It is not a big secret that the Greek metalheads have a total crush with Tarja. This is also proven by the fact that after the 'noisy' departure from the NIGHTWISH lineup the soprano singer gathered around her a pretty solid and wide fanbase. So, Tarja and her group visited Athens (GRE) for the second time during a 2 years time period.

This time the concert was held at the Gagarin205 club which is the best venue in Greece and has the capacity of 1500 people. Well, the time the METAL TEMPLE crew entered the venue there were not more than 400 faces patiently waiting for the first supporting act to hit the stage. First of all, I have to underline the fact that Tarja brought to Greece the entire 'Final Storm' tour comprising the 'regular' opening acts and not some filler ones. So, right on schedule the British band FURNAZE got on-stage receiving a lukewarm welcome from the crowd. The crowd made us feel a little bit out of our league due to the small age -on average- that was roughly a couple of years more than 18. For reasons I cannot explain, young girls get seriously connected to beautiful frontwomen and this was underlined by the strong female composition of the Tarja core fans.

Nevertheless, there we were -surrounded by some beautiful girls- watching the three piece band taking over Gagarin205. When I learned the concert's billing, I was more than happy since Tarja chose wisely the supporting acts bringing them from different Metal sub-genres. FURNAZE played straightforward old school Thrash that -to be honest- was mostly appreciated by the few old-timers who knew what to do when the solid drumming met some fast played guitar riffs. The band was not at all affected by the youngsters who were just watching the on-stage happenings and gave an honest and 100% Thrash performance. Even if they were just three, they managed to make us sweat a little bit with pretty good songs (ok, diversity is not their thing) like Guinea Pig or Suicide Crime. Olivier Vermeersch did well on the singing part (although his pronunciation was hard to understand) but he did even better with his guitar and made us forget that there was not a second one. Andie Cayne on the bass did also well, and managed to connect with the crowd earning some additional applauses. So, the 30 minutes set passed quite fast proving that we generally had a good time with FURNAZE.

The stage crew worked really fast and after less than 20 minutes the Finnish progsters KINGS OF MODESTY kicked off their setlist. Ok, I am not a fan of the progressive scene but I can handle 30 minutes of this genre without complaining (at least not too much). Fortunately, this band was not that complicated and with a relentless on-stage presence were better received by the Greek audience. What can I say, the Scandinavian bands have the music in their veins since KINGS OF MODESTY did well and maybe they earned some fans with the catchy and more simple (as they said) song Starring Eyes. The very good sound and the short setlist make my time with KINGS OF MODESTY a very good break.

But, is was about time to prepare everything for the diva who has earned our hearts during her time with NIGHTWISH. The stage had to be cleaned off and set up the place for the cello as well as the keyboards that occupied a wide area. What really caught our eyes was the massive drum set of Mr. Terrana that upon its revealing was shining with all these bronze parts. It was not a surprise that all the cameras were turned on this huge drum set.

After the soundcheck the lights went off and among almost hysteric screams (from the younger female members of the crowd) Tarja and her most experienced musicians got on-stage and hit us with the groovy Enough. Of course, everyone started singing the lyrics while trying to take a photo of the beautiful frontwoman who literally 'filled' the stage with a breathtaking presence. It is truly amazing how this singer captured the attention of the crowd and this was not only due to her amazing looks. Her moves and face expressions were characterized with honesty and a true gratitude.

Without pause the band continued with the very good My Little Phoenix and the only NIGHTWISH song Wishmaster. I am really happy that she chose this instead of the way-too-poppy Nemo and judging by the crowd's reaction I was not the only one feeling like this. But this was not a 100% Metal concert and The Seer came to slow everything down. The entire show was impressive; the lights and the stage configuration was characterized by symmetry even though the Plexiglas 'shield' in front of Terrana's drum set was spoiling a little bit the clean perspective.

I Walk Alone was another concert highlight and lead us to Ciaran's Well and Terrana's drum solo. In contrast with Tarja's first debut appearance in Greece Mike was given the time to prove that is a beast outside the cage when he sits behind his drum-kit. So, he almost smashed the kit and did spread some of this energy overdose to the audience that I am sure most of it was not aware of his impressive musical whereabouts. The band slowly joined him taking this solo into a climax just before Mrs. Tarja's return.

As I said this was not a 100% Metal concert (many would go for less than 50%) and so, the slower parts were a must. But, it is not a great shame to admit that Tired Of Being Alone was an excellent moment despite the fact that this was a product of Tarja's collaboration with a pop (?) artist that goes by the name of Schiller. The rest of the setlist had some more highlights spanning from the very good Over The Hills And Far Away cover that came one song before the encore. Poison was a logical addition to the song list but I have to admit it was not a good one. To my ears it lucked of volume and strength when compared to Alice Cooper's version.

But it was time for the encore and the Greeks would not let the band go away without playing some more music. The return brought the almost acoustic medley that -based on my taste- was not proper for the encore since it had no power but a lot of great singing. So, Die Complete put an end of this excellent performance by the entire band. Tarja has chosen very well the band members who looked and sounded really solid on-stage. Tarja thanked the Greek audience for the waves of love hitting the stage and promised that she will return with a new album under the belt.

TARJA setlist:

01. Enough
02. My Little Phoenix
03. Wishmaster
04. The Seer
05. Minor Heaven
06. I Walk Alone
07. Ciaran's Well
08. Tired Of Being Alone
09. Lost Northern Star
10. Poison
11. If You Believe
12. Over The Hills And Far Away
13. Sing For Me
Encore
14. Wisdom/Boy/Divide/Grace
15. Deep Silent Complete
16. Die Complete

(photos by the seer)

FURNAZE

KINGS OF MODESTY

TARJA