Nightwish payed tribute to the late Children Of Bodom guitarist Alexi Laiho last weekend (November 14) at their show in Oslo, Norway.
As the Finnish/British/Dutch symphonic metallers played the song The Greatest Show On Earth from 2015's Endless Forms Most Beautiful, they displayed a photo of Laiho on the screen.
The guitarist passed away unexpectedly on December 29 last year at his home in Helsinki at the age of 41 of “alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue”.
Earlier this year, Nightwish keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen spoke to Metal Hammer about his friendship with Laiho, admitting “I really miss him.” He also recalled the pair's love of music and "child-like things", including Donald Duck and board games.
When questioned as to whether he knew the guitarist well, Holopainen answered, “Yeah, we were really close about 10 of 15 years ago. We hung out a lot. I went to his place, he came to my place in Kitee.
“We shared a love of music, and also Donald Duck and board games – innocent, child-like things.”
Detailing how he took the news of Laiho's death, he continues, “We knew he was going through some troubles with his physical health, but when I got the phone call, I remember falling on my knees – like, 'no way'.
“It punched me big time. I really miss him. He was a wonderful personality. There was an innocence in him, a naivety when it came to music that I really respected.”
Recently, Nightwish announced that they will be touring North America as part of their current world tour. The run of dates will kick off from early summer 2022.
Watch Nightwish's tribute below:
Nightwish US tour dates 2022
May 04: Toronto History, ON
May 06: Montreal Mtelus, QC
May 07: Lowell Tsongas Arena, MA
May 08: New York Terminal 5, NY
May 10: Silver Spring The Fillmore, MD
May 12: Chicago Radius, IL
May 13: St. Paul, The Fillmore, MN
May 15: Denver Mission Ballroom, CO
May 18: San Francisco The Warfield, CA
May 20: Los Angeles The Wiltern, CA
May 21: Los Angeles The Wiltern, CA
