Apparently the band & Annette wanted to go different directions (style-wise) so they split up mid-tour. They now have a new singer named Floor Jansen, who'd been with the band about a week when I saw them (she flew over from Europe, memorized lyrics on the plane, and performed that night after landing). She doesn't do opera-style vocals like Tarja did/does, though I sought out some music from her old band After Forever, and she did do some opera vocals with them. However, she obviously has a lot more range than Annette - she belted out the high notes in Everdream without too much effort - so if they decide to "get back to their roots" and do more classic Nightwish, I think this singer will be able to handle that.
As for the concert, I enjoyed it. Kamelot, which I hadn't heard that much, opened and put on a great show. I mean they sounded really, really good. Their singer is awesome, the instruments weren't too loud, and the two female backup singers really added to the songs.
Nightwish was good, but I didn't think their show was as good as Kamelot's. There were a number of songs in which they jacked their instrument volume levels to 11 and drowned out the vocals to some extent (they definitely weren't the focal point of the song, and traditionally Nightwish is a vocals-driven band). Some other songs were pretty good, though, and featured vocals and instrumentals that were much more in balance. My guess is that they were trying to cover for the new singer by turning everything up so loud you couldn't hear her that well.
Anyway, I think they're gonna be in Texas during the next couple of days, so if you're a fan, they're worth seeing (seriously, Kamelot was GREAT and was worth the ticket alone).
[This message has been edited by atfarmer (edited 10/10/2012 10:26p).]
As for the concert, I enjoyed it. Kamelot, which I hadn't heard that much, opened and put on a great show. I mean they sounded really, really good. Their singer is awesome, the instruments weren't too loud, and the two female backup singers really added to the songs.
Nightwish was good, but I didn't think their show was as good as Kamelot's. There were a number of songs in which they jacked their instrument volume levels to 11 and drowned out the vocals to some extent (they definitely weren't the focal point of the song, and traditionally Nightwish is a vocals-driven band). Some other songs were pretty good, though, and featured vocals and instrumentals that were much more in balance. My guess is that they were trying to cover for the new singer by turning everything up so loud you couldn't hear her that well.
Anyway, I think they're gonna be in Texas during the next couple of days, so if you're a fan, they're worth seeing (seriously, Kamelot was GREAT and was worth the ticket alone).
[This message has been edited by atfarmer (edited 10/10/2012 10:26p).]