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© 2006 - present, Sabrina

translated by The Enigma

Nightwish set their Chinese fans in fire

When the first guitar riffs blast out, fans begin screaming and throwing their fists in the air. The heavy metal symphony of Nightwish in the one party controlled China may begin.


Text: NINA JAATINEN


The air temperature outside Sanghai Hongkou Indoor Coliseum is about zero Celsius, but the atmosphere inside the venue is bubbling.

About a thousand fans are eagerly waiting for the Finnsh band Nightwish to begin thier show. When the band members enter the venue, their way to backstage is immediately blocked. The teens keep asking for autographs and the boldest move themselves beside Tuomas or Marco to pose in a photo.

Click. The ten year wait for fan Peggy Dai ends in the climax her posing together with Tuomas in a photo.
- The band is "hen bang", really awesome sighs Peggy with shivering voice.


Piratism serves new bands

The first Nightwish tour ever in China is a part of the band's two year lasting world tour which started in Israel last October. The band play gigs in Beijing and Sanghai and also in Hong Kong.

But why on earth in China?
- We didn't come here thinking we are "Big in China". We won't be expecting more record sales, because 90% of CDs sold here are pirated. But we came to gain new experiences in China! laughs the bassist and second vocalsit Marco Hietla before the gig in the hotel lobby bar.

Nightwish's latest CD Dark Passion Play has been released in China, but there is no information about the sales numbers.

In China a genuine Nightwish CD cost about 200-300 yuans (20-30 euros), a pirated copy on the streets only 100 yuans, yet everybody download their music free from the internet.
- Piratism will serve a new raising band, but we are already in the position when it turns out to our loss, ponders Marco about the world wide problem.
Ecept on pireated CDs, Nightwish's music spreads around China in computer game backgrond tracks.


Great Wall of China and cow stomach

As the gig proceed, the fans move wilder and the safety barrier is bouncing threateningly.
About fourty tight-lipped policemen and guards are nervously flicking their eyes on the crowds. The coppers don't seem to know what kind of behaviour goes over the allowed limit in a rock concert.
- We had a good gig also in Beijing. We met a couple of long-haired fans who had travelled two days from Mongolia just to see our gig. There you have the attitude! admires Marco.

In Beijing the band had some time to play the casual tourist.
- We went to see the Great Wall and visited the Forbidden City. Those places were quite impressive. Especially the scenes from the Great Wall were powerful and rough.


Chinese food became familiar
- The promoter took us in a restaurant where they had all kinds of exotic tings like cow stomach, laughs Tuomas Holopainen.
The band also list the + 10 C hotelrooms and venues under the China exotics. And the facts that timetables and technics suck.
- The scene here is still a bit in the learning phase, manager Ewo Pohjola throws some criticism.


Ticket prices a third of an average monthly salary.

After the evening has turned into night Zhang Jiahua 27, exits fron the gig with a big shine on his face. According to Zhang music like Nightwish is way too rarely available in Sanghai.
- There would be an enourmous market for this kind of music. A huge number of fans came to see the gig, but also plenty were left outside.

Obviously it was due the high ticket prices. The cheapest were 280 yuans ( ~ 26 euros) while VIP-tickets were 780 yuans ( ~74 euros) An average Chinese earnings are between 1000-2000 yuans a month.
- These must have been the highest ticket prices for a Nightwish gig ever! wondered also Tuomas.

But it didn't seem to bother the most eager fans.
- The gig cost me a third of my monthly salary but it was worth it! confirms Zhang.
- Sometimes the life gets too hard and listenign to this kind of music will make it easier. The burden in one's heart will disappear, the guy thanks happily.