On Sunday, February 8th 2026 we headed out once more to Zlín to Sportovní hala Datart. The reason was perfectly clear: two big names from the Finnish metal scene were performing there, Tarja Turunen and Marko Hietala on their joint tour.
As First performed Rok Ali and The Addiction with their frontwoman Alison Krebs. Upřímně to byl velice slabý a vlažný začátek a mně osobně to vůbec ničím nezaujalo. Podle reakcí v sále to všeobecně se zájmem moc přijato nebylo. Ve zvuku velice zanikaly vokály, které měly asi být hlavní v celém vystoupením.
Next to appear on stage were the Czech Symphonity with a long history in their latest lineup, featuring two vocalists. The two voices complemented each other and added depth to the songs. They played one older song, "The Evening Star," and the rest were from their latest album, "Marco Polo: The Metal Soundtrack." For example, we heard a song about Mongolians at the beginning. Personally, I wasn't completely convinced, but even so, it was of a much higher standard than the first performance. There was also more enthusiasm in the hall.
However, most of the audience was eagerly awaiting the star of the evening, Tarja. She was also greeted very enthusiastically when she came on stage. The change in atmosphere was almost palpable, with loud cheering and applause right from the start of the performance. Tarja repeatedly said how she loves coming back to the Czech Republic and that she is very grateful for all the support from her fans. Tarja and the band opened the show with five of her popular songs, including my favorite, "500 Letters." And despite minor health issues, the performance was great and had a very positive atmosphere.
After this introduction, the stage was rearranged, the musicians picked up acoustic instruments, and five chairs were brought on stage. This meant only one thing: an acoustic arrangement of Tarja and Mark's first songs together. In this format, we were treated to a total of four songs, including two from the Nightwish era. Later, they played another three songs together, including two more from Nightwish, including my absolute favorite, "Planet Hell," which was great to hear live performed by these two legendary vocalists. The final part belonged again to Tarja alone, who played a few more of her own songs, including "Dead Promises." Marko then appeared for the last song together, "Wish I Had an Angel," to conclude their joint journey and the "Living the Dream" tour, which lasted more than a year. At the very end, they played "Until My Last Breath," with Marvin, a young fan from the audience, assisting her on stage.
After Tarja left, the hall emptied out quite significantly, which was a bit of a shame. Fortunately, however, the remaining audience still managed to create an electrifying atmosphere for the solo performance of Marko Hietala. Marko postavil své vystoupení především na svém posledním anglickým albem „Roses From The Deep“, včetně titulní skladby nebo třeba velice zajímavé a energetické úvodní skladby „Frankenstein’s Wife“. Zbytek vystoupení byl doplněn staršími skladbami včetně jedné finské a známým coverem od Black Sabath „War Pigs“.
After a long but absolutely exceptional and satisfying evening in the hall, we still had a long journey home ahead of us. But I think it was definitely worth it, and I am grateful that I was able to be there in person and experience it. We enjoyed the evening very much and drove home happy and full of positive energy.
Were you there too? What are your thoughts on the evening and the individual performances? Let us know in the comments.
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Photos by Lenka Machuldová
Report by Kerry Lynx