Once Upon a Tour


Once Upon a Tour was a concert tour by the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, in 2004 and 2005, to promote the release of their fifth album, Once, released June 7, 2004. A new greatest hits compilation, Highest Hopes, was also released to tie in with the tour. The albums combined with the band's most expansive merchandise campaign by Nuclear Blast Records meant this tour was heralded as the band's most important in many years. Many of the band's songs had not been played in a long time.

Background

The success of the album allowed the band to perform in many countries they had never visited before: Colombia, Ecuador, Scotland, Estonia, Greece, Romania, Denmark, Japan, Australia, Portugal, and Slovenia. The band also played their first tour in the United States, with various sold-out concerts; the South American leg also sold out all its concerts. A second tour was planned in the US, but it was cancelled by Tarja Turunen, who also cancelled some concerts in Australia.
After touring in Europe and South America in late 2004, and some separate shows in December, the band had some time off in January 2005. In February, Nightwish won five Emma-Gala Awards ; among other awards, they won "The Band of the Year" and "The Best Selling Album of the Year". Tuomas Holopainen and Marko Hietala flew to Helsinki to receive the awards from touring in Europe. In March, Nightwish performed for the first time in Japan and Australia; in April and May, they had to have a break because of Turunen's other interests; but at the end of May, the band resumed the tour by playing with Iron Maiden in Poland and Mötley Crüe in Norway. During late 2005, Nightwish played several shows including a sold-out performance at the legendary Hammersmith Apollo in London. The last show on the European tour, in Stuttgart, Germany was up until then their biggest gig, with an audience of ten thousand.
The final concert was played on October 21 for 11,500 people in Hartwall Areena in Helsinki. The concert was also recorded to be released as an End of an Era live DVD and CD.
This was the last tour with Tarja Turunen; after the last concert the four other members of Nightwish decided it was best to continue Nightwish without Turunen, a feeling they expressed through an open letter Holopainen gave Turunen after the show, afterwards posted on the band's website. It was written by Holopainen but signed by the other band members. The main justification for Turunen's dismissal given in the letter was the band felt both her husband Marcelo Cabuli and commercial interests had changed her attitude towards the band. In May 2007, former Alyson Avenue frontwoman Anette Olzon was revealed as Turunen's replacement.

Set lists

2004

  1. "Dark Chest of Wonders"
  2. "Planet Hell"
  3. "Deep Silent Complete"
  4. "She Is My Sin"
  5. "The Phantom of the Opera"
  6. "Ever Dream"
  7. "Symphony of Destruction"
  8. "Sleeping Sun"
  9. "Bless the Child"
  10. "The Trooper"
  11. "Wishmaster"
  12. "Nemo"
  13. "Slaying the Dreamer"
  14. "Over the Hills and Far Away"
  15. ;Encore
  16. "Dead Boy's Poem"
  17. "Ghost Love Score"
  18. "Wish I Had an Angel"

    2005

  19. "Dark Chest of Wonders"
  20. "Ever Dream"
  21. "Planet Hell"
  22. "The Kinslayer"
  23. "The Siren"
  24. "The Phantom of the Opera"
  25. "High Hopes"
  26. "The Trooper"
  27. "Wishmaster"
  28. "Bless the Child"
  29. "Slaying the Dreamer"
  30. "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan"
  31. "Nemo"
  32. ;Encore
  33. "Sleeping Sun"
  34. "Ghost Love Score"
  35. "Wish I Had an Angel"

    Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenueSupport Act
February 9, 2005CopenhagenDenmarkStore Vega
February 11, 2005AmsterdamNetherlandsHeineken Music HallAfter Forever
February 12, 2005LondonEnglandAstoria TheatreTristania
February 15, 2005BirminghamEnglandO2 AcademyTristania
February 16, 2005GlasgowScotlandBarrowland BallroomTristania
February 18, 2005ManchesterEnglandApollo TheatreTristania
February 19, 2005LondonEnglandAstoria TheatreTristania
February 21, 2005WiezeBelgiumOktoberhallenTristania
February 22, 2005TrierGermanyArenaTristania
February 24, 2005BraunschweigGermanyVolkswagen HalleTristania
February 26, 2005BayreuthGermanyOberfrankenhalleTristania
February 27, 2005ChurSwitzerlandStadthalleTristania
February 28, 2005StuttgartGermanySchleyer-HalleTristania
March 12, 2005OsakaJapanNamba HatchAngra
March 13, 2005FukuokaJapanZepp HallAngra
March 16, 2005TokyoJapanShibuya AXAngra
March 17, 2005TokyoJapanShibuya AXAngra
March 21, 2005MelbourneAustraliaCorner HotelVanishing Point
March 22, 2005MelbourneAustraliaCorner HotelVanishing Point
March 23, 2005SydneyAustraliaMetro TheatreDungeon
March 26, 2005BrisbaneAustraliaArenarowspan="20"
May 26, 2005BudapestHungaryPetőfi Csarnok-
May 27, 2005MadridSpainParque Natural de la Cantueña-
May 29, 2005ChorzówPolandSilesian Stadium-
June 10, 2005OsloNorwaySpektrum Arena-
June 11, 2005NickelsdorfAustriaPannonia Fields II-
June 12, 2005LeicestershireEnglandDonington Park-
June 17, 2005SeinäjokiFinlandTörnävä-
June 18, 2005FrauenfeldSwitzerlandGrosse Allmend-
June 24, 2005JämsäFinlandHimos Areena-
July 15, 2005ZlínCzech RepublicAreál likérky R. Jelínek-
July 16, 2005Toscolano-MadernoItalyCampo Sportivo-
July 22, 2005ErfurtGermanyEventzentrum Strohofer-
July 28, 2005PortoPortugalVilar de Mouros-
August 4, 2005WackenGermanyHauptstrasse-
August 5, 2005DresdenGermanyGroßer Garten-
August 7, 2005VantaaFinlandKorson Urheilupuisto-
August 14, 2005RothenburgGermanyEisweise-
August 19, 2005HasseltBelgiumDomein Kiewit-
August 20, 2005BiddinghuizenNetherlandsEvenemententerrein Walibi-
September 3, 2005HellNorwayHellodromeStonegard
September 5, 2005OsloNorwayRockefeller Music Hallrowspan="2"
September 8, 2005StockholmSwedenArenan-
September 9, 2005GothenburgSwedenLisebergshallenNocturnal Rites
September 11, 2005UmeåSwedenSkyCom Arenarowspan="4"
September 17, 2005ŽilinaSlovakiaBoräk Hall-
September 19, 2005LjubljanaSloveniaKrizance Hall-
September 23, 2005CopenhagenDenmarkK.B. Hallen-
September 25, 2005LondonEnglandHammersmith ApolloParadise Lost
September 30, 2005BucharestRomaniaPolivalenta Hallrowspan="5"
October 1, 2005AthensGreeceLycabettus Amphitheatre-
October 8, 2005Mexico CityMexicoPalacio de los Deportes-
October 12, 2005São PauloBrazilEstádio do Canindé-
October 15, 2005Porto AlegreBrazilGigantinho-
October 21, 2005HelsinkiFinlandHartwall AreenaSonata Arctica

Personnel

Additional musicians
  • John Two-Hawks – vocals, flute