Nylon Beat replaces W.A.S.P. at Kuopiorock, crowd calls it “best show of the decade”

Finnish pop group Nylon Beat headlined Friday at Kuopiorock after US metal band W.A.S.P. cancelled its appearance, Yle reports.

The festival announced on 17 July that W.A.S.P. had withdrawn, and Swedish metal act H.E.A.T. was initially named as replacement. Organisers later shifted the headline slot to Nylon Beat.

Festival director Allu Koskinen said the change drew strong approval. “Many have said it was the best show of the decade. I rarely get goosebumps myself anymore,” he remarked.

Nylon Beat performed W.A.S.P.’s “I Wanna Be Somebody,” with the 7,000-strong crowd singing along. After the song, Kuopio native and former Nightwish member Marco Hietala, founder of metal band Tarot, joined the band on stage. “It was pure rock on that stage,” Koskinen said.

Despite disappointment on social media over W.A.S.P.’s cancellation, Friday’s tickets were nearly sold out.