Fugazi

Tough questions! I expect 5-6 correct answers at most!

Another Peter Orullian interview on Breaking Absolutes, this time with our favourite multi-instrumentalist Troy. Troy is quite hilarious. Some personal highlights: Find out how Troy became "the gynecologist of progressive rock" playing the "ovarian pipes" Troy was once voted the second most important Cumbrian of all times. 😲 He also can tiptoe around a dance floor to Cannibal Corpse. 😈 Troy was strongly encouraged by the band to sing more, which led to new vocal harmonies and him being "pressured" into singing lead vocals on Human Nature. We can expect to hear him singing more in future Nightwish and Auri works. Troy is gearing up to find Excalibur using his new metal detector.

Wishmastour 2000 (compilation, 2000) This EP-sized compilation was released exclusively in France. The title is misleading, as it doesn't include any live performances. The last two tracks are video tracks. This to my knowledge is the first re-release of the songs "A Return To The Sea" and "Once Upon A Troubadour" from the original limited-edition release of "Angels Fall First". Track list (with relevant threads when available): Wishmaster (WM, 2000) Sleepwalker (heavy version, 2000 single) Passion & The Opera (edit) (OB, 1998) Nightquest (B-side of "Walking In The Air" single, 1999) A Return To The Sea (AFF original release, 1997) Once Upon A Troubadour (AFF original release, 1997) Sleeping Sun (official video, 1998) Sacrament Of Wilderness (official "live" video, 1998)

Bless The Child (single/compilation, 2002) This EP version of the "Bless The Child" single was released in many markets worldwide. The content is somewhat similar to the earlier French-only compilation "Wishmastour 2000". A bonus CD with similar content was also added to the Deluxe Sound & Vision edition of the "Highest Hopes" compilation in 2005. To my knowledge, this is the first global release to feature the 1997 songs "Once Upon A Troubadour" and "A Return To The Sea" from the limited original edition of "Angels Fall First". Previously, the two songs were released on "Wishmastour 2000" in France. Track list (with relevant threads when available): Bless The Child (CC, 2002) The Wayfarer (B-side of "Ever Dream" single, 2002) Come Cover Me (live recording from Tampere Finland, December 29 2000) (Note 1) Dead Boy's Poem (live recording from Tampere Finland, December 29 2000) (Note 1) Once Upon A Troubadour (AFF original release, 1997) A Return To The Sea (AFF original release, 1997) Sleepwalker (heavy version, 2000 single) Nightquest (B-side of "Walking In The Air" single, 1999) Notes: Previously released on "From Wishes To Eternity" (live album, 2001)

Dammit... Crossing fingers for you guys in Finland. Only 8 days left before the warm-up show! 😲

Well done! Yes that would have been amazing, but even seeing them once is kind of a miracle these days! 😁

Walking In The Air: The Greatest Ballads (compilation, 2011) No previously unreleased material on this compilation. Published by Drakkar who only had rights to the first 4 Nightwish albums. Track list (with relevant threads when available): Walking In The Air (Howard Blake cover, OB, 1998) Angels Fall First (AFF, 1997) Sleepwalker (heavy version, 2000 single) Sleeping Sun (1998 single) Dead's Boy Poem (WM, 2000) Deep Silent Complete (WM, 2000) Feel For You (CC, 2002) The Phantom Of The Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover, CC, 2002) Ocean Soul (CC, 2002) Lagoon (B-side of "Bless The Child" single, 2002) Swanheart (OB, 1998) Two For Tragedy (WM, 2000) A Return To The Sea (AFF original release, 1997) Away (OTHAFA, 2001) Forever Yours (CC, 2002)

I posted your offer on our Twitter, maybe it will help.

Tales From The Elvenpath (compilation, 2004) German release by Drakkar. Contains no tracks from debut album "Angels Fall First". Track list (with relevant threads when available): Wishmaster (WM, 2000) Sacrament Of Wilderness (OB, 1998) End Of All Hope (CC, 2002) Bless The Child (CC, 2002) Sleeping Sun (single, 1998) Walking In The Air (Howard Blake cover, OB, 1998) Stargazers (OB, 1998) Over The Hills And Far Away (Gary Moore cover, OTHAFA, 2001) The Kinslayer (WM, 2000) Dead's Boy Poem (WM, 2000) Sleepwalker (single, 2000) Nightquest (B-side of "Walking In The Air" single, 1999) Lagoon (B-side of "Bless The Child" single, 2002) The Wayfarer (B-side of "Ever Dream" single, 2002) From the band: In the official biography, Tuomas says of this compilation: "The song selection is just fine, but the cover art is horrible, and the whole idea of putting out a 'greatest hits' compilation was just stupid. [...] The label does what it has to do, and the band takes it like they should. I guess we have to allow Boggi [Kopec, head of Nightwish's German label] that -- after al, Drakkar did a good job for us."

The next single "Sick Of You" will be out soon, depending on your time zone. I actually like this one better than "Parasite"... It has a nice "metal ABBA" vibe. 😁

Highest Hopes: The Best Of Nightwish (compilation, 2005) The only really new material on this compilation is the re-recorded version of "Sleeping Sun", the last work of Tarja with the band, and the live cover of "High Hopes". I have yet to figure out the date/venue for the "High Hopes" performance. The album liner gives no clue. The album was mastered in May 2005 by Mika Jussila so that kind of limits the possibilities to Feb-May 2005. I know that Tokyo in March was professionally recorded, so that's one possibility. Track list (with relevant threads when available): Wish I Had An Angel (ONCE, 2004) Stargazers (OB, 1998) The Kinslayer (WM, 2000) Ever Dream (CC, 2002) Elvenpath (AFF, 1997) Bless The Child (CC, 2002) Nemo (ONCE, 2004) Sleeping Sun (2005 re-recording of the 1998 single) Dead To The World (CC, 2002) Over The Hills And Far Away (Gary Moore cover, OTHAFA, 2001) Deep Silent Complete (WM, 2000) (Note 1) Sacrament Of Wilderness (OB, 1998) Walking In The Air (Howard Blake cover, OB, 1998) Wishmaster (WM, 2000) Dead's Boy Poem (WM, 2000) High Hopes (Pink Floyd cover, live recording) (Note 2) Bonus tracks (Limited Edition DVD) She Is My Sin (live recording from M'Era Luna Festival Germany, August 9 2003) (Note 3) The Kinslayer (live recording from M'Era Luna Festival Germany, August 9 2003) (Note 3) Dead To The World (live recording from M'Era Luna Festival Germany, August 9 2003) (Note 3) Bonus tracks (Deluxe Sound + Vision CD) (Note 6) The Wayfarer (B-side of "Ever Dream" single, 2002) Come Cover Me (live recording from Tampere Finland, December 29 2000) (Note 4) Dead Boy's Poem (live recording from Tampere Finland, December 29 2000) (Note 4) Once Upon A Troubadour (AFF original release, 1997) A Return To The Sea (AFF original release, 1997) Sleepwalker (heavy version, 2000 single) Nightquest (B-side of "Walking In The Air" single, 1999) Lagoon (B-side of "Bless The Child" single, 2002) Bonus tracks (Deluxe Sound + Vision DVD) She Is My Sin (live recording from M'Era Luna Festival Germany, August 9 2003) (Note 3) Dead To The World (live recording from M'Era Luna Festival Germany, August 9 2003) (Note 3) The Kinslayer (live recording from M'Era Luna Festival Germany, August 9 2003) (Note 3) Over The Hills And Far Away (official video) Bless The Child (official video) Sleeping Sun (official 1998 video) Walking In The Air (live recording from Tampere Finland, December 29 2000) (Note 4) End Of All Hope (live recording from Summer Breeze Open Air Germany, August 23 2002) (Note 5) 10th Man Down (live recording from Summer Breeze Open Air Germany, August 23 2002) (Note 5) Sleeping Sun (live recording from Summer Breeze Open Air Germany, August 23 2002) (Note 5) Notes: On the Limited Edition of the compilation, "Deep Silent Complete" was replaced by "The Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover, CC, 2002) Live performance, recording date/venue unknown Previously released on "Starfacts Presents Nightwish" (promotional video CD, 2004) Previously released on "From Wishes To Eternity" (live album, 2001) Previously released on "End Of Innocence" (live album, 2003) Content of this extra CD is very similar to the 2002 single/compilation "Bless The Child" From the band: In the official biography, Tuomas comments: "I got the feeling that it was a sort of counterstrike to the Drakkar compilation [Tales From The Elvenpath, 2004]. I would have liked to postpone it by a year so it could have been a tenth-anniversary compilation. [...] Still, it's a really good package all in all, very nice covers, good title. I totally endorse it, but it's not exactly what I had in mind. I would have included one more song from Once, for example."

Here's a short interview with Tarja shortly after she left the band in 2005... It was on the day she also did her press conference reacting to the open letter.

Well I saw the virtual show, I liked the performance but didn't dig the special effects so much. It was nice seeing Tarja sing but throughout the show the emphasis was on the sprawling visuals and as you can see in the Shed My Skin video most of the time the performers were tiny blobs on the screen.

This one is super difficult! 🤪

Yay more questions! 👍 I'm at work now, but I will be looking into this tonight. 🤘

"Nemo" from the virtual show is now available as an Amazon Exclusive... Have they sold the whole show to Amazon? That would make a DVD release very unlikely. 😐 Edit: apparently the material has been retouched a bit for this release... Do let me know if you happen to have an Amazon Music subscription.

I'm not mad about the source material, but Floor rendition and her expressiveness is unmatched.

Edit:

I don't have the full setlist but here are some of the songs sang tonight

It seems that Kai said too much and the promoters aren't happy about it! https://www.iltalehti.fi/musiikki/a/ae628167-28a6-439d-a0ce-050be3578226 Nightwish mysteriously moved on to its gig - a confusing misunderstanding behind conflicting explanations The Nightwish concert was postponed for one day, causing surprise on social media. Nightwish, one of the world's most popular Finnish bands, announced in May that it would hold a concert in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki, on Sunday 15 August. On Monday, the band’s channels announced that the concert would be postponed one day backwards, on Saturday, August 14th. The information was reported on Nightwish's official Facebook page, among other things . In comments to the release, the band's drummer Kai Hahto said that the ticket sales for Sunday had been weak. According to Hahto, the organizer had offered options to either postpone the concert on Saturday or cancel it altogether. - It is not worth arranging when you get to pay for the event yourself at the end. This is our own gig and we also have the risk. It’s not worth doing such a big production if it’s not even your own thing yet, the Nightwish drummer writes in the comments for the public release. The sales target is achieved Scott Lavender , the Finnish and Baltic head of touring of the concert organizer Live Nation, assures that the concert was decided to move only at the request of the audience. - We had received requests to postpone the concert to Saturday. We were offered the opportunity to do so and we seized it. Lavender notes that Saturday is traditionally a better gig day for fans traveling from outside locations, for example. In the comments to the Facebook publication, the audience has expressed their annoyance that at the same time that Saturday will be the second day of the Dark River festival in Kotka as well as the Blind Channel concert at the Helsinki Pool Sea Pool. Because of the overlap, many write that they are now in a difficult situation, forcing them to choose between two events. Some commentators say they have already booked the hotel for the Sunday gig. Lavender says very few have contacted the organizer about the change. - The feedback we have received has been largely positive. Lavender does not know why Hahto justifies the transfer with poor ticket sales. According to Lavender, ticket sales meet expectations. By Sunday, more than 70% of the target number had been sold. According to Lavender, the direction seems promising that the goal will also be achieved, or even exceeded thanks to the move. - The show will definitely happen. We were already happy with the ticket sales situation on Sunday. Saturday allows for an even more spectacular event, Lavender assures. According to Lavender, the allegations that the organizer would have offered either transfer or cancellation as alternatives are not true. - The idea for the transfer did not come from us, people had asked for it. Lavender notes that when the opportunity for a Saturday concert was offered, the organizers and artists discussed the issue. The common position was that Saturday is a better day for the concert. - There is no financial motive for postponing the concert, Lavender confirms. The drummer commented Iltalehti reached the Nightwish band Hahto later on Tuesday to comment on the situation. According to the drummer, there has been a misunderstanding in the situation. - I've talked about the wrong week's figures. It is better for musicians to play and let gig sellers take care of their business, so there will be no misunderstandings, Hahto states. Hahto also mentions information that tickets would have sold 70 percent of the target. However, Facebook comments posted by Hahto will still be available on Wednesday morning. Originally from August 12-14 Kaisaiemi Park was to host the Kaisa Rocks event, with performances by Popeda and Eppu Normaali, among others. Kaisa Rocks' cancellation was also announced on Monday. Lavender confirms that it was the cancellation of Kaisa Rocks that made it possible to postpone Nightwish’s concert. Kaisa Rock's cancellation was precisely motivated by financial reasons. - We are leaving the industry in a difficult time. It was not financially possible to organize a new, multi-day and as-yet-established event. It was perhaps a little ambitious at this point, Lavender notes. He says overall ticket sales are currently at a good level. According to him, there are no signs of the Covid situation and the uncertainty it causes. For example, Lavender mentions the giant gigs of The Weeknd and Queen + Adam Lambert planned for Helsinki next year. Each sale was completed in minutes. The latter's additional gig was also sold out quickly, there are only a few tickets left for the first. - People buy a lot of tickets. Artists want to perform and the audience wants to return to events. We know that when we put on a show, there’s an audience for it. The overall picture looks optimistic. Lavender also assures that the events will be organized in a safe manner and in accordance with the instructions of the authorities.

A preview of things to come... that's a lot of visual effects. And Sharon den Adel answers questions about the upcoming show.

A longer interview with Floor on Breaking Absolutes. 👍 Many things already covered before, but here are some highlights: Learning how to project the emotions in Tuomas' lyrics and music helped Floor grow as a singer. The speed and complexity of the lyric lines on Human Nature had Floor rehearse more than ever in her career so far. Floor recorded the operatic vocals for Shoemaker three times until she was satisfied with the result. The final take was recorded in her home studio. The US Nightwish tour was postponed because of visa delivery hurdles.

And now the North-American dates have been moved to Spring 2022. 😪 It's probably better to play it safe. I'm surprised at the time span between the NY and LA shows though (12 days). Are they planning to add more American dates in between, or perhaps move the Mexican dates?

Another former member of Delain is returning, this time guitar player (and singer) Ronald Landa. Strange to see all these guys returning, makes me wonder what made them leave the band in the first place.