It was the first full tour featuring lead singer Floor Jansen, who replaced Anette Olzon in late 2012,[2] and it was the first tour featuring drummer Kai Hahto, who replaced Jukka Nevalainen on hiatus due to health issues.[3]
Background
The band toured United States and Canada from April to May 2015 and in June started a series of festivals appearances across Europe, including two headlining shows in Finland;[1] In September, the band took part in the traditional Rock in Rio festival in Brazil,[4] also with additional dates for Latin America,[5] and then toured European arenas from October to November, ending the leg at the famous Wembley Arena in London.[6] In 2016, the band toured Australia in January, embarked on another North American tour in February and March, followed by Asia in April, and a small tour in Russia and Ukraine before setting off for another series of festivals.[1]
On August 20, 2016, at the Himos Park show, original Nightwish bassist Sami Vänskä joined the band on stage to play "Stargazers" with them on bass while Marko joined the crowd.[7]Jukka Nevalainen was also a guest, filling in for Kai Hahto for drums to play "Last Ride of the Day".[8]
The band made their first appearance back in South Korea since the Wishmaster World Tour fifteen years ago.
Reception
Nightwish performing in Oberhausen in 2015.
Samantha Wu from V13, gave the Toronto performance a positive review. She praised Floor Jansen's vocals and her presence on stage, citing that she "is a thrill to watch". She also praised the inclusion of old songs like "Stargazers" being added to the setlist which have not been performed in a long while, as well as the spotlight shining moment with Marko Hietala's performance of "The Islander". Samantha concluded her review by stating that that Floor was the perfect fit for the band in which she hopes she will be with the band for a long time, as well as stating their performance that night was 'simply outstanding'.[9]
Anabel from RockRevolt Magazine who attended the Greek Theater performance in Los Angeles had given the show a positive review. In their review of the concert, they pointed out the nature and traveler themed imagery and props used for the stage, used in the adventurer theme of the album itself. The reviewer praised the strong setlist, referring to the energetic songs and beautiful ballads on the set. The reviewer cited Floor Jansen's vocals as awe-inspiring in which she had stolen the show for the use of her theatrical expressions. The reviewer concluded their review, stating that the encore songs were the "icing on the cake" finish for an amazing show.[10]
Dan Shutt, a reporter from The Independent, who had attended the sold out Wembley performance, noted on the energy and excitement of the show as a spectacle, sticking to the formula with pyrotechnics and visual effects playing throughout the biggest songs. However, he criticized the lack of personalisation which was outweighed by Floor's vocals.[11]
Set list
The following set list was performed at the first show of the tour at Hammerstein Ballroom, and is not intended to represent all of the shows on tour.[12]
"The Greatest Show on Earth "Chapter V: Sea-Worn Driftwood"" (intro)
