Tarja and Marco Concert, Bremen, September 2024

Nightwish is my absolute favourite band, but the iconic voices of Tarja and Marco were initially one of the main reasons why I really got into the band. Sadly, I never got to see either of them live with Nightwish (when I saw them live in Antwerp and Düsseldorf, Marco had left as well), but End of an Era remains one of my all-time favourite live releases, and I knew they will be able to recreate at least a bit of that magic.

The concert was in Bremen; this was also my first time there, so I also used the chance to meet friends and explore the city a bit (with my friend Minh as a guide).

Bremen

I found Bremen to be an enjoyable city in general, though I didn’t have a feeling that there is all that much to do. The main highlight for me was the Bürgerpark; I found that to be a really nice place to relax. Other than that, the city center is also cute, and the university campus is quite impressive.

Below are some of the photos I took while exploring around.

Concert

Chaoseum

Chaoseum was the supporting band at the concert. I had never heard of them (and I am not too much into nu metal), but their gig was really good.

Marco

Marco was the next to perform. Marco’s solo stuff is unfortunately not really my cup of tea, but I could still enjoy it for his amazing voice. During the performance, Tarja also joined for a couple of their new songs together.

Below are a few pictures taken while Marco was playing.

Tarja

I used to follow Tarja’s solo stuff earlier — I really enjoyed My Winter Storm and What Lies Beneath — though I haven’t listened to her last few albums much. In any case, it was great to hear her perform live, and she just seems to be a fun personality. Obviously though, the main highlights for me were the Nightwish songs Tarja and Marco sang together — I was particularly hoping they would perform The Phantom of the Opera and Wish I Had an Angel, and they did. A dream come true.

Here are some pictures taken during her performance (alone and with Marco).