03.08.2013 Nightwish

Wacken Open Air XXIV

Wacken (Germany)

(Pentax K-5 with Sigma AF 70-200mm 2.8 EX DC APO HSM II)

The tension was rising into the immesurable because the Finns of Nightwish should have their great show with their new front woman Floor Jansen on the Wacken Open Air and this should additionally be banned on celluloid so that towards the end of the year a new bluray of that concert could be released.
Right after the intro everyone entered the stage and directly during the first song "Dark Chest Of Wonders" everybody knew that there was a way better front woman at work than Anette Olzon has been. Floor is not unknown as she already was singer of After Forever and her current band Revamp. She can easily reach vocal ranges that Tarja reached only she is not sounding that cool and clinical and is also not behaving like that. She was what you really could call a stage hog and was not only taking the audience with her but was spinning around the stage all the time.
But not only she was at really good mood, also the other guys really were brimming over with having fun to play this gig and were not being that arrogant as on some other concerts. Bass player Marco Hietela was flawlessly presenting his vocal parts and also guitarrist Emppu vuorinen was just like keyboarder Toumas Holopainen constantly grinning like a Cheshire cat. Not only the collection of songs played was incredible and giving a cross section across all the albums of Nightwish but also the show on stage with lots of pyros and a huge LED monitor were really impressive. For the celtic instruments for the live shows Troy Donockley was engaged who just like Floor became a member of Nightwish shortly after the Wacken Open Air. Maybe that is a hint in which direction the sound of Nightwish will develop in future.
I think Nightwish has found by Floor Jansen a really great replacement for Anette Olzen who is feeling home not only in the more rocking parts of the songs but also is able to sing the operatic altitude flights of a Tarja Turunen. Additionally there was a really great atmosphere on and in front of the stage. Clearly this had been one of the highlights of this years Wacken. I am thinking of buying the bluray and Floor was outperforming my expectations on how good she could fit into this band by far. There was not much left over of the Wacken afterwards but this evening there will no one follow that could overcome this performance.