Report: Activated

[gothrockrulz]

I've got to get this out now, while the memory is at its freshest. I really do wish I had a better memory--I'm terrified that this will dwindle to a vague happy haze all too soon.

Sorry it took me a day more than I promised--this turned out to be way longer than I'd expected, and our family's wifi turned out to be way more touchy than I'd expected. (JFYI, I took a few pictures and a couple snippets of video, but it wasn't much. Mostly, I just have my thoughts and videos from other people on YouTube.)



My dad and I drove down to the venue to make sure we got there at least an hour early, and our jaws dropped when we saw the line for getting in. It looked a quarter of a mile long, though it wasn't really that bad. I'd already gotten my ticket, so I went in that line, while Dad went to the line to purchase his (luckily, there were still openings).

The wait went by fast, because I just stood and listened in to other fans. (I have no qualms about eavesdropping when people are talking so loudly, anyone within a twenty foot radius can hear.) It was so cool to actually hear people in real life talking about music I actually have an interest in, instead of just reading YouTube comments or fangirling on LJ. Finally, people that speak my language!

Many agreed the turnout was incredible. We all know Nightwish has a staggering number of exceptionally loyal fans, but apparently none of us thought there were so many of us in the same general area.

Everybody was also talking about the upcoming Epica gig in the same place in November. Though there were certainly plenty of other girls there, I was a little surprised that the crowd was predominantly male. Wasn't too surprised that practically every guy was more or less in love with Simone Simons, though. (If there are still tickets available for Epica, I'm going to grab some. If there aren't, I'm going to slap myself upside the head for not jumping on it sooner.)

I learned that Anette was reportedly still sick, so she wouldn't make it to this gig, either. Instead, Floor Jansen from After Forever would fill in for her. Later, I realized I didn't know the half of it, after checking a comment in a previous post, then consulting Google. According to Wikipedia, Anette and Nightwish have split, announcing it on Oct. 1 on Facebook. I follow them on Facebook, so I'm shocked I didn't notice. (Stupid work takes up too much time. Also, stupid Facebook can be so annoying sometimes, I'll ignore it for days at a time.) Floor's supposed to finish the Imaginaerum tour with them. I'm going to be watching Facebook like a hawk from now on to see what they'll do next.

I eventually got inside, after having to give up my pens (writers are not excepted). Dad and I made a beeline past the stands, picking a good spot just a little off-center, close enough for a good view, but far enough to have a little elbow room.

Dad and I stood around talking another half hour waiting, and then the lights snapped off and Kamelot broke the ice with several pretty good songs.



I'd listened to Kamelot a little before, but hadn't been that crazy about them--now I'm a fan, and scanning Wikipedia to learn more about them. The male vocalist, Tommy Karevik, is great live, with a powerful voice that seems to rocket up to the ceiling and resonate in the rafters. He had quite a few fangirls bouncing around to our right. The guitarists, founding member Thomas Youngblood and bass guitarist Sean Tibbets, have a humor and energy that really pulls you into the music while they dance and stomp about the stage. If there had been room, we'd have danced and stomped along. And epic corsets on the female vocalistis, when they actually came on stage, certainly didn't hurt.



I knew I'd seen one of the female vocalists somewhere, but it wasn't until just now that I realized she was Elize Ryd, the girl from Amaranthe. Mind = blown.



One of my favorites was Sacrimony. I didn't get any vids for this one, but I found a nice one on YouTube from a Bulgarian performance, even though they had a different female vocalist.

The song that sticks in my mind most of all had a chorus that sounds just like part of a iconic classical piece I couldn't put my finger on, save for the difference of one end note. I didn't know whether to call it a loving tribute or a blatant rip-off, so I decided to just enjoy it and research the song later. Now that I've done said research, I can say the song is Forever, a very loving tribute to Edward Grieg's Solveig's Song. I'll always remember that song from watching Mirusia Louwerse sing it live. (I've only seen Andre Reiu, Wicked, and Celtic Woman live before this. That's it.)

One thing I did know: I started bouncing up and down with glee when the pianist started playing a theme from Pirates of the Caribbean. (One of the quickest ways to earn my affection forever is to pay tribute to PotC some way or another.) I'll definitely be listening to Kamelot more in future, even though I'm beginning to think their live performances blow their recordings out of the water.



Again, I have no video of my own to offer, just kind uploads from other fans. The first vid is better quality, but the second captures the exact same atmosphere of the live that I attended.

There was an intermission once Kamelot's half of the gig came to a close, and I was so glad that we bought earplugs on the way to the venue. My ears were already ringing, even through the earplugs. I don't want to think of the splitting headache I'd have otherwise.

I could swear that at some points, I saw Marco trolling us all by standing just out of view behind a doorway and holding out his hand and arm poised like a swan, as if he were making shadow puppets. (I say Marco because sometimes I could see the hint of a blonde beard and forked mustache, both unbelievably long. Who else has that besides Marco? Also, I'm really starting to wonder how he hasn't gotten his beard or mustache caught in something yet.)

As the intermission waned, the crowd grew dense. I'm absolutely certain that every available spot must have been taken, because whenever I looked back from then on, all I saw was a sea of faces leading back to the wall. As far as concerts go, it wasn't a huge stage or massive turnout--nothing compared to those crazy huge L'arc en Ciel lives J-rock fanatics like me watch over and over on YouTube--but I was still proud and pleased that so many people actually showed. Reassured me that I wasn't the only one for miles around who appreciates something besides American pop music. (One of the best ways to put me a psychotic mood is to start singing what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. No, it doesn't--it leaves you lying in convulsions in a pool of your blood, choking on pain and agony. But I digress . . .)



Finally, FINALLY, lights went off, smoke rose, and Nightwish jumped out--and I found myself screaming and jumping up and down before I knew it. Every lyric I could remember correctly I shouted out, especially during Nemo and Amaranth. It was awesome that the second the tinkling high notes of Nemo started up, a collection of blissful sighs and pumped yells rippled through the crowd.



But I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to focus on the first song--naturally, Storytime. I CANNOT DESCRIBE the sheer HIGH that everybody seemed to get during that song--we were all like OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M WITNESSING THIS IN REAL LIFE I HOPE THIS NEVER ENDS. It was a long time before I could actually believe that yes, they were all there in front of us, for real, living, breathing, and rocking our socks off. I still can barely wrap my head around it.

For lack of a better way to put it, Floor owned the floor, and floored us all. (Now that I have those puns out of my system, I can write with more originality.) I'd heard her voice before with her former band After Forever (again, YouTube), but only took a moderate liking to it at the time. But live--wow. Live, she is INCREDIBLE. Her range was better than I remember, and she sang with a mix of energy, poise, and just plain relish that made it so much fun.



You can tell she freaking loves her job to pieces, even though she's working with a band happens to be intimidatingly dominant in the genre--oh, wait, also the freaking original pioneer in said genre. It was so adorable watching how she seemed to be stoked to be performing with those guys, and they seemed to be so flattered and grateful that she'd stepped up to the plate.



And our Nightwish regulars were even better than I'd anticipated--and I had anticipated A LOT, I tell you! They showed even more relish in performing than Floor. Tuomas's hair was whipping and splaying along the keys almost as much as his nimble fingers. And I'll say this right now: he's the hunkiest pianist I've ever seen. Wow. Now I feel kinda bad that, in my admiration of Tarja, I tended to almost forget about him and the other members. Sadly, of all the members, I saw the least of him, because there were too many tall people to my left, often blocking his view. I'm tall myself, so I thought I wouldn't have much trouble seeing stuff. Not so--giants seemed to crop up everywhere.



Empuu was dancing half the time--sometimes, he was even more fun to watch than Floor. The rest of the time, he was grinning and laughing and making faces, as if he was sharing secret jokes with the audience, one person at a time.

Marco was--well, Marco. Still managing to NOT get his beard and mustache tangled up in everything. Enough said.

And all the guys were gulping down almost as much liquor as they were water. I was half-expecting somebody to start a spontaneous Viking drinking song, or something. (Somehow, someway, Dad and I ended up nicknaming Marco "The Viking.")



I can't remember all the songs, or exactly in what order they played--so I'm sorely tempted to go by what videos have been uploaded to YouTube. Shall I? Yes.



I Wish I Had An Angel was a perfect rush--it was a miracle we weren't all hoarse after shouting along.

For The Islander, Marco had all of us waving lighters, phones, and cameras back and forth to the rhythm. I closed my eyes and just swayed, almost forgetting I was stuck in a crowd.

I Want My Tears Back was possibly the most fun part of the concert. Only thing keeping me from jumping up and down during the whole thing was the fact that I'd probably be blocking the view of anybody directly behind me. XD

The intro to Planet Hell couldn't help making me want to laugh, for even though it's finally starting to cool off here in Arizona, we're still all-too-familiar with hellish heat, Marco. Don't have no frosty northern winters here. XD

Floor thanked us all in Dutch, and then tried to thank Nightwish in Finnish, but failed spectacularly with a nervous giggle. I don't blame her a bit.



I was ecstatic when Amaranth and Nemo played, because of all the songs Nightwish has done over the years, those two were the ones I was most anxious to hear live. (They represent my favorite song as sung by Anette, and my favorite song as sung by Tarja.)



During Amaranth, I was so into the song, yelling it out at the top of my lungs, I almost forgot where I was again. During Nemo, I was hyper-aware of everybody around me, because all of us were ready to drop to our knees with sheer happiness. Except for the people that managed to look bored, or at least, unmoved. It's like their faces were frozen in this perpetual blank stare. I'm reserved by nature, especially in group settings, and even I was starting to get mad at them for not showing some appreciation. You're at a freakin' Nightwish concert, you'd better get into it and make every second count while it lasts, moron. Then I decided not to let it bother me. I'd make up for anything lacking on their part.



Amazingly, I can't find a single video from a better camera on YouTube for either Amaranth or Nemo, so all I have to go on is a couple snippets of my own from my crappy camera. (I really wish it was capable of taking longer video. >.<)

Also, there were a couple extra guys that bear mention and praise, one that played an extra drum to make the experience that much more fun, another that played flutes and bagpipes with a wailing skill that made me green with envy. My Dad loved the songs he played in the best, because they sounded Irish to him. :) Dad was impressed by the variety of pace and style of the songs, and said both Kamelot and Nightwish were better than he'd expected. OF COURSE THEY WERE.



All in all, this was an unforgettable experience, and I wish there was a way to re-live it every evening, or whenever I want. And also send it to anybody who wants it. Holodecks need to be invented, like, RIGHT NOW.

If anybody's wondering, yes, I did get band merch, in the form of a poster and the Imaginaerum CD. There is a definite plus to bringing cash--you get in and out of there quickly while everybody else is sitting there waiting for the buggy card reader to start working. Definitely making note of that, if I manage to see Epica, too.