LIVE REPORT: Marko Hietala & Tarja Turunen
Olavinlinna, Savonlinna; August 3rd, 2023
Admittedly, I’m already winding down for the year when it comes to shows. But when the world has been bragging about seeing Marko Hietala and Tarja Turunen playing shows together (outside of Raskasta Joulua, no less), all of us old-school Nightwish fans lost our minds a little. As such, when the show at the famous Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna was announced for August 3rd, 2023, we knew there was going to be a road trip out that way.
Now, I’ve already seen Marko about seven times this year, so if you happened to have caught any of the shows on the Springtime of the Black Heart Tour earlier this year, this was more or less a slightly shorter 1-hour summer-festival-edition of his tour set. The listed start time was 19:00 but he took the stage at 19:10 and opened with “Tähti, hiekka ja varjo,” “Isäni ääni,” and “Dead God’s Son.” The show wasn’t sold-out but it looked damned near close, as there was very little open seating (you know, only in those seats in the wings that people take when there are no other options), with a largely older crowd but surprisingly many foreigners as well, which was nice to see. It seemed like a small handful of people had traveled to Finland just for the show.
Marko, of course, remains a natural showman, chatting up the crowd and eliciting a few laughs between songs. There’s no complaining about the set, apart from it being a little shorter, because all of his solo material is so spectacular. “Vapauden kuolemarssi” and “Juoksen rautateitä” are natural live bangers that always get me moving, even in seated venues. “For You” had him start without his bass, “Stones” remains a clear fan-favorite, the “War Pigs” cover is still the penultimate track, with “Truth Shall Set You Free” wrapping things up. It’s a magnificent final track and somehow, that wonderful castle atmosphere only made everything better.
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Tarja’s show was listed in different places as starting at 20:30 and some places at 21:00, so it seemed as though they compromised by starting her up at 21:45, as Marko was still playing at 20:30. The stage changeover was so quick because Tarja’s band were using Marko’s band’s keyboards and drums, which certainly saves a lot of time.
She came out strong to “Eye of the Storm” before greeting the crowd and setting into the heavy “Demons in You.” Admittedly, I haven’t personally listened to her material in recent years, but things were sounding pretty good, despite the material being very unfamiliar. Also, shout-out to her outfit, because it was spectacular – I’ve always been a fan of her stage looks and this was no different. Furthermore, she has always looked so cool on stage, in how she presents herself as a vocalist, and this was true again on this night.
The backing orchestrations in “Diva” had a very intriguing haunted, autumnal feeling to them, which has an interesting atmospheric effect for a lover of fall and mystique like myself, especially in a castle. It’s worth saying though, even Tarja herself couldn’t get a seated crowd to move much – do I need to start complaining about the audiences in Finland again?
A few guests had brought flowers for Tarja and at least the bouquet of white and red roses had found its way to her arms before “Enough”; a few of these were sitting by the drum kit by the end of the night. The lighting in the castle was fantastic, creating all sorts of patterns and shadows that made everything look wonderful. “I Feel Immortal” and anything else from “What Lies Beneath” were among my personal highlights, as I was never able to see her perform on that tour. She currently seems to be celebrating the release of a best-of album, which explains why her setlist was so varied – lucky us, as we got to have a taste of everything!
Of course, if there was one thing that everyone was waiting for, it was Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s “Phantom of the Opera,” which featured a dramatic stone staircase descent for Marko as he returned to the role of the Phantom for this duet. For those of us who never had a chance to experience these two performing together in Nightwish back in the day, this song truly allowed for some sort of bucket-list wish fulfillment. It’s also very heartwarming to see how time does heal a lot of wounds – it’s been nearly 2 decades since the old drama and it’s wonderful that they can take the stage together after everything they’ve been through, and do it full of smiles and joy. It was a complete delight to see!
It’s hard to come back from such an epic duet halfway through your set, and it’s a shame that this was the only song they did together, but nevertheless, the show still went on strong. Tarja gave a wonderful speech about how parting with NIGHTWISH had left her very lost, but it was the support from fans that kept her going, before playing the iconic “I Walk Alone” – it’s still as powerful today as it was when it was released back in 2007.
The main set then wrapped up with “Victim of Ritual,” but she went on to perform a full 5-song encore, featuring “Innocence,” “Die Alive,” “Dead Promises,” “Until My Last Breath,” and, to our delight, the classic cover of Gary Moore‘s “Over the Hills and Far Away” was the cherry on the top of a fantastic set.
It was truly a magnificent night of great atmosphere, wonderful lights, and truly legendary vocalists doing what they do best. The setting was perfect and if one of the organizers hadn’t been ruining everything for everyone behind the scenes (thankfully the other people working there were doing their best despite the difficulties presented by this individual’s hyper-inflated ego), this would have been an absolutely flawless event evening. We hope to see more pairings like this, as well as more healing from old wounds, in the future!
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