NIGHTWISH is one of THE great ‘Live’ bands with a sound and production that fills the senses and compliments and augments the bands huge sound rather than overwhelming it like some big productions can. After touring their “Endless Forms Most Beautiful†album for a year and a half throughout every corner of the world the time has come for Nightwish to immortalize that tour on DVD. “Vehicle of Spirit†out on 16 December 2016 features not only two concerts in full length, but also plenty of bonus material. We spoke to Floor Jansen all about the DVD and the next steps for a band that truly has conquered the world.Mark: Thank you so much for talking to The Rockpit today we’ve interviewed the band many times over the years but normally we get to speak to Marco so it’s great to talk to you today about the new DVD. Before that we’ve had so many questions put to us – I know it’s on record that it’s not, but so many are worried that this ‘year off’ might be the end of Nightwish: can you put their minds at rest so we can get that one out of the way?Floor: Oh what drama queens! Taking a goddamn year off! We’ve communicated all that there is to know about the year off, if people are still worried, please get a hobby! We’re doing this because things are good. When you can leave things behind with a good feeling that everything’s going to be fine when you come back after a year that’s a luxury – that’s a good thing to have. Instead of worrying people should say “good for you, take your time†because in 2018 we have something great in mind for everyone, so please tell them not to worry!Mark: It does seem to get better all the time for the band and there are gaps of two or three years before albums, so enjoy! And the DVD is the perfect way to leave us hanging and wondering what comes next! Two wonderful shows on there and a great tile too, ‘Vehicle of Spirit’ it seems to sum up the music perfectly?Floor: Thank you, I agree, it was actually a friend of Troy’s who came up with that “It’s a vehicle of Spirit that defies category†a bit before my time, but it’s been used a lot to describe the band and it seemed right for a DVD like this where you see where the band is today. And it’s not just the two shows, there’s an extra DVD with bonus material from all over the world to really give the impression what Nightwish looks like on a world tour in lots of different settings. (laughs) I can tell you agree.Mark: I do, it was a massive tour and we got to see you back in January. It must be amazing not just to tour the world but to one night play Wembley and a little while later come and see us at a little venue in Fremantle, Western Australia and get the same kind of crazy fans but a very intimate atmosphere?Floor: Yeah, that’s the beauty of it, it’s all really diverse, different people different cultures, different reactions. It seems to be regardless of where people are from or whether it’s a small club or an arena show, the intensity is the same. Some people scream more, some people listen more, some people don’t even move, they just stand and take it all in with their eyes shut, it’s however people want to experience it, and it (the music) connects everyone on this planet.Mark: its wonderful music and we love that you come to Australia to see us so often. Nightwish these days seem to just get bigger and bigger, one of the best-selling Finnish bands ever, bigger albums, bigger tours, what could be next for the band? You aren’t going to give us any hints are you?Floor: No! (laughs) Sorry!Mark: (laughing) I tried, I can tick that one off the list!Floor: (laughs) All I can say it’s going to be very cool and every Nightwish fan will truly appreciate this.Mark: Looking at the DVD which I’ve only just finished – there are almost four hours just in the first two shows you see some bands with big stage sets and all the special effects and it sometimes seems to mask the music a little; but for Nightwish it really does seem to enhance the music and the mood of the songs? It’s a wonderful production. What’s it like interacting with that one stage? Those wind machines look pretty fierce!Floor: (laughs) it’s nice they’re pretty fresh! I’s nice when it’s warm, which of course it wasn’t in the summer in Finland! It really is an enhancer of the show as you say but not the thing that makes the show. In Tampere we’d only used that production twice so you have a little more to think about because you can’t just go anywhere with the pyros as they won’t go off when you’re in the wrong place. But by the time we played Wembley Arena at the end of the tour where we’d had the same production with us every day, then you’re a little more familiar with it, so you don’t have to think about it as much. It’s as much part of the show when you come to Australia and you don’t have that and you miss the sound of the CO2 as it’s become integrated! But the Tampere show was a little different where we had the huge ramp and the elements moving in the ceiling there was so much happening there was more thinking but you know what is going to happen.Mark: It was great to get the two shows and see the differences, most bands put out one show but the two were a real treat for fans. Even though we’ve seen the two concerts, we’re yet to see the bonus material – you mentioned there were scenes from other shows you’d played around the world? Is it songs from other venues or the band on tour fooling around in airports and hotels?Floor: No it’s songs, we recorded one in Vancouver, one in Buenos Aries, one in Mexico City, two in Finland, one at the Masters of Rock in the Czech Republic and one in the US. We also recorded one on our cruise – an acoustic version of ‘Edemah Ruh’. Then at Rock in Rio where every band that plays there has a guest on stage – we had Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica doing ‘Last ride of the Day’ with us. And we have ‘Elan’ from Sydney and a Richard Dawkins interview so it’s a whole full DVD! (laughs)Mark: One question I have to ask you as I particularly loved them is, you’ve drawn the line under ReVamp – is that for good?Floor: Yes. Unfortunately life unfolds as it does and you can’t do everything at the same time, and you can’t do some things if you can’t spend the time. So in a band like Nightwish with the intense touring that comes with it and then to have another band that would deserve the same input it’s impossible. So it was already a band in between other things, and when we started to talk about taking this year off I thought about Revamp and thought it could go two ways – I could have a lot of time for ReVamp but that would mean another album and another tour which I’ve been doing non-stop for the last four or five years. So I thought it would be nice to do something else and then of course there was the drive to start a family life, to have a family and two bands is simply impossible. I had to make a tough decision.Mark: So in your time off with the family will you still be doing anything musically? Or just have a complete break and enjoy that experience?Floor: Well the idea is to be home and really enjoy that special time with a newborn. But not to have music would be unnatural to me! In 2008 I wrote an album with Jí¸rn Viggo Lofstad the guitar player in Pagan’s Mind, he and I wrote a rock album, but we were never able to release it, and we’ve picked up our ambition to do this. So without any tight planning we might be able to fit that into the year off.Mark: Just going to the reader’s questions for a moment: what sort of music do you listen to on a day to day basis? Are you very eclectic in your tastes?Floor: It depends, if I’m travelling I tend to listen to film music, when I’m working out I like to have the heavier stuff – Pantera, Soilwork, stuff like that, and when I’m home I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, I don’t really like Pop Music but maybe a song here and there. I like Sting, Seal and a British band Florence and the Machine.Mark: Taking it all the way back now, when did it all begin for you, when did you know that music would be your life? Was there a definingFloor: Between knowing and knowing I guess is a gradual process, but feeling wise it came after I joined a High School musical, so I must have been about 13, 14 years old. That was the first time I realised that I had a voice that actually works really easily – we did a school musical and I got one of the main parts and after the show I realised “Wow!†I want to do this more, so I joined the school band, then we moved unfortunately so I had to start over and then pretty soon after I moved to the new City I met the guys from After Forever back in ’97. So around that time I knew I’d love to become a musician, but I didn’t really know how. Like every teenager I suppose you can have this dream but how realistic is it? I first thought that concert touring was a great idea but then I thought it was either too Classical or too Jazzy for me and the real education that would fit for me didn’t exist yet! (laughs) funnily that came for me one year later in ’99. So yeah I knew that from the first moment on stage, but to actually realise it took a few more years to see it all.Mark: And I’ve loved all of your music with all of your various bands, I’m so glad that we got to hear your voice, which in my opinion has to be one of the great rock voices of the last 20 years.Floor: Thank you for that.Mark: And to close the two questions we like to ask everyone. If you could have been a fly on the wall in the studio for the creation of any great album, just to see how the magic happened and how the musicians interacted – what album would it have been for you and why?Floor: I’d have loved to have been at a Queen recording. You know how did they do all those harmonies and all that experimentation without all the Pro-Tools sets that we know now? That would be so cool.Mark: I know, just to see that! How they could achieve it with what they had then, it must have taken them forever to get some of those effects!Floor: Absolutely!Mark: And the easy question we close with – what is the meaning of life?Floor: (laughs) Well, I have no answer for that! I think you might know when you are on your death bed, hopefully at the age of 90 or something! I don’t know, I think we reason that out far too much. On a primary level we are really here to reproduce just like any other animal on the planet. But we think so much so we would like to have an enjoyable life, so in that sense I would say you strive to be happy. And if you can’t manage to do that you would probably have a miserable life. You are not always in charge of the factors around you that would provide happiness unfortunately but that’s an arrogant thing to say from a wealthy Western perspective but I don’t think that happiness is something you can buy per say with money – I think you get it from being safe and being loved.Mark: That’s a very thoughtful answer, you’ve got me thinking now. It’s always interesting to ask that question of various different people, and you can always tell the people who have thought of the answer but never really considered the question.Floor: Yeah I think it’s so difficult I’m in a very privileged position I would say but that doesn’t mean I’m always happy, and I question myself “Why am I not happy?†and it has nothing to do with being rich or poor, it’s that sense of safety. I think if you were to ask a child in Syria right now what she or he needed to be happy I think safety would be the first thing they would mention, not wealth in that sense . I mean I would like to have a lot of money right now (laughs). Money does come with its own kind of safety and ease when you know that there’s enough that you don’t have to worry about it, which is a massive luxury that a lot of that a lot of people don’t get to have ever. But is that the key to happiness? No there are a lot of factors and it’s far too complex to sum up I one sentence anyway! (laughs)Mark: And I do think it’s different for everybody and changes as life changes. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today it’s been a pleasure: enjoy 2017!Floor: Yes, I surely will and same to you, I’ll be back in touch I’m sure in 2018! Bye, Bye! Floor Jansen spoke to Mark Rockpit December 2016
Interview for Metalfan.nl by Tonnie with Floor Jansen. Translation: After the release of the album 'Endless Forms, Most Beautiful', the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish went on a big and long world tour. From this tour, they released the live-DVD 'Vehicle Of Spirit' at the end of last year.However, this year the band members will take a year off for a well deserved break. I spoke with Nightwish front singer Floor Jansen about the released live shows on the DVD's, what she's planning to do herself during this year off and what the plans for Nightwish are after this break. Q = question by interviewer (Tonnie) Q: On the band's latest DVD, they released 2 concerts you performed on your last world tour. If you look back at that tour now, what are your experiences of that tour? Floor: Very positive! We all had a great and cool time with each other. Q: A few years ago, there was a period that you combined Nightwish and Revamp. That proved to be a bit too much, but now doing Nightwish only, you're touring even longer than before. Has it changed so much? Floor: Yes, it's very different!. Doing Revamp, it did cost an awful lot of energy to start all over again after After Forever was disbanded. I felt responsible for most things concerning the band and therefore did almost all things, which did cost a lot of energy. I still perform/work a lot, but people just don't get a burn-out from working a lot, but because they do do work in a wrong way. 'A little too much' is quite an understatement if you consider that I've been out for more than one and a half year! I've learned my lesson about what I should do and especially what I shouldn't do working in this music business!Now, being the singer of Nightwish it's completely different. Most of all, because I am able to do a lot less. I'm not responsible for everything. Nevertheless, it was quite exciting if you suddenly start singing with Nightwish and you were not expecting it. But maybe because it was all of a sudden and I had very little time to think about it all, that I could use the wisdom I acquired during my burn-out. I just didn't have the time to wonder what had just happened and what it meant. Like I said before; it's not how much you work, it's how you work! Q: On 'Vehicle Of Spirit' there are 2 concerts: the one at Wembley in London and the one in Tampere, Finland in the summer of 2015. I think that show in Tampere must have been one of your highlights that summer? Floor: Absolutely!! We took the highlights of the whole tour and an awful lot of bonus material from performances all over the world to get a more complete package. This is Nightwish on tour! Q: These 2 shows I mentioned were being recorded in any case, but was the plan to release them both or to see which one turned out the best? Floor: I can't tell. The plan was to make a kind of tour story through these shows. So, not just one show with a short 'behind the scenes'-thing like it's done a lot nowadays. Or like our last DVD: a live show with a whole documentary added. The idea now was to capture the whole world tour. Once you have decided that, you begin to plan all kind of things. Some stuff comes kind of together and you look what you can achieve.Because both shows were so different from each other - one inside, the other outdoors, the one in your home country, the other in a foreign country, but in a legendary venue - there are reasons enough to release both of them. I mean, when you're performing your first stadium show in Finland, you have to do something with that! We've never had such a big stage set-up before. It was one of Nightwish major achievements to do that! We made a bit of Nightwish history you may say. And then when Wembley was confirmed, we absolutely wanted to include that show! Especially once it was a sell out and with Richard Dawkins participation. Q: How came the idea about to ask Dawkins for this show? Floor: Well, there was ofcourse already a connection through the EFMB-album. He was pretty intrigued by the combination of our world and his. I think also, that he was very curious what it would be like to stand before such a big group of people, being it live and all. He's ofcourse a bit used to speak before audiences, but that's in quite another setting. Q: He gave the impression that he was pretty nervous if you watched his face? Floor: He sure was! Can you imagine it? He's a scientist and you speak to audiences of a few hundred, maybe a few thousand at the most in conference halls. But no way 12.000 people! And you're used to speak on radio and tv with camera's and all that, but it's such a different piece of cake if you have to do it at a live show with that many people! And on top of that it's going to happen at a concert venue! You've been sitting backstage all the time and then you suddenly have to go on stage and address those fans who you have heard singing and shouting before. I think it would have been a difficult experience for anybody! Q: Do you still remember the first time it happened to you? Floor: That must have been with After Forever. We did play at a few festivals with that amount of fans, but those were always festivals. It wasn't during a tour with people that only came for you. Q: Back to Wembley. At the end of the show you guys really looked so happy? Floor: It's good that you did notice that. We were really happy! And relieved that everything turned out right! And that Richard Dawkins came on stage. I absolutely could imagine how he must have felt! Q: Did you give him any tips beforehand? Floor: Don't be daft! I'm not going to give such an experienced and intelligent man tips! If I had thought he needed them at the time, I might have thought about it, but now, not at all. He knew what to do. But that doesn't mean he can't be nervous! He just found it such an exciting event! Even if I maybe do agree with him, it may not be the case with the audience. I mean, he's pretty controversial with some of his subjects. And people not always understand what he's trying to say. Sometimes a certain part is taken out of its context and he has to defend that for a long time.It was nice to see him being applauded by the majority of the audience who seem to understand what he stands for. I didn't get it at the time, but watching the recording back, I was able to study the reactions of the crowd. Really nice!What I felt, a lot of other people felt that too! It all came together beautifully and you can see that. Q: When a show is being recorded, there are ofcourse extra crew members, in this case camera men. But what are the extra measures you guys need to take? Floor: Not any really. They are there to record what we do. We know that they are there, but it's their job to do it in such a way that we hardly notice them. Ofcourse, if they're in front of your nose with a big camera or you see a camera flying over the crowd it's impossible not to notice it. In Tampere we even had drones flying over our heads!Anyhow, it's much better that we, as a band, are not engaged with those issues. The best thing we can do is, just to go on with our business as usual and play and sing as we always do. I know that most of us think that way. You don't play for the camera's present, no you're there for your fans! It's a lot more spontaneous as well! Just glaring at hose camera's is also not very Nightwish like, I think. No, they record what we do, not the other way around! Q: Amongst those extra's on the DVD there are a couple of nice items, in particular some images about that Nightwish cruise. What was it like to do that? Floor: Personally I wasn't much looking forward to it. You're all on a boat together and you can't go anywhere! And what would happen if you got seasick? Also, I was not used to these kind of cruises. No one in the Netherlands is really. It's much more common in Sweden and Finland and considered pretty normal. It's a kind of a party boat: people just spending their weekend going on a return trip to another country. And ofcourse there's a lot of boozing going on, because alcohol is taxfree. And alcohol is extremely expensive in Scandinavia! Nah, the prospect of it all did not really appeal to me! I just thought: 'It's going to be one big drinking orgy with a few small gigs now and then, and for the rest I have to stay in my cabin all the time! But it wasn't like that at all! I really enjoyed myself! Just because there were limited places, you only had the die-hards of the die-hards. Those fans are just grouped together. Indeed, you had to spent the time together, but that had its charme.At five o'clock you went on board and only at eleven o'clock at night you played your first set. After that, I went to bed and the rest got closely acquainted with the booze.The following day we had a signing session and an acoustic one. From that acoustic session we took 'Edema Ruh' and put it on the DVD. It was all very relaxed. By the way, Troy and Marco organized that session. There was a lot of banter going on and sometimes it felt more like a stand up comedy show! A band like Nightwish can't always do that, because there's a lot of theater and drama around a normal concert, so no room for some comic relief. But at this gig there was plenty of fun and a good time was had by everyone. Q: How many fans were aboard of this boat? Floor: I can't really tell. If I guessed 2000, it would have been impossible for the boat would have sunk! The whole thing was certainly a lot smaller than a normal show. Q: Will there be a follow up? Floor: I think so. Q: But not in 2017, because Nightwish will have a sabbatical year. And you and Hannes van Dahl (drummer Sabaton) are expecting your first baby? Floor: That's right, At the beginning of March. Q: Isn't Hannes touring then? Floor: Yes, but we've arranged it in a way that he will be around for the birth. But like with others, it's impossible to have both of us all time off. But I must say that maternity leave in Sweden in general is organized better than in the Netherlands. There' s quite a difference, I must say. For both the man and the woman, there's a lot more time available to be at home.The mother gets a year off and the man half a year. And it's up to you if you want to take that time immediately after the birth or later or much later. Up to your child's eighth year you can use that possibillity. Q: For you it's quite convenient to give birth this period, because it's Nightwish sabbatical year? Floor: yes, it all worked out nicely. This off time luxury was offered to me and I'm sure other couples do appreciate it as well, but because we're both in a band, it will turn out a bit different for us. You can't expect that two bands plan their whole schedule for a birth and have a year off. But at least I've got some time now to do other things. Already in 2008, I flew several times to Norway to record a rock album, together with Pagan's Mind guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad. That was in the year of After Forever's sabbatical period. A sabbatical normally means that you will return, but that didn't happen. And also these plans with Jorn changed and in the end the work was stored on the bookshelves.But now, with me being pregnant and all, we contacted each other and agreed to work on that album again. The album is in fact ready to be be recorded. It's wonderful to work on that without deadlines and other obligations. I can't stop making music all of a sudden! It would feel so unnatural to me. And the whole idea that there is an album waiting for me to finish is such a nice thought! And an album which I think is very cool!So, that will keep me busy. And I have ofcourse sung on the latest Ayreon project, which will be released in April/May. On top of that, there will be 3 Ayreon concerts in September, at which both my sister Irene and I will perform. Q: And then in 2018, Nightwish will come together again? Floor: Yes, after a whole year off. Especially good for the gentlemen, who have been going for 20 years now without a long break. They were like: 'Yes, it's all going very well and that's fantastic, but a whole year off is great as well!!'. A lot of fans were afraid that there were negative reasons to do this, but it's in fact the opposite! Just because it's going great, it isn't that bad to take time off! I'd say, it's good for everybody, no matter how passionate you are, to create some distance from your work now and then. And the fun thing is that the creative ideas began to appear for the coming period already. That is so wonderful with such a creative band. The plans for 2018 are for the biggest part pinned down. Only, we haven't told anyone about them! I think that your average Nightwish fan will appreciate what we have in store for them!
"In perfect health our daughter Freja was born on the 15th of March. We are very happy parents! Thank you for your kind support coming in from all over the world during this time! Hannes, Floor & Freja."
NIGHTWISH WILL START THEIR 9-MONTH ”DECADES: WORLD TOUR” FROM NORTH AMERICAIn March 2018, symphonic metal legends NIGHTWISH will begin their 9-month-long 'DECADES: WORLD TOUR 2018' starting with 34 shows in North America.The band will have a very special setlist for the tour, featuring rarely heard material from the earlier era, and excitingly for both band and fans, they will revisit the old songs with some new twists.This setlist will be a 'one-off' and only performed on this 'DECADES: WORLD TOUR 2018'Pre-sales will start on Monday, June 12th for most of these North American venues. To accompany the tour, Nuclear Blast will release a 2CD compilation »Decades« on the 9th of March 2018. On the night of the show, every ticket holder will receive a copy of the 2CD as a memento of this unique tour.NIGHTWISH ”DECADES: NORTH AMERICA 2018” tour dates:09.03. USA Atlanta, GA - Tabernable10.03. USA Charlotte, NC - The Filmore12.03. USA Norfolk, VA - The Norva13.03. USA Baltimore, MD - Lyric Theater14.03. USA New York, NY - Playstation Theater16.03. USA Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory17.03. USA Worcester, MA - The Palladium 18.03. USA Albany, NY - The Egg20.03. CDN Montreal, QC - Metropolis21.03. CDN Toronto, ON - Massey Hall23.03. USA Niagara Falls, NY - Rapids Theatre24.03. USA Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater25.03. USA Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE26.03. USA Covington, KY - Madison Theater28.03. USA Kalamazoo, MI - State Theatre29.03. USA St. Louis, MO - Touhill Performing Arts Center30.03. USA Minneapolis, MN - The Myth31.03. USA Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom02.04. USA Omaha, NB - Sokol Auditorium03.04. USA Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre05.04. CDN Edmonton, AB - Northern Alberta Jubilee Aud06.04. USA Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory07.04. CDN Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theater08.04. USA Portland, OR - Roseland Theater10.04. USA Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl12.04. USA Ventura, CA - The Majestic Ventura Theatre13.04. USA San Jose, CA - City National Civic14.04. USA Anaheim, CA - City National Grove15.04. USA Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre17.04. USA Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory18.04. USA Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall19.04. USA Mobile, AL - Saenger Theater21.04. USA St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing22.04. USA Miami, FL - Olympia TheaterFor more information and to buy tickets, please visit www.enterthevault.com
NIGHTWISH HEADLINING NORWAY ROCK 2018WITH AN EXCLUSIVE FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE IN NORWAY IN 2018NIGHTWISH have existed since 1996 and have released 8 studio albums, 22 singles and 7 DVDs with worldwide sales of over 8 million copies in total. The band has recently announced a 9-month-long ”DECADES WORLD TOUR 2018”, starting with the release of 2CD collection named 'DECADES', which will be released in March 2018 on Nuclear Blast.The setlist on this world tour, also at Norway Rock Festival, will include rarities from previous eras with some new twists. This setlist will only be performed on this world tour, so prepare yourselves for an exclusive one-off experience.The last time Nightwish played in Norway was in front of 10 000 people in 2015, so that says a lot about their amazing music that is hugely embraced worldwide.www.nightwish.com
