn't have priorities so early the next day. But, I was not disappointed. I did what I came to do; I promoted OSA, got the band's attention, and they received the gifts I got for them. That was all I could ever ask. There is always next time, and from the looks of things, they'll be back here again soon.
So in closing, it was a fantastic show with a lot of positive reaction from the crowd to the band. And they showed OSA a lot of love in return. Anette and the guys have an onstage chemistry that is just full of positive vibes, one you want to see more of. I only hope I can get an opportunity to see them again in May. Nightwish is back and proved it time and again!
