Text by Patricia C. Figueiredo
Brazilian fans didn't have to wait long for the return of the acclaimed Tarja Turunen to Brazil, as the singer performed in São Paulo, Limeira, and Rio de Janeiro just over a year ago. However, fans in Rio Grande do Sul, who are still slowly catching up on metal shows in the region, had long yearned for a visit from the Finnish singer, who hadn't been to the state capital since 2015.
Tarja demonstrated extreme charisma with the audience and incredible technical precision on the Opinião stage in a sold-out night, marked by the greatest hits of her solo career. Despite still being frequently identified as a former Nightwish in concert and project announcements, the soprano made it clear that she doesn't need this moment in her career to promote herself and establish herself as one of the greatest artists in the current metal scene.
The São Paulo-based band Santo Graal took the stage about 15 minutes early and opened the night with their symphonic metal that often reminds us of the early days of Nightwish.
The audience, initially shy upon seeing them for the first time, watched the show attentively and responded enthusiastically to the active interaction of vocalist Natália Fay , who dominated the set with her powerful, lyrical vocals. Throughout the show, the band, mostly composed of women, delighted with a captivating set full of melancholic and heavy melodies, marked by guitar lines, keyboards, and even a cello.
We can easily highlight the track "Lesser Evil" as a gateway for those who want to get to know the band, the ballads "Open Your Eyes" and "Dark Roses," and "Black Swan," a heavy reinterpretation of the Swan Lake theme by Tchaikovsky . "Sunshine II" closed the band's setlist with enthusiasm and satisfaction from the audience.
Tarja took to the stage promptly at 11 pm. Her open smile was contagious, and the audience greeted her with ecstasy during the opening with "Eye of The Storm," a song from her most recent studio album, In The Raw (2019). Then, the singer made the fans' hearts beat even faster by using her good Portuguese to say, "It's a pleasure to be here again! Thank you, I'm very happy."
A little later, still thrilling the audience, Tarja sits at the keyboard and during the introduction of "Oasis," comments that she missed the city and adds: "I remember the first time I came to Porto Alegre, I was 'little,' and after all these years, you're still here. I love you." It's easy to imagine that "little" refers to the beginning of her post-Nightwish career.
With his current band, consisting of Alex Scholpp (guitar), Julian Barrett (guitar), Pit Barrett (bass), Alex Menichini (drums), and Guillermo de Medio (keyboards), the incredibly positive energy on stage is felt effortlessly as the musicians interact with each other and perform brief synchronized choreography.
Because Tarja had already worked with them on other tours and album recordings, it's easy to see how comfortable they feel playing together. This was very clear during "Shadow Play," which live has almost a jam session , with Tarja still on keyboards and the band working on the extended version of the song.
Some fans surprised everyone by bringing black and silver balloons, matching Tarja's outfit during the song "Enough." Both this song, as well as "I Walk Alone" and "Die Alive," were like a trip down memory lane, taking us back to 2008, to the show of Tarja's first tour as she sought to establish herself as a solo artist after her conflict with the band Nightwish.
The band, incidentally, was only truly remembered at the show by the presence of Nemo in the setlist, showing that Tarja is now an artist who no longer depends on that moment in her history to conquer her space in the melodic and symphonic metal scene. Even so, it's impossible to deny that the only Nightwish song of the night was undoubtedly the one that most excited the people from Rio Grande do Sul. The audience sang, jumped, and applauded like at no other moment of the show; after all, that's how many got to know the metal diva.
A particularly lighthearted moment of the evening was when the balloons returned during "Victim of Ritual," a track that's already quite upbeat on its own, but which became truly fun as the audience tossed a few balloons around, even getting Tarja to join in the fun as she alternated the more operatic part of the song with the crowd.
After everyone left the stage to shouts of “olê olê olê olá, Tarja, Tarja”, the band returned for an encore, which, in addition to “Die Alive”, already mentioned here, also included “Innocence” and “Dead Promises”. Contrary to what many expected, we didn't have the pleasure of hearing “Over The Hills and Far Away” closing the show, and the night ended with “Until My Last Breath”, leaving those who had followed the setlists up to this point in Latin America confused, unsure whether to leave or not, until the stage equipment began to be dismantled.
Putting that minor disappointment aside, before leaving the stage, Tarja shared hugs with all the members of her band, thanked the fans "for the fantastic night" and already scheduled her return to Porto Alegre for March 9, 2024, accompanied by her former Nightwish bandmate, Marco Hietala .
Greeted with applause, shouts, and words of affection and admiration from beginning to end, Tarja captivated the audience with her extraordinary vocal precision and stage presence. Seemingly effortless in maintaining her technique, as if opera singing were something trivial, she pleased every fan present and proved herself, undeniably, an authentic and established artist through her own journey as a solo singer.
