NIGHTWISH Singer Walks Off Stage In Belo Horizonte; Concert Cut Short

11.11.2008

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH were forced to cut last night's (Monday, November 10) concert in Belo Horizone, Brazil short after the group's lead singer, Anette Olzon, suddenly started crying at the end of the song "The Poet And The Pendulum" (about six tracks into the group's set) and walked off stage, leaving the rest of the band to finish the song with bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala attempting to handle some of the lead-vocal parts. The group reportedly played two more cover songs and ended the show, explaining that Anette is going through a difficult phase in her life, and that she was really sad.

Fan-filmed video footage of Olzon walking off can be viewed below (from two different angles).

NIGHTWISH cancelled the last four shows of its North American tour — September 23 in Knoxville, Tennessee; September 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina; September 26 in Baltimore, Maryland; and September 27 in New York City — due to Anette Olzon's "sudden severe illness," according to a posting on the band's web site. "This was one of the best tour legs we have ever done, and it's a pity it has to end this way, but there's no competing with the forces of nature," the group said. "There is nothing anybody can do about these things. We want to thank all the fans for all the sympathy, you guys have been so understanding, it's heartwarming. Thank you!"

NIGHTWISH released a digital-only collection of demos and B-sides titled "The Sound of Nightwish Reborn", on September 2. This release, which clocks in at nearly 70 minutes of music, retains "must-have" status for all NIGHTWISH diehards, since it includes a bevy of exclusive material, such as demo versions of songs from the "Dark Passion Play" sessions that were recorded prior to singer Anette Olzon joining the band and that feature Marco Tapani Hietala handling the vocals, as well as B-sides.

Marco addressing crowd after Anette walks off stage:

Source: Blabbermouth.net

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why didn't they cancelled the gig before it started...no matter what had happened but in my opinion that is too unprofessional...anyways we don't know why she left

Hadder wrote on 11.11.2008 at 18:37
What a shame !
I wish that Tarja come back :)

Jonathan Calleja wrote on 11.11.2008 at 19:04
This is heartbreaking video footage. Annette, honey Im praying for you. U have the support of everyone here at MFF

Suz wrote on 11.11.2008 at 19:07
Anette, you are in the thoughts of all your fans..your well being comes first and we all hope that whatever you are going through will soon be alright! <3

Angela wrote on 11.11.2008 at 19:39
Who Knows What really Happened in Belo Horizonte???

Kleber wrote on 11.11.2008 at 19:45
come back tarja!

kylz wrote on 11.11.2008 at 19:50
Anette I feel for whatever you must be going through. You are in my thoughts.

Leah wrote on 11.11.2008 at 19:58
Now kick her out and get a new singer... oh wait they already done that hahah :))))
Oh well, it happens, its better than stuff Axl Rose used to do....

Necca wrote on 11.11.2008 at 20:08
That was sad to watch :(

Flora wrote on 11.11.2008 at 20:26
I'm crying while I watched this video
Anette I wish you all the best

<3

Mel wrote on 11.11.2008 at 20:44
To those who want Tarja back: dream on, guys, dream on ...
Sweet Anette will stay with Nightwish forever :)
To Anette: Vi, Nightwish fans älskar dig och vi vill bara dig!!!
(in English - more or less: love and loyalty to Anette)

Kasia wrote on 11.11.2008 at 20:47
I wish people would stop saying we want Tarja back coz tht ain't gonna happen. She must be going thru something pretty big to make her walk off stage crying so constantly going on about wanting Tarja back wont help things.

Anette I'm sending you some hugs and love :)

Toni wrote on 11.11.2008 at 20:51
There has been rumours that Anette recently lost the custody of her child. Whatever are the reasons, this is very sad to watch. Strength to you Anette. We all love you!

Anette Fan wrote on 11.11.2008 at 21:05
Regardless of those that want Tarja back, it will never happen. Tarja herself was going to quit Nightwish the album after Once. I do not know the situation that Annette is going through, regardless, I hope that she finds peace, which will be hard with the chaos of touring.

Mo wrote on 11.11.2008 at 21:50
If the custody thing is true(which we don´t know )now here´s the ironic. Anette was rejected first by Tuomas when he found out she has a kid. He thought that it might cause problems later on. She convinced him there won´t be any problems her having a son and therefore she got the job!

stashedaway wrote on 11.11.2008 at 22:01
i've seen nightwish and met annette....what a lovely person. i hope she gets through whatever is causing this sorrow. love always!

djtom wrote on 11.11.2008 at 22:18
Uhm, that was really sad to watch. I understand the point of being professional on the stage, but the live singing makes you get out all the feelings and the sadness, so... Maybe she ran out her sadness during that moment, and she was forced to leave the stage.

TITA wrote on 11.11.2008 at 22:41
Nightwish ( Exceptx Annete ) attended Brazilian Fromula 1 Grand Prix last 2th November in São Paulo... Some Nightwish fan shouted out loud from the paddocks to Tuomas and Marco: Tarja is Back ! Am I right Tuomas ?

Both shared a smile like: Sooner you can imagine... Tarja is pretty close to some brazilian jounalists, and at her last tour here in Brazil by August, she just let betwwen the lines that Tuomas and her was about time to have a serious and mature conversation.

I bet my whole salary that she's back pretty soon.

Annete had her shot, but it was not enough... welcome back TARJA; good luck Annete from the bottom of our broken hearts...

SS-Hollefeld

Paulie Hollefeld wrote on 11.11.2008 at 23:35
Tarja won't come back... NW was better of with her, but I love her solo, so no I don't even want her to go back. And trust me, she won't.

About Anette, I think Nightwish is kinda late with updating their site. It very unprofessional and it should be this way.
Now every possible lame excuse will pop up from fantasies of fans and that's pointless. Cause no-one know what really happened (or at least no-one that's close to Anette)

Silver_Wings wrote on 12.11.2008 at 00:30
noooo x(

poor Anette!

I hope everything get solved for her...

Blackwood wrote on 12.11.2008 at 03:05
This is so sad, I suppose she couldn't handle her emotions...Poor girl
I hope everything will be OK... for the sake of everyone...

Elisa wrote on 12.11.2008 at 03:33
I think this role of the lead singer for Anette is too difficult. She can not cope with it.
those who think Tarja should come back, just have in mind that she still has not got a child, so if she has one in near future, forget about full commitment to numbers of shows (if she gonna come back to nightwish, of course - i doubt this).

google wrote on 12.11.2008 at 08:53
How unprofessional is she?!
Wasn't there a motto that counts for all artists saying "Show must go on?" Couldn't she pull herself together for 90 minutes?!
If you want a special life, like being a singer and being cheered on by thousands every night, you have to make special sacrifices too... she is obviously unable to do that.
I know a violinist whose husband died. She went on stage that same night because the show was sold out.

Steffi wrote on 12.11.2008 at 10:29
People need to stop with the whole Tarja thing, she's not coming back, though her voice is somewhat better than her's. Nightwish is better off with Anette. Get well soon Anette. :)
Plus Anette has better stage presence, and very sweet when I met her.

Stephanie wrote on 12.11.2008 at 11:38
I think the abandonment of stage was another reason.Who agrees?

Kleber(Sao Paulo-Brazil) wrote on 12.11.2008 at 12:10
to Kleber(Sao Paulo-Brazil)

Abandoning the stage for another reason? Care to clearify what you have in mind?

MFF wrote on 12.11.2008 at 12:57
Wft. You can't get more personal than with Nightwish's music and lyrics. It's all about emotions. Well, if losing the custody of her child is the reasons she's crying, it must be hard to put herself togetter after singing:

"be still my son, you're home.
(oh, when did you become so cold)".

This is just sad, I wish Anette all the best. She's a wonderful person, so full of life and joy. It's sad seeing her in sorrow.

Soile wrote on 12.11.2008 at 13:14
OmG thats soo sad that broke my heart seeing her like that :(

Iona wrote on 12.11.2008 at 17:48
This is unbelievable... no mater what happend, those guys payed money for the gig, so she can´t just walk off stage.
I can´t believe this... a big shame.
That´s unprofessional in the highest way.

rykis wrote on 12.11.2008 at 18:21
Well first of all, I'm really worried for her, something really sad must be going on and well they are my fave band, they mean so much to me, so I hope she can do well, its really sad to see her like that :( I wish her the best!!
And for all those who says "unprofessional" you for sure are not musicians, its quite different to live it on stage that in front of it, so don't talk about something you haven't go through cause you will not understand, like someone said "if you don't have anything good to say, better don't say anything" and in fact, these should open ppls eyes, you are the ones that make ppl big unreachable stars, but they are just ppl like u and me.

Ihana Enkeli wrote on 13.11.2008 at 03:14
Anette is an amateur singer with a poor stage presence. Not to mentioned how unprofessional is to leave the stage in the middle of the show due to personal problems. Tarja's mother died before Nightwish gig in Munich and Tarja didn't start crying in the middle of the show, nor she walked off the stage. She just didn't smile and didn't jump during the gig but she pulled it untill the end.

TheSeer wrote on 13.11.2008 at 15:57
to TheSeer.

Well a behaviour like Tarja's after her mother died shows me total coldness. Maybe that was the reason she was kicked out from Nightwish? I wouldn't want an ice queen like that in my band.

This would have never turned into a fuss like this if the information flow would have worked. But to have a promoter to tell the fans that the show is over? That was handled very poorly.

Ice Queen wrote on 13.11.2008 at 17:11
Ice Queen said: "I wouldn't want an ice queen like that in my band."

Then fire yourself! XD

TheSeer wrote on 13.11.2008 at 18:03
I am a newer fan of Nightwish and want to make a suggestion to all of those who are saying how "Unprofessional" it was for her to walk off stage. Give her a break. Put yourself in their shoes. Have you ever had a bad night and done something you were criticized for? They were forced to cancel show due to her being ill and it is possible that she is not past whatever the problem was. Even if it is a personal or family problem what gives anyone the right to judge how the situation should be handled. She is human, maybe she felt leaving the stage was more professional then possibly messing up the next song which would have given people reason to complain also. Lately people feel that because a celebrity is in the public eye that they welcome the attention and have no right to privacy. Some even feel that the public has the right to tear them down for every misstep they make. Yes, I would have been disappointed had It happened at a show I attended but in that case you have two options: realize that everyone has an off night and enjoy what you did see or be unhappy because of it and just don't attend live shows in the future.

Lydia wrote on 13.11.2008 at 21:50
To Paulie Hollefeld
Where did you hear that information? Are you sure that's not just some stupid rumor? Because I would really love to see Tarja in the band again,I love her very much,she was the heart of the band,but honestly I'm not sure that I can believe this,it's just too good to be true. And about Anette,that's really bad,she should work more on her voice if she want's to sing in this band. Because I don't believe that smoke was the reason to just leave the stage,it must have been something else. Or maybe this job it's just not for her.

Ivana_croatia wrote on 14.11.2008 at 10:20
Why everybody keeps making stupid comparations between Tarja and Anette? Even how each one reacts emotionally? It´s sick!!!! Anette is a human beeing too, whatever she is going through, we should respect. Some day they will come and clear it all, but till then we need to support them. They are the ones that put all our fears back, clear our minds from darkness, give us the best friends for life: their music.

I wish all the best for Anette, and the band, and I hope she can resolve her issues the best way, AND CONTINUE WITH THE BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love... and Peace...

Andreia - Brazil wrote on 17.11.2008 at 14:45
Its such a shame, poor Annette..... I seen her at Bloodstock UK and she was fab! she knew what shoes she had to fill and shes trying her hardest... but some people wont quit with the "come back Tarja" crap! It didnt work with Tarja and now they have Anette whos fab in her own right..so get over it and quit giving her shit...if you dont like her then dont go to the gig!

Charlie wrote on 19.11.2008 at 17:10
Is so sad watch this! I hope than Anette feel much better now

Andres Xauregui wrote on 19.11.2008 at 22:00
We want Tarja back , Annette is very amateur

Juggernaut wrote on 23.11.2008 at 05:24
COME ON ANETTE WE' ARE WITH YOU!!!! Don´t be sad!!

Fadia From Venezuela wrote on 24.11.2008 at 05:51
tarja used to said that all the touring dates have ruined her voice, and everyone thinks that she's just an evil bitch..a DIVA and so on...

but now,
look...all the touring dates did ruined the singer's voice!

so who's the DIVA now?

gojyo wrote on 27.11.2008 at 08:15
Anette I'm so sorry! I wish the best for you, and for Tuomas and the rest of Nightwish as well.<3

And yeah, to the people who keep asking for Tarja to come back, just stop. It will never happen. The band and Tarja have parted ways, nothing will change, so get over it and move on.

Shauna wrote on 28.11.2008 at 06:10
Oh god some of your comments are sickening seriously, stop talking about Tarja coming back she got kicked out of the band for a reason didnt she once cancel a concert somewhere to go shopping? now that is unprofessional. There was something troubling Anette and she is allowed to have feelings. The band tried to do their best under the circumstances. All you tarja fans if you love tarja so much go listen to her music, I like nightwish with Anette too and they were great when i seen them live in the UK. So for those who arnt understanding stop being so cold hearted.

Vicky wrote on 10.12.2008 at 23:15
Annete, We all have these moments. Blessings to you and i hope all is well now. How upset you must have been to walk away! We know you had good reason. Love and Light dear.

Mum wrote on 01.01.2009 at 19:45
To be honest, I don't understand why people make such a big fuss. Clearly there's something going on in her life that is upsetting her... they cancelled a bunch of shows prior to this one as well because Anette was ill... maybe a combination of multiple factors is what's causing this. All we can do is hope Anette gets better/gets through her problems and keep loving Nightwish's music.

It's not right to compare the two singers, they're two completely different PEOPLE, not robots. They are just as human as anyone posting on this forum. I was lucky enough to meet them behind the venue when I saw them live and I have to admit, if you act like a human being with them, these people are the most down to earth musicians I've ever seen. They're just making a living like anyone else. Being a musician myself, I know it's not easy to get up on stage and pour all your emotion into songs night after night. Most people will never be able to pull it off. Why do you think musicians are seen as shabby failures in the public eye when they don't make it "big"? It's because there are so many of these people who can't achieve that level of emotion while performing.

Give Anette and the rest of the band a break. Stop bashing them for something you'd never be a good enough human being to go do yourself. They're great people. They're just having a little rough patch. All we can do is offer them our support.

Michel Laforge wrote on 08.01.2009 at 07:08