Man... Saw your comment when I started watching the video and I was like "stop overreacting" and then I HAD to come back to your comment fo say. .. yeah... damn, you're right lmao
And at the end there seems to be lot of dust flying around or people are allergic to something when teary eyes are seen. Tho that same dust still get's through the internet to my humble flat also. And I should be aware of it due to wast amount of reactions for this song.
Every time I hear this song, the words “we were here” bring a tear to my eye. All human endeavor, everything from writing our name on a bathroom stall, to the tallest skyscrapers, the greatest works of art, to planting a flag on the moon, is all about us screaming into the uncaring void that we were here.
Yeah. I have the feeling Tuomas meant this more to be a celebration of all our endeavours, following on Dawkins' hopeful suggestion that we spend our brief time in existence finding out what it all is, or what it's all about. I, however, can't help but feeling a spot of hopelessness or anticipation of nostalgia, knowing that it is all going to be just history at one point. We *were* here. But no longer will be. Goodbye, humankind.
That's exactly how I feel every time I listen to that part. The first time I listened to this song and that phrase came, I cried convulsively. This song it is so well written that only one single phrase of three words makes you react that way. Now that I know the song pretty well, it brings one or three tears. Really awesome. I love it!
Nightwish uses backing tracks with real orchestral instruments and full choirs. LUCA is our "Last Universal Common Ancestor". The first life form. Your expertise is something that has been absent in the reactor world. The song features short excerpts from Minuet in G major by Christian Petzold, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 by Johann Sebastian Bach and Enter Sandman by Metallica which are probably references to the evolution of music and arts as part of evolution of the human race. Tuomas wrote the symphony (Orchestre de Grandeur) & choir parts (Metro Voices) with arrangement help from Pip Williams at Angel Recording Studios in London. The last part is part of the song. This song is actually longer on the recording. Great job my friend. Loved the musical analysis and detailed explanation. Peace.😊🎶🎶🎶🙏✌
Thank you, thats one hidden song i had missed. I really love the contrast of playing Bach and Metallica as a form of "pinnacle" in their genres while simultainiously showing the worst of mankind on the screens.
LUCA is not actually the first life form but rather the first life form that all current life can be traced back to. The difference is that life before a certain point didn't just multiply by sexual reproduction but by something called horizontal gene transfer. This means that genetic material is shifted from one organism to another by for example viruses and other mechanisms rather than simply from parents to offspring like is common for most animals. Because of this it is impossible to trace a lineage backwards past a certain point since the relationships becomes all jumbled by the lateral movements of genetic material. LUCA is simply the first organism that can be traced simply by normal vertical gene transfer by sexual reproduction.
And the "Orchestra de Grandeur" appears to be a nickname for the particular group of orchestral musicians chosen to work on this album. I have been unable to find any outside reference to a musical entity by that name.
@@Green-Lyon Great point my friend. I think they are just a group of talented musicians that Pip was able to put together. Many may have been members of the London Philharmonic or some other English orchestra group.
@@Thorgrim247 Thanks! Yeah, I went looking for some musical organization by that name and could find nothing. I assumed it must probably be a nickname for the musicians that Pip assembled, either from the larger London Symphony as usual, or perhaps from a wider pool of musicians from a number of sources like the Philharmonic, etc. I like the name a lot. It's pretty cool sounding. See you in the next vid, Nightwish friend :D
here is this Masterpiece in plain english. Lyrics are in " " Part 1: 4.6 "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. (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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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." (youtu.be/…) [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 and its inhabitants 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…). 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…). 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: youtu.be/…) "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/…). 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) "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." (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!"
I just wanted to add that the greatest show on earth is a book about evolution by richard dawkins. This whole song is about evolutions... possibly from start to finish in the song?
I was immensely fortunate to be at this concert. I was close to the front, about 10 people back in front of Marco. Without doubt it was the best concert I've ever been to. They played 2.5 hours of pure awesomeness. However the most amazing part I feel is hard to express in words, but I'll try. The feeling we had in our hearts and minds and atmosphere right at the end when Richard Dawkins came out. You could hear and feel the gasps of pure amazement from my fellow audience members when we realised what we had just experience and what we were then seeing. A true once in a lifetime spectacle. An early Christmas present of sorts as it was early December. The cool air from the air conditioning had just been put back on and so the air became fresh, chilling, but also so uplifting. Enlightening. Once it was finally over we are now able to keep replaying it in our hearts and minds for evermore and reliving the wonder. Unforgettable :)
I have to be well hydrated when I listen to this song. I can't help crying and get emotional. I'm biologist, metalhead and I love science. Thanks for the video.
@@Scalemailmailmail Perhaps a bit better than traced back to, but that is accurate, every living thing on the planet has a DNA marker traceable to LUCA. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_universal_common_ancestor
Well, for me this isn't just "good". This is an absolute masterpiece. And I don't need an explanation of why is it. I do enjoy a lot these reactions, from a musical point of view, and also bc is nice to see someone else hearing for the first time such incredible songs. But by no means art needs to be "explained" in order to be appreciated.
also, because there's a fan cam somewhere around here showing that he actualy forgot the lines and had to take a peak at the paper he's holding. So they are probably cheering on him as well to show it's okay, because he looks reeaaaaly nervous :)
@@caligo7918 Well it's different standing in front of thousands metalheads who are there for the band and not realy for him :) Bet lots of them didn't even know he exists before the album. I think I've read somewhere that he said he doesn't realy listen to anything but clasicall music. That night must have been lifechanging for him too.
The piece that Dawkins narrated is actually the closing argument of Charles Darwin’s eternal work “On the Origin of Spieces”. For many, one of the most consequential scientific works in history.
@@unknownaccount8411 whether you agree with his views or not, Mr Dawkins is a well established and respected SCIENTIST with a huge body of work in his field. Calling an Oxford tenured professor as an atheist godfather because you dont agree with his views or beliefs is juvenile and ignorant at best.
In my opinion metal and classical music are 2 sides of the same coin, a yin & yang so to speak. This is why they go so well together, and no one does this better than Nightwish! Another fantastic reaction! 😁
Listen to Vivaldi's four seasons and you can definitely hear the influence classical music had on metal. :) Especially symphonic metal. Heck, you could even say that those classical music composers were kind of like the rock stars of their time.
The first time they sang the line, "We Were Here", I cried. What a crushingly beautiful and significant song. To think we are here now on this planet, against all the odds, what a miracle.
What I find most interesting is the story being told throughout all of Nightwish's albums. Where Tuomas started out religious. But later on he started to doubt his beliefs. After a while he even grew kind of resentful towards religion. Then he read one of Dawkins' books, resulting in Tuomas rejecting religion and starting to embrace the beauty of evolution and science. Dawkins being a guest for this song is because of this. If you go through Nightwish's albums in chronological order there's clear signs of his journey. I feel like "The greatest show on earth" is Tuomas' Magnum Opus. The culmination of his journey from being a religious person, to finding the path of science. And realizing the beauty and complexity of the scientific world far surpasses what god could offer him.
@@Sanquinity I find this idea interesting. However, I wonder if it is just the wishful thinking of someone who is also a resentful atheist. Could you give me a set list of the songs you are talking about that document his journey, in your mind? I'm not saying you are wrong, just curious if I will interpret it the same way.
@@drumguy1384 It's just the general theme of all their songs as the years go by really. In the beginning, while Tuomas didn't write much religion into his songs there were still hints of it here and there. Then around the time of their album "Century Child" you notice some songs that seem to be a bit more resentful towards religion. During "Dark Passion Play" he turns more towards fantasy and dreams instead. And after that I believe he said himself in an interview (though can't find it atm) that he started reading one of Dawkins' books, opening his eyes to science and evolution. Which is evident in songs like "Endless forms most Beautiful" and "The greatest show on earth". Also, while I am an atheist I'm not resentful. :P I live in the Netherlands, a fairly secular country compared to places like the US for example. While I was raised with Christianity by my mom, my dad was actually an atheist too. And when I realized I never really believed and lost whatever little faith I had around age 15, there were no troubles. Mom just accepted it as long as we didn't try discussing religion with her, and she kept her religion to herself as well. My younger brother followed suit and became atheist a year or two later. Most of my friends are atheist too, and most religious people I meet (like 90%~95%) aren't openly religious or hateful towards atheists here.
this performance of "the greatest show on earth" is great but the best is that from the concert in tampere, also in 2015, think about reacting to that too 😉
@@caligo7918 Honestly think the composition and arrangement is more clear in Wembley, also guitar intro is superior to flute intro IMO. However Tampere has Floor really nailing the last part and crowd energy is even more hype. Both epic, but for a composer I think he did well listening to this first.
Actually, from composition-perspective this Wembley Arena version was better. For once I have to say it was a good thing Doug chose this version instead of the Tampere edition. Yes, Tampere is more grand in multiple ways but tbh the recording was better at Wembley. And also, for some reason I like Troy's e-bow with the electric guitar more than the whistle/pipe. Both are great tho.
I am also a very recent arrival to the Nightwish Army. I stumbled into this following reaction videos. I finally saw Floor and Henk doing the Phantom at Beste Zingers and followed Floor to Ghost Love Score. To think this group has been around for a quarter of a century and many folks have no idea they exist just says something. My reaction to the music that Tuomas puts together is that he composes music I have loved my entire life, even if I am just now hearing it for the first time. The music touches my soul, my emotions, my inner spirit. Your comments as a composer complete the other reactions by voice and music teachers, musical theater producers and sound guys. Together the expertise being explained helps me to understand the depth of the quality we all value.
I know Nightwish for over 20 years an must say that the fanbase was better back then. Today there are too many people that are obsessed with Floor and claiming her to be the best singer in the world etc. She is great, but one should stay realistic.
@@Nikioko I am growing in my knowledge and respect for Tuomas. I listen to Auri partially as it is Tuomas and not Floor and not Nightwish. I know the man still has music in this soul to express.
@@Nikioko There were plenty of people obsessed with Tarja back in the day too (as became painfully obvious for several years after she left). People obsess about good singers, it's just one of those things. I'm not sure it's really fair to call the fanbase 'better', but it's certainly changed over the 20 years. I'm just happy they are still around and still producing world-class music. Some bands run out of ideas after the first few years; not Nightwish.
I was there for this (yes we WERE here)! One of the best moments of my life . I only wish I had the genius to write something so profound and beautiful
oh my goodness this is BEYOND music or poetry ... im speechless its the best...masterpiece...oh my goodness the lyrics and music are each masterpieces of their own story of life and universe WE are part of the greatest show !
@@rayraudebaugh5395 The last universal common ancestor or last universal cellular ancestor (LUCA), also called the last universal ancestor (LUA), is the most recent population of organisms from which all organisms now living on Earth have a common descent-the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. A related concept is that of progenote. LUCA is not thought to be the first life on Earth, but rather the only type of organism of its time to still have living descendants. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_universal_common_ancestor
I can't listen to this song without getting emotional. I heard this song for the first time live in Amsterdam and when they sang "we were here", I cried my eyes out. It was such a spine-chilling moment where you realize that we are allowed to be here, if only for just a blink of an eye, to leave our staple however insignificant, and to experience the greatest show on earth. What a masterpiece.
I’m always thrilled when someone else discovers Nightwish. I know they’re in for some seriously jaw dropping amazement. It’s also a great pleasure to see it from someone who understands music and shares with those of us who just have no musical sense at all. Thanks 👍🏻. The Greatest Show on Earth is US. The rise of man and our accomplishments and evolution. 💙💙💙 All Hail Floor 💙💙💙 P.S. 06:06 that’s called "straight line singing?" Educate me please.... 20:17. Valkyrie Goddess..... 😏 25:25 much earlier the lyrics were “A careless cold infinity in ever vast direction." That’s us, here alone on our world. This "we were here" is our frustration and fury toward the cold carelessness. We are here. We have made/left our mark.
I think “A careless cold infinity in ever vast direction." refers to the vast, infinite, empty coldness of space. (Between all the starts and planets, and even galaxies.)
@@Richard.Linder correct. I must have stated that poorly if there is confusion on that. By "us, here alone on our world" I didn’t mean the people’s physical or social distance from other humans. I meant our world alone in our known universe as inhabited. Clearly I didn’t speak well enough. You’re correct. 👍🏻
@@zvolencan1 thanks. That is the best version. This song always make me realise what a genius Tuomas is. One of the few true artists in the world. Can be named in same breath as the composers of old... eg Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky etc. I am saying this objectively I believe, as NW are not my most favourite band, though in top 10.
Their sound engineers are the best in the world, not only are they the sound techs on tour but also in the studio.. They have one of the best and most talented stage crew there is. Most have been with them since the beginning.
Welcome to the world of Nightwish, I was lucky enough to see two Nightwish shows from the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, (San Jose,, San Francisco) they played the full version of The greatest show on earth in one of those shows, and carrying my daughter in one arm, holding the other up in the air while singing "We were here" (both of us) was beautiful ,wonderful
The Classical arrangements are written by Tuomas, the Keyboard player (The Main composer of the band), but the actual recording is done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the albums, and played as a back-track during live performances (unless Tuoumas uses some samples with the keyboard when not a lot is needed). Yes, that last part is also part of the album song. That last movement is part of the Song The Greatest Show On Earth", wich is the last song of the Album of the same name.
He doesn't write all of the orchestral arrangements on his own though does he? I thought Pip Williams was typically brought in to flesh out the orchestral score?
I definitely like the change of pace. Most people reacting to music are either laymen or vocal coaches. It's nice to have the focus on the music for once, instead of "this sounds awesome!" or "listen to this thing the singer is doing!"
The mixer responsible for these INCREDIBLE live performances, I REALLY appreciate your effort into this perfection, it is PERFECTLY mixed, you helped take this incredible performance to the next level Very very much appreciated!
You're never too old for Nightwich. I'm 60 years old myself. And I love this band. And don't stop so much with your next reaction. Most of what you're telling me, I don't know about that. Thank you for this video anyway.
Hey Frenk! This is the Lame Dad in his personal account! Hell NEVER to old to get into NW and once you do... I CAN personally vouch... You get LOST down the NW Rabbit Hole and CANNOT climb back out NOR do you want to! AND, AND... the FLOOGASIMS... I'm still floored! lol
Frenk, this guy IS entertaining to watch! I discovered him a week and some ago and been watching daily since. I have a background in music and theory so I LOVE his take on songs, along with Keys of Geebz.. Both composers and GREAT knowledge brought to the table!
I loved your reaction! i am so impressed you can give us all these awesome information about the composition of the song, AND understand the meaning of it (many ppl don''t even with the lyrics on ther screen] AND you figured out all the easter eggs like classical music pieces AND Enter Sandman! it made me so happy! :)
From the several times I've seen them (including this concert at Wembley), Tuomas (on the keys) composes most of the songs, then from about album 4 or 5, orchestral arrangements are made based off his songs. Sometimes he'll outline all the orchestral parts, and I'm fairly sure for a few tracks the arrangements might be done by others. Then, for live performances, most of the orchestral parts will be pre-recorded, and Tuomas will be on piano/keyboards. I believe he'll do synth strings, especially for the earlier albums when all of the symphonic stuff was him on a keyboard, but at the very least, they'll make sure that he's always playing something, so even if there isn't a specific piano line, he'll be playing synth chords or something. Never seen him not playing something, at least.
I didn’t expect you to react to this one. Just about everyone listens to the Tampere performance, and the orchestra hits in the beginning are paired with live fireworks above the stadium. I definitely recommend listening to the Tampere performance sometime; it also features folk instruments played live by Troy, who played guitar in the introduction in this performance.
LUCA is not a name but an acronym: the Last Universal Common Ancestor or Last Universal Cellular Ancestor (LUCA), also called the Last Universal Ancestor (LUA), is the most recent population of organisms from which all organisms now living on Earth have a common descent. LUCA is not thought to be the first life on Earth, but rather the only type of organism of its time to still have living descendants.
Music Reactions has been such an oversaturated YT genre. I am SO happy to watch some content that brings a new technical perspectives to this, and not just because I have some music theory under my belt. Seeing someone get into music the way you do is really refreshing.
Troy is playing the opening cello part on his guitar with an E-bow (electronic bow). But Tuomas makes great use of the London Symphony Orchestra and choir for his backing. In terms of the modulations, I promise Tuomas doesn't have to concern himself making it simple with this bunch of musicians. They are at the top of their game.
When you say that it sounds like a movie type score, that is a very astute observation because Nighwish's songwriter, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen says he imagines every song he writes as a film.
This half hour went by so quickly, and it wasn't just because of Nightwish. I knew this song was special, but thank you for helping me to appreciate better exactly WHY it was so special. I really enjoy hearing about the music theory and creativity in a song, and you explain it wonderfully in terms which I can understand. Thank you for what you do.
I love how Doug goes into INTJ music dissecting mode, but when the hard parts come on, he shuts up and starts head-banging like a true head banger! Perfect example at 10:41. And again at 23:47. 😁 And he picked up the Enter Sandman easter egg riff.
Just watched your Ghost reaction, I was thinking about playing this song and your reaction lands in my lap. Brilliant Last Universal Common Ancestor, to answer your question. 10 points for getting both Bach and Metallica.
They most definitely have a midi click track that everything is sync’d with (lights, visuals, pyro/cryo, etc). Lots of the orchestral is on the track and lots is played on key synth; just depends on each individual song.
Yeah, I saw a behind the scenes vid on youtube with their guitar / drum techs etc: they have a pro tools laptop off to the side of the stage, all the songs for the evening are queued up with all their multiple tracks, and each member has a click track via their in-ear monitors. Every time they play a song, it's always the same tempo etc, across many years. All the lighting and pyro can be triggered from this too? The strings and horns and stuff is all recorded by true players and instruments, the same tracks as from the studio albums, London orchestra and choirs.
Love your comment about liking guitarists who play melodic stuff rather than just shredding. I've been listening to metal for a while and I totally agree. If you've heard one shred, you've heard them all.
HELLOO....This venerable ancestor was a single-cell, bacterium-like organism. But it has a grand name, or at least an acronym. It is known as Luca, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, and is estimated to have lived some four billion years ago, when Earth was a mere 560 million years old.
You're the best, Doug! Your reaction was the best one I've seen. Very insightful and educational. Wish I'd had you as a music teacher when I was learning. Hope to see more!
That section starts before the 2 Bach quotes. There are voices for the beginning of Western music, a quote of Dies Irae, now the most well known Gregorian Chant melody, one used by many classical composers.
Superb reaction, very informativ, impressive how much you pick up, like the homage to classical pieces, Enter Sandman etc. Greetings from Denmark and looking forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed your analysis. Hope you'll continue the Nightwish journey, you'll discover a lot of diamond and pearls :) Each of their songs is different, you'll see.
Gabriel, The Lame Dad here, KEEP the requests to Doug up! EVERYONE NEEDS to experience NW!! You guys CONVERTED me and now I AM on a mission to spread the NW Love! I'm shocked NO one is telling him DO the Tampere show! lol, first thing I was told! lol We ALSO NEED to get Keyz of Geebz and Dean Wolfe into doing NW Reacts! Well NW AND Floor reacts! lol
I was at this show and this song was an experience i'll never forget. The hairs on the back of my neck were stood up for the songs entirety and several times during the performance of this song i actually went "Wow!" which i've not done before or since
part of dawkin's last speach is part of the actual song, but this inculded a few lines before it. It was from "the origin of species" by charles darwin btw.
I was there at this show in 2015. I've been to all three of Nightwish's Wembley shows. The Greatest Show on Earth is my favourite song, not just my favourite Nightwish song, my absolute favourite song. I remember reading in mid-2015 after the release of Endless Forms Most Beautiful that Tuomas in an interview said the band would likely never play Greatest Show live because of its length. At the concert, when those opening notes started playing...it was indescribable. I hope I get to see Nightwish at Wembley again (and hopefully with Marko again - miss you Marko :( ).
Troy Donockley is one of the most underrated multi-instrumentalists active today. The uilleann pipes have given Nightwish this interesting Celtic metal sound to some of their more recent work that I've not heard much outside of Enter the Haggis. But as with practically any bagpipes, the drones limit their flexibility in most settings.
You'll hardly find a band who always looks like there's no place they'd rather be than on stage like Nightwish. Every show. Big show or small. Always having fun, goofing around with each other, with the audience, etc. Few bands put on a show quite like they do.
Opening with Ghost Love Score and then this. Might as well go for Poet and the Pendulum next =) I strongly suggest research on that song to. Its from the same amazing Wembley show.
@@ondrejhanslik9368 Comparing body of work, I'd say that Beethoven and Bach are much closer to protometal than Mozart, which himself is more protometal than Vivaldi and Chopin. I'm not familiar enough with Schubert to give a veredict. However, from my experience the title of classic protometal has to go to Wagner, and not only musically, but thematically. Let's not forget than he, unlike most opera composers, wrote also the libretti.
first, it's never to late to jump on the nightwish train Second, you bring very interesting details and technical explanations in your reactions. Very much apreciated !
Tuomas tries to play as much as he can on the keyboards live, but there are some backing tracks used, as others have mentioned, recorded by the London Philharmonic.
You are such a skilled and chilled dude...or Doug...well I dig your way of listening,explaining and enjoying! Keep them coming please :) greetings from Munich, Germany!
Your on a great journey my friend. Did the whole discography on my channel. Loved your take as a classical composer. Reminds me of years ago when I lived with a bunch of guys that were taking the music course at university.
This is by far the best reaction/analysis I’ve seen of TGSOE. Lots of theorical explanations about this amazing composition by Thomas. Plus, everyone chooses the performance in Tampere but I’m glad you chose this one, I particularly like Floor’s first verses in this performance better. (And of course, having Dawkins at the end of the show is just magical).
This song requires a little research, I wonder why the people who requested it didn't tell Doug. It's like watching an opera in a foreign language, you can appreciate the music but you need to know what's going on to fully enjoy it.
@@wtgkb8 Troy plays the pipes in this one too, plus his guitar work is sensational. :) I feel like other songs show off Troy's flute/whistle playing FAR better than Greatest Show does, yet this song really shows off his EBow guitar playing.
what goes on after 23:30 (in your vid) is still, after knowing it for years , and after being exposed to classical music for about 35 years, still pretty inconceivable for me. In 30sec 600years of musical history, perfectly matched into the song: 1) gregorian chant 2) yes, minuet for "notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach" 3) "the famous" toccata and fugue, also Bach 4) in the overlay, some Beethoven, can't really make it out 5) riff of "rock around the clock" (I think) 6) Metallica "enter sandman" I did not ever think I'd say this. but these 30-45sec are (for me) on par with the undying (almost last) 40 sec of the 4th movement of Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony
You will be glad to know this piece was through-composed to the last note, the outro and the words all part of the song. R. Dawkins, being himself, added a few lines to the Darwin quote at the end - but managed to make it in time. :) This was an honour for the band, having the man at the Wembley show, but also, I imagine, for the scientist - communicating to probably the largest audience he'd ever had! I also truly enjoyed you being able to pick out most of the "Easter eggs" within the song, representing the Humanity's musical evolution - J. S. BACH to METALLICA. Usually people, depending on their background, miss one or the other! :) Thereis suposedly also the Medieval plainchant and a bit of Mozart in there, but my ear is not equipped enough to pick 'em out. :) Maestro Tuomas Holopainen included all of that into his musical tapestry that made The Greatest Show on Earth - which is Life.
Floor: Enter Luca
Marco: Enter Ionia
Empuu: Enter Sandman!
🙌
Everyone: Enter Ratkind.
Top ;-)
Bruce Lee - Enter The Dragon 🐲
Ionia*
A 30 min song finally ends.
Doug: "That's it?!?"
*dies*
Hahaha! That was my response too! That's it?! 🤣🤘
Hahaha yep that's the Nightwish effect
Honestly though, that was my first reaction to the end of this song. I was like wait a minute it’s over?
Man... Saw your comment when I started watching the video and I was like "stop overreacting" and then I HAD to come back to your comment fo say.
.. yeah... damn, you're right lmao
Great music always leaves you wishing for more.
Still give me chills when a stadium of metal heads suddenly guess silent for a evolutionary scientist. Such respect.
And at the end there seems to be lot of dust flying around or people are allergic to something when teary eyes are seen. Tho that same dust still get's through the internet to my humble flat also. And I should be aware of it due to wast amount of reactions for this song.
It's almost like truth penetrates all cultures
Pastor Dawkins
The great deceit...
Metal heads, in my experience, get a bad rap. Most of them, in my experience, are quite level headed, sweet, people.
Every time I hear this song, the words “we were here” bring a tear to my eye. All human endeavor, everything from writing our name on a bathroom stall, to the tallest skyscrapers, the greatest works of art, to planting a flag on the moon, is all about us screaming into the uncaring void that we were here.
Yeah. I have the feeling Tuomas meant this more to be a celebration of all our endeavours, following on Dawkins' hopeful suggestion that we spend our brief time in existence finding out what it all is, or what it's all about. I, however, can't help but feeling a spot of hopelessness or anticipation of nostalgia, knowing that it is all going to be just history at one point. We *were* here. But no longer will be. Goodbye, humankind.
Word
That's exactly how I feel every time I listen to that part. The first time I listened to this song and that phrase came, I cried convulsively. This song it is so well written that only one single phrase of three words makes you react that way. Now that I know the song pretty well, it brings one or three tears. Really awesome. I love it!
Ah man it got me again🥲
This. This song goes right down to the bedrock of our existence. It doesn't get much deeper than that.
Nightwish uses backing tracks with real orchestral instruments and full choirs. LUCA is our "Last Universal Common Ancestor". The first life form. Your expertise is something that has been absent in the reactor world. The song features short excerpts from Minuet in G major by Christian Petzold, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 by Johann Sebastian Bach and Enter Sandman by Metallica which are probably references to the evolution of music and arts as part of evolution of the human race. Tuomas wrote the symphony (Orchestre de Grandeur) & choir parts (Metro Voices) with arrangement help from Pip Williams at Angel Recording Studios in London. The last part is part of the song. This song is actually longer on the recording. Great job my friend. Loved the musical analysis and detailed explanation. Peace.😊🎶🎶🎶🙏✌
Thank you, thats one hidden song i had missed. I really love the contrast of playing Bach and Metallica as a form of "pinnacle" in their genres while simultainiously showing the worst of mankind on the screens.
LUCA is not actually the first life form but rather the first life form that all current life can be traced back to. The difference is that life before a certain point didn't just multiply by sexual reproduction but by something called horizontal gene transfer. This means that genetic material is shifted from one organism to another by for example viruses and other mechanisms rather than simply from parents to offspring like is common for most animals. Because of this it is impossible to trace a lineage backwards past a certain point since the relationships becomes all jumbled by the lateral movements of genetic material. LUCA is simply the first organism that can be traced simply by normal vertical gene transfer by sexual reproduction.
And the "Orchestra de Grandeur" appears to be a nickname for the particular group of orchestral musicians chosen to work on this album. I have been unable to find any outside reference to a musical entity by that name.
@@Green-Lyon Great point my friend. I think they are just a group of talented musicians that Pip was able to put together. Many may have been members of the London Philharmonic or some other English orchestra group.
@@Thorgrim247 Thanks! Yeah, I went looking for some musical organization by that name and could find nothing. I assumed it must probably be a nickname for the musicians that Pip assembled, either from the larger London Symphony as usual, or perhaps from a wider pool of musicians from a number of sources like the Philharmonic, etc. I like the name a lot. It's pretty cool sounding. See you in the next vid, Nightwish friend :D
here is this Masterpiece in plain english. Lyrics are in " "
Part 1: 4.6
"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. (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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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." (youtu.be/…)
[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 and its inhabitants 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…). 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…). 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: youtu.be/…)
"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/…). 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…) 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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…)
"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." (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!"
Magnificent understanding of the lyrics to the song liro, thankyou
Thx for sharing this again :-*
@@KelbenArunsun only some times I do this.. Only those who I see deserve this and for those who I see will understand beauty of this Masterpiece 🙂❤️
@@iirockstar23562 Yeah, ive spread your post a few times, where i thought it could be usefull
Takes 24 minutes to listen to the song... takes half a decade to understand all of it
Backing track; London Philharmonic Orchestra . That orchestra has been doing co-oparation with Nightwish for two decades.
LUCA = Last universal common ancestor
@@ApocalypseRider Last Universal Common Ancestor Symphony Orchestra
I just wanted to add that the greatest show on earth is a book about evolution by richard dawkins. This whole song is about evolutions... possibly from start to finish in the song?
What an honor for the London Philharmionic Orchestra to perform background for the Valkry Goddess !
I was immensely fortunate to be at this concert. I was close to the front, about 10 people back in front of Marco. Without doubt it was the best concert I've ever been to. They played 2.5 hours of pure awesomeness. However the most amazing part I feel is hard to express in words, but I'll try. The feeling we had in our hearts and minds and atmosphere right at the end when Richard Dawkins came out. You could hear and feel the gasps of pure amazement from my fellow audience members when we realised what we had just experience and what we were then seeing. A true once in a lifetime spectacle. An early Christmas present of sorts as it was early December. The cool air from the air conditioning had just been put back on and so the air became fresh, chilling, but also so uplifting. Enlightening. Once it was finally over we are now able to keep replaying it in our hearts and minds for evermore and reliving the wonder. Unforgettable :)
Floor Jansen is a goddess among us. Insanely good, unbelievable voice, I have never been more impressed with a rock vocalist.
I have to be well hydrated when I listen to this song. I can't help crying and get emotional. I'm biologist, metalhead and I love science. Thanks for the video.
A biologist with a terrible grasp of English.
LUCA is the Last Universal Common Ancestor, the very oldest* thing all lifeforms on earth can trace back to
Edit: *last, not oldest
Thanks! I learned something today!
@@Scalemailmailmail Perhaps a bit better than traced back to, but that is accurate, every living thing on the planet has a DNA marker traceable to LUCA.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_universal_common_ancestor
I literally only just learned that yesterday when I watched Tank the Tech's reaction XD
Not oldest, last.
@@martinsriber7760 fair enough
Great analysis. There's a world of difference between saying “this is good” and explaining WHY it's good.
Well, for me this isn't just "good". This is an absolute masterpiece.
And I don't need an explanation of why is it. I do enjoy a lot these reactions, from a musical point of view, and also bc is nice to see someone else hearing for the first time such incredible songs. But by no means art needs to be "explained" in order to be appreciated.
My favourite rendtion of this is the 2015 Tampere concert. Check that one out when you relisten, you wont regret it!
This is clearly the better sound quality , but the wooden flute at Tampere instead of guitar fits the arrangement better.
Yeah it has more emotion, but technically speaking the Wembley version is better (singing, sound, video etc)
@@avesatanae Tempere has twins in the front row, Floor’s parents on the sideline, and Fireworks...fucking fireworks 🎇 🎆🎇🎆🎇 timed fireworks. 🤨
Def. the Tampere show is by far superior to this, not just in showmanship but also in the quality of the vocal mix
@@Capt_Colty That is not what ironically means
The title "The Greatest show on Earth" actually doesn't refer to the song itself, but to life on earth and it's evolution.
Yeah, Endless Forms Most Beautiful and Human :||: Nature are both about the entirety of our universe scientifically and human evolution.
@@trugvej And then the orchestral piece from the ending of the next album features Floor reading some Sagan too
Just so you understand why the crowd was cheering at the end. "Endless forms most beautiful" is the name of the Nightwish's album that song is on.
Also because all the people in the audience are these endless forms
also, because there's a fan cam somewhere around here showing that he actualy forgot the lines and had to take a peak at the paper he's holding. So they are probably cheering on him as well to show it's okay, because he looks reeaaaaly nervous :)
@@lenchanted9698 yeah, he was soo nervous. As a professor and regular host of events, you would think it would have been easier for him.
@@caligo7918 Well it's different standing in front of thousands metalheads who are there for the band and not realy for him :) Bet lots of them didn't even know he exists before the album. I think I've read somewhere that he said he doesn't realy listen to anything but clasicall music. That night must have been lifechanging for him too.
I think you underestimate the geekiness of most metalheads.
The piece that Dawkins narrated is actually the closing argument of Charles Darwin’s eternal work “On the Origin of Spieces”. For many, one of the most consequential scientific works in history.
After this reference, a good deep look into "Procession" off NIGHTWISH's new album is required. Origin and fate of the species.
Hmmm...Darwin's vs. Dawkins -- difference of only one letter? ; )
tumtuaresagitur Darwin is a real scientist, dawking is just an atheist godfather
@@unknownaccount8411 whether you agree with his views or not, Mr Dawkins is a well established and respected SCIENTIST with a huge body of work in his field. Calling an Oxford tenured professor as an atheist godfather because you dont agree with his views or beliefs is juvenile and ignorant at best.
@@unknownaccount8411 Atheists were here long before godfathers :p And Dawkins certainly is a well established scientist.
In my opinion metal and classical music are 2 sides of the same coin, a yin & yang so to speak. This is why they go so well together, and no one does this better than Nightwish! Another fantastic reaction! 😁
Listen to Vivaldi's four seasons and you can definitely hear the influence classical music had on metal. :) Especially symphonic metal. Heck, you could even say that those classical music composers were kind of like the rock stars of their time.
The first time they sang the line, "We Were Here", I cried. What a crushingly beautiful and significant song. To think we are here now on this planet, against all the odds, what a miracle.
What I find most interesting is the story being told throughout all of Nightwish's albums. Where Tuomas started out religious. But later on he started to doubt his beliefs. After a while he even grew kind of resentful towards religion. Then he read one of Dawkins' books, resulting in Tuomas rejecting religion and starting to embrace the beauty of evolution and science. Dawkins being a guest for this song is because of this. If you go through Nightwish's albums in chronological order there's clear signs of his journey.
I feel like "The greatest show on earth" is Tuomas' Magnum Opus. The culmination of his journey from being a religious person, to finding the path of science. And realizing the beauty and complexity of the scientific world far surpasses what god could offer him.
@@Sanquinity I find this idea interesting. However, I wonder if it is just the wishful thinking of someone who is also a resentful atheist. Could you give me a set list of the songs you are talking about that document his journey, in your mind? I'm not saying you are wrong, just curious if I will interpret it the same way.
@@drumguy1384 It's just the general theme of all their songs as the years go by really. In the beginning, while Tuomas didn't write much religion into his songs there were still hints of it here and there. Then around the time of their album "Century Child" you notice some songs that seem to be a bit more resentful towards religion. During "Dark Passion Play" he turns more towards fantasy and dreams instead. And after that I believe he said himself in an interview (though can't find it atm) that he started reading one of Dawkins' books, opening his eyes to science and evolution. Which is evident in songs like "Endless forms most Beautiful" and "The greatest show on earth".
Also, while I am an atheist I'm not resentful. :P I live in the Netherlands, a fairly secular country compared to places like the US for example. While I was raised with Christianity by my mom, my dad was actually an atheist too. And when I realized I never really believed and lost whatever little faith I had around age 15, there were no troubles. Mom just accepted it as long as we didn't try discussing religion with her, and she kept her religion to herself as well. My younger brother followed suit and became atheist a year or two later. Most of my friends are atheist too, and most religious people I meet (like 90%~95%) aren't openly religious or hateful towards atheists here.
this performance of "the greatest show on earth" is great but the best is that from the concert in tampere, also in 2015, think about reacting to that too 😉
Yep, if Doug does it again, privately, perhaps the Tampere version would be a very good idea.
the bigger stage and venue make it more epic and some things sound better
@@caligo7918 Honestly think the composition and arrangement is more clear in Wembley, also guitar intro is superior to flute intro IMO. However Tampere has Floor really nailing the last part and crowd energy is even more hype.
Both epic, but for a composer I think he did well listening to this first.
Actually, from composition-perspective this Wembley Arena version was better. For once I have to say it was a good thing Doug chose this version instead of the Tampere edition. Yes, Tampere is more grand in multiple ways but tbh the recording was better at Wembley.
And also, for some reason I like Troy's e-bow with the electric guitar more than the whistle/pipe. Both are great tho.
@@Akvav1tix I agree, Tampere better for a metalhead, Wembley better for a composer.
Where others reach their limits,Nightwish begins to warm up.
I am also a very recent arrival to the Nightwish Army. I stumbled into this following reaction videos. I finally saw Floor and Henk doing the Phantom at Beste Zingers and followed Floor to Ghost Love Score. To think this group has been around for a quarter of a century and many folks have no idea they exist just says something. My reaction to the music that Tuomas puts together is that he composes music I have loved my entire life, even if I am just now hearing it for the first time. The music touches my soul, my emotions, my inner spirit. Your comments as a composer complete the other reactions by voice and music teachers, musical theater producers and sound guys. Together the expertise being explained helps me to understand the depth of the quality we all value.
I know Nightwish for over 20 years an must say that the fanbase was better back then. Today there are too many people that are obsessed with Floor and claiming her to be the best singer in the world etc. She is great, but one should stay realistic.
@@Nikioko I am growing in my knowledge and respect for Tuomas. I listen to Auri partially as it is Tuomas and not Floor and not Nightwish. I know the man still has music in this soul to express.
@@davehertle That is great. And in this reaction video finally his arts of composition are appreciated.
@David Hertle That couldn't have been said any better!! :)
@@Nikioko There were plenty of people obsessed with Tarja back in the day too (as became painfully obvious for several years after she left). People obsess about good singers, it's just one of those things. I'm not sure it's really fair to call the fanbase 'better', but it's certainly changed over the 20 years. I'm just happy they are still around and still producing world-class music. Some bands run out of ideas after the first few years; not Nightwish.
I was there for this (yes we WERE here)! One of the best moments of my life . I only wish I had the genius to write something so profound and beautiful
The Tampere version doesn't have live Dawkins but it has live fireworks timed with the music
Yes he should definitely look at the Tampere version of this as well.
And Troy on that big recorder in the introduction!
The Tampere version is better than this one........... just my 2 cents.
You must check Professor's version as well:
ua-cam.com/video/rDLgBipPQtM/v-deo.html
and Troy's pipe which I think really accents it perfectly!
oh my goodness this is BEYOND music or poetry ... im speechless
its the best...masterpiece...oh my goodness the lyrics and music are each masterpieces of their own
story of life and universe
WE are part of the greatest show !
LUCA = Last Universal Common Ancestor.
The first living being that is the ancestor of all life in Earth.
The last / most recent
@@utnaturalem4379 Nope, confusing but look it up. It is that first spark of life that all else descends from.
@@rayraudebaugh5395 The last universal common ancestor or last universal cellular ancestor (LUCA), also called the last universal ancestor (LUA), is the most recent population of organisms from which all organisms now living on Earth have a common descent-the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. A related concept is that of progenote. LUCA is not thought to be the first life on Earth, but rather the only type of organism of its time to still have living descendants.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_universal_common_ancestor
@@utnaturalem4379 its the last in the backwards direction, thus the first, the forafather of us all
@@rogeriopenna9014 No, if there are trains at 9 PM, 10 PM and 11 PM, then the LAST train is at 11 PM
I can't listen to this song without getting emotional. I heard this song for the first time live in Amsterdam and when they sang "we were here", I cried my eyes out. It was such a spine-chilling moment where you realize that we are allowed to be here, if only for just a blink of an eye, to leave our staple however insignificant, and to experience the greatest show on earth.
What a masterpiece.
I’m always thrilled when someone else discovers Nightwish. I know they’re in for some seriously jaw dropping amazement. It’s also a great pleasure to see it from someone who understands music and shares with those of us who just have no musical sense at all. Thanks 👍🏻. The Greatest Show on Earth is US. The rise of man and our accomplishments and evolution.
💙💙💙 All Hail Floor 💙💙💙
P.S. 06:06 that’s called "straight line singing?" Educate me please....
20:17. Valkyrie Goddess..... 😏
25:25 much earlier the lyrics were “A careless cold infinity in ever vast direction." That’s us, here alone on our world. This "we were here" is our frustration and fury toward the cold carelessness. We are here. We have made/left our mark.
I think “A careless cold infinity in ever vast direction." refers to the vast, infinite, empty coldness of space. (Between all the starts and planets, and even galaxies.)
@@Richard.Linder correct. I must have stated that poorly if there is confusion on that. By "us, here alone on our world" I didn’t mean the people’s physical or social distance from other humans. I meant our world alone in our known universe as inhabited. Clearly I didn’t speak well enough. You’re correct. 👍🏻
@@johnlanham9057 Cool.
she has a voice of an angel... brings tears to my eyes .. she is a pleasure to listen to,,, the entire band is UNREAL!!!!!
like a goddamn avenging valkyrie
When you react to "The Poet and the Pendulum", you need to research the history of the song and play it with the lyrics, very important
Personally my no1 nightwish song. A masterpiece. Perfect example of symphonic metal.
100% agree. Doug needs to know the backstory and have lyrics at the ready.
Here is the version with lyrics: ua-cam.com/video/iEzZRMthhXU/v-deo.html
Yeah but do get the right version.
@@zvolencan1 thanks. That is the best version. This song always make me realise what a genius Tuomas is. One of the few true artists in the world. Can be named in same breath as the composers of old... eg Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky etc. I am saying this objectively I believe, as NW are not my most favourite band, though in top 10.
I so enjoy seeing professionals explain why their music is so exceptionally good. The more I learn, the more impressive it is.
Their sound engineers are the best in the world, not only are they the sound techs on tour but also in the studio.. They have one of the best and most talented stage crew there is. Most have been with them since the beginning.
I was in that crowd. What a magnificent show it was. 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
Welcome to the world of Nightwish, I was lucky enough to see two Nightwish shows from the Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, (San Jose,, San Francisco) they played the full version of The greatest
show on earth in one of those shows, and
carrying my daughter in one arm, holding the other up in the air while singing "We were here" (both of us) was beautiful ,wonderful
OOOOOHHHH GOODY classical composer reacting to Nightwish epics! Getting snacks, this will be fun!
The Classical arrangements are written by Tuomas, the Keyboard player (The Main composer of the band), but the actual recording is done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the albums, and played as a back-track during live performances (unless Tuoumas uses some samples with the keyboard when not a lot is needed).
Yes, that last part is also part of the album song. That last movement is part of the Song The Greatest Show On Earth", wich is the last song of the Album of the same name.
The Greatest show on Earth was also the title of the book Richard Dawkins wrote about evolution by natural selection.
The name of the album is "Endless Forms Most Beautiful"
@@markodimic was coming here to say this too
@@markodimic You are right, my mistake ;)
He doesn't write all of the orchestral arrangements on his own though does he? I thought Pip Williams was typically brought in to flesh out the orchestral score?
From a musicians perspective, I love the way you react to these videos explaining the musical key changes and construct of the songs. Well done Doug!
I definitely like the change of pace. Most people reacting to music are either laymen or vocal coaches. It's nice to have the focus on the music for once, instead of "this sounds awesome!" or "listen to this thing the singer is doing!"
Dead boys poem.. I'm usually in tears by the end of it.
I absolutly love this song... i dont listen to it enough because i cry every time 😑 hahaa
"Eva" does that for me. Saw Annette Olzon perform it at one of her last shows before Floor took over and couldn't stop sobbing.
The mixer responsible for these INCREDIBLE live performances, I REALLY appreciate your effort into this perfection, it is PERFECTLY mixed, you helped take this incredible performance to the next level Very very much appreciated!
Yes everything is part of the song. I strongly recommend hearing this song at night, lights out, headphones on and eyes closed... such and experience
Very very knowledgable. You certainly added to my understanding of that awesome song. tons.
You picked a good day for this. It's Charles Darwin's birthday.
You're never too old for Nightwich.
I'm 60 years old myself.
And I love this band.
And don't stop so much with your next reaction.
Most of what you're telling me, I don't know about that.
Thank you for this video anyway.
Hey Frenk! This is the Lame Dad in his personal account! Hell NEVER to old to get into NW and once you do... I CAN personally vouch... You get LOST down the NW Rabbit Hole and CANNOT climb back out NOR do you want to! AND, AND... the FLOOGASIMS... I'm still floored! lol
Frenk, this guy IS entertaining to watch! I discovered him a week and some ago and been watching daily since. I have a background in music and theory so I LOVE his take on songs, along with Keys of Geebz.. Both composers and GREAT knowledge brought to the table!
I TRY and avoid being technical in my reviews, we have MUCH better out there to explain like Doug here and a few others. :)
after the ending there is always a feeling of emptiness inside. as an understanding that no one else will write more beautiful music. Tuomas genius
I loved your reaction! i am so impressed you can give us all these awesome information about the composition of the song, AND understand the meaning of it (many ppl don''t even with the lyrics on ther screen] AND you figured out all the easter eggs like classical music pieces AND Enter Sandman! it made me so happy! :)
From the several times I've seen them (including this concert at Wembley), Tuomas (on the keys) composes most of the songs, then from about album 4 or 5, orchestral arrangements are made based off his songs. Sometimes he'll outline all the orchestral parts, and I'm fairly sure for a few tracks the arrangements might be done by others. Then, for live performances, most of the orchestral parts will be pre-recorded, and Tuomas will be on piano/keyboards. I believe he'll do synth strings, especially for the earlier albums when all of the symphonic stuff was him on a keyboard, but at the very least, they'll make sure that he's always playing something, so even if there isn't a specific piano line, he'll be playing synth chords or something. Never seen him not playing something, at least.
I didn’t expect you to react to this one. Just about everyone listens to the Tampere performance, and the orchestra hits in the beginning are paired with live fireworks above the stadium. I definitely recommend listening to the Tampere performance sometime; it also features folk instruments played live by Troy, who played guitar in the introduction in this performance.
LUCA is not a name but an acronym: the Last Universal Common Ancestor or Last Universal Cellular Ancestor (LUCA), also called the Last Universal Ancestor (LUA), is the most recent population of organisms from which all organisms now living on Earth have a common descent. LUCA is not thought to be the first life on Earth, but rather the only type of organism of its time to still have living descendants.
Music Reactions has been such an oversaturated YT genre. I am SO happy to watch some content that brings a new technical perspectives to this, and not just because I have some music theory under my belt. Seeing someone get into music the way you do is really refreshing.
Troy is playing the opening cello part on his guitar with an E-bow (electronic bow). But Tuomas makes great use of the London Symphony Orchestra and choir for his backing. In terms of the modulations, I promise Tuomas doesn't have to concern himself making it simple with this bunch of musicians. They are at the top of their game.
Another Awesome reaction video. It is great to have you explain how music works together and why it effects us. Nightwish are truly Epic🤘😎🤘
Tuomas is The Metal Mozart. His mind is incredible.
You are the FIRST reactor I've seen who got both the Minuet AND Enter Sandman! Nice!
When you say that it sounds like a movie type score, that is a very astute observation because Nighwish's songwriter, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen says he imagines every song he writes as a film.
I just came here to say that I was in this concert and it really was the greatest show on Earth!
Nightwish always plays to a click. Makes sense with all the orchestral intermezzos and such. Also useful for automatic pyro triggering.
This half hour went by so quickly, and it wasn't just because of Nightwish. I knew this song was special, but thank you for helping me to appreciate better exactly WHY it was so special. I really enjoy hearing about the music theory and creativity in a song, and you explain it wonderfully in terms which I can understand. Thank you for what you do.
I love how Doug goes into INTJ music dissecting mode, but when the hard parts come on, he shuts up and starts head-banging like a true head banger! Perfect example at 10:41. And again at 23:47. 😁 And he picked up the Enter Sandman easter egg riff.
Floor’s voice gives me chills each time I hear this song which truly is a masterpiece !
Just watched your Ghost reaction, I was thinking about playing this song and your reaction lands in my lap. Brilliant
Last Universal Common Ancestor, to answer your question.
10 points for getting both Bach and Metallica.
Yeah, the first man who understand both
But he missed Mozart 😆🤘
I love that you're one of the few people that actually get the point of the song reacting to it. "So we're conjuring creation?" Yep, right on point!
They most definitely have a midi click track that everything is sync’d with (lights, visuals, pyro/cryo, etc). Lots of the orchestral is on the track and lots is played on key synth; just depends on each individual song.
Yeah, I saw a behind the scenes vid on youtube with their guitar / drum techs etc: they have a pro tools laptop off to the side of the stage, all the songs for the evening are queued up with all their multiple tracks, and each member has a click track via their in-ear monitors. Every time they play a song, it's always the same tempo etc, across many years. All the lighting and pyro can be triggered from this too?
The strings and horns and stuff is all recorded by true players and instruments, the same tracks as from the studio albums, London orchestra and choirs.
Love your comment about liking guitarists who play melodic stuff rather than just shredding. I've been listening to metal for a while and I totally agree. If you've heard one shred, you've heard them all.
The book by Dawson is titled "The Greatest Show on Earth"
Dawkins.
Tuomas took the beautiful word Dawkins wrote and brought them to an entire new level of beauty and color.
Omg! I am learning so much with this channel! Thank you so much!!!! i really love to hear your thoughts
HELLOO....This venerable ancestor was a single-cell, bacterium-like organism. But it has a grand name, or at least an acronym. It is known as Luca, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, and is estimated to have lived some four billion years ago, when Earth was a mere 560 million years old.
I was front row for this show. This truly was an experience I will never forget. Richard at the end what a highlight.
You're the best, Doug! Your reaction was the best one I've seen. Very insightful and educational. Wish I'd had you as a music teacher when I was learning. Hope to see more!
these musicians vibrating on a different frequency,,whats cool is to watch mere mortals make sense of what they just heard
The section that starts with Bach and ends with Enter the Sandman is a stripped down version of the history of music.
After the Sandman there is a beat that apparently is a reference to techno..
Yes and there is some tribal drum before Bach and after some banjo piece, it's easier to pick out in the studio version
That section starts before the 2 Bach quotes. There are voices for the beginning of Western music, a quote of Dies Irae, now the most well known Gregorian Chant melody, one used by many classical composers.
And I think this is the first reaction where both Bach and Metallica are recognized, usually it's one or the other. Of those I've seen.
Superb reaction, very informativ, impressive how much you pick up, like the homage to classical pieces, Enter Sandman etc. Greetings from Denmark and looking forward to the next one.
You pretty much need to react to Shomaker from the last Nightwish album (Human ::|:: Nature).
But research what it's about first, or the song and its title don't really make any sense.
For real. When I first read the title without hearing the song I thought it was some story about a Shoe Maker lol
ahh a good one, Music is also really good .... and harvest .... and Pan ..... the whole album?
I have a preference for "Tribal" .....but yes Shoemaker is a must.
Please, please, please, react to Shomaker!!!!
One of the very best compositions ever made, in my humble opinion.
Human Nature, their newest album, and the second cd on one sitting, you won’t regret it.
This piece is absolutely exceptional. Nothing is comparable to this wonder.
I really enjoyed your analysis. Hope you'll continue the Nightwish journey, you'll discover a lot of diamond and pearls :) Each of their songs is different, you'll see.
Gabriel, The Lame Dad here, KEEP the requests to Doug up! EVERYONE NEEDS to experience NW!! You guys CONVERTED me and now I AM on a mission to spread the NW Love! I'm shocked NO one is telling him DO the Tampere show! lol, first thing I was told! lol
We ALSO NEED to get Keyz of Geebz and Dean Wolfe into doing NW Reacts! Well NW AND Floor reacts! lol
I was at this show and this song was an experience i'll never forget. The hairs on the back of my neck were stood up for the songs entirety and several times during the performance of this song i actually went "Wow!" which i've not done before or since
The tampere version is going to blow your mind.
part of dawkin's last speach is part of the actual song, but this inculded a few lines before it. It was from "the origin of species" by charles darwin btw.
Tuomas is called the Metal Mozart. Hail Nightwish.
Great reaction.
I was there at this show in 2015. I've been to all three of Nightwish's Wembley shows. The Greatest Show on Earth is my favourite song, not just my favourite Nightwish song, my absolute favourite song. I remember reading in mid-2015 after the release of Endless Forms Most Beautiful that Tuomas in an interview said the band would likely never play Greatest Show live because of its length. At the concert, when those opening notes started playing...it was indescribable. I hope I get to see Nightwish at Wembley again (and hopefully with Marko again - miss you Marko :( ).
Two Songs into Nightwish, and you aint seen nothing yet.
I saw many Nightwish reacts, but I really like the theorical analisys that you make in that! Thank you!!
Troy Donockley is one of the most underrated multi-instrumentalists active today. The uilleann pipes have given Nightwish this interesting Celtic metal sound to some of their more recent work that I've not heard much outside of Enter the Haggis. But as with practically any bagpipes, the drones limit their flexibility in most settings.
He also has great voice and know how to sing.
Not to mention his work on the tin flute
You'll hardly find a band who always looks like there's no place they'd rather be than on stage like Nightwish. Every show. Big show or small. Always having fun, goofing around with each other, with the audience, etc. Few bands put on a show quite like they do.
Opening with Ghost Love Score and then this. Might as well go for Poet and the Pendulum next =) I strongly suggest research on that song to. Its from the same amazing Wembley show.
The keyboard player is behind this creation. An absolutely brilliant person when it comes to music.
Beethoven, Vivaldi, Bach, Schubert, Chopin and Mozart were the ancestors of metal. In fact, they can be considered proto-metalheads.
Mmmm I would skip Mozart from that list, but I sort of agree on the rest.
Tchaikovsky
@@rolsen1304 I'd add Mussorgsky and Stravinsky.
@@fioddorsuperconcentrado2492 Mozart would be actually the most obvious. Many of his works are commonly played by metal bands, most notably Requiem.
@@ondrejhanslik9368 Comparing body of work, I'd say that Beethoven and Bach are much closer to protometal than Mozart, which himself is more protometal than Vivaldi and Chopin. I'm not familiar enough with Schubert to give a veredict.
However, from my experience the title of classic protometal has to go to Wagner, and not only musically, but thematically. Let's not forget than he, unlike most opera composers, wrote also the libretti.
first, it's never to late to jump on the nightwish train
Second, you bring very interesting details and technical explanations in your reactions. Very much apreciated !
Tuomas tries to play as much as he can on the keyboards live, but there are some backing tracks used, as others have mentioned, recorded by the London Philharmonic.
You are such a skilled and chilled dude...or Doug...well I dig your way of listening,explaining and enjoying! Keep them coming please :) greetings from Munich, Germany!
Your on a great journey my friend. Did the whole discography on my channel. Loved your take as a classical composer. Reminds me of years ago when I lived with a bunch of guys that were taking the music course at university.
Hmm, at 30:19, she was in Tampere too. The redhead one, with short straight bangs.Just noticed. I wish I could ride a tour with my favorite band.
I was there, in that crowd.. One of the best days of my life!
This is by far the best reaction/analysis I’ve seen of TGSOE. Lots of theorical explanations about this amazing composition by Thomas. Plus, everyone chooses the performance in Tampere but I’m glad you chose this one, I particularly like Floor’s first verses in this performance better. (And of course, having Dawkins at the end of the show is just magical).
This song requires a little research, I wonder why the people who requested it didn't tell Doug. It's like watching an opera in a foreign language, you can appreciate the music but you need to know what's going on to fully enjoy it.
He is doing fine , however ;)
He's doing great!!
Idk man, first time I heard it I had no idea what was going on but I sobbed lol. Maybe I'm just emotional
Oh gees, I still weep every time at WE WERE HERE. Thank you for the breakdown, very insightful
!
You should watch the live version from Tampere!
That in my opinion is the best version! Especially with the cool visuals, the fireworks and the fact they played in their homeland, Finland.
Floor's vocal are nearly perfection at Tampere, and Troy playing the flute and pipes...
Yup, this is good put Tampere is perfection!
@@wtgkb8 Troy plays the pipes in this one too, plus his guitar work is sensational. :) I feel like other songs show off Troy's flute/whistle playing FAR better than Greatest Show does, yet this song really shows off his EBow guitar playing.
what goes on after 23:30 (in your vid) is still, after knowing it for years , and after being exposed to classical music for about 35 years, still pretty inconceivable for me. In 30sec 600years of musical history, perfectly matched into the song:
1) gregorian chant
2) yes, minuet for "notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach"
3) "the famous" toccata and fugue, also Bach
4) in the overlay, some Beethoven, can't really make it out
5) riff of "rock around the clock" (I think)
6) Metallica "enter sandman"
I did not ever think I'd say this. but these 30-45sec are (for me) on par with the undying (almost last) 40 sec of the 4th movement of Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony
its basically the story of evolution on this planet in one epic song
You will be glad to know this piece was through-composed to the last note, the outro and the words all part of the song. R. Dawkins, being himself, added a few lines to the Darwin quote at the end - but managed to make it in time. :) This was an honour for the band, having the man at the Wembley show, but also, I imagine, for the scientist - communicating to probably the largest audience he'd ever had!
I also truly enjoyed you being able to pick out most of the "Easter eggs" within the song, representing the Humanity's musical evolution - J. S. BACH to METALLICA. Usually people, depending on their background, miss one or the other! :) Thereis suposedly also the Medieval plainchant and a bit of Mozart in there, but my ear is not equipped enough to pick 'em out. :) Maestro Tuomas Holopainen included all of that into his musical tapestry that made The Greatest Show on Earth - which is Life.