NEWS

Special report by Mark Gromen

Like European explorers hundreds of years earlier, Nightwish struck out, across the American southwest, in search of new discoveries. The Finns were gracious enough to offer BW&BK unfettered access to shows, backstage/dressing rooms, the tour bus, etc. The key is to be as unobtrusive as possible, giving the band their privacy, yet still get the story. Phoenix, Albuquerque, San Antonio and Dallas, all new territories, which afforded the opportunity to encounter a Veteran’s Day ceremony/military parade at the Alamo, see John Two Hawks perform ‘Creek Mary’s Bloody’ and meet his wonderful family, as well as see/hear the subtleties of a nightly Nightwish show. Having not previously played in these areas (apart from Flagstaff, AZ, in ’04) there were less business and personal contacts each night, so the experience might not be indicative of other (big city) tour stop, but insightful nevertheless.

The ride from the Phoenix/Tempe airport to the Marquee Theater is short, by distance, relatively expensive, if you can even find a cab ($5 just to enter the vehicle, plus $1-$2 per mile thereafter, with a minimum fare of $15). Cacti dot the highways, which snake across the desert like the side-winding rattlers undoubtedly displaced during the construction. Around back of the brown cinderblock structure were parked a trio of buses (Nightwish, their crew and opening act, Paradise Lost). The absence of a clothes dryer sees trees strewn with socks, shirts and pants, quickly baking in the sun. Surprisingly, none of the early arrivals were even tempted to steal a “souvenir” or rare eBay item. However, the venue’s security is heavy handed, having patrons remove shoes for inspection before entering! I thought Philly, NYC and the East Coast were rough, but throughout the southwest, apparently dealing with border control has crept into the mindset of everyday life.

The band is a bit sullen, having learned their homeland isn’t immune from the horrors of school violence. The tragedy occurred in Jukka and Emppu’s hometown. Prior to sound check finds the band napping, watching the bus’ satellite television or keeping to themselves, often with SMS messages on the cell phones, or in Marco’s case, lost in his video game, when not doing the daily phone interview(s). Tuomas is fretting about developing the perfect Scandinavian set list. “The harder songs have to be in the right place, to give the singer time to recover. You don’t want to burn out the vocalist (which we almost did). The set needs to build. Air conditioning, changes in the atmosphere and having to be able to sleep on the bus all affect the voice.” Speaking of sleeping in moving racks of 6-foot long, 3 ft. wide and about 18 inches high bunks, Holopainen adds, “I’m uneasy about turning my life over to someone I don’t know (driver). What if he falls asleep?”

Around 4:30, it’s time for the sound check, which can change form day-to-day. They run through ‘Sahara’, ‘The Islander’ and ‘Come Cover Me’ within the empty hall, which can hold 1500 standing room only fans, although there won’t be that full this night. Despite a small, air conditioned dressing room, the bus provides a sense of home, away from home. In none of these cities does the promoter provide any food (opting for the cash buy-out), so meals come in the form of microwave dinners and/or cold cut sandwiches. Besides, the band is more enamored with liquid refreshment (well, maybe not Anette: “Talk to me in three years,” jokes Tuomas, about her developing a taste for alcohol), although they’ve toned it down a bit. According to manager Ewo Pohjola, during Century Child tours five bottles of vodka were downed before they hit the stage. These days, most of the partying comes after the concert.

The Marquee opens two hours before the first band, kids anxious to get out of the heat. Not much for them to do, so they queue up to buy Nightwish merchandise (neither hoodies nor long sleeves are big sellers in the desert southwest), eat $3 a slice pizza or, if of age, sample the local micro-brews, including Fat Tire and Kilt Lifter. Around 7:30, about two hours prior to show time, Jukka warms up his microwave platter, A vegetarian who avoids meat, fish and chicken, but will do cheese and/or eggs, his choices are the most limited, thus the bus’ fridge is stocked with a couple days’ supply.

The crowd is generally young, escorted by their parents (many of whom also buy shirts for themselves!). At this point, the set is fairly consistent, opening with ‘Bye, Bye Beautiful’. While she doesn’t make the multiple costume changes of her predecessor, each night sees Anette (a one time hairdresser) in a slightly different outfit. Decked out in patchwork dress, her hair in loose pig tails, tied back with red ribbons, she recalled Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz (a recurrent theme throughout our little trip), apart from the knee-hi boots, with visible skull socks. Hopping around the stage, arms flailing like a juiced up Muppet, the new singer brings liveliness long absent from the stage show. In addition to her easy-going rapport with the audience (sharing the mic and joking with Marco), her trademark appears to be a wry, seductive wink. Sure to melt the hearts of many a young boy, particularly in the nightly plug selling the condoms on sale at the merch booth, delivered prior to ‘Whoever Brings The Night’. ‘Ever Dream’ sees her punctuating the song with more desperation than Tarja did. Following the blackened/barren stage of ‘The Islander’, the introduction and re-emergence for ‘Poet & The Pendulum’ is like a second start to the show. While the song selection remains unchanged, the raps to the crowd aren’t canned, varying the theme nightly. To introduce ‘Wish I Had An Angel’, Olzon devilishly cooed to bassist Hietala (playing her best Lucille Ball to his straight man Ricky Ricardo), “Maybe we should give them something back? An Angel?” The place erupted in high pitch, mainly feminine voices, a fitting close to the night.

Afterwards, there’s a signing session, the line stretching for a couple hundred meters. Despite the lengthy wait (almost two hours for those at the back), they wait patiently in the still-warm Arizona night for a chance to say thanks, get a hug or photo op with favorite band member, before heading home. When finally done, back on the bus it’s a quick post-gig beer with some friends, before heading for the hotel to take a shower. Most American venues do not have bathing facilities, so the band rents a pair of hotel rooms (shower rooms) in each town, one for the band, one for the crew. Jobs completely, the bus heads to the hotel, where everyone cleans themselves up, then it’s on the road for Albuquerque, almost seven hours driving time (even more with the occasional stop for fuel, food and potty breaks. No #2 in the bus toilet!) Not too long into the trip Ewo pulls out the GG Allin CD, at full volume. It’s not too long until he virtually clears the front of the bus, people scurrying for their bunks (the back lounge is, uncharacteristically for most tour bands, not a secondary refuge/entertainment center, but storage for guitar cases and large personal suitcases).

Onto New Mexico!

The remaining three day odyssey with Nightwish will be featured in an upcoming issue of BW&BK, along with exclusive photos. In the meantime, you can see some onstage and backstage photos here.