Article by Shell Emery
Being a relatively new Nightwish fan, I have never seen them live before and living in Birmingham, I have never been to the Astoria before, so this show was a completely new experience for me. Going to the final show of the tour also meant I had heard other people's opinions of the previous shows, so I had high expectations, and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed!
From my position at the barrier, I was in the perfect place to enjoy my first Nightwish show, although by the time Brainstorm took to the stage, it was obvious that things were going to get very hot, very packed, very quickly!
I was pleasantly surprised with Brainstorm – no-one I talked to before the show knew who they were, and the reception to begin with was a little cold. The singer, however, knew how to work the crowd and the music spoke for itself – note perfect, even on the high notes, so it didn't take long for the crowd to warm to the band, and the singer noticed this and thanked us over and over again. It was nice to see a band being genuinely sincere in their gratitude for the response they received.
By this point, the place was like a sauna and no-one could move, but before long this was all forgotten as the band took their place on the stage and I found myself right in front of Marco as Dark Chest of Wonders kicked in. I thought the sound was slightly off, but was impressed with the band's performance and had a great time singing along. The sound still wasn't quite right for the band's second song Planet Hell (not that this stopped me or anyone else in the audience enjoying the song) but by the third song She Is My Sin (one of my favourites anyway) whatever the problem was seemed to have sorted itself out. I've never been too keen on the Phantom of the Opera cover, so whilst it sounded good and the interaction between Marco and Tarja was entertaining, it didn't really hold any significance to me.
I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Ever Dream, after it being removed from the set list for the previous shows, and this song, for me, was the highlight of the evening, particularly since I wasn't expecting and it sounded perfect.
There was a noticeable change in the crowd's mood for recent single Nemo, and it was clear that many people there were far more familiar with the band's newer material, and this song received possibly the best reception of the night. Most amusingly, someone had brought an inflatable Nemo toy with them, which sailed over my head and onto the stage, causing much amusement and the band members to struggle to keep a straight face.
Sleeping Sun brought about a nice calming change in atmosphere and Bless the Child went down well with the crowd too. It seemed slightly strange to then include Higher than Hope here, especially in between two of the more upbeat songs, and whilst it was performed well, I feel perhaps it could have been put in a better place in the set-list. Wishmaster, of course, was then another highlight of the evening, full of energy and really got the crowd going. So much so that people in the first few rows were really starting to struggle with the crush and heat, unfortunately Over The Hills And Far Away followed this song, so the crowd barely had time to breathe before launching straight into another high energy favourite, and this seemed like the perfect song to end on.
After a (thankfully) very short break, the band returned for their encore. Dead Boy's Poem gave the crowd a chance to sing along and take in the atmosphere, but not for long, as this lead straight into Slaying The Dreamer, and then the band finally finished on one of the newer favourites from Once, Wish I Had An Angel, which sounded huge, and was an excellent way to end my first ever Nightwish show – and after tonight, I can guarantee that it won't be my last!
