A cool April night played host to Nightwish’s glorious return to San Francisco. The last time they were in the city by the bay was October 3, 2012. The hallowed halls of the Warfield Theater are now filled with over two-thousand fans, some new, some old. First built in 1922, the Warfield started as a vaudeville theater and in modern usage has been graced with names like Slayer, the Grateful Dead, King Diamond, and Dream Theater. This tour marks a few new things for those in California: a new vocalist named Floor Jansen, a new drummer named Kai Hohto, and of course a new album in the form of Endless Forms Most Beautiful which this tour is in support of.
This is actually Floor’s second show in San Francisco as part of Nightwish. The 2012 tour stop was Floor’s third night as part of Nightwish after she flew in mid-tour.Floor is a mix of first vocalist Tarja Turunen’s operatic range with second vocalist Anette Olzon’s more rocking skillset. The three years between now and then have seen her grow considerably and now she looks so comfortable you’d never guess she wasn’t with the band from the onset.
Kai Hahto, on loan from Finnish band Wintersun, stands in for longtime Nightwish drummer Jukka Nevalainen. Jukka is currently battling a recurring case of insomnia which forced him to not only sit out this tour but even the recording of the new album. Kai has some big shoes to fill but he has clearly gained the approval of Jukka and the rest of Nightwish since he was selected for the spot to begin with. Good luck to Jukka on his recovery and rest well.
Nightwish mainstays bassist Marco, keyboardist (and band mastermind) Tuomas, and guitarist Emppu are all here too. Tuomas and Emppu have been with the band since the beginning and Marco has more than a dozen years under his belt. Troy Donockley, who has contributed on woodwinds for almost a decade now, has become a freshly minted member of the band.
The bill includes Delain and Sabaton, two headliners in their own right. Fans of either will have seen them within the last year; Delain paired with Xandria and Sonata Arctica, and Sabaton alongside Floor Jansen’s band ReVamp and veterans Iced Earth.
The doors opened to attendees 7PM and Delain went on at approximately 7:30PM. Will-call went slow and by the time I entered the main lobby I could hear the sounds of Delain’s “Stardust” through the walls. During another song Nightwish bassist and sometimes vocalist Marco Hietala popped onstage to provide guest vocals much to the cheers of the crowd. The band closed with the title track to their 2012 album “We Are the Others.”
Sabaton’s brand of metal involves telling tales of war and battles both long past and present. They opened with the mainstay “Ghost Division,” a song about German General Erwin Rommel and his 7th Panzer Division during World War II. So-called because of their fast movement which caused friend and foe alike to lose them on the battlefield. Not even German High Command knew where they were at times. This was followed by “To Hell and Back” and “Carolus Rex” which are from the latest album Heroes and previous album Carolus Rex respectively.
About midway through the lights go blackout dark. Searchlights activate and scan the skies as sirens blare; “Night Witches” have arrived. I liked this song enough on the album. Seeing and hearing it live is a treat. When I first heard it I must have played it on repeat a half dozen times, much to the chagrin of my coworkers.
As a sort of bookend to is “Primo Victoria” which speaks of the Allied landings of Normandy as part of Operation Neptune, the amphibious portion of Operation Overlord. Americans, British, and Canadians hit the beaches under fire and this is a tribute to their efforts. Joakim notes that “without them, we’d be speaking German! And we know how you Americans are; you can’t even speak the one language you’ve got!” Closing out the set is the song “Metal Crue, ” a celebration of the many metal bands that Sabaton has drawn inspiration from. We’re missing a few classics like “White Death” and “40:1″ but when time is limited you have to pick and choose.
Enough talk. Time for Nightwish.
The pit is easily twice as full as during Sabaton’s. The Warfield’s pit is a small fence near the front with barely space for one stout man to stand abroad. Add a dozen photographers and there’s just no way to manuever. I take a spot on stage left which ultimately proves limiting. There’s a wall of photographers blocking out the opposite side of the pit which means my access to Marco and Tuomas will be scant. I take a quick look behind me and the whole room looks packed.
The new album’s opening track is titled “Shudder Before the Beautiful” and allows the band to come into play one by one. Floor Jansen strides out, towering over the crowd, a goddess ready to ministrate to her followers. She walks to the mic and from her mouth a spell enchants the crowd. We’re helpless to her siren call of “Awake, oceanborn…” which signals the beginning of the show.
They follow up quickly with “Yours is an Empty Hope” going slightly heavier. Floor throws in a few hair windmills and growls a little on the vocals for good measure. Endless Forms Most Beautiful would feature in just under half of the entire set. The band would mix in songs from Dark Passion Play, Imaginaerum, Once, and going even as far back as Oceanborn and Wishmaster to round things out. Standouts include “Weak Fantasy,” “Storytime,” and “Dark Chest of Wonders.”
“Weak Fantasy” opens with a little duel betwen Tuomas’ keyboard and Kai’s drums before the full ensemble kicks in and Troy Donockley throws down with his mandolin to accompany Floor’s voice. This has to be my favorite song from the album. I probably should have taken some more photos during this song but I think I was too busy headbanging. “Storytime” really helps blend Floor’s vocal abilities. Every time there is an opportunity to use her soprano skills she jumps at it. “Dark Chest of Wonders” kicks things back into high gear just in case you thought you might get a break.
Dipping back into the old days of Nightwish we have “Stargazer” and “Sleeping Sun.” Floor is able to hit the high notes much like Tarja long before her. It’s the first time in a decade these songs have been heard live. Perhaps one day I’ll be able to see “Tenth Man Down” live. Okay, maybe not. I might be the only person out there who likes that song. It was my first bit of Nightwish and it never let go. After “Sleeping Sun” the band transitions seamlessly into an abbreviated version of “Greatest Show on Earth” followed by “Ghost Love Score.”
I dare say “Ghost Love Score” is Floor’s best song; it’s almost as if it was written for her in the future. Tarja did a good job thanks to her soprano training, Anette did what she could (but could never hit the notes), and Floor does what both did, but better. The last two minutes of “Ghost Love Score” with Floor are worth the price of admission alone. I’ve played back videos repeatedly just for those two minutes. There’s just one more song left and it’s “Last Ride of the Day.” A fitting end to a magical night.
Unfortunately that’s all for the night. Fans wait and call for an encore but there will be none; the house lights are a little delayed in going on, as if to taunt attendees, but no luck. The slow, disjointed walk to the lobby and back to reality begins. The spell is over. Our carriage is now but a pumpkin. All we have is our memories and the hope, no, the knowledge, that Nightwish will return.
A limited edition shirt featuring “April 28 – The Warfield, San Francisco” on its back is being sold at the merch table. I pick one up. What better way to say “we were here?”
Setlist:
Delain (partial):
Stardust
The Gathering
Not enough
We are the others
Sabaton:
Ghost Division
To Hell and Back
Carolus Rex
Swedish Pagans
Resist and Bite
The Art of War
Night Witches
Primo Victoria
Metal Crue
Album Breakdown:
Heroes: 3
Carolus Rex: 1
The Art of War: 3
Attero Dominatus: 1
Primo Victoria: 1
Heroes:
Nightwish:
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
Dark Chest of Wonders
Alpenglow
Stargazers
Sleeping Sun
The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapter II: Life and Chapter III: The Toolmaker)
Ghost Love Score
Last Ride of the Day
Album Breakdown:
Endless Forms Most Beautiful: 8
Imaginaerum: 2
Dark Passion Play: 2
Once: 2
Oceanborn: 2
Wishmaster: 1