Live Reviews : Nightwish & Taberah @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney 09/01/2016

Images: Michael Goddard
Words: Martin Michea

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One could almost tell, just by approaching the Enmore Theatre on this pleasant Saturday afternoon, that it was going to be a special night. Upon arrival I discovered that I was not the only one that had chosen to head over to the venue a couple hours before the doors opened. At 6pm the line was really quite impressive, and it continued to grow until it was show time.

Taberah took the stage to an almost filled venue at 7.30. Having never heard the band before, I was pleasantly surprised. Their high octane power metal immediately made me feel like I was watching some sort of Sabaton/Hammerfall crossover. Jonathon Barwick is probably the best Australian frontman I’ve had the pleasure to witness live, ever. He definitely knows how to handle a crowd and his charisma, combined with the fantastic musicianship that the entire band brought to the table, they made sure that the massive Sydney crowd woke up properly in time for Nightwish. Barwick wanted to know how many people in the audience that owned one of their CDs, only a handful of punters put their hand up. I have a feeling that because of this great opportunity, that the band definitely seized, there will be plenty more people owning Taberah records and merchandise in Sydney after tonight.

And so, the time had come for the main act of the evening. As the lights went out the venue was completely filled to the brim. As Richard Dawkins’ narration announce the arrival of Shudder Before The Beautiful, The Enmore Theatre erupts. It is easy to see that the band is taken aback by the wall of energy that greets them. This is a recurring theme throughout the night as the crowd sing, clap and dance their way into the hearts of the band members on stage.

Being veterans at this point, Nightwish know how to use a stage. The band is positioned in a way to ensure that punters always have something to look at. To the left mastermind Tuomas runs the show from behind his keyboards. Then we have temporary drummer Kai Hahto (Wintersun) who is an incredible backbone thanks to his showmanship and incredible musicianship. Marco Hietala’s vocals sound better than ever before. The chemistry between Marco, Emppu and Troy Donockley (who plays about every single instrument known to man) is one key part to tonight’s show. Sometimes you just can’t help but giggle at their crazy stage antics. As an example, Marco and Emppu had a short match of rock-paper-scissors at one point (which ended in a draw).

In my opinion Floor Jansen is the best female metal vocalist in the business right now. Not only can she casually hit ridiculously high notes, but she also knows how to work the crowd. Her interactions with the rest of the band is what sets her apart from the competition though. She knows exactly when to hand over the spotlight to one of the other members.

It is a stripped down version of Nightwish that takes the stage in Sydney tonight. As with most bands they just can’t afford to bring their full stage production to Australia, which is a shame, as their current pyrotechnics are marvelous. That being said, overall the show doesn’t suffer from the lack of fire, quite the contrary. The energy levels are higher and the light show is incredible.

Endless Forms Most Beautiful dominates the setlist tonight, however, there are some golden oldies being performed as well, ‘Stargazers’ being one of them. Apart from that some of the more standard hit songs that are also included, like ‘Nemo’ and ‘Ghost Love Score’. In other words, there is something for every Nightwish fan to look forward to on the current tour.

There were some moments during the show where the whole venue was singing along. During songs like ‘7 Days To The Wolves’ or ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ you could just see and feel how the Sydney audience amazed Nightwish with their energy. Emppu mouthed “WOW!” more than one time on this fantastic evening.

Musically, Nightwish never disappoint. It is obvious to anyone who witnesses the band live that it is a well-oiled machine. Marco’s and Floor’s vocals work so amazingly well together and whilst Emppu might not be the most technical guitar player of all time, he is the ultimate entertainer on stage. Troy Donockley also deserves more recognition, he has added a completely new element to Nightwish, which works well on the albums, but even better live. I have seen Nightwish on most tours from 2005 up until now, and what I feel they have been lacking a bit in the past has never been musical ability, it has rather been energy and emotion. They brought an abundance of both tonight. Combine that with the fact that you could see from ten miles away that they all were having the time of their lives on stage and the result is one of the most memorable concerts ever.

2016 has only just started and if you want to kick off your concert year with a night to remember, make sure that you check out Nightwish on one of their remaining tour dates. You will definitely not regret it.

Nightwish are on tour in Australia this month. Tickets are on sale now. Get yours below.

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