Finnish symphonic metal legends Nightwish as you may be aware, recently parted ways with singer, Anette Olzon. The band has recruited singer Floor Jansen (After Forever, ReVamp) to fill in for their current touring commitments. The powerhouse vocalist flew in from the Netherlands and hit the ground running and memorized all of the lyrics to Nightwish's setlist within a day of arriving in the States, where the band met her.

With anticipation building, Noisecreep attended the Oct. 5 Nightwish show at The Grove theater in Anaheim, Calif. and waited with bated breath to see if Jansen could handle the giant task at hand.

Check out Noisecreep's review of the Nightwish show along with some photos we shot during the performance!


Kamelot (from Florida) opened up and delivered a tight, thoroughly entertaining set. The crowd was very responsive, but clearly excited about Nightwish. A buzz throughout the venue made it clear that there was lots of heightened interest in Jansen.

Just after 10 p.m., the light dropped and the "Roll Tide" intro began. The crowd exploded at first sight of the band, and climbed a notch up after Jansen started out with the opening number, "Storytime."

For the next 90 minutes, the packed house rocked, swayed, fist-pumped, head-banged and took sheer delight in welcoming the band, and particularly Jansen, to California. Nightwish keyboardist/founder Tuomas Holopainen smiled proudly at several points during the show toward Jansen, as did the other band members during various times in the set.

Nightwish with Floor Jansen Photo Gallery
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The performance in Anaheim was just her fourth night of singing with the band, and Hansen seemed confident and fully in command. As well, band seemed extra inspired, delivering a monumental, truly triumphant show.

It is hard to imagine what Nightwish is going through right now, but suffice to say, rather than let their recent news slow them down, on the contrary, they seemed more motivated and inspired than ever to deliver an exceptional show. The energy, the forcefulness and the command of the music has rarely seemed more evident to Noisecreep, and whatever ends up happening with Nightwish, right now, they are a force to be reckoned with - a band you must see (and hear) to believe.

Nightwish U.S. tour dates:

October 9th – Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
October 10th – Emos – Austin, TX
October 11th – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
October 13th – Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL

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