It’s like the irony of fate that the Ex-Singer of Nightwish and her former Band are touring at the same time. So far, no promoter got the crazy idea to book both acts for the same billing – still everyone was anxious, how big the audience would be on the Solotour of the finnish Soprano.

Considering the evening in Cologne, you don’t have to worry about Tarja. Already one and a half hours before the concert started, the first queues started to build up so the hall was packed at showtime. Everyone who took a closer look at the audience discovered that there were also some “non-Nightwish-fans” in the crowd. Which means: Fans that got to know Tarja through the Album “My Winter Storm” or got under the spell of her voice and aura by Tarjas classical apperances. For nobody of the present people, this evening was going to be a disappointment.
The warm-up of the crowd was taken over by Delain, a band from the Netherlands. With their massive Keyboards and Guitars and the enchanting voice of their Frontwoman Charlotte they obviously hit the taste of the audience. In return, the positive reactions of the crowd made the band play a high-class performance.
Tarjas performance was a league of it’s own. It’s a natural thing that within a band – in Tarjas case it would have been Nightwish – every artist has to give his individual abilities in the service of the whole band and the songs. If this constuct is removed from one of the participants, it either falls apart or it develops new elements and strenghts. At this concert, the last option showed up. No matter if it was a massive metalstorm like “Ciaran’s Well”, which Tarja explained a bit shy as “one of the louder songs of our show”, or a beautiful ballad like “Oasis” – every song is made for the finnish singer and shows her abilities at the fullest. In those special Moments when Tarja accompanied just herself on the electric piano, even the quietest whisper in the audience went down and some kind of magic was in the hall. All in one, it was the perfect example for a professional staged show, which combined classical elements and Rock/Pop songs in perfection.
Of course there was professional musical support: With Mike Terrana (Axxis, Ex-Rage, Axel Rudi Pell) on drums, Alex Scholpp (Tieflader, ex-Farmer Boys), Max Lilja (ex-Apocalyptica) on cello and Doug Wimbish (Mick Jagger, Madonna, ex- Living Colour) on bass, those elaborated Rock and Pop musicians were involved in the shows’s success. When Tarja left the stage, the musicians did some rhythmical jamsessions. In addition, Tarja also got Keyboarder/Singer Maria Ilmoniemi – quote: “There is never enough beauty on stage” and her brother Toni Turunen into the band. In previous interviews Tarja told that she wanted her brother to have a glimpse into music business. Judging by Toni's performances on Percussions, Kexboard, Guitar and most of all Duet partner on “Phantom of the Opera”, Toni doesn’t need such glimpses anymore.
The choice of songs also made every fan went home happily. Of course the centre of the set list were the songs from “My Winter Storm” so that Tarja-solo-fans were fully satisfied. With the catching “Nemo” and the pre-christmas ballad “Walking in the air” (originally sung by Peter Auty from the movie “The Snowman”), Tarja didn’t forget the everlasting support of the Nightwish fans. And the already mentioned “Phantom of the Opera” and the Alice Cooper cover “Poison” were a trip into the section of popular entertainment music.
Remarkable: During the whole concert, Tarja held her contact to the audience, cheered it on, thanked them and introduced her band members and songs. You did not have to hear it from her mouth to notice her fun on this concert, but still: in the end the singer praised the crowd with the words: “You are my winterstorm”.