Blog

Sat 19 Sep – Dark Passion Play World Tour

If I remember right, this concert was tour finale for both Nightwish and Apocalyptica.

Long story short, I'll gather the main points for each aspect of the event.

Firstly, the organization just sucked. There seemed to be kind of three highlights in their agenda:
1) Treat the crowd like a stampede
2) Suck off every penny they have
3) Avoid deaths inside the Arena, lawsuits are expensive

So, they treated the crowd like they were cattle, victims for leeching and pigs in one of those highly automated profit-proof pig farms of death. We also spent almost two hours in a panic-like mess, I don't know how many got hurt in it but I know the security even used violence against the crowd, apparently without a (good) reason. No cameras/no food/no drinks policy was a pain in the ass. You couldn't even take a small juicebox bought from the shops of the hallways to the concert. That's just simply fucking with the audience, nothing more. I don't even get into detail with the exalted prices they had.

Secondly, Apocalyptica's gig seemed bit tired. First thing I noticed was the low quality of sounds - you could only hear one instrument at a time for most of the gig. It of course depended on the location of the listener, but where I was then it sounded horrible. I also mentioned the tiredness. On a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 is total disaster, 3 is a normal gig and 5 is perfection, I'd say they deserved a 2. Sure it's been a long tour, but it seemed bit... Well, not enough. I don't know though how the supporting role affected it. Anyway, their set included only one (positive) surprise for me, the rest were easy to guess.

They had Antti "Hyrde" Hyyrynen from Stam1na doing the guest vocals. He sucked, comparing to both likes of Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica and actually to any singer who could've possibly been there. Wasn't simply good, really.

Apocalyptica set:

Wherever I May Roam (Metallica cover)
Refuse/Resist (Sepultura cover)
Grace
One (Metallica cover)
I'm Not Jesus
Betrayal
Bittersweet
Last Hope
Seek & Destroy (Metallica cover)
Inquisition Symphony (Sepultura cover)
I Don't Care
Hall of the Mountain King (composed by Edvard Grieg)

I think that's quite correct, though I don't know about intro or outro.

Lastly, Nightwish. In short I'd say they did a routine concert. Definitely not bad, but when I've seen them before they've seemed to have more energy. So on that aspect and musically it wasn't nothing special (but nothing bad either). The sounds sucked a bit during Nightwish's show as well, but it got better as the concert went on. It must have sucked to be stuck at some very distant seat, though. They promised us some surprises for this special last show, and the surprises worked quite well. "The Siren" and "While Your Lips Are Still Red" were amazing with violin, "Ever Dream" and "Ghost Love Score" were great to hear. "Wishmaster" was quite different from the original, and ended up being a nice song, but not what it used to be. "Walking in the Air" was very different from what it is on Oceanborn. I didn't really even recognize it at first, and I can't really claim that would be a good thing. It wasn't nostalgic for me in any way really, though it sounded nice. It was kind of like they would've played some very random cover song acoustic there. They played "Meadows of Heaven" for the first time there. Predictable, as Anette sung it at some point in some kind special occasion that can be seen from YouTube. I've never loved the song - it's nice and all, but the gospel parts... *brr* So it was something like "ok" for me to watch. I saw Tapio Wilska in the hallway and kind of hoped for Pharaoh, Devil or 10th Man, but no... Also the cellists of Apocalyptica could've perhaps visited on a song like Kuolema tekee taiteilijan. Well, it was pretty okay as it was anyway.

Highlights of the concert for me were "Ever Dream", "Romanticide", "The Siren", "While Your Lips Are Still Red", "Sahara" (perhaps) and "Ghost Love Score". And the bad picks... Well, "Amaranth" was in a terrible spot, right after "Romanticide". Imagine, that energetic bastard there taking the atmosphere through the roof, the tempo and the aggression, simply the metal and awesomeness in that song... And then you get a poppish radio hit. To put it in one word: bleh. Another blaster, or a very beautiful ballad would've worked a lot better. "Nemo" suffered same fate as well, although its spot after "The Poet and the Pendulum" wasn't as bad. "Wish I Had an Angel" was predictably the last song, and I already started walking when it came. Heard too many times. I heard they played "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" as an outro (from tape) when they were bowing at the crowd. That's a song they were planning to cover on Dark Passion Play (or at least on B-side of one of its singles) but their plans stopped when the song's composer didn't allow the band to release it. So it was something quite special to see, especially if the song is not going to be released at all, ever. I don't know if the composer changes his mind, but I can't really blame him. The atmosphere on the cover is very different from original, and if he doesn't like it, well... It's okay by me. The original appeared in the film "The Piano", by the way.

I didn't mention the emotional side yet. Between "Ghost Love Score" and "Wish I Had an Angel" there were long speeches. They thanked the crew and the crowd and such, I don't remember the exact words nor the jokes, but point was that. Then the crowd hurrayed at them really long and they really seemed to like it... They just looked back and stood there, hopefully appreciating more than feeling uncomfortable or something. That's something every Nightwish fan would've wanted to see.

What else... Well, the stage. Tuomas was in his boat and they had these platforms on back of the stage, left and right. Emppu and Marco occasionally went there, and the violinist was there as well. The flames and the pyrotechnics were great, there were lots of bombs. We faced also two confetti rains, "snowfall" and "rain". Big bands with their toys... Anyway, that side was what you could expect, great. Lighting as well. One more spectacular thing was when during "The Islander" and "Walking in the Air" the lights were shut and the crowd held up their lighters, cellphones and cameras... It looked fantastic.

Nightwish set:

Intro (Finlandia)
7 Days to the Wolves
Ever Dream
Wishmaster
Romanticide
Amaranth
The Siren
While Your Lips Are Still Red
The Poet and the Pendulum
Nemo
Sahara
Dark Chest of Wonders
The Islander
Walking In The Air
Last of the Wilds
Meadows of Heaven
---
Ghost Love Score
Wish I Had An Angel
Outro (The Heart Asks Pleasure First)

Guest performances:
Pekka Kuusisto - Violin (on "The Siren" and "While Your Lips Are Still Red")
Troy Donockley - Bagpipes, flute, etc. (on "Finlandia", "The Islander", "Last of the Wilds" and "Meadows of Heaven")

And I could add something about the fans... I was in the line for 19 hours and slept on the ground with other fans. The atmosphere there was great. Of course, on Saturday we saw lot of cutting in the line and so on, but the people were singing together also outside, before the concert.

Anyway, as a summary I state the following:
very poor organizing + perfect concert != perfect experience

If bands want to make everything perfect for the listener, they could look into that part as well, if they can. That kind of "pay or starve" attitude from the organizers doesn't really elevate the mood of the audience. Of course the concert is what matters the most, but that kind of exploitation policies really annoy a lot. I'll maybe look deeper into who's responsible and boycott their doings in the future.

Today it is one year ago I joined last.fm. In one year time, I've listened to a little less than 10,000 tracks by some 550 artist. So I thought it would be nice to fill out one of those questionnaires which really overcrowd the journals around here. I'm already beginning to wonder why I am going to show you my motivations for listening to a sometimes shameful collection of artists, but I guess it's just fun.

1. What's your favorite song by 14 (Indica)?
My current favourite is Pahinta tänään, which I have listened to quite a lot since I first heard it last March 15th. That evening, I heard an English translation of this song live, and I really, really, liked it. That was my first introduction to this band as well, and I thought they were pretty good.

2. How did you get into 20 (Coldplay)?
I don’t know exactly, probably because of Clocks. It is kind of weird, though, there are many artists I’m not really into, but who have a huge amount of plays on my computer anyway. And I don’t know why. Coldplay is one of those bands. I usually play some of their music when I have some friends over at my place, who don’t like anything I really like, I guess.

3. Who is your favorite member in 8 (Keane)?
Tim Rice-Oxley. I guess I just like keyboard players in general. And he is more handsome than the other two, but that is quite irrelevant… (Hm, well… Maybe not as irrelevant as I want you to believe…)

4. What's your favorite lyric by 29 (Arctic Monkeys)?
Hm. I have to think about that one. One lyric bit which kind of stuck with me ever since the first time I heard it, is: “Yeah, but his bird thinks it’s amazing, though; so all that’s left is the proof that love’s not only blind but deaf”. No comment… But, well, lacking a better alternative, this will be my favourite. At least, for now. (Oh, and for those who want to know: it’s from Fake Tales of San Francisco.)

5. Have you ever seen 22 (Enya) live?
No, I haven’t. And I doubt I ever will.

6. What's your favorite album from 10 (Delain)?
April Rain. I like it more than Lucidity: especially the lyrics appeal more to me. I think I will buy the real, original cd sometime, when it’s a little cheaper than it is now. (Oh, and this is quite beside the point, but I’m going to see them play live in 10 days! Yay!)

7. Do you own any merchandise from 3 (The Corrs)?
Nope. And I don’t think I ever will.

8. What is a good memory you have of 7 (Alanis Morissette)?
Oh, dear. I’m not very good at this memory-stuff, unless there are any seen-live-experiences attached to it. Which isn’t the case with this artist. No, I can’t come up with anything good, so I’ll pass this one.

9. Is there a member of the same age as you in 1 (Nightwish)?
No, I don’t think so. For the record – and I have to look this up, but I have to admit I’m rather curious: Tuomas is 32, Emppu 31, Jukka 31, Marco 43, and Anette 38. I love Wikipedia. Ah well, it means I’m some 10 years younger than the youngest band members. I expected that much. Heh heh, so much for this interesting information…

10. When did you first get into 2 (Within Temptation)?
I have known about them since the single Ice Queen, so that must have been since winter 2001/2002. And I thought that song was allright (but I remember liking Mother Earth better in that time). But when did I really get into them… Must have been in 2005, some time after they released The Silent Force. I had a couple of friends who were fan of this band, and by means of a lot of exposure to their music, I turned into one myself.

11. Who likes 4 (Room Eleven)along with you?
A couple of friends like them very much, and even my parents think they’re okay. And that last thing is very unusual…

12. Which song did you first hear from 15 (Live)?
Must have been something from Throwing Copper or one of those other earlier albums. I can’t remember, really, because I was too young to be really interested in bands like this in those times. The first song of which I actually knew it was from Live, was Overcome, some years later. I was very impressed by that song, so I bought the album V, which is still one of the crappiest cd’s I own. Never listened to them ever since, until sometime last year.

13. What song made you fall in love with 5 (Dido)?
White Flag, if I remember correctly. I heard it a lot on the radio a couple of years ago and I thought it was rather nice, so I bought the two albums she had released up to then. And I listened to it a lot. I’m a bit out of love with her now, but I still listen to her cd’s sometimes.

14. Which song do you not like by 18 (Omnia)?
Lughnasadh for example. I don’t know all of their music – I have one album on my shelf here, and a few additional songs on my computer, because they’re very difficult to download – and what I know I generally like, but this is one song I usually skip when it comes around.

15. Why do you like 14’s songs (Indica)?
Because they’re nice, catchy and happy-sounding. I don’t understand a word of their lyrics, but that doesn’t matter. Finnish is a nice language to listen to and it somehow suits Indica’s songs. It’s just difficult to sing along, but I can always make something up.

16. Where did you first hear 6 (Kamelot)?
At a friend’s place. He wanted me to listen to some of his favourite bands, and this one stuck with me ever since. I actually started downloading one of their albums the very same night.

17. How long was 19 (Krezip) a musician before you liked them?
Not too long. Although, according to Wikipedia (still a wonderful website), they have been active since 1997. I have known them since 2000, when they released their single I Would Stay and gained popularity throughout The Netherlands. My music teacher kind of liked that song, so he made us sing it over and over again, until it actually got boring.

18. Does 13 (Maria Mena) have a song that gives you a bad memory?
Not that I can think of. I’m not really into this memory stuff, neither good nor bad. Unless the connection between the artist and the memory is really obvious, like about a concert or a festival, and those memories generally aren’t bad.

19. When did you get into 17 (Evanescence)?
I loved My Immortal right when they released it, but I really started listening a lot to them maybe two years ago. I rarely play their music now. Decided it wasn’t really my thing after all. Although I still love “My Immortal” and one or two of their other songs.

20. How long have you been into 1 (Nightwish)?
A year or so now. Nightwish was actually the very first band I discovered on last.fm, on my very first day here. Which is exactly a year ago today. I had heard of them before, I had their song Nemo on my computer since autumn 2007, but through last.fm, I really gave their music a listen. And I decided I liked it. A lot.

21. If 9 (Epica) have a concert 300 miles away, would you drive there to see them?
I don’t think so. It is much more efficient, and much cheaper not to forget, to just sit and wait here until they play somewhere near here. They must visit their home country sometime, right?

22. How many CDs do you own of 11 (Amy Macdonald)?
One, This Is The Life. The only one she released until now, I believe.

23. Does 21 (Ane Brun) have a song that makes you cry?
Songs usually don’t make me cry. Ane Brun makes no exception.

24. Does 27 (Anouk) have a song that makes you happy?
Hm, difficult one. I can’t think of one. And although Anouk’s music may get me in a good mood at times, making me genuinely happy is another story, and I don’t think Anouk will ever manage.

25. Does 23 (Queen) have a song that makes you smile?
I think so. Songs like Killer Queen, Don't Stop Me Now and Bicycle Race sometimes make me smile, especially when I’m already in a good mood.

26. What's the last song you've listened to from 28 (Kaiser Chiefs)?
I don’t remember, so I have to dive into my last.fm archive (which I don’t mind, since I’m doing all these little researches all the way through this questionnaire). Gee, I had to go through a lot of music history to find the last played Kaiser Chiefs song. It was Oh My God, 12 days ago.

27. Is there a song by 32 (Avril Lavigne) that you've listened to more than 30 times?
Not on last.fm. I guess I heard songs like Complicated more than 30 times on the radio, but that doesn’t count in my opinion, because what I hear on the radio is usually beyond my control and not my choice. Anything But Ordinary is the Avril Lavigne song I listened to most in the last year: 11 times. I doubt it wil ever reach 30 plays. The same goes for all other Avril Lavigne songs.

28. What is a song from 50 (Lacuna Coil) that you've only listened to once?
Closer. Again according to my last.fm charts, although I expect they are fairly accurate in this case.

29. Is there a song you are sick of hearing by 24 (U2)?
At the moment: no, there isn’t. But at one time, a few years ago, the version of One recorded with Mary J. Blige was played like every hour on the radio. That was very annoying, and I couldn’t really avoid that stupid radio at my holiday job.

30. What song got you into 40 (Agua de Annique)?
Not one particular song. I read about this band in a magazine at my music school, so I decided to download their album Pure Air. The first song I listened to was Somewhere, because I suspected it to be a Within Temptation cover. I was right. Nice song though, with guest vocals by Sharon den Adel, although I like the Black Symphony version by Within Temptation & The Metropole Orchestra (with guest vocals by Anneke van Giersbergen) better.

31. What is your favorite single by 37 (Galt MacDermot)?
Single? I’m afraid I have to pass on this one. I only know that he has written the soundtrack of Hair, which is brilliant, but I don’t know anything else about this man.

32. If 49 (Radiohead) hated you, what would you do?
Nothing. I wouldn’t care at all. (But I think this question is stupid. Why would anyone of Radiohead hate me? They don’t know me, do they?)

33. What would you say if 42 or one of the members from 42 (Di-rect) asked you out?
My first thought was that it would depend on which member would ask me out, but I guess a drink or something with any of the members (or ex-members) would be okay. Nothing more than a drink, though.

34. Would you care if 41 (Dawn of Destiny) had a boyfriend/girlfriend?
One boyfriend or girlfriend for an entire band? Oh, that must be the end of Dawn of Destiny! Oh, well, now I’m talking nonsense. But I wouldn’t even care if the members had three boyfriends or girlfriends. Each! (Well, I would raise my eyebrows on that fact, but more in a that-is-funny kind of way.)

35. Who has the best voice in 30 (Edvard Grieg)?
Some proof that some of these questions don’t fit all the possible artist. Edvard Grieg was a composer. He didn’t sing. (I believe.)

36. Do you think 26 (Apocalyptica) is/are good looking?
The pictures I have seen of them look funny. I guess they’re okay.

37. How many times have you listened to your favorite song by 36 (Bløf)?
Oktober is the song I listened to most (9 times). That is funny, because “Oktober” isn’t my favourite song at all, and I don’t remember ever playing it voluntarily. I guess I’m getting old then, with these memory lapses. The number 2 in my Bløf charts is more of my choice: Mooie Dag (7 plays).

38. How many CDs do you own of 30 (Edvard Grieg)?
One, with his best known compositions on it.

39. Is there a song from 38 (Elbow) that makes you mad?
It takes quite a lot to make me mad, so: no, there isn’t.

40. Which member from 33 (Marco Borsato) do you want to see go solo? If 33 is only one artist, what would you do if they joined a group?
What on earth is he doing in my charts? Anyway, I wouldn’t care a bit if he joined a group, except maybe making a mental note that this could be another group I might want to avoid. (Well, maybe that’s a little too harsh. He’s not that bad, but definitely not worth the effort of caring about his career changes.)

41. What does your favorite song from 48 (Acda en De Munnik) remind you of?
Many of their songs remind me of the beach, but I think the reason for that is that their lyrics often not so subtly suggest such a setting. (Hm… impossible sentence…)

42. Did you hate 43 (The Beatles) at first?
No, I have never hated them. I grew up with their music.

43. Does your best friend also listen to 33 (Marco Borsato)?
My friend gives an involuntary shudder when Marco Borsato's name is mentioned. I suppose that says enough.

44. Do you think your parents would like 23 (Queen)?
I’m rather sure they do. Why else would they own some of their cd’s?

45. Does 47 (Leaf) have a song that makes you want to dance?
Leaf’s music is rather danceable, if that’s an English word. And I’m rather sure I’ve danced sometime on their music on a fine summer’s day. But whether it makes me want to dance? I honestly don’t know. Not particularly, I guess.

46. Have you ever seen 34 (Hans Zimmer) in person?
No, I haven’t.

47. Do you like 44's (Travis) name?
Not particularly, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not my business anyway. And I’ve heard worse names.

48. Is there someone in 48 (Acda en De Munnik) that you want to go out with?
No, definitely not.

49. Do you know anyone that hates 3 (The Corrs)?
Yes, my brother. Or at least: he says he does. I’m not sure whether he really hates them or whether he just wants to annoy me.

50. Have you ever danced to a song from 35 (Sinéad O'Connor)?
No, I haven’t.

Right, that's it. I have only one thing left to say: I'm never EVER going to do this again in Word. It takes like forever to get all the html-codes right afterwards.
Comments are welcome! (Although I don't expect many...)

METAL / ROCK etc...

A

Accept
-Balls to the Wall
-Breaker
-Death Row
-Metal Heart
-Objection Overruled
-Predator
-Restless and Wild
-Russian Roulette

Alice Cooper
-Trash

Amorphis
-Tales From the Thousand Lakes

Andi Deris
-Come in From the Rain

Angra
-Angels Cry
-Aurora Consurgens
-Fireworks
-Freedom Call EP
-Holy Land
-Holy Live EP
-Hunters and Prey EP
-Rainy Nights CDS
-Rebirth
-Temple of Shadows

Avantasia
-Lost in space Part 1 EP
-Lost in space Part 2 EP
-The Metal Opera
-The Metal Opera, Part II
-The Scarecrow

Ayreon
-01011001
-Universal Migrator, Pt. 1: The Dream Sequencer
-Universal Migrator, Pt. 2: Flight of the Universal Migrator

B

Bathory
-Hammerheart

Battlelore
-...Where the Shadows Lie
-Sword's Song

Black Sabbath
-Black Sabbath
-Born Again
-Cross Purposes
-Dehumanizer
-Headless Cross
-Heaven And Hell
-Master Of Reality
-Mob Rules
-Never Say Die!
-Paranoid
-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
-Sabotage
-Technical Ecstasy
-The Eternal Idol
-Vol. 4

Blind Guardian
-A Night at the Opera
-A Twist in the Myth
-Another Stranger Me EP
-Battalions of Fear
-Fly CDS
-Follow The Blind
-Imaginations From The Other Side
-Live
-Mr. Sandman CDS
-Nightfall in Middle-Earth
-Somewhere Far Beyond
-Tales From The Twilight World
-The Bard's Song (In the Forest) CDS
-The Forgotten Tales
-Tokyo Tales

Bruce Dickinson
-The Best Of
-Tyranny of Souls

C

Candlemass
-Nightfall

Cans
-Beyond the Gates

Children of Bodom
-Are You Dead Yet?
-Follow the Reaper
-Hate Crew Deathroll
-Hatebreeder
-In Your Face CDS
-Something Wild

Cradle of Filth
-Live Bait for the Dead
-Midian
-Nymphetamine

D

Deep Purple
-Burn
-Fireball
-In Rock
-Purpendicular
-Purple Hits
-The Platinum Collection

Demons & Wizards
-Demons & Wizards
-Touched by the Crimson King

Dimmu Borgir
-Death Cult Armageddon
-Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
-For all tid
-Godless Savage Garden EP
-In Sorte Diaboli
-Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
-Spiritual Black Dimensions
-Stormblåst (2005)

Dio
-Angry Machines
-Dream Evil
-Evil or Divine
-Holy Diver
-Killing the Dragon
-Lock Up The Wolves
-Magica
-Master of the Moon
-Sacred Heart
-Strange Highways
-The Last in Line

DragonForce
-Valley Of The Damned

Dream Theater
-A Change of Seasons EP
-Awake
-Falling Into Infinity
-Images and Words
-Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory
-Octavarium
-Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
-Systematic Chaos
-Train of Thought
-When Dream and Day Unite

Dreamtale
-Beyond Reality

E

Edguy
-Hall of Flames
-Hellfire Club
-King of Fools EP
-Lavatory Love Machine CDS
-Mandrake
-Rocket Ride
-Superheroes EP
-Vain Glory Opera

Elf
-Carolina County Ball
-Elf
-Trying to Burn the Sun

Ensiferum
-Dragonheads EP
-Ensiferum
-Iron
-Victory Songs

Entwine
-Time of Despair

Eternal Tears of Sorrow
-A Virgin and a Whore
-Before the Bleeding Sun
-Vilda Mánnu

Europe
-The Final Countdown

F

Fates Warning
-A Pleasant Shade of Gray
-Awaken the Guardian
-Disconnected
-Inside Out

Finntroll
-Jaktens Tid
-Midnattens Widunder
-Nattfödd
-Trollhammaren EP
-Ur Jordens Djup
-Visor Om Slutet EP

G

Gamma Ray
-Alive '95
-Heading for Tomorrow
-Insanity And Genius
-Land Of The Free
-Land of the free Pt. II
-Majestic
-No World Order
-Powerplant
-Sigh No More
-Skeletons In The Closet
-Somewhere Out In Space

Guns N' Roses
-Appetite For Destruction

H

HammerFall
-Blood Bound CDS
-Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
-Crimson Thunder
-Glory to the Brave
-Legacy of Kings
-Renegade

Helloween
-Better Than Raw
-Chameleon
-Gambling With The Devil
-High Live
-Keeper of the Seven Keys (Part 1)
-Keeper of the Seven Keys (Part 2)
-Keeper of the seven Keys - The Legacy
-Keepers Live
-Light The Universe CDS
-Master of the Rings
-Metal Jukebox
-Mrs. God CDS
-Pink Bubbles Go Ape
-Rabbit Don't Come Easy
-The Best, the Rest, the Rare
-The Dark Ride
-The Time of the Oath
-Treasure Chest
-Walls of Jericho

I

Iced Earth
-Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)
-Horror Show

In Flames
-Clayman

Insomnium
-Since the Day it All Came Down

Iron Maiden
-A Matter of Life and Death
-A Real Live Dead One
-Brave New World
-Dance of Death
-Death On The Road
-Edward the Great
-Fear Of The Dark
-Iron Maiden
-Killers
-Man on the Edge CDS
-No Prayer For The Dying
-Out of the Silent Planet CDS
-Piece of Mind
-Powerslave
-Rainmaker
-Rock in Rio
-Run to the Hills CDS (re-release)
-Run to the Hills CDS (live)
-Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
-Somewhere in Time
-The Number of the Beast
-The Wicker Man CDS
-The X Factor
-Wildest Dreams CDS
-Virtual XI
-Virus CDS

J

Judas Priest
-Angel of Retribution
-British Steel
-Defenders of the Faith
-Demolition
-Jugulator
-Killing Machine
-Nostradamus
-Painkiller
-Point of Entry
-Priest...Live!
-Ram It Down
-Rocka Rolla
-Sad Wings of Destiny
-Screaming for Vengeance
-Sin After Sin
-Stained Class
-Turbo
-Unleashed in the East

K

Kamelot
-Epica
-Ghost Opera
-Karma
-Siége Perilous
-The Black Halo
-The Fourth Legacy

Kansas
-Leftoverture

Korpiklaani
-Spirit of the Forest

Kotipelto
-Beginning CDS
-Coldness
-Serenity
-Sleep well CDS
-Take Me Away CDS
-Waiting for the Dawn

L

Lacuna Coil
-Comalies
-Halflife EP

Led Zeppelin
-Led Zeppelin II
-Led Zeppelin III
-Led Zeppelin IV

Lordi
-Get Heavy
-The Arockalypse
-The Monsterican Dream
-They Only Come Out At Night CDS

Luca Turilli
-Ancient Forest of Elves CDS
-Demonheart EP
-King of the Nordic Twilight
-Prophet of The Last Eclipse
-The Infinite Wonders of Creation

Luca Turilli's Dreamquest
-Lost Horizons
-Virus CDS

M

Manowar
-Battle Hymns
-Fighting the World
-Gods of War
-Hail to England
-Into Glory Ride
-Kings of Metal
-Louder Than Hell
-Sign of the Hammer
-The Dawn of Battle CDS
-The Sons of Odin EP
-The Triumph of Steel
-Warriors of the World

Masterplan
-Aeronautics

Metallica
-Death Magnetic
-Master of Puppets
-Metallica
-Re-Load
-S&M

Michael Pinnella
-Enter by the Twelfth Gate

Moonsorrow
-Kivenkantaja
-Suden Uni
-Suden Uni (re-release)
-Tämä Ikuinen Talvi (demo)
-Verisäkeet
-Voimasta ja kunniasta

N

Nightwish
-Amaranth CDS
-Angels Fall First
-Century Child
-Dark Passion Play
-Erämaan Viimeinen CDS
-Oceanborn
-Once
-Over The Hills And Far Away EP
-Wishmaster

O

Ozzy Osbourne
-Bark at the Moon
-Blizzard of Ozz
-No More Tears

P

Pantera
-Cowboys From Hell
-Far Beyond Driven
-The Great Southern Trendkill
-Vulgar Display of Power

Pink Cream 69
-Pink Cream 69

Primal Fear
-Devil's Ground

Q

Queen
-A Night At The Opera

Queensrÿche
-Empire
-Operation: Mindcrime
-Operation: Mindcrime II
-Queensrÿche EP
-Rage for Order
-The Warning

R

Rainbow
-Bent Out of Shape
-Difficult To Cure
-Down To Earth
-Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
-On Stage
-Rising
-Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
-Straight Between The Eyes
-Stranger in Us All
-The Very Best of Rainbow

Revolution Renaissance
-Age Of Aquarius

Rhapsody / Rhapsody of Fire
-Dawn of Victory
-Holy Thunderforce CDS
-Legendary Tales
-Live in Canada 2005: The Dark Secret
-Power of the Dragonflame
-Rain of a Thousand Flames EP
-Symphony of Enchanted Lands
-Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret
-The Dark Secret EP
-The Magic of the Wizard's Dream CDS
-Triumph Or Agony

Running Wild
-20 Years In History
-Black Hand Inn
-Branded And Exiled
-Death or Glory
-Pile of Skulls
-Under Jolly Roger

Rush
-2112
-Moving Pictures
-Snakes & Arrows

S

Savage Circus
-Dreamland Manor

Savatage
-Dead Winter Dead
-Edge of Thorns
-Gutter Ballet
-Hall Of The Mountain King
-Handful of Rain
-Poets and Madmen
-Streets: A Rock Opera
-The Wake of Magellan

Scorpions
-Blackout
-Love At First Sting

Shaman
-Ritual

Sinergy
-Suicide by My Side

Skid Row
-Skid Row

Sonata Arctica
-Ecliptica
-Paid In Full CDS
-Reckoning Night
-Shamandalie CDS
-Silence
-Songs Of Silence - Live In Tokyo
-Successor EP
-The Last Amazing Grays CDS
-Unia
-Winterheart's Guild

Star One
-Space Metal

Strapping Young Lad
-City
-Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing
-The New Black

Stratovarius
-A Million Light Years Away CDS
-Deep Unknown CDS
-Destiny
-Dreamspace
-Eagleheart CDS
-Elements, Part 1
-Elements, Part 2
-Episode
-Fourth Dimension
-Fright Night
-Hunting High and Low CDS
-I Walk to My Own Song CDS
-Infinite
-Intermission
-Maniac Dance CDS
-Polaris
-Sos CDS
-Stratovarius
-The Chosen Ones
-Twilight Time
-Visions
-Visions of Europe

SupaRed
-SupaRed

Symphony X
-Paradise Lost
-Symphony X
-The Damnation Game
-The Divine Wings of Tragedy
-The Odyssey
-Twilight in Olympus
-V: The New Mythology Suite

System of a Down
-Hypnotize
-Mezmerize

T

Tarot
-Crows Fly Black
-Follow Me Into Madness
-For the Glory of Nothing
-Suffer Our Pleasures
-The Spell of Iron
-You CDS

Therion
-Lemuria
-Sirius B

Thunderstone
-Tools of Destruction

Thyrfing
-Urkraft

Timo Tolkki
-Classical Variations and Themes
-Hymn to Life

Turisas
-Battle Metal

Twilight Guardians
-Sintrade

Twisted Sister
-Stay Hungry

Type O Negative
-World Coming Down

U

Uriah Heep
-Demons and Wizards

W

Wintersun
-Wintersun

Y

Yngwie Malmsteen
-Fire & Ice
-Marching Out
-Odyssey
-Trilogy
-Unleash the Fury




SOUNDTRACKS / MUSICAL

Andrew Lloyd Webber
-The London Stage Ensemble Plays Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Danny Elfman
-Batman OST
-Edward Scissorhands OST
-Planet of the Apes OST

Ennio Morricone
-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly OST

Howard Shore
-Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring OST
-Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King OST
-Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers OST

John Williams
-Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace OST
-Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith OST
-Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope OST
-Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back OST
-Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi OST

Nino Rota
-The Godfather OST

Various
-Pulp Fiction OST




CLASSICAL
(Some of these are a little too obscure or perhaps only released in Finland, so it's hard to link these to correct albums. I just put the exact name that reads on the CD-case.)

Antonín Dvořák
-Collection - 'From The New World' - Slavonic Dances And Symphony
-Slavonic Dances

Antonio Vivaldi
-Concerto For Mandolin & Strings RV 425 - Sinfonia In C Major
-L'Estro Armonico Op.3 No.1-7
-Sonates For Violin & Harsichord
-The Four Seasons - Violinconcerto - Concerti Per Archi E Cembalo

Carl Orff
-Carmina Burana

Edvard Grieg
-Peer Gynt Suites - Six Orchestral Songs

Franz Joseph Haydn
-Memo Without Symphony No. 94

Frédéric Chopin
-Balades, Etudes & Impromptus
-Pianoconcertos
-Pianoworks, Mazurkas, Impromptus
-Pianoworks, Preludes, Sonatas

Gustav Holst
-The Planets

Igor Stravinsky
-Collection

Jean Sibelius
-Musiikin mestarit - Sibelius

Johann Sebastian Bach
-Baroque Masterpieces
-Musiikin mestarit - Bach

Johann Strauss II
-Waltzes Spectacular

Johannes Brahms
-Symphony No.4 -Hungarian Dances No.s 1-3

Ludwig van Beethoven
-Romances Nos 1 & 2, Moonlight, Waldstein, Pathétique
-Symphony 1 & 2
-Symphony 3 & 5
-Symphony 4 & 6
-Symphony 9

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
-Highlights From- Nutcracker-Sleeping Beauty-Swan Lake
-Nutcracker Suite - Swan Lake
-Pianoconcerto No.1 - Ouverture 1812
-Symphony No.3 D-Dur Op.29 'Polnische'-Capricco Italien Op.45-Valse As-Dur Op.40-8
-Symphony No.6 'Pathetique'-Ouverture 'Romeo And Julia'
-Symphony No. 6 In B Minor
-The Best Of Tchaikovsky

Richard Wagner
-The Best Of Wagner

Sergei Prokofiev
-The Best Of Prokofiev

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
-Taitoa ja mielikuvitusta
-The Early Years
-The Last Years
-The Mature Years

Николай Римский-Корсаков
-Scheherazade

Various
-Largo And Other Golden Melodies From The Classics
-The Classical Collection Volume 2
-The Classical Collection Volume 3




DVD


Blind Guardian
-Imaginations Through The Looking Class

Children of Bodom
-Chaos Ridden Years - Stockholm Knockout Live

Bruce Dickinson
-Anthology

Dimmu Borgir
-The Invaluable Darkness

Dio
-Evil Or Divine - Live In New York City
-Holy Diver Live

Dream Theater
.Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York
-Score

Ensiferum
-10th Anniversary Live

Gamma Ray
-Heading For The East
-Hell Yeah!!! The Awesome Foursome (And The Finnish Keyboarder Who Didn't Want To Wear His Donald Duck Costume) - Live In Montreal

HammerFall
-One Crimson Night

Heaven & Hell
-Live From Radio City Music Hall

Helloween
-Hellish Videos
-High Live
-Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006: Live On 3 Continents

Iron Maiden
-The History Of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Days
-Rock In Rio
-Visions Of The Beast

Judas Priest
-Electric Eye
-Rising In The East

Kamelot
-One Cold Winter's Night

Manowar
-The Day The Earth Shook - The Absolute Power

Nightwish
-End Of An Era
-From Wishes To Eternity (VHS)

Queensrÿche
-Mindcrime At The Moore

Sonata Arctica
-For The Sake Of Revenge

Stratovarius
-Infinite Visions (VHS)

Tarot
-Undead Indeed Live


.
.
.
EDIT: 7th September 2009: Added DVDs and some 15 items I forgot

Дамы и господа, сегодня обсуждается статистика Last.fm по классической музыке.

Ladies and gentlemen, today our talk would be about classical music stats on Last.fm

предыдущие посты / previous entries
mainstream
russian rock
progressive rock
black metal
jazz
pop


Сначала наше традиционное упорядочение по количеству прослушиваний и слушателей.

First of all, our traditional arrangement with respect to number of plays and number of listeners.








Признаться честно, здесь не 100 исполнителей как обычно, а всего 85. Всяких авторов музыки к блокбастерам я безжалостно удалил из статистики. Тем не менее, эти графики демонстрируют нам кое-что, чего не наблюдалось ранее: резкое падение популярности ближе к концу выборки. Такое впечатление, что существует некий стандартный набор классических композиторов, за пределами которого - полная безызвестность.

To be honest, there are not 100 artists as usual, but only 85, because I deleted all the authors of popular movies' soundtracks without a trace of pity. The graphs exhibit something new to us: a rapid decrease of popularity near the end. It seems like there's a standard set of classical composers, and composers out of that set are rather obscure.




А здесь видно, что "музыку заказывают" три самых известных композитора: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven. Отрыв от общей массы довольно большой.

From that plot we can see, that three most famous composers dominate in classical music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven.





А это график удельного числа прослушиваний для различных "классиков". Здесь ситуация еще хуже, чем в джазе - среднее значение составляет всего 9.5, максимальное значение этого показателя имеет неведомая широким массам D'Oyly Carte Opera Company - 36 прослушиваний на слушателя.

Here is specific number of scrobbles for classical composers and performers. The situation here is even worse than with jazz music. The average value is 9.5 and the maximal value belongs to quite unheard-of D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which has 36 plays per listener.




Гистограмма лишь подтверждает то, что классику народ слушает без энтузиазма.

The histogram just confirms the fact that nowadays people listen to classical music without enthusiasm.




Наибольшее число сообщений в рупоре имеют наиболее популярные композиторы, как и следовало ожидать.

As one can expect, the most popular composers have the largest number of messages in their shoutboxes.




А здесь мы вновь видим эффект "потенциального баръера", заключающийся в том, что лишь исполнители с удельным числом прослушиваний выше среднего могут иметь большое число сообщений в рупоре. Правда, здесь он несколько хуже выражен из-за малости этого среднего значения.

And here I see the effect of "potential barrier" again: only artists with more-than-average number of plays per listener can have a lot of shouts. But in classical music it is less present than in another genres because of low average specific number of scrobbles.

P.S. Суммарное число прослушиваний классики на last.fm - 150 миллионов.
The total playcount of classical music on last.fm is 150 millions.


P.P.S. Спасибо Hzlqgmnzhh за полезный скрипт.
Thanks to Hzlqgmnzhh for his script.

List of considered artists:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Philip Glass, Frédéric Chopin, Antonio Vivaldi, Andrea Bocelli, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ludovico Einaudi, Carl Orff, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Edvard Grieg, Antonín Dvořák, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Nyman, Arvo Pärt, Georg Friedrich Händel, Max Richter, Franz Liszt, Gustav Holst, Glenn Gould, Felix Mendelssohn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Josh Groban, Richard Wagner, Camille Saint-Saëns, Igor Stravinsky, Giuseppe Verdi, Ennio Morricone, Maurice Ravel, Hayley Westenra, Dmitri Shostakovich, Sir Edward Elgar, Johann Pachelbel, Franz Joseph Haydn, Gustav Mahler, Il Divo, Jean Sibelius, Steve Reich, Sergei Prokofiev, Georges Bizet, Gabriel Fauré, Luciano Pavarotti, London Symphony Orchestr, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Hector Berlioz, Richard Strauss, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Samuel Barber, Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov, Robert Schumann, George Gershwin, Enrique Granados, Zbigniew Preisner, Kronos Quartet, William S. Gilbert, Luigi Boccherini, Paul Potts, Katherine Jenkins, Leoš Janáček, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Jan Dismas Zelenka, Johann Strauss II, Fernando Sor, D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Bohuslav Martinů, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Broderick, Bedřich Smetana, Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni, Henry Purcell, Georg Philipp Telemann, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Arthur Rubinstein, Nino Rota