Moondance

What is Emppu's current equipment and guitar rig now, as he had changed it since the last update. From what I know, he is using ESP guitars now. Not sure about the amplifiers, string gauges and effects though.

Speaking of another metal project, one led by Edguy's Tobias Sammet and still ongoing to this day, I found out that former Nightwish member Marko Hietala had guest vocals on the song "Master of the Pendulum" off of the band's album, Ghostlights.

An album review from one of the Toronto metal reviewers, A&P Reacts. I've met these guys a few times when going to shows. Great people.

On 10/12/2020 at 6:30 PM, Fugazi said:

And the first NW song I ever heard was from Oceanborn, it was Walking in the Air. I was listening to the Snowman short movie, and I was captivated by that one song. When I found the NW version, I was completely blown away! But somehow I wasn't ready to listen to song after song of operatic metal at the time... not yet! 😄

Surprisingly, it was their cover of "Walking in the Air" that completely got me into Nightwish in the first place. When I first heard it and the vocal rhythm came in, my mind immediately recognized it as I remember watching The Snowman when I was in elementary school. It wasn't the instruments but the vocals that I always remembered as far back when watching it on the television screen in Grade 1 or 2.

I recently got a second copy of the album, which includes the track "Once Upon a Troubadour". It is a CD copy from France from the year 1999. It doesn't have "Return to the Sea", but my first copy already has that as well as the demo, so it's fine.

Found a fifteen minute documentary on the making of the album.

I was really surprised when I read that Tuomas did not like the song "Away", as it is a beautiful song. He did say that "10th Man Down" is one of their best songs though.

Quote

"It was really difficult to start writing those other songs, 'Tenth Man Down' and 'Away', because obviously you'd want to save your best stuff for the album, as it feels like they're sort of wasted on the B-side of an EP. On the other hand, you don't want to put crap in there, either. In the end, 'Tenth Man Down' turned out to be one of our best songs ever, and it would have been fine on an album, too, but 'Away' is a whopping piece of crap."

- Tuomas Holopainen, Once Upon a Nightwish, page 139

Almost no one I know of in the Metal community is aware of this band as they only had released one album before disbanding, as it was a project produced and led by Sascha Paeth, with music composed by Robert Hunecke-Rizzo and both concept and lyrics written by Amanda Somerville.

The album "Days of Rising Doom" was released in 2003, and even has a guest appearance by Marko Hietala in the song "Oriana's Wrath". Emppu Vuorinen even plays a guitar solo in "Rebellion". Various guests appear on the album such as: Simone Simons, Michael Kiske, Tobias Sammet, Andre Matos, Candice Night, Glenn Hughes, etc.

As of 2013, Sascha Paeth has indicated that there is no plans to revisit and return to making any more Aina-related material.

The full album can be listened to here on YouTube.

10 hours ago, Fugazi said:

Now where's Tome 2 of the biography? 🤔 I think Nightwish have grown more protective of their personal life over the years, so I'm not holding my breath for more insight into their Anette years anytime soon.

I hope there will be another Nightwish biography in the future that will cover on the Anette Olzon era to the present time with Floor, which can acknowledge more on certain events that happened from the band's point of view. It'd be interesting to see what went on behind the scenes during those times. The book We Were Here technically already covers on the Endless Forms Most Beautiful part of Nightwish's tale, so I would wonder how they would add to it if there was a second biography for those times. I'd say keep your fingers crossed just in case. 🙂

It looks like Backstage Rock Shop isn't selling it anymore. ☹️ Thank goodness I bought a copy while I still could.

Who else owns this book?

If you don't, it is available in English and Finnish versions on the Backstage Rock Shop website.

English:

https://www.backstagerockshop.com/collections/nightwish/products/nightwish-we-were-here-book-in-english

Finnish:

https://www.backstagerockshop.com/collections/nightwish/products/nightwish-we-were-here-book

It did! Though it took about two or three weeks for me to get better, and a bit of medicine for my excessive coughing and ear drops for my ear!

Yeah, I didn't know it would be Marko's last tour with Nightwish either - but I am very happy that I did get to see him perform with them four times.

This was the first album by Nightwish that I felt rather excited waiting for, having had almost sleepless nights for the long wait until it's release. I was still in that phase of being obsessively huge into the band and the thought of them releasing an album brought me joy inside. By the time it came out, I already had a digital version of the album from iTunes - but a few days later, bought a physical CD version of the album which I later got signed by the band the next year.

I ended up replaying "Elan" so many times that I don't remember how many it was. 😆 My parents thought I was going to go crazy from talking about it a lot. Hell, I even counted down the days and hours until the day it was released.

I was at the Massey Hall show in Toronto for this tour on March 20, 2018. Ended up getting floor seats for that show, and even got myself another meet-and-greet.

Unfortunately, two or three days ago, I ended up getting quite ill and was fighting against my cough which was popping up a lot. I was not going to let myself miss that show, being that the band played an important part in my life. I went to the venue quite very early in the morning, and got to watch all the roadies and crew do their work - even had a great conversation with a security guard.

I did wait to see if any of the band members would arrive, but I only ended up seeing Ewo Pohjola arriving. He even gave me one of Emppu's guitar picks. I still have that pick to this day. 🙂 A few fans did come, but it was only short conversations I had with them. And at the side of the venue, I thought I met Emppu, though I was certain it was one of the technicians that looked like him. I did decide to come back later as I looked around the Eaton Centre.

While I was waiting to meet the band in a line-up later, my left ear was starting to ring and it became gradually louder overtime while I was waiting. Eventually, the hearing in my left ear became muffled, and I became a bit panicked at the thought that I was losing my hearing. A couple of people that were lining up to meet the band noticed me panicking even when I was telling them and were beginning to worry about me.

After going downstairs where the tables were set up for the band, we are all waiting for the band to come out. I bought a shirt there with the tour dates and tipped the merch people $50. While waiting, the left side of my ear was beginning to feel hot, and I had that feeling of being light-headed. People in line were asking if I was okay and if I needed to sit down, because they thought I was going to faint. I did sit at one of the tables and a lady in line was nice to save my spot in line.

Kai was the first one that I said hello to. I asked him if he remembered me and he did from the London Ontario show in 2016. He signed my copies of Wintersun's debut and "Time I". I felt really awkward saying hello to Emppu, but I guess it was nervousness. Marko signed my copies of Delain's "April Rain" and "The Human Contradiction". When I said hello to Floor, I congratulated her for the kid she and Hannes had, and she thanked me. Both Troy and Tuomas signed two copies of Tuomas' solo album as I had one for a school teacher that I introduced the music of Nightwish to.

Had the picture with them afterwards. Being that I was really ill, I decided to thank them and not shake any hands in fear that I would get one of the members ill in turn. Got my pre-signed poster, signed items and went off happy and satisfied like the last time I met them. They weren't aware that I was ill and I did not want to tell them as I didn't want them to worry about me.

They went on to perform a phenomenal set, even if my left ear was muffled. Even got to move to the front of the stage from my seat and watch at the edge of the stage. In the end, I managed to get Marko's setlist as I was on his side of the stage. I did get people offering me $100 for the setlist I had, but it is now at home and hanging up on the wall in my room for memories' sake. And I eventually got my hearing back and got better afterwards. 😄

The setlist from the Toronto show:

Quote

1. End of All Hope
2. Wish I Had an Angel
3. 10th Man Down
4. Come Cover Me
5. Gethsemane
6. Elan
7. Sacrament of Wilderness
8. Deep Silent Complete
9. Dead Boy's Poem
10. Elvenpath (with Elvenjig)
11. I Want My Tears Back
12. The Carpenter
13. The Kinslayer
14. Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean
15. Nemo
16. Slaying the Dreamer
17. The Greatest Show on Earth (I - III)
18. Ghost Love Score
    

I'd say Imaginaerum as it was the first Nightwish album that I bought.

I was at two shows on this tour: Toronto in April 2015, and London Ontario in February 2016. I had a lot of fun at these shows, even if I didn't stay until the end of those two shows. I bought tour shirts for each of the North American legs, and even bought a copy of the score for the Imaginaerum movie. Delain and Sabaton were the openers for the Toronto show, and for the London Ontario show it was Delain and Sonata Arctica.

The London Ontario show is the one that stands out for me the most, as it is the day where I finally got to meet the band through a meet and greet, which I paid $200 for, and desperately purchased as it was my dream to meet them. I had drawn a picture for the band to give to them, and they really liked it. They all signed my copy of "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" and I let them keep the picture that I gave to them.

Quote

Toronto setlist: (April 14, 2015)

• Shudder Before the Beautiful
• Yours is an Empty Hope
• Amaranth
• She Is My Sin
• Endless Forms Most Beautiful
• My Walden
• The Islander
• Élan
• Weak Fantasy
• Storytime
• Ever Dream
• I Want My Tears Back
• Stargazers
• Sleeping Sun
• The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapters II - III)
• Ghost Love Score
• Last Ride of the Day

Quote

London Ontario setlist: (February 22, 2016)

• Shudder Before the Beautiful
• Yours is an Empty Hope
• Bless the Child
• Storytime
• My Walden
• While Your Lips Are Still Red
• Élan
• Weak Fantasy
• 7 Days to the Wolves
• Romanticide
• I Want My Tears Back
• Nemo
• Stargazers
• Ghost Love Score
• Last Ride of the Day
• The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapters II - III)

The Wikipedia page for the band's first tour has been redirected to the band's main article. Was pretty much told that there were no other reliable secondary sources in support of the tour article, even if I did add more detail from the Once Upon a Nightwish biography. 😔

I got a shirt from the merch table that night, which had the tour dates on them so that I could remember which one I went to. II wore that one so much that as soon as I found a hole in the shirt I had to stop wearing it. I still have it, but it's in storage so that I can preserve it and share stories about my first Nightwish show with others. Still have my ticket stub as well.

I was at the Toronto show on September 20, 2012. I went with one of my best friends and with my father. We were close up to the front and Kamelot was the opening act for the show, which in turn introduced me to them. I believe a minute before the lights went out to welcome Nightwish, the audience began to chant "Nightwish, Nightwish, Nightwish" very loudly, and I joined in of course with my friend.

I unfortunately only remember bits and pieces from the show, like when Marko gave me a smile from seeing me in the audience to the songs "Storytime", "Wish I Had an Angel" and "Amaranth". I kind of remember that they performed "Last of the Wilds".

During the show, my friend had to go to the washroom and my dad went to take her, so for a bit of the set I was up there at the front by myself. My friend was in the back by the merchandise stand waiting for me, and I didn't realize that they texted me cause I was in that daze of listening to the band. My dad moved up towards the front, security was trying to stop him cause they didn't know if it was dangerous. He told them I was there and allowed him to come get me from near the front to go to the back to see my friend. Me and my friend had a picture together there near the merch table that my dad took, but it got lost. 😄

Even if it was my only time seeing Anette performing with Nightwish days before she was fired, I will never forget that this concert got me huge into the band. And thus, began an obsession.

Quote

Toronto setlist:

----

Crimson Tide [Intro Tape]

1. Storytime
2. Wish I Had an Angel
3. Amaranth
4. 7 Days to the Wolves
5. The Siren
6. Slow, Love, Slow
7. I Want My Tears Back
8. The Crow, The Owl and the Dove
9. The Islander
10. Nemo (acoustic)
11. Last of the Wilds
12. Planet Hell
13. Ghost River
14. Over the Hills and Far Away (Gary Moore cover, with "Mug of Brown Ale" intro)
15. Song of Myself
16. Last Ride of the Day

Imaginaerum [Outro Tape]

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Setlist source:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/nightwish/2012/sound-academy-toronto-on-canada-5bdd8308.html

Thank you.

Greetings to everyone in the Nightwish hangout. You can call me Moondance.

I first became a Nightwish fan when an old friend shared that as one of his favorite bands during the summer of 2012 when I was 18 going on 19. I checked out their song "Amaranth", and it initially didn't interest me at first. But when I later found out that Nightwish was coming to Toronto in September 2012, I then remembered the band and bought tickets to that show as well as their album Imaginaerum. "Amaranth", "Storytime" and "Cadence of Her Last Breath" were on repeat for me until I knew the words to those songs. Seeing the show that month pretty much sealed the deal, and I gathered every studio album they had. Even during my long walks I would listen to them and still do.

At the end of 2014, the album "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" is announced. My 21 year old mind got very excited and there were nights where I almost couldn't sleep because the wait to hear new Nightwish material was absolutely killing me. Even repeated "Elan" numerous times before it was released. That was the first time I was ever excited for an album from my all-time favorite band.

2020, and "Human. :||: Nature." comes out. 26 year old me who has matured and appears calmer looks forward to it, and I enjoyed it just as much as the previous album.

I look forward to seeing Nightwish the next time they come around to Toronto. I was going to see them in 2020 and had a front row seat, but it unfortunately got cancelled. ☹️ I still remain hopeful that I will get to see them again, and many more times until their future final tour if they do one. 😁 I have many stories to share of the Nightwish experiences I've had - but that'll be for another time.