The magnificence of metal was on full display this past Saturday night as the Finnish symphonic metal band NIghtwish made a stop at the Fillmore. The band is out supporting their latest release “Decades,” a celebration of Nightwish music spanning the years 1996-2015. With no support act, the evening was all about Nightwish and they treated the capacity crowd to a set full of melodic metal madness and beautiful orchestral arrangements.
As the venue lights dimmed, the larger than life LED screen lit up the back of the stage as Nightwish had a special message for those in attendance. The band asked the fans to embrace the magic of the night and to fully immerse themselves in the experience by putting their cellphones away and directing all their attention to the stage. To my surprise, the majority of the audience did exactly that as I barely saw any phones out on the main level of the venue. The images on the screen changed to a clock counting down as a taped intro played an instrumental snippet of “Swanheart.” As the crowd counted down 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 the lights focused to stage left as Troy Donockley made an appearance, sitting on a stool first with the tinwhistle before switching to the uileann pipes also known as the Irish bagpipes. After a few minutes of soothing instrumentals, the rest of the band joined Troy on stage for the opening “End of All Hope” with the crowd erupting at the first glimpse of lead vocalist Floor Jansen. Lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen took his spot behind his various keyboards and synths providing a full, lush sound all evening. Guitarists Emppu Vuorinen and Donockley traded licks while bassist Marco Hietala kept the rhythms going along with touring drummer Kai Hahto. It was only their second stop on this tour but their performance was absolutely breathtaking as Jansen led the band through a decade of Nightwish hits. There aren’t many female vocalists with the vocal range and control of Jansen as she is without a doubt one of the best in the business. Whether belting out a soaring chorus or causing chills amongst the audience with a poignant ballad, Floor is amazing and sounded phenomenal. The band members each had a moment to address the audience during the set but kept it to a minimum allowing the beauty and grandeur of the music to envelop those lucky enough to be in attendance. After rocking the roof off the Fillmore for the better part of two hours, Nightwish finally called it a night closing out the show with “Ghost Love Score” and exiting to a plethora of fans screaming their appreciation as a taped outro played the final two chapters of “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
It was an outstanding night of symphonic metal full of all the fantasy and majesty that a Nightwish show brings. Don’t miss them when they bring their “Decades” tour to a city near you.
Set List:
Intro
End of All Hope
Wish I Had an Angel
10th Man Down
Come Cover Me
Gethsemane
Elan
Sacrament of Wilderness
Dead Boy’s Poem
Elvenjig (Traditional cover)
Elvenpath
I Want My Tears Back
The Carpenter
The Kinslayer
Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean
Nemo
Slaying the Dreamer
The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapter 1 Four Point Six, Chapter II Life, Chapter III The Toolmaker)
Ghost Love Score
Outro
We would like to thank Kristin Torres from Nuclear Blast Records for the credentials to review the show.
