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London Calling: Nightwish at Wembley Arena

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"We were here!" - Nightwish

I was introduced to Nightwish through a video of their 2013 performance at the Wacken festival in Germany. I was instantly mesmerized by their exciting pyrotechnics, unique soundscape, and singer, Floor Jansen, who had soaring vocals and the ability to hold the crowd in the palm of her hand. The band's discography immediately found itself in constant rotation in my playlists.

Since high school, my favorite band has been Queen. This included a time when it was hard to get access to their back catalog as their popularity had waned in the States. For many years, they did not even have an American recording contract and their CDs could only be found in the expensive export bin. They were selling out stadiums across the globe but were not even touring in the United States.

Similarly, Nightwish headlines festivals in Europe, but only play in small theaters in America. I had seen the band twice at the Grove in the shadow of Angel Stadium in Anaheim and the 1,700-seat venue was an intimate setting that made me appreciate Jansen's vocal abilities even more. Still, watching this band on a small stage was like taking a wild animal and constraining it within the confines of the cage at a zoo. I longed to see Nightwish in their native habitat.

As 2019 came to a close, the band started to announce dates for their next world tour. Having never traveled outside of North America, my wife and I decided that we would make the jump. At first, we set our sights on the festival circuit, but due to my wife's mobility considerations, we decided to select a date for the arena portion of the tour. Tickets were purchased for the Wembley Arena stop and the anticipation began. And then COVID hit and the world came to a stop.

Like all other bands, Nightwish was forced to suspend their trek across the world as the world dealt with the pandemic. At first, the show was delayed by a year. As the rescheduled date approached, my wife's Multiple Sclerosis had become progressive, making it more difficult to travel. Instead, we both felt this would be a great trip to share with my mother and the travel arrangements were booked.

As the trip approached, the omicron variant started to spread across Europe. Less than two weeks before we were supposed to leave the shutdowns began again and the concert was delayed for another year. Luckily we had purchased travel insurance with our package.

As the Omicron surge waned and bands began to tour again, Nightwish was the first concert my wife and I attended in an indoor setting. The band performed well at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, but it was a somewhat muted experience. Perhaps fans needed time to get their sea legs back after being locked up for so long. Maybe the band was still trying to reform its onstage chemistry as they adjusted to the departure of Marko Hietala, a longtime member of the band who had been a key component of their performances.

With my appetite stimulated by the performance at The Wiltern, I looked forward to the November date in London with renewed anticipation. The trip was rebooked and the plans were set. Then another wave hit the shore.

On October 26th, Jansen announced through her Twitter feed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and would be undergoing surgery. While she expressed confidence that she would heal in time to begin the European tour, this potentially devastating news was about much more than a night of entertainment. As the mother of a young child, Jansen spoke of the fear of not seeing her daughter grow up to become a woman in her announcement. She also spoke about how shocking the diagnosis was as it was only caught because she went for a regularly scheduled mammogram and had no indication that something was wrong.

Jansen's surgery was successful and just days before the tour was set to begin she was declared to be "cancer free." While she stated that she was "not back to a 100%", she expressed confidence that "the shows [would] give [her] the power push" that she needed.

My mother and I arrived at Wembley Park via "The Underground" a few hours before the show and I was immediately taken in by the history of the grounds that I was about to enter. As we left the station, Wembley Stadium stood before us. While the building is new, it sits on the grounds that hosted Live Aid and Freddie Mercury's legendary performance with Queen. Just months ago, the Foo Fighters had joined with their friends and fans to pay tribute to their fallen bandmate, Taylor Hawkins, within those walls.

Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
(Image by Carl J. Petersen)
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As we walked toward the stadium, the arena appeared on our right. The building was built in 1934, but the front is more modern. While it only holds 12,500 people, it is the second-largest arena in the United Kingdom. Once inside it felt very similar to the Long Beach Arena. While we had reserved seats, the floor was general admission and standing room only.

While I was not familiar with the opening act, Turmion Kà ¤tilà ¶t, the crowd was. They had a unique sound that combined dance beats with industrial metal. Their two singers sang in Finnish. It was an interesting performance.

The second band was Beast in Black, who had also opened for Nightwish on the American leg of the tour. They were received much better by the Wembley audience than they had been at the Wiltern. This band was a master at delivering '80s0era metal cliche's. Their performances were tight and very entertaining.

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Carl Petersen is a parent, an advocate for students with special education needs, an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council, a member of the LAUSD's CAC, and was a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race. During the campaign, the Network for Public Education (NPE) Action endorsed him, and Dr. Diane Ravitch called him a " (more...)
 

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