I arrive at Tuulensuun Palatsi around 18:00. Surprisingly in all my years in Tampere I’ve never been to this venue, but I must say it fits perfectly to the whimsical vibe of Eye of Melian.

The place is getting fuller the closer to showtime we get until almost all seats are taken and we’re all just eagerly waiting for the lights to dim and the show to start.Right on time, at 19:00 the band enters. The stage is decorated with candles and lanterns and flowers and vines are draped around the microphone stands which gives off a magical, soft feel. The magical atmosphere is further enhanced by the beautiful lights and subtle illustrations that are shown on the two screens next to the stage as well as on the black backdrop behind the band. Everything just fits perfectly together.

Johanna Kurkela, with her amazing voice takes the lead, while Robin La Joy and Timo Kurkela add some additional layers to the sound. The two pianos and Johannas violin also work very well together and Kai Hahto is unsurprisingly doing a great job on the drums. I don’t think there’s anything missing from those songs, but I must say that their songs, like with the other two of Johanna‘s projects I have seen, most and foremost work by reaching the listener on a really deep level. And while they seem to manage to do this for a majority of the crowd it just doesn’t really seem to hit the soft spot for me. The first song that really sticks out to me is the soulful cover of Bruce Dickinsons ‘Tears of the Dragon‘. I already like the original song, but this version hits even deeper. For me this is unforgettably also the only song that seems to really touch my heart.

The show continues with more songs of a similar nature. A couple of times Mikko P. Mustonen switches to an acoustic guitar instead of the piano and another few times Robin La Joy joins Johanna with a second violin. The show moves along like a slow flowing river, calm and steady. The hour and 45 minutes are passing by pretty quickly and at the end, after ‘Rainfall‘ the band receives standing ovations before shortly leaving the stage. Of course they still come back for an encore that receives even more standing ovations. Its an emotional ending of the tour with all the band members giving each other hugs before one final bow done to the audience.