NIGHTWISH – European Tour “DECADES”
Concert Review By T-Bou
Opening act – BEAST IN BLACK
November 24, 2018
Germany – Stuttgart – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
Another stop on the European tour “DECADES” of the symphonic metal band NIGHTWISH was in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (Stuttgart, Germany). The largest multi-purpose hall in the south of Germany. As expected, the Finns again ensured a nearly sold out concert here. It was noteworthy that almost 12,000 NIGHTWISH fans had already gathered for the opening act BEAST IN BLACK.
BEAST IN BLACK have more than just convinced and proven that their qualities go well beyond of those from “normal” opening bands. The five-piece heavy metal band from Helsinki was founded in 2015 by Anton Kabanen after he split from BATTLE BEAST. BEAST IN BLACK already caused the ground to quake with the opener “Beast in Black”. The crystal clear voice of Papadopoulos in combination with hard riffs gave a very good taste of what was to come. After some harder songs, like “Blood of a Lion” or “The Fifth Angel”, followed the ballad “Ghost in the Rain”. Here again the outstanding voice of Yannis Papadopoulos came into its own. The mood reached its climax with “Blind and Frozen” towards the end of the Finns’ flawless performance. With this hit they brought the fans to rage and earned a huge applause and many fists and horns stretched up. After about an hour, BEAST IN BLACK cleared the stage with thunderous applause. One would have thought the headliner had already played. The mood for NIGHTWISH could not have been better prepared. When it comes to points, BEAST IN BLACK has easily earned 10 out of 10 points.
It was followed by a 45-minute break and the friendly note “please refrain from mobile phone shots”. Faithful to the motto “back to the roots” you should prefer to do without the modern technology as before, even though the entire show had the basis of the most modern high tech. A little ironic, maybe. Before NIGHTWISH came on stage, the photographers were told with the affectionate words “step on the marking line and you fly out of here”, please do not leave the small marked area. Then it could already start…
After the mystical intro and “Swanheart” with Troy Donockley, the hearts of lovers of the Irish bagpipe definitely beat faster. Although these tender sounds are not so much my personal case, the real opener “Dark Chest of Wonders” catapults me back from hibernation, whether I like it or not, with the sharp riffs it was impossible to just stand still and at the latest with the heat wave of the pillars of fire on the stage the ice melted in me. “Wish I Had an Angel”, the song that will probably always be one of my favorites, followed and I could not resist pull out my phone to record this unique stage show and atmosphere. At the latest at “10Th Man Down”, from the album “End of Innocence” I though realized again, why I miss Tarja Turunen.
Floor Jansen is beyond question a great singer, but in some parts she does not reach the level of classical vocal training of Tarja. Especially with “10th Man Down” I lacked clarity in her voice and some strength. As next, the journey went back in time. Because this is the aim of the “DECADES” tour, namely to present pieces that were not been heard live for years. With “Come Cover Me” and “Gethsemane” from the years 1997 and 1998 Floor shows again that their voice color fits NIGHTWISH and the male counterpart. The 20-year journey back in time is briefly interrupted with “Élan” from the album “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” from the year 2015. “Élan” did not fit right in here for me. Quiet, not powerful as we are used to from NIGHTWISH. A slightly newer style … just different. With “Sacrament of Wilderness”, “Dead Boy’s Poem” and “Elvenpath” we will be back in the 90s. Epic, majestic, 100 percent NIGHTWISH, but also a bit melancholic. But Floor convinces on all levels and leads the fans into the world of the mystical, mysterious… Only her movements on stage are expandable. Apart from the classical head circles, her movements were rather stiff and static. But maybe that was because of her sexy outfit, which was not too comfortable. It continues in 2011 with “I Want My Tears Back” and “Last Ride of the Day” with folkloric rhythms and a sound in which no one is able to stand still anymore. From here we jump song wise between 3 and 7 years. Emotional with “The Carpenter”, dramatic with “The Kinslayer”, hard with “Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean”, mysterious with “Nemo” and again with hard riffs on “Slaying the Dreamer”. Again, with a pyro-show of the finest. But those who now had to go to the bathroom would have found their way back faster with a night vision device, because the smoke stood literally in the corridors. NIGHTWISH but still as fresh as at the beginning of the concert.
With “The Greatest Show On Earth” and “Ghost Love Score”, the pompous ending of a breathtaking NIGHTWISH night starts, in which all that was promised was been complied with. The “DECADES” tour was and is in fact a journey through time that makes the heart of every NIGHTWISH fan (no matter from which era) beat faster and that nobody should miss. Anyone who has not been able to experience this epic night up close should definitely take a look at the great pictures of “Fotomazzoli Paul Tine” (Bossenmaier).
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Setlist NIGHTWISH:
Intro + Swanheart
Dark Chest of Wonders
Wish I Had an Angel
10Th Man Down
Come Cover Me
Gethsemane
Élan
Sacrament of Wilderness
Dead Boy’s Poem
Elvenjig + Elvenpath
I Want My Tears Back
Last Ride of the Day
The Carpenter
The Kinslayer
Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean
Nemo
Slaying the Dreamer
The Greatest Show On Earth
Ghost Love Score
MHF Magazine/T.Bou
