I decided to buy this since I've been into Epica lately and definitely regretted missing the first Nightwish show. The initial airing just finished. Since it will be available for replay and it looks like they're still selling tickets, there's still an option for folks to get in on it. Here are some of my thoughts:
First, while I suppose one could raise questions about any of these streams where they don't interact with the live viewers (as, for example, Leprous did on their first stream), bands are generally trying to create the impression that these performances are being broadcast live. Here, there is absolutely no question that this was not a live performance. There were multiple rearrangements of the stage and outfit/makeup changes for Simone that could not possibly have been done during the 30-second transitions between parts of the set. It doesn't matter much to me whether these things are performed live, especially if they're not going to interact with the viewers anyway, but it was interesting that they did not even put up much of a pretense.
The actual show itself was quite good. They clearly wanted to make a high-quality stage-show, and they definitely achieved that. The band was able to give the performance a lot of energy even in absence of a crowd. The performance was tight (of course, they may have had multiple takes!) and Simone was on point. Mark's vocals were a little low in the mix, but not too bad.
They also did a lot of extra stuff that they probably couldn't do for a touring show. There were acrobats performing behind and above the band throughout a lot of the songs, which was generally pretty cool. They had backup dancers for a few numbers, which to me was a little weird. The dancing wasn't bad, but Epica is just not really music that's easy to dance to, and I really don't know quite what to make of a troupe of dancers thrusting aggressively to a symphonic metal song. They also had a children's choir for a couple of songs, which was a nice touch but didn't really elevate anything to the next level. They also had a choir perform on one other song. The rest of the choir parts and the symphonic parts were backing track.
Overall, I really enjoyed the show! On their social media I think they've hyped it up as the be-all, end-all of performances, and if you're expecting that it might be a bit of a letdown, especially since it's a bit on the short side, but for what it is, it's quite good and very well-produced.
My sense is that the setlist had a good mix of expected stuff and deep cuts, and a mixture of old and new material. They played several of my favorite songs from Omega, although they missed a couple I had hoped to hear.
*Spoilers below* Here's the setlist, keeping in mind that I had to sort of Google and Shazam the ones that came from albums I haven't heard yet.
I. Overtura
1. Alpha - Antiludium
2. Abyss of Time - Countdown to Singularity
3. The Skeleton Key
4. Unchain Utopia
II. Magnituda
1. The Obsessive Devotion
2. In All Conscience
3. Victims of Contingency
III. Elysia
1. Kingdom of Heaven
2. Kingdom of Heaven, Part III - The Antediluvian Universe
IV. Gravita
1. Rivers - A Capella (with choir)
2. Allegro from Mozart's Concerto No. 13 in C Major (really relying on Shazam here)
3. Once Upon a Nightmare
V. Alpha | Omega
1. Freedom - The Wolves Within (this is the one with the weirdest dancing IMO)
2. Cry for the Moon
3. Beyond the Matrix
4. Omega - Sovereign of the Sun Spheres