#event updates & official statement of the Nightwish band leader, Tuomas Holopainen

Almost a month before the day Nightwish will return to Bucharest after a decade, Romania has been hit by an unprecedented tragedy. The fire at Colectiv club and its consequences came as a shock. Friends, associates and loved ones are now gone, leaving the suffering of those injured behind. We lost the most active people in the event industry, musicians, photographers, journalists, and music lovers. They became our heroes who fought until the last moment. And they now urge us to resist regardless of the pain. No matter how hard it is, the show must go on with different standards and we must never forget what happened that night. Nor should we forget why this tragedy occurred.

After the fire, there were many rumors about the Nightwish concert situation, distorted messages and imprecise interpretations. The conclusion came after discussions with the organizers, performers and part of the audience that bought tickets since March this year. The Nightwish concert on December 10 at Romexpo will take place, but under special circumstances. The bandleader of Nightwish, Tuomas Holopainen, states: “In respect of the fallen ones we won’t use any Pyro effects on this show, preparing a special production. The whole Bucharest concert will be dedicatedto the memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy.”

Holopainen continues:

I was shocked to find out about the struggles you are fighting these days in Romania. This tragedy shouldn’t have happened, so many people died and suffer now because of it. It is even sadder for us, musicians, that it all started during a music celebration event.

We shared many beautiful moments, with so many great Romanian people, since our first show there, in 2004. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Do not give up hope. Be strong.”

The Central Pavilion Romexpo is equipped with all necessary fire prevention equipment and with sufficient emergency exits adapted to its capacity. The Central Pavilion is equipped with 28 interior and 12 exterior hydrants, 616 water sprinklers and drenchers automatically triggered by the fire detectors sensors located on each pillar, at every level, and a smoke evacuation system with 24 automatically operated valves, placed on the ceiling.

Being the only show in southeastern Europe by the most famous symphonic metal band in the world, the Nightwish concert can host over 5.000 rock music lovers from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and other neighboring countries. According to statistics provided by the Facebook platform, Nightwish has over 90.000 fans in Romania. Fans who managed to buy their tickets by now are writing on all available media messages supporting this concert, the band’s first show in Bucharest in ten years.

The local promoters were part of the community that was hit by the tragic events in Colectiv: During these hard days we have lost dear friends and colleagues. We will never forget you and we promise you will always be in our thoughts and in every action we take. Our hearts reach out to those who need courage and strength for life and we will do everything we can to help those hospitalized, both morally and financially. We are by your side!