The Endless Forms Most Beautiful World Tour was a concert tour by the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, in support of their eighth studio album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful.

It was the first full tour featuring lead singer Floor Jansen, who replaced Anette Olzon in late 2012, and it was the first tour featuring drummer Kai Hahto, who replaced Jukka Nevalainen on hiatus due to health issues.NIGHTWISH Drummer JUKKA NEVALAINEN Forced To Take Break From Band Due To Health Issues

Background The band toured United States and Canada from April to May 2015 and in June started a series of festivals appearances across Europe, including two headlining shows in Finland; In September, the band took part in the traditional Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, also with additional dates for Latin America, and then toured European arenas from October to November, ending the leg at the famous Wembley Arena in London.Nightwish announce show at Wembley Arena In 2016, the band toured Australia in January, embarked on another North American tour in February and March, followed by Asia in April, and a small tour in Russia and Ukraine before setting off for another series of festivals.

Both concerts in Tampere Stadium and Wembley Arena were recorded for a live DVD called Vehicle of Spirit which was released on December 16, 2016.

On August 20, 2016, at the Himos Park show, original Nightwish bassist Sami Vänskä joined the band on stage to play "Stargazers" with them on bass while Marko joined the crowd. Jukka Nevalainen was also a guest, filling in for Kai Hahto for drums to play "Last Ride of the Day".

The band made their first appearance back in South Korea since the Wishmaster World Tour fifteen years ago.

Reception

Samantha Wu from V13, gave the Toronto performance a positive review. She praised Floor Jansen's vocals and her presence on stage, citing that she "is a thrill to watch". She also praised the inclusion of old songs like "Stargazers" being added to the setlist which have not been performed in a long while, as well as the spotlight shining moment with Marko Hietala's performance of "The Islander". Samantha concluded her review by stating that that Floor was the perfect fit for the band in which she hopes she will be with the band for a long time, as well as stating their performance that night was 'simply outstanding'.

Anabel from RockRevolt Magazine who attended the Greek Theater performance in Los Angeles had given the show a positive review. In their review of the concert, they pointed out the nature and traveler themed imagery and props used for the stage, used in the adventurer theme of the album itself. The reviewer praised the strong setlist, referring to the energetic songs and beautiful ballads on the set. The reviewer cited Floor Jansen's vocals as awe-inspiring in which she had stolen the show for the use of her theatrical expressions. The reviewer concluded their review, stating that the encore songs were the "icing on the cake" finish for an amazing show.

Dan Shutt, a reporter from The Independent, who had attended the sold out Wembley performance, noted on the energy and excitement of the show as a spectacle, sticking to the formula with pyrotechnics and visual effects playing throughout the biggest songs. However, he criticized the lack of personalisation which was outweighed by Floor's vocals.

Set list The following set list was performed at the first show of the tour at Hammerstein Ballroom, and is not intended to represent all of the shows on tour. "The Greatest Show on Earth "Chapter V: Sea-Worn Driftwood"" (intro) "Shudder Before the Beautiful" "Yours Is an Empty Hope" "Amaranth" "She Is My Sin" "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" "My Walden" "The Islander" "Élan" "Weak Fantasy" "Storytime" "Nemo" "I Want My Tears Back" "Stargazers" "Sleeping Sun" "The Greatest Show on Earth (Chapter II and III)" Encore "Ghost Love Score" "Last Ride of the Day"

Tour dates + List of 2015 concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and support acts Date City Country Venue Support Act(s)April 9, 2015New York CityUnited StatesHammerstein BallroomSabatonSabaton to support Nightwish in North AmericaDelainApril 10, 2015PhiladelphiaElectric FactoryApril 11, 2015WorcesterPalladiumApril 13, 2015Quebec CityCanadaLe CapitoleApril 14, 2015TorontoPhoenix Concert TheatreApril 16, 2015BuffaloUnited StatesTown BallroomApril 17, 2015ClevelandAgora TheatreApril 18, 2015ChicagoConcorde Music HallApril 19, 2015Clive7 Flags CenterApril 21, 2015DenverOgden TheatreApril 22, 2015Salt Lake CityIn the VenueApril 24, 2015SpokaneKnitting FactoryApril 25, 2015VancouverCanadaOrpheum TheatreApril 26, 2015PortlandUnited StatesCrystal BallroomApril 28, 2015San FranciscoWarfield TheatreApril 30, 2015Las VegasHouse of BluesMay 1, 2015Los AngelesGreek TheatreMay 2, 2015TempeMarquee TheatreMay 3, 2015El PasoTricky Falls ClubMay 5, 2015DallasThe Bomb FactoryMay 6, 2015HoustonWarehouse LiveMay 8, 2015OrlandoHouse of BluesMay 9, 2015Fort LauderdaleRevolution ClubMay 11, 2015NashvilleMarathon Music WorksMay 12, 2015LouisvilleExpo 5May 13, 2015CharlotteThe Fillmore CharlotteMay 14, 2015Silver SpringThe Fillmore Silver SpringJune 6, 2015JoensuuFinlandLaulurinneChildren of BodomInsomniumSonata ArcticaNightwish, LaulurinneJune 8, 2015TurkuMS Baltic PrincessJune 9, 2015June 13, 2015NickelsdorfAustriaPannonia Fields IIrowspan="8" June 14, 2015Banská BystricaSlovakiaAmfiteáterJune 19, 2015HinwilSwitzerlandAutobahnkreiselJune 21, 2015ClissonFranceVal de MoineJuly 12, 2015VizoviceCzech RepublicAreál likérky R. JelíneJuly 15, 2015BudapestHungaryPetőfi CsarnokJuly 23, 2015BarcelonaSpainParc de Can ZamJuly 25, 2015OuluFinlandKuusisaariJuly 31, 2015TampereTampere StadiumSonata ArcticaChildren of BodomAugust 8, 2015KortrijkBelgiumSport Campus Lange Munterowspan="3" August 9, 2015HildesheimGermanyFlugplatz Hildesheim-DrispenstedtAugust 15, 2015DinkelsbühlFlugplatz des Aeroclubs DinkelsbühlAugust 29, 2015TrondheimNorwaySverresborg ArenaThe SirensSeptember 23, 2015FortalezaBrazilAnfiteatro Dragão do MarJack the JokerSeptember 25, 2015Rio de JaneiroCidade do Rockrowspan="4" September 26, 2015São PauloHSBC HallSeptember 27, 2015CuritibaMasters HallSeptember 29, 2015Porto AlegreOpinião ClubOctober 2, 2015Buenos AiresArgentinaLuna Park StadiumBoudikaOctober 4, 2015SantiagoChileTeatro CaupolicánCaterina NixOctober 6, 2015LimaPeruEstadio San MarcosDelainOctober 8, 2015QuitoEcuadorEl TeleféricoOctober 10, 2015BogotáColombiaTeatro Royal CenterOctober 13, 2015MonterreyMexicoEscena ArenaOctober 14, 2015Mexico CityTeatro MetropólitanOctober 15, 2015October 17, 2015GuadalajaraTeatro DianaNovember 13, 2015EspooFinlandBarona AreenaBeast in BlackNovember 15, 2015StockholmSwedenArenanAmorphisNovember 16, 2015CopenhagenDenmarkFalconer AmphitheatreArch EnemyAmorphisNovember 18, 2015HamburgGermanyBarclaycard ArenaNovember 19, 2015AmsterdamNetherlandsHeineken Music HallNovember 20, 2015November 21, 2015OberhausenGermanyKönig Pilsener ArenaNovember 23, 2015LyonFranceHalle Tony GarnierNovember 25, 2015ParisBercy ArenaNovember 26, 2015ToulouseLe ZénithNovember 28, 2015BaselSwitzerlandSt. JakobshalleNovember 29, 2015BolognaItalyUnipol ArenaDecember 1, 2015MunichGermanyLe ZenithDecember 3, 2015StuttgartSchleyer-HalleDecember 4, 2015FrankfurtJahrhunderthalleDecember 5, 2015NurembergNuremberg ArenaDecember 7, 2015PragueCzech RepublicTipsport ArenaDecember 8, 2015ViennaAustriaWiener StadthalleDecember 10, 2015BucharestRomaniaRomexpoDecember 12, 2015BudapestHungarySports ArenaDecember 14, 2015LeipzigGermanyLeipzig ArenaDecember 15, 2015BerlinMax-Schmeling-HalleDecember 16, 2015Esch-sur-AlzetteLuxembourgRockhalDecember 17, 2015AntwerpBelgiumLotto ArenaDecember 19, 2015LondonEnglandWembley Arena

+ List of 2016 concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and support act(s) Date City Country Venue Support Act(s)January 6, 2016BrisbaneAustraliaTivoli TheatreTaberahVoyagerJanuary 9, 2016SydneyEnmore TheatreJanuary 11, 2016MelbourneForum TheatreJanuary 13, 2016AdelaideHQ ComplexJanuary 15, 2016FremantleKing's TheatreJanuary 18, 2016SingaporeHard Rock HotelFebruary 19, 2016SayrevilleUnited StatesStarland BallroomSonata ArcticaDelain February 20, 2016HartfordWebster TheaterFebruary 21, 2016MontrealCanadaMetropolis HallFebruary 22, 2016LondonMusic HallFebruary 24, 2016PittsburghUnited StatesCarnegie Library of HomesteadFebruary 25, 2016ColumbusLifestyle Communities PavilionFebruary 26, 2016Royal OakMusic TheatreFebruary 27, 2016MilwaukeeRave ClubFebruary 29, 2016MinneapolisFirst AvenueMarch 1, 2016WinnipegCanadaBurton Cummings TheatreMarch 2, 2016SaskatoonO'Briens Events CentreMarch 3, 2016EdmontonFrancis Winspear CentreMarch 5, 2016CalgaryMacEwan HallMarch 6, 2016MissoulaUnited StatesWilma TheatreMarch 7, 2016SeattleThe ShowboxMarch 10, 2016RenoCargo's BallroomMarch 11, 2016San JoseCity National CivicMarch 12, 2016AnaheimCity National GroveMarch 14, 2016TucsonRialto TheatreMarch 15, 2016Colorado SpringsCity AuditoriumMarch 16, 2016Kansas CityUptown TheaterMarch 18, 2016Oklahoma CityDiamond BallroomMarch 19, 2016San AntonioAztec TheatreMarch 20, 2016New OrleansCivic CenterMarch 21, 2016BirminghamIron LiveMarch 23, 2016TampaRitz ClubApril 12, 2016BeijingChinaM. Zone Centerrowspan="14" April 14, 2016ShanghaiQSW Culture CenterApril 16, 2016TaipeiTaiwanNTUT AuditoriumApril 17, 2016Hong KongKitec Rotunda CentreApril 19, 2016TokyoJapanEx TheaterApril 21, 2016OsakaBig Cat ClubApril 22, 2016TokyoAgeHa ClubMay 15, 2016YekaterinburgRussiaDIVS ArenaMay 18, 2016VoronezhEvent HallMay 20, 2016MoscowCrocus City HallMay 22, 2016KyivUkraineSports PalaceMay 24, 2016St. PetersburgRussiaYubileyny Sports PalaceMay 27, 2016MunichGermanyOlympiastadionMay 28, 2016DortmundWestfalenhallenJune 1, 2016KošiceSlovakiaŠtadión LokomotívyAlmanacJune 3, 2016PlzeňCzech RepublicAmfiteátr Lochotínrowspan="9" June 5, 2016ViennaAustriaDonauinselJune 8, 2016RomeItalyCapannelle RacecourseJune 10, 2016InterlakenSwitzerlandInterlaken Air BaseJune 12, 2016LeicestershireEnglandDonington ParkJune 18, 2016DesselBelgiumBoeretangJune 30, 2016SeinäjokiFinlandTörnävänsaariJuly 2, 2016NorrköpingSwedenBråvalla FlygfottiljAugust 6, 2016MontrealCanadaJean-Drapeau ParkAugust 20, 2016JämsäFinlandHimos ParkArch EnemyDelainSonata ArcticaSilentiumAugust 26, 2016StraszęcinPolandStadionrowspan="2" September 3, 2016HavířovCzech RepublicAreál městské sportovní halySeptember 8, 2016LisbonPortugalColiseu dos RecreiosKandiaSeptember 10, 2016MadridSpainBarclaycard CenterAlquimiaSeptember 12, 2016MantuaItalyPalabamTemperanceSeptember 14, 2016SofiaBulgariaArena Armeecrowspan="5" October 2, 2016SeoulSouth KoreaSamsung Blue SquareOctober 5, 2016ShenzhenChinaA8 Live HouseOctober 7, 2016ShanghaiQSW Culture CenterOctober 9, 2016TokyoJapanSaitama Super Arena

Cancelled dates Original Date City Country VenueMarch 8, 2016Nightwish forced to cancel Boise show due to "severe illness"BoiseUnited StatesKnitting Factory Club

Personnel

Floor Jansen – female vocals Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards Emppu Vuorinen – guitars Kai Hahto – drums Marko Hietala – bass, male vocals Troy Donockley – Uilleann pipes, tin whistle, additional vocals, additional guitars

Additional musicians Tony Kakko – guest vocals on "The Islander" and "Last Ride of the Day" at Rock in Rio 2015 Richard Dawkins – live narration on "The Greatest Show on Earth" at Wembley Arena Sami Vänskä – guest bassist on "Stargazers" at Himos Park Jukka Nevalainen – guest drummer on "Last Ride of the Day" at Himos Park

Tour production Basty Duellmann – tour manager Roger Smith – tour manager (North America, Asia) Ville Lipiäinen – camera director, editing (Vehicle of Spirit) Mikko Linnavuori – stage design, screen video content Eero Helle – stage production, design, special effects, lighting Markku Aalto – stage production, design, special effects, pyrotechnician Teemu Koivistoinen – assistant pyrotechnician Antti Toiviainen – guitar technician