[Best Performance Ever] Nightwish - The Greatest Show On Earth Reaction

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Husband and Father of 4 amazing Boys and a Beautiful Wife. From time to time you will get to see them in the Videos. Served 8 years in the Air Force and now have created an amazing community from Twitch and hope to do the same on KZbin! God Bless!
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[@michaausleipzig]

Nightwish packing 4.6bn years into 20minutes and the result is pure awesomeness! 😊

[@WardDorrity]

Who writes like this? Who plays like this? No one.

[@praapje]

@@WardDorrity Dip into the world of prog rock and you´ll find many such gems as these.

[@WardDorrity]

@@praapje Prog rock and I go way back. I'm 70, so that should place me in the early prog era. I was and remain a big fan of Yes, Procol Harum and a few others whose names escape me at the moment. I was also into just about everything else. Electronic music from Walter (now Wendy) Carlos to Karlheinz Stockhausen and Jean Michel Jarre. Jazz, classical, you name it. Modern pop and rap is a stinking dumpster fire. I never cared for metal as it was to me loud, discordant decidedly uncreative and angry for reasons I could never quite discern. I left prog rock behind when it all got a little too pretentious and boring. Nightwish on the other hand utterly blows me away with their off the charts creativity and sheer glorious musicality. This is what I'd been wanting to hear all these years. The other thing that I think that a lot of folks miss is that Tuomas is a masterful poet and lyricist. There's a remarkable depth to his compositions, and the meaning behind his work is breathtaking. The totality of Nightwish's work is that they can send your mind and heart soaring. And Floor has the ability to sing right into your soul.

[@praapje]

@@WardDorrity Everybody´s got different tastes. I hear alot that prog rock can be pretentious and sometimes it can imo. I do not care for virtuosity for virtuosity´s sake. It has to fit into the whole and serve a purpose. I´m not that well versed in prog rock or music in general, I just know what I like and appreciate. I respect the craftmansship of Tuomas and the whole band and I do like many songs. I do have other favorite bands and artists, but that´s just a matter of taste.

[@krt3718]

Best explanation of this great song. Perfect

[@CanadianOrth]

Teachers: How should we teach evolutionary history? Nightwish: Hold my PhD.....

[@MikkoRantalainen]

The teacher should start by showing this fan illustrated version: Nightwish - The Greatest Show On Earth (Music Video) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3vFZKutqdWgo8U

[@stpfs9281]

Imagine having a teacher like Tuomas and Floor? Nightwish gets you to look things up, the best way to learn.

[@ingobordewick6480]

Her dress has two reverences, the finnisch Flag (blue/white) and the structure of DNA.

[@stpfs9281]

Double whammy!

[@black4pienus]

And Sarah got it right. They had little pieces of different musical genres at one point. The song is about the evolution of everything, so Tuomas thought it was a great idea to also ad the evolution of music.

[@117k70017]

Well done Sarah for picking up those references to other music. It basically goes the history of music in less than 20 seconds to illustrate how short it is compared to the whole evolution

[@metallicaguy4679]

yep metallica enter sandman

[@maggie_galle7651]

not only that, it goes about the evolution of Tuomas himself. he has stated in plenty of interviews that he went to study in America, and while he was there, visited a concert of Metallica, and that is the moment he became a metalhead. so as in the song, you could see this as the (re)birth of the Tuomas we all love so much

[@febed01]

Someting fun in this part is that Toccata & Fugue was also used as the opening of a late-70's anime named "Once upon a time, Man", that also pictured the history of Earth forming and life and human history. I don't know if Tuomas did this on purpose but if he did it's cool ^^ kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpfRfZRqd5KDmMk

[@MikkoRantalainen]

@@febed01 Good catch! I'm pretty sure Tuomas knew that TV series very well because it was very popular in Finland during the 1980s when he was a child. Being a Finn (and only a few years younger than Tuomas) I should have noticed that connection, too, but I failed. I personally liked the related series "Once Upon a Time... Life" a more and it had different music, though.

[@evvk8865]

What evolution ?

[@Honken55]

It was summer in Finland. That's basically how dark it gets....

[@jyrikeranen2962]

That was very cold and dark summerday. But those clouds gave it great dramatic for the concert.

[@RenThraysk]

The song is about the evolution of the Earth, biology and life. And a little section has the evolution of music, with Minuet in G Major and Metallica's classic Enter Sandman riff followed by some electronic dance music.

[@richardgoddard37]

Kai threw in a dubstep beat too.

[@PlugInKali]

You forgot about Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Why does nobody notice it?! It's such a famous piece and it's SO obvious that's what they're playing.

[@ecblanco]

@@PlugInKali At what minute please? Still not over with this song, every time there's a new thing.

[@jasonoverman9679]

Almost everyone also misses what sounds like cavemen grunting in harmony which then transitions into ancient tribes chanting which then transitions into what you would hear if you walked into a church in medieval times

[@stpfs9281]

@@ecblanco 35:04, Gregorian chant, 35:18 Harpsichord, 35:25 the bass thumping like a Steam Engine, The Industrial Revolution! 34:33 Banjo, 35:43 "Enter Sandman" riff, 35:47 Electronic Drum Machine beats.

[@Zozo-K-]

The song is based on the book The Greatest Show On Earth: The Evidence For Evolution by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. That’s him doing the spoken word bits. The song covers the evolution of the universe, the planet, life, the rise and eventual fall of mankind. Tuomas studied biology in school and Floor wanted to be a biologist when she was a kid. They are a very science-y band.

[@stpfs9281]

They have discoveries named after them!

[@duncanwyer2460]

Let’s hope they play right to the very end of the video and don’t miss anything ,I’m sure they will love this as we will 🇬🇧 army ready

[@marinaandersson3034]

Yes, Bach & Metallica!

[@mosmeijler3089]

This was the concert that also Floor's parents were in the crowd. That's also why she seemed extra emotional

[@TomTomson81]

Marco, Troy and Floor together the cavemen sound. In the online concert it was only Floor and Troy. That's when Floor really got started. The greatest show on earth is the story from the Big Bang to humanity today. 35:43 And yes, your wife is right. Emppu has briefly played "Enter the sandman" by metallica. That was Tuomas homage to his favorite band. Your reaction was great. But also proves once again that America is the North Korea of the music industry. Completely isolated and nothing comes in if you are not taken by the hand and taken out of the cage. 😁 Btw. In the credits even the bus driver is mentioned. This shows once again what kind of band this is.

[@AussieGoblin618]

The enter sandman part is also a part of the evolution of music that plays just before it

[@WardDorrity]

North American pop music is a burning dumpster fire. Loud, angry, insipid and vile by turns. For example, another commenter stated that, compared to the talent on offer from Nightwish, Miley Cyrus was nothing more than a fart on a snare drum.

[@pen7759]

I do agree on you; well done, in a succinct manner, concisely.

[@flaviovergottini652]

Really good comment, but please allow me to correct you on one thing: TGSOE doesn't start from the Big Bang (the creation of the universe) but from the creation of the Earth (which happened billions years after). IMO, the piano intro represents our planet orbiting around the sun, still without life, then the fireworks came in representing the two massive bombardments of asteroids/comets which brought water, chemicals and maybe even the amminoacids life needed to start from. Even Troy's solos may be representative of two different stages of early life evolution, as if the Tin Whistle "evolved" into the Uillean Pipes. (Just my two cents tho...😉) 👋🇮🇹🖖

[@WardDorrity]

@@flaviovergottini652 An astute observation, sir.

[@ChrisEchoes]

The timing of the fireworks is actually made possible because they used the signal from the band's clicktrack. Nightwish uses clicktracks to synchronise their performance with the orchestral / choral backing track and the visuals. These days fireworks engineers use a similar kind of system to program their displays. So it was in fact not that hard for Tuomas to play in synch with the fireworks. The hard part was done by the fireworks engineer in preparing it.

[@paisa20]

Great info, thanks

[@rbeckrbeck3593]

@@paisa20 That is possible but I'm sure in this case someone confirmed they were done manually.

[@flaviovergottini652]

@@rbeckrbeck3593 it's possible that, for safety reasons, the fireworks have to be manually started BUT the operator follows the click-track as if he is part of the band: he's just "playing" a different instrument...😅 👋🇮🇹🖖

[@hannuhanttamakela2673]

Yep, Fireworks crew used in ears. They tested that everything worked the night before. The launch station was located behind stadium and they used manual launch control with click track & in ears for timing.

[@TaverenTech]

And Tank the Tech reactor gives a very detailed and professional description of all this on his reaction to this song.

[@jo_g.germany]

Actually, Sarah, that was a brilliant reaction! Not the first one I silently liked how quick you got some points. No offense Tom, but your co-host is doing damn well!🤭 🤘

[@richardwest6358]

And, unlike her husband, she doesn't look like someone has put I pile of poo under her nose

[@garywillingham3644]

better than his

[@sleeepwalk]

We will be hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[@ChrisEchoes]

The bagpipes are real bagpipes, not electronic, they are so called Uillean Pipes i.e. Irish bagpipes. They are the more evolved version of the standard bagpipes where instead of blowing into them Troy has a set of bellows strapped to him which operates with this right elbow. And if I am not mistaken he can also switch tunings because it has several sets of playing pipes attached to it. I have seen him play quite a lot with his 'previous' band Iona which was a Celtic progressive rock / pop band.

[@samboman40]

and the fact not to blow, permit to sing and playing together

[@guidok3080]

If you want to see a close-up of the instrument and what can be done with it, the late Liam O'Flynn can help you : kzbin.info/www/bejne/j37Zc6F7q9p1q6M

[@Bigbigpista]

Very simillar to bohemian bagpipes (also called "bock"), also "operated" by elbow.

[@Slick-ng5kf]

This is my fave of the big 3. I’m a biology/science nerd and so this song checks all the boxes for me. Lyrically , musically, vocally …masterpiece. I love the first piano piece as it makes you feel like nothingness and just floating though space then “bang” the collisions and beginnings of Earth then early life forms, then more advanced life, then humans are the last piece and the change of tone/music as well as the relative length of discussion of humans in comparison to the rest of song is like the fact that humans are a speck in the time of Earth’s evolution over 4.6 billion years. I love the fact the cameras caught the twins in this song (DNA personified in the identical twins) and Floor’s dress is perfect double helix (even the rivets would correlate to the DNA base pairs and how connect). We were here indeed🤘

[@silviahannak3213]

Yes, it is not just a cool Metal Song. You have to understand what it is about. The Lyrics are important. The Story of Evolution. Love the Piano Pieces from Tuomas Mozart 2.0 Holopainen

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

Sarah ‘ says to Tom ‘ I love a good Tom’ 😂😂

[@andyohil7465]

The greatest show on earth is the evolution, biology and life. As we are part of this, we can say: WE WERE HERE!!!

[@stevecork7574]

Darn. I actually have to go into the office for the first time in over 15 months…guess I’ll have this little gem to listen to when I get home.

[@Duskwind_]

100% guaranteed that we will be watching them perform this song in front of 3,000 people in NYC. At the end of the concert we will be able to say 'WE WERE HERE!' while we're standing in the rubble of what once was Terminal 5 🤘

[@chrisgrethlein6196]

Fyi - Troy starts by playing an Irish Tin Whistle (same instrument from the Titanic theme). Later, he plays the Uillean pipes, also known as the Irish pipes, which is a relative of Scottish bagpipes.

[@Amaranthos2]

"We do have children to take care of at some point." "... They'll be fine on their own." And that pretty much sums this one up 🤘

[@gexwing]

we WERE here :(

[@bobsuisse2]

You haven't seen "Poet and the Pendulum" live from Wembley yet? Haven't you? 😂😂😂

[@Vaamp92]

But make sure to put captions!! Lyrics are crucial!

[@WDC_wolf]

I hope Tom will not die while watching that one xD But the heart attack is possible...

[@Vaamp92]

@@WDC_wolf well... I wouldnt put my neck on the line! :P

[@Drinckx2]

I think this is the best version. The Wembley version is excellent too: worth watching as you get Richard Dawkins looking rather uncomfortable as he comes out on stage but also Troy doing some really atmospheric work on guitar with EBow at the start(which this version lacks).

[@101Mant]

@Ted Love a sold out Wembley area isn't exactly small fry.

[@tomvenner6030]

@Ted Love Cant do the fireworks inside Wembly, they can in larger outdoor shows, like Tampere.

[@jimilgenfitz6998]

What a fantastic band....they even give credit to the bus drivers! How cool is that?! 👍🏻💖

[@jyrikeranen2962]

My loved hometown - Tampere! ❤️ I was there.

[@OvDevilz]

The showcase of the musical medley actually starts when they got into the "Toolmaker" section, where they showcases transcends styles and genres by exploring the subject of evolution in itself being a progressive, evolving journey. Its all started with the early civilazation music with tribal drumming and chanting, and then fast forward through that part, in few seconds, they goes through the Gregorian chant in Dies Irae from Mozart, Bach’s tunes from Minuet in G Major and Fugue in D Minor, followed by Metallica’s Enter Sandman riff, and finally a short measure of techno or electronic music representing rap/hip-hop and 90s dance music.

[@nielsdegroot9138]

You missed the banjo part. :)

[@OvDevilz]

@@nielsdegroot9138 ah yes, the classic banjo folk sound just before the Enter Sandmand riff 👌🏼🤘🏻

[@stpfs9281]

Have you heard the instrumental version? Oooooh!

[@johnlindquist1784]

I have to watch this one if for no other reason than to watch your head explode.

[@TomTuffnuts]

Still picking up the brain matter

[@johnlindquist1784]

@@TomTuffnuts LOL - you and everyone else who listened to this the first time - including me.

[@nicod1361]

@@TomTuffnuts Tom when you do Poet & Pendulum do this version with your wife as it has lyrics :) The Poet And The Pendulum - Nightwish. HQ with lyrics. Live @ Wembley 2015 kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3bdi4WDqc2bjrc

[@lauremo4005]

Good on you Sara, very few reactors pick up the musical references in that one "quiet" section. Great reaction guys! BTW, this song makes me cry every time.

[@majbrat]

Emppu is underrated. Thank you for giving him props. Most bands with much less complicated music would have 2 or 3 guitarists. Emppu does the rhythm guitar, lead guitar, and special solos in extremely intricate & changing melodies. Has to drink his beer on the go! LoL Now he has a bit of help from Troy and of course Marko gave him a break now and then, but he is remarkable in his own right. :) Btw also watch the wembley version to see some cool production differences like Troy using an eBow so his guitar sounds like a cello- so cool. A few other differences as well that are good. It's worth watching.

[@Fabi72g]

So Sarah noticed the Enter Sandman riff and not you? Tom, you need at least a dozen of Metallica songs reactions to make amends. :D And I'm not ever requesting Bach reactions :P

[@corneliusantonius3108]

Bach be like: "Am I nothing to you" 😜

[@pekkahorttanainen8812]

Tom was too emotional to pick up any details...

[@ejllamobeolan5025]

The grow is Floor!!! Listen to yours is an empty hope. The talking at the end, is Richard Dawkins. In the video he comes on stage and says it.

[@alleninfinity6730]

That is definitely one of their most beautiful performances, and it moves you. You should both check out Poet and the Pendulum, before you should read the Open Letter which is an easy google search away, and signed by Tuomas, Emppu, Marko, and Jukka(the original drummer) firing Tarja. They gave this to her as soon as they ended their final concert together (End of an Era). She was the face of Nightwish at the time, and dear in all their hearts, especially Tuomas who considered her a must to many of the songs he had written at that point. She cried on tv, and denies it all, but the band made it clear what they felt in the letter. Tuomas was painted as the devil by many then and went through a deep dark depression. He even considered ending the band and committing suicide. He wrote The Poet and the Pendulum at that time, and actually kills himself in the song. He said he killed himself in the song, as to not do it in real life. To this day every time he plays it, it takes him back to those feelings, and shows on his face. In the last part, Mother and Father, words are sung to him that his real mother said to him at the time of this darkness in him. Nice reaction, and please let me know you read this. Ty.

[@572Btriode]

Bear in mind too, the song is written backwards, it starts at the end and finishes at the beginning as can be heard if you listen very carefully.

[@strogaa]

There's a little documentary, that includes this concert. It's called "De Reunie". Floor and some of her classmates from the Rock Academy Tilburg meet each other and chat about their lives. The one part with Floor you can find with english subtitles. The show-host is meeting her at this day in Tampere. Worth watching... and it's probably a good idea to have some tissues ready ;-)

[@robertsheeler321]

Troy was playing a Low Whistle in the beginning, then he was playing the Irish Uileann Pipes they are driven by bellows under the right arm were the scottish pipes are blown into Also Sarah is correct it is groot. If you notice Floors outfit represents the DNA strands of life. the animals growls are all three of them. I'm not sure you really got it , the creation of Earth (big bang - fireworks) the creation of life (Human , Animals) the destruction of mankind.

[@mnewm21]

not sure if it is the big bang as their is a lot of discussion on this actually being the creation of the moon as the big bang was eons before but it matters not...either would work.

[@mdog2560]

I believe Floor’s dress is a symbol of the Finnish flag.

[@DezDye]

Her dress in fact has a double helix

[@kimfabritiusdetengnagel2038]

@@mdog2560 both DNA strings and the colors of the Finish flag

[@572Btriode]

@@mdog2560 It is, also.

[@davidstephen6753]

WE WERE HERE! This is the most epic piece of music and performance by pretty much any band on earth. Nice reaction and thank you. Of course, they have a more European, non-religious view of the universe and evolution, which is certainly a view I share, but I'm sure Tuomas and the rest of the band would be the last people to try to force their views onto others. This is just an amazing, huge, ambitious piece of music. I'm pretty certain that they will be closing out their World Tour shows with this and that may have already been hinted at with the recent on-line concerts. My wife and I are due to see Nightwish at Wembley in December and as this COVID stuff comes to an end, we're hoping that it won't be delayed again.

[@stpfs9281]

Last Ride Of The Day "We live, in every moment but this one Why don’t, we recognise, the faces loving us so? What’s God, if not, the spark that started life?"

[@jurgen7826]

25:50 Sarah: ‘I love Toms… and a good Tom beat…’ 😂

[@Piia2023]

You two are a great couple, loved this reaction. From this song the new album Human Nature actually continues, you should do that album together and specially the second album Nature. They do close the concerts with this song, hopefully on this coming tour also. Hope you two will do The Poet And The Pendulum together in the near future, you can for sure make that a special occasion, the song is that amazing. Thank you both for this.

[@maianation]

Your wife might love thein newest album. Especially the second part of the album. It's instrumental.

[@ristohyvarinen8448]

Nightwish has been working for years together with the London Session Orchestra and choir. So we can hear a real orchestra and choir sound on the backtrack. Tuomas plays of course his parts with the keyboards. Floor can growl too, so it could be Marko, Troy or Floor. Well done reaction from your wife, she has good points listening these videos. By the way, could it be possible to get rid of those purple dots surrounding the small video screen. They cover your wife's face quite disturbingly. Overall great reaction.

[@HistoryBuff]

Great job! I briefly looked through the comments to see if anyone hit on this but didn't see anything. The song is the entire history of life. The piano intro, I believe, is the formation or carbon, amino acids, etc. The explosions were heavier molecules being formed in the hearts of stars and supernovae. Then, when the music changes, DNA and life begins. Later is the extinction event and the rise of mankind, others have pointed out the evolution of music...etc.

[@jormapihlaja3574]

The length of this reaction is just fine. Your genuine feelings and your both thoughts matters. Lovely to see you both diving to Nightwish universe and like with this song, I get emotional every time in front of Tuomas's genius way to handle human heart and mind.

[@bocatampere]

Nightwish is a lifetime journey to humanity and nature. This is a masterpiece. I was working in that show as a member of stage crew and it was magical night..once again. Floor’s parents were there also. Very nice and humble people 🙏🏻❤️

[@crabuki1273]

This was in Tampere, Finland, on July 31st. The sun set at ~10pm, so pretty normal concert time.

[@andoobs2]

the familiar guitar part sarah was talking about was the riff from enter sandman tom! there were many references to famous pieces of music over the centuries, most people only usually pick up the guitar riff and none of the others, impressed she got another one!

And the funny thing is almost no one gets the "Toccata and Fugue" reference, although it hits you right in the face.

[@dolla3975]

WOW really looking forward to this one!

[@michaeldecker3480]

Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah!

[@jakubfranek9995]

Sarah is like."that was nice, that was cool!" Tom "shattered and broken and reconsidering his life" ...yeah. 😂 Love it. Yeah, that's how it feels. To the bones, to the soul.

[@scifimonkey3]

The big one……looking forward to this

[@Longbarrel24]

This man is precious to humanity and must be protected at all costs.

[@ioaKouts]

Just for now, it is my duty to introduce you to some info about the lyrics. Lyrics are in " " [Part 1: Four point Six] "Archaean horizon, The first sunrise" Earth's history is divided into four principal Eons: the Hadean, the Archean, Proterozoic, and the Phanerozoic. The Hadean is the Eon during which the Earth and Moon formed; in the Archaean, primordial life appeared. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth "On a pristine gaea" Gaia is the primordial Greek goddess of the Earth. More recently, the Gaia hypothesis is a recognition of the living and nonliving Earth systems which form an interdependent whole. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia "Opus perfectum, Somewhere there, us sleeping" Pristine perfection (of silence, of a blank page, of the very point from which the big bang itself sprung) implies a rich creative potential. Here Earth is painted in the same powerful way. Diversity awaits; unborn beings are sleeping the same sleep to which they will return at death. This interpretation is thematically linked with the album's opening track, "Shudder before the Beautiful," which includes the lyrics, "The music of this awe, Deep silence between the notes, Deafens me with endless love." Or as the furious hobbit screamed at the novice trumpeter, "An artist respects the silence, it serves as the foundation of creativity." [Part 2: Life] "The cosmic law of gravity Pulled the newborns around a fire, A careless cold infinity in every vast direction. Lonely farer in the Goldilocks zone" Gravity pulls the Earth around the energizing Sun in an otherwise inhospitable universe. Earth is the only planet in our solar system's circumstellar habitable zone, orbiting at the "just right, not too hot, not too cold" distance from the Sun. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumstellar_habitable_zone "She has a tale to tell, From the stellar nursery into a carbon feast, Enter LUCA" In astronomy, stellar nurseries are the birthplaces of stars: they nurse stars Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_formation#Stellar_nurseries Poetically, our solar system is another "stellar nursery," in which a star is the nurse, caring for and warming a planet of 'newborns,' early carbon-based life. "Feast" evokes the incorporation of plentiful chemical building blocks into rudimentary life forms. "LUCA" stands for "Last universal common ancestor," the one single organism from which all other presently existing life on Earth descended. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_universal_ancestor "The tapestry of chemistry is a writing in the garden, Leading us to the mother of all" The periodic table of elements does look like a sort of patchwork tapestry, but this can go further. The historical function of tapestries was as "nomadic murals," pictographical histories which moving people could pack up and revisit wherever they went. The "writing in the garden," in nature, is not only the stone murals left by dead animals in the form of fossils, but is also this chemical writing that encodes the relatively nomadic DNA molecule with the instructions for life. The scientific investigation of this information leads us back to LUCA, and further. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry#Function "We are one, We are a universe," This is the natural conclusion to draw from the fact that life shares common origin, that all life is built with the same blocks, and that all life on Earth is interdependent (gaia hypothesis). The multiplicity of beings on Earth are one, just as the cells in a body are one. "Forebears of what will be Scions of the Devonian sea." The Devonian geologic time period marked the first significant, rapid diversification of life (and the more well-known Cambrian explosion is another of these 'adaptive radiation' events). It was during the Devonian that the 'higher plants' appeared and blanketed the continents with forests. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonian . The word "scion" refers to a shoot of a plant cut for grafting, and is also used to denote a descendent of a notable family. Both meanings apply. "Aeons pass, Writing the tale of us all. A day-to-day new opening For the greatest show on Earth" Evolutionary adaptation is written in the DNA and as fossils in the rocks, and is ongoing. Species die, diversifiy and delineate. Every day is different, every day something changes. "Ion channels welcoming the outside world To the stuff of stars" Ion channels are found in the membranes of all cells, controlling the flow of energy through the cells. The stuff of stars is all the physical matter we're made of. So it's the ion channels, guiding enery, which allow living bodies to interact with the rest of the world by exchanging energy with it. "Stuff of stars" is surely a Sagan reference: "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff." For fun: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jniuaWeGpMqspM0 "Bedding the tree of a biological holy, Enter life" The bed of a tree is the nutrient-rich soil from which it grows, a soil made of dead things. The "tree of a biological holy" is probably the tree of life en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life_(biology) . This line refers to the "holy" legendary tree of everlasting life but also means the conceptual, branching family tree of all life, whose bed consists of all deceased beings (in a more literal sense), or all extinct ancestral species (in a more abstract sense). This is thematically linked with the song "Alpenglow." "We are here to care for the garden, The wonder of birth Of every form most beautiful" "We" could be human beings tasked with acting as nature's stewards, garden of eden style, but that's not chronological -- human beings haven't quite appeared in the song yet. "We" could instead be all of life itself, in a gaia-philosophy sense, which posits that life creates environments ever more hospitable to more life. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_philosophy Or maybe it's a combination of these two thoughts: life eventually creates an environment suitable for the development of consiously acting, thinking human stewards. [Part 3: The Toolmaker] "After a billion years, The show is still here. Not a single one of your fathers died young." Every single one of a given person's ancestors, male and female, lived past puberty at least. But "fathers" evokes "forefathers," which has a nicer storytelling ring to it than "parents." "The handy travelers Out of Africa Little Lucy of the Afar" Handymen are good with tools; travelers posessing hands rather than forefeet walk upright. Hominids originated in Africa and spread to the rest of the world from there. Lucy is a particular specimen of the Australopithecus, one of many "missing links" between modern humans and nonhuman ancestors. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(Australopithecus) "Gave birth to fantasy, To idolatry, To self-destructive weaponry. Enter the God of gaps Deep within the past. Atavistic dread of the hunted!" The brain grows, consciousness and creativity along with it. Atavism is the tendency to revert to ancestral type, an evolutionary throwback. Fight-or-flight instincts that helped human ancestors survive have now been creatively projected onto the world to both explain it (origins, meaning, suffering) and gain security in it (bargaining through sacrifice). These are the roots of theism. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atavism "Enter Ionia, the cradle of thought, The architecture of understanding. The human lust to feel so exceptional, To rule the Earth" Nomadic people develop agriculture and settle down into civilizations. The word "architecture" is at once both literal and figurative. The efficiency of civilization graces people with free time to do more than just feed themselves. They develop rich cultural traditions, arts and philosophies, much of which are deeply influenced by how different humans now are from all the rest of life. "Hunger for shiny rocks, For giant mushroom clouds, The will to do as you'd be done by." Shiny rocks are wealth: gold, precious stones, jewels, and later uranium which leads to the nuclear arms race. The golden rule -- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" -- is a coin with a dark side: "an eye for an eye," revenge. This ensures the "MAD"ness of mutually assured destruction. Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction "Enter history, the grand finale. Enter ratkind." "Ratkind" comes from Richard Dawkins' book "The Ancestor's Tale." Dawkins imagines a post-apocalyptic world in which rodents feast on the remnants of humanity (and humanity's garbage). The rat population explodes, and then as they exhaust these resources they turn on one another for food. As a consequence of natural selection, the rats diverge into new carnivorous and herbivorous species, and perhaps, eventually, a specices of rodent whose intelligence rivals that of humans. This is "ratkind." Https://iberianature.com/wildworld/tag/ratkind/ "Man, he took his time in the sun, Had a dream to understand A single grain of sand." From William Blake: "To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour." ...And the story of the planet in 24 minutes. Not bad. "He gave birth to poetry, But one day'll cease to be. Greet the last light of the library" A bittersweet redundancy: poetry with library, the last light with ceasing to be. Reminiscent of Elan: "Be the first to greet the morn [...] Travel with great élan, dance a jig at the funeral." "We were here!" Who else is going to vote for this song's inclusion on the next Voyager golden record, if there'll ever be one? I want to beam this song into space forever.

[@helky8]

There is only one Tuomas Holopainen ❤️ I'm so glad I found Nightwish. Never knew I could feel this way of any band. Still waiting my first concert. By the way, for Poet and bendulum you don't need snacks. You need tissues.

[@anneliespeters5355]

MASTERPIECE! I’ll be here!👋👋👋

[@pirkkavigren8303]

Nice reaction Tom & Sarah. 👏🏻 I was there. At the end of the catwalk. Front row. The stadium is only 15 minutes away from my home. Great memories. Greetings from Finland. 🤟🇫🇮

[@jimrentz]

Troy is playing a certain type of bagpipes, Not the Highland Pipes like most people think of but the Irish Pipes also known as the Uilleann Pipes.

[@4ndy17]

Tom you are awesome, and I love Sarah, she is amazing... Most people needs more than one listen to catch those details!!! It is the beginning of Bach's minuet for harpsichord in G major, followed by his famous fugue in D minor. There is a banjo, too!!!

[@karitilsala9297]

Tuomas Holopainen has made the soundtrack Scrooge McDuck ... and Tuomas Holopainen's wife Johanna Kurkela sings in it.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIjahImFpJp-lc0

[@JustJenReacts]

I just did your wife’s song on my stream today. Omg Sarah. Wow. You’re amazing 🤩 that song had me like 😯 what a gorgeous voice. My stream is still up if you wanna see! ❤️ oh yeah, enjoy TGSOE!!!! The best 20 min song in the world!!!!!

[@omarfernandez1620]

Please do more reactions with Sarah, you do a great team, she is so into it and clever!

[@kimfabritiusdetengnagel2038]

Even Floor's singing styles reflects the evolution of singing - she demonstrates almost every kind of singing - in almost every octave!! And I have to say that Sarah - you are really listening without loosing yourself in the music - I couldn't do that 👍👍👍👍 By the way - when Tuomas wrote this masterpiece - it was 30 minutes, but they cut it down to this more concentrated masterpiece - where you actually looses time and place. He got the inspiration from Troy - who gave Tuomas some books of Richard Dawkins to read. Tuomas even wrote a handwritten letter to Richard Dawkins - and he answered - and came on stage on the Wembley show - abd he is doing all the background speaking. Both Tuomas, Troy and Floor are deeply into the evolution and nature in general. Great reaction from you 👍 🤘 🤘

[@gsparkman]

I was there already. But I'll be here again.

[@mailen5187]

The best show with the best Band on Earth 🤘👍

[@MustaLaatta]

First I would have gratefully listen this one in science lesson and then dig out the meaning of "Goldielock Zone, Luca etc. Second: The keyboard rack has a special welded frame - it fit's one vinebottle. Tuomas is vine enthusiast, which may exlain partly their tour routes zigzags for finding new interesting vines. Just bring Ohio Special Red to market and Tuomas makes a gig around there and comes to visit u😁

[@kdkttn19]

Yes, this one can exhaust you. But eventually the drain decreases and you can still appreciate it without the drain.

[@paisa20]

Thanks, so fun to watch a great song with you both.

[@bobsuisse2]

Poet is dark. More emotional.

[@andrewhuggins9008]

Wonderful reaction fella. That look in your eyes at 28 minutes made me proper laugh out loud! Your brain will explode when you see 'em live pal!! 😉 🤘 🤘

[@alexxseven6790]

I've been at Nightwish concerts three times and every single one really was mindblowing. This band is symphonic metal at it's best !

[@michaeldecker3480]

It was Enter Sandman

[@andreawolfs3578]

Dear Tom and Sarah. Thank you so much for this video. I was waiting for this. And how great that you get to see this awesone band live! Enjoy and keep reacting to more Nightwish😁

[@madcin1]

-Your favorite song of Nightwish? -Yes ;-)

[@kquincy3068]

And the original drummer Jukka, is mentioned in the credits. He had to quit for health reasons, he chose Kai to replace him, but he still works for nightwish behind the scenes. And Jukka, being so damn famous and good, is still endorsed by his drum maker.

[@jamesanderson5268]

Every song Tuomas writes has a backtrack of the London Symphony and various choirs singing along in the background and so does this song. BTW, I read when they first started they got panned very hard by the media because of their lack of a production. I think that's why they have such an awesome production now. Floor's parents were in the crowd that night. There's a documentary about them being there on YT.

[@Torisani]

Thanks for a good reaction i was there and i feel it in my heart i live in Tampere... keep going guys

[@michamcnobe1460]

the piece was from Bach and a second of Metallica the history of music is also a part of the history of the univers and earth. THAT's the genious of our Metal Mozart Tuomas.

[@fjnw]

Tom, just bumped into this reaction of Sarah and you today. Really enjoyed the reaction. I fully relate to what you say in the end. Actually, I am a Nightwish fan for over 2 years now (after seeing Floor in Beste Zangers) and guess what the first Nightwish song was I saw and listened to...

[@anneliespeters5355]

For everyone who is interested in the making of the album Endless Forms Most Beautiful, there are 20 short episodes on the KZbin page of Nightwish how the album was made from start till finnish. Scroll a bit down to 6 years ago and you will find them. Lot’s of interresting info and very enjoyable to watch. Greetings from the Netherlands🤟👋

[@Frankamaria]

Marco, Troy and Floor doing the ape sound 😁

[@silverblack5475]

Your wife was spot on with the little music pieces that were representing the evolution of music along side the evolution of Earth .

[@roydemol3124]

imagine playing that thumping bass and singing at the same time without looking at what you're doing on the bass, only Marco

[@bert2673]

The white stripes on Floors outfit represent dna strands♣

[@wanmac31]

🇫🇮😊🇫🇮🤘❤️🎶🎹🎸🥁🎢✨👍👍 WE WERE HERE 🤘

[@ejllamobeolan5025]

Emppus played a Metallica earlier enter sandman. You need to watch the Wembley virsion

[@jurgenbruin3207]

Tom, great as always! Please do the homework on background of the song, otherwise you don't get the spirit of it. Also, get one with subtitles!

[@Jpyric]

Not only is this one of my favorite Nightwish songs, I feel like its probably one of the best songs ever written. Great reaction, you two!

[@ernstomlin5894]

Check our decades in the sun and endless forms most beautiful from Nightwish 🇨🇭

[@peterjackson6011]

50:00 I was here 🤘😎🤘 you guys are awesome. Sara did an amazing job hijacking the show at the start as well 🤣

[@TomTuffnuts]

You Sir are a Champ! Glad you enjoyed!

[@duncanwyer2460]

Loved that ,glad you noticed the other tunes in there like Enter sand man and Bach , and Floor in her double helix dress ,Troy on his pipes and the drums best ever plus so so so much more in this masterpiece ! Over six hundred tracks layer down by Tuomas and London philharmonic orchestra . Metal Mozart he is

[@jukkap.5722]

Tuomas is one frigging genious

[@smuttsnus]

I never, and i mean NEVER comment on videos, but ive seen alot of reaction videos - and this one gave me alot. The way you guys just kept silent and soaked it all in in the ending of the video. And also your reaction to that part especially, was amazing. Thank you for a great experience, and for sharing the moments with us! `\W/

[@TomTuffnuts]

So happy you enjoyed it with us!

[@sauliiihola]

They are beyond words..and come for a small town in Finland that is about half hour from my home town..

[@burningdeadman]

LOL Tom you went on a ROLLERCOASTER with this song. If i could screenshot all your emotions in a collage it would be huge haha. This song is god dang amazing and brought me to tears at the end.

[@chadbennett7873]

I always have to laugh about people commenting on how "long" it is. It's the damn story of the creation of the universe to mankind's end. What? A three minute single so it can get radio airplay? A great book, a great movie, a great song should always take exactly however long it takes to tell the complete story. We live in a microwave society with people demanding instant gratification, and I see that as a serious reason why "WE WERE HERE" will end up being the graffiti on the wall that mankind will leave behind. We don't deserve the existence we have, because we don't appreciate it - and wasn't that Richard Dawkins point? Isn't that really the point of the whole song? In reference to the first point ... Nightwish defies the Space/Time Continuum - after the song is over, everybody says "Was that 10 minutes?" It never seems as long as they thought when it's over. We'd need Einstein, Hawking or Neil DeGrasse Tyson to explain it to us. Nightwish doesn't waste a second, everything means something, and that's why we love them so very much.

[@zoeystar4668]

Yes. Very well said.

[@572Btriode]

@@zoeystar4668 Very, very well said.

[@eves1503]

Interesting you mentioned showcasing Tuomas more here. They had him front and center during their virtual shows, the same spot where drums usually are. We got to see a lot more of him because he was right behind Floor :-)

[@michaeldecker3480]

They are Irish pipes, uleane or something like that

[@hazelangus]

"Can't just get to the climax straight away, you gotta slowly get into it". Absolutely! Value the Floorplay. Or is that inappropriate? XD

[@jabgibson]

The Greatest Show on Earth [drops mic]. Good job Tom, great reaction.

[@dylin0018]

About the Poet and the Pendulum, you probably already know this but just in case you don't: - Make sure you research the back story before doing the Poet and the Pendulum. - React to the version with lyrics. - Keep an eye on Tuomas at "3 minutes and counting"

[@CaffeineNightOwl]

a great reaction, sarah. thank you.

[@edudario1974]

This song is fantastic because of many reasons. The composition, the complexity, all technical stuff you can think of, but... the most interesting part ( and important for me ) are the lyrics. If you want to learn some interesting concepts and words about evolution and all that, this song will inspire you. I learnt for example the world L.U.C.A., that means "Last universal common ancestor", " the goldilocks zone" which is the perfect spot where earth is located in the solar system, not to cold, but not too hot. All that part: "Lonely farer in the goldilocks zone, she has a tale to tell. From the stellar nursery, into a carbon feast", What a great piece of lyrical composition there. The earth, in that nice place in our solar system, surrounded by the cold, vast and deadly universe, surviving and the begining of all life, carbon. It's full of amazing concepts, like that one. " the handy travellers out of Africa, Little Lucy of the Afar" There is something that nobody talks about in another Nightwish song, which is in the second disc of the album HUMAN / NATURE, the part of the song is called "Anthropocene, (including Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal". When I read this it inmediately sparked my curiosity and googled it...What was the Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal ? and I discovered that it's the oldest musical composition known. Made by an ancient civilization. It's like a musical fossil. That music, the first music composed by mankind is included there, in that Nightwish song. Isn't it amazing that a band in the middle of this disastrous musical moment of humanity, can compose songs like that ? or like this ? That's what I wanted to say. Great reaction guys, BTW