The Islander (song) - Live Performances

Live Performances

"The Islander" quickly became a frequently performed song throughout the Dark Passion Play World Tour. An obvious change in the mood both on stage and in the audience is to be seen as darkness and silence suddenly embrace the stage, which is lightened up by a few outdoor torches. A spotlight shines on Hietala and Vuorinen, who sit on two chairs with acoustic guitars, and start to play the song.

Nevalainen enjoys a moment of rest, and Holopainen adds some piano-playing with his keyboards, but Olzon cannot be seen. Olzon eventually shows up and turns the song into a duet towards the end. She is most often seen wearing a tiara during the song, to fit with the line "Princess in the tower.." At the end of the song, Holopainen usually also plays a bit of '"The Heart Asks Pleasure First", the main theme by Michael Nyman from the movie The Piano, a piece of music the band covered but didn't get the permission to release from Nyman.

Holopainen has said that the song is one of the major moments of their concerts, as it is so different from the rest, making it all a very special, emotional moment. At the UK and Ireland dates on the Dark Passion Play tour, the band were often joined by Troy Donockley for this song as well as "Last of the Wilds", with the exception of the Glasgow date. In the 2009 leg of the tour Troy played with the band during all the European tour.