On January 13th, 2007, 2old2play had the opportunity to attend Video Games Live in Mesa, AZ.
For those who are unaware, VGL is a worldwide touring show co-founded by video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. They go from city to city, country to country, taking top local orchestras and choirs to perform the same soundtracks, or orchestral versions of earlier soundtracks, that we all know and love. The 1/13/07 show took place at the Mesa Arts Center, and the performing musicians were composed of the Mesa Symphony, the Mesa Schola Cantorum from Mesa Community College, and The Snow College Chamber Singers brought in from Ephraim, Utah. The show composed of the orchestra, a huge screen set in the background above the performers where game and other footage would be shown, and a great light show during the songs. I attended with fellow 2O2Per Mike the Knife and 2 of my buddies from Tucson. Luckily I got our tickets early enough that we all sat in row 3 on the right side of the stage. Here’s a rundown of the show:
First was the classic arcade set. This was a collection of games spanning the time frame of Pong through the 8-Bit era of NES and Sega Master System. The games were shown on the screen while the orchestra played a mix of classical compositions and their own versions of the classic game soundtracks. This was an excellent warm-up of what to expect from the rest of the show, with the crowd popping for their own personal favorites. I myself loved the orchestral version of the NES version of Ghosts N' Goblins.
Next, we hear the famous incoming-call beep from the codec in Metal Gear Solid. Solid Snake’s voice plays asking us if we can hear him OK. Snake introduces Tommy Tallarico to the stage. Tommy gives us some background on the show, does some introductions, and kicks off the first feature performance. He introduces a video from Hideo Kojima, who sets up the following performance of Metal Gear Solid. Having been a fan of the series since the NES days, it was great to hear a live performance of songs that I spent so many hours hearing while trying to stealthily sneak through boats, factories, and other terrorist-infested areas. During the piece, someone came out on stage dressed as one of the terrorists in black with the mask and gun and all. Then someone in a cardboard box starts crawling across the stage as the terrorist patrols the area. Then the guard is startled by something and releases a “!” from a backpack and searches the stage more alertly. Cute little skit and a great first performance.
The guy under the box is still on stage, and up from under it comes Tommy, saying he’s the only one who would fit in it. He then introduces God of War. The combination of orchestra, choirs, and the larger than life video footage of Kratos and giant enemy bosses provided a powerful experience for the audience. Having owned the game since getting it as a birthday present in April ’05 and still not having played it (let the ripping begin, SunDevil56 -1 life), I need to give this game a go, and soon!
Next, Tommy comes back out for audience participation time. He calls one guy out of the audience and asks if he’s played Space Invaders. He gives the guy a black shirt with the player’s ship on the back. He tells the guy he’s gonna play Space Invaders for 2 minutes, and however many points from UFOs he shoots down, he’ll get that dollar amount, but only if he clears the level in those 2 minutes. Only this time, he won’t be using a joystick. To move the ship, he will be tracked on stage as he moves himself side-to-side, and will shoot using a handheld trigger. It was quite amusing to watch. The orchestra played faster and faster as the timer ticked down. The guy got about half the invaders and missed all the UFOs. Man, I should have been up there…
Next up is Tron. I’ve never really been too much of a Tron fan, so the music wasn’t too familiar with me, but still it was enjoyable none the less. There was a mix of footage between the movie and the various Tron games that have come out over time.
Medal of Honor followed Tron. Tommy said that instead of showing game footage on the screen, they would be showing real-life wartime footage from WWII. This turned out to be a very somber, moving piece. The footage combined with the stirring orchestra and choir composition created quite the experience.
The surprise performance for me came in the next segment, Civilization 4. I’ve never played the game before or really had any experience with it whatsoever (I’m not a PC gamer). The amazing music coming from the orchestra along with a monumental effort from the choir easily made this the best performance of the night. I was truly taken aback by this piece of music. I would almost say that I would see VGL again just to hear this again, although the rest of the show sure makes it easier to say that. Excellent job done on Civ 4!
And what better way to follow up such an amazing performance than with arguably the greatest console gaming series in history… Zelda! Ahhh, the classic music that a lot of us have listened to while journeying through Hyrule. A great concert performance coupled with some of the highlights of the series on the big screen really made me realize how epic of a series it is. I’ve played almost all the Zelda games but have only beaten the original and Zelda II. I came out of that performance feeling like I’ve missed out on some great gaming by not finishing those games. Shame on me. Anyway, this piece was a great tribute to a great series. This was probably my second favorite performance of the night.
The last song before the break was, as Tommy called it, maybe the greatest song in video game history, One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII. Square-Enix does not allow VGL to show footage from the games, so the screen was dark while the song was performed, which was a nice change. It let the orchestra and choir really feature themselves without distraction from the game footage. Another great song and more of a special treat for the FF VII fans.
It’s intermission time. The big screen displays a typical “loading screen” showing the time till part two begins. Time to check out some of the stuff going on in the lobby. There was a giveaway for a signed VGL poster by Tommy and Jack, Hideo Kojima, Don Bluth (more on him later), and others. There was a Guitar Hero 2 competition going on. We checked that out while I wavered on signing up, which I should have done… You Really got Me by Van Halen on medium… I could have gotten 100%. Just as I decided to sign up the lights flickered signaling the end of intermission. Oh well, that’s what I get for being indecisive.
We’re back in the theater after the break. Tommy is on stage and it’s time for our second audience participation segment. Two more guys are called onto stage. This time, it’s a simple head to head competition. Each player will player Frogger, on what looks like one of those plug-and-play games, for a certain amount of time and the winner gets some prizes. The orchestra plays music on the fly depending on what’s going on on the screen. The winner had 4 frogs successfully cross along with his higher score. Fun little segment, again I should have been up there, I could have cleared that level…
Tommy introduces Kingdom Hearts as the next song. Again, Square-Enix doesn’t allow footage so a bunch of Disney films are shown instead. Not much of a game feel to this performance since there was no game footage and only cartoons were shown, but still, who didn’t grow up on Disney films? Good performance here.
Jack Wall takes the microphone and introduces the next piece based on the series he worked on, Myst. I liked the choir and orchestra composition on this one. I haven’t played much Myst, merely dabbling in the first one, but the music was good.
Next was Sonic, another game I grew up on and played a ton of. This performance took us through the chronology of Sonic playing pieces and showing footage from each game from the original Sonic the Hedgehog through Sonic Adventure 2. I really enjoyed this one, being such a fan of Sonic. Plus, as the first part started up, the choir gave the old “SEGA!” startup voice which got a pop from the crowd.
Another surprisingly good performance came from the soundtrack to Warcraft. Like I said, I’m not a PC gamer, but this piece was just really well done. The great orchestral work along with a strong choral effort almost had the same epic feel as the Civ IV piece did. I thoroughly enjoyed this composition.
Now, as a change of pace, Tommy comes out and brings out Martin Leung. Martin is celebrated, award-winning pianist who is most well known for his online video where he played the Mario theme music while blindfolded. Anyway, he played a 10-part Final Fantasy composition that was simply unbelievable. There was a fixed camera on him that showed him on the big screen as he played. This guy is just overflowing with talent. As someone who played the piano/keyboard growing up, and was pretty good if do say so myself, I was extremely impressed. Martin received a very well deserved, lively standing ovation for his performance.
Tommy comes back on stage to introduce a game that he worked on himself, Advent Rising. Not to sound like a broken record, but I was again pleasantly surprised by how good this piece was. I’ve never played the game, but was very impressed with the musical performance.
Tommy has a special surprise for us all. It’s the man who created the breakthrough game Dragon’s Lair, and worked for decades as an animator for Disney and Fox Animation Studios, Don Bluth. Don’s credentials go on and on, with such movies as Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood (a personal favorite), Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, Land Before Time, Titan AE, etc. He gave some insight to his work and the movies and games he helped to create, and told some stories of experiences he’s had in the industry. Very cool to have him on hand for the show.
And now, it’s time for the most recognizable face in video games for many, many years, Mario. This was a very enjoyable segment of the show. The orchestra produced a very vibrant, energetic soundtrack to the games as Mario hopped, stomped, and, ummm, water-cannoned his way through worlds we’ve all lived through. The great music combined with the game footage, brought me back to some of my most unforgettable, and earliest, memories of video games. Another great tribute to the icon of gaming.
Tommy asks if we want more Mario… of course we do! Martin Leung comes back out and Tommy breaks out the blindfold! Martin sits at the keyboard blindfolded and, when asked if he has anything to say, merely says “I hope this goes well.” Martin goes on to perform a fun and amazing rendition of the Mario theme music. Very impressive. He takes the blindfold off and continues into another series of Mario songs, this time at Sonic-like speed (little cross-platform reference there). This is just unbelievable. He finishes to another enthusiastic standing ovation. Tommy says that may have been the fastest he’s ever played on the tour. I don’t know if he says that at every show, but he sure could’ve been right.
Time for our last performance of the night… Halo 1 & 2. The choir sings those first notes from the game and I get chills! This amazing soundtrack made for a great performance by the ensemble. Anyone familiar with this music would know what to expect, but hearing it live from a roaring orchestra and choir goes beyond expectations. As an added bonus, after the Halo 1 & 2 portion, Tommy comes out with his guitar and they all do the music from the Halo 3 trailer.
Overall it was an awesome show that I’d surely see again. Video Games Live will be touring all over the world, and I’d highly recommend seeing it when it comes to your town. You will definitely not be disappointed.
For More Information Go To www.videogameslive.com
First was the classic arcade set. This was a collection of games spanning the time frame of Pong through the 8-Bit era of NES and Sega Master System. The games were shown on the screen while the orchestra played a mix of classical compositions and their own versions of the classic game soundtracks. This was an excellent warm-up of what to expect from the rest of the show, with the crowd popping for their own personal favorites. I myself loved the orchestral version of the NES version of Ghosts N' Goblins.
Next, we hear the famous incoming-call beep from the codec in Metal Gear Solid. Solid Snake’s voice plays asking us if we can hear him OK. Snake introduces Tommy Tallarico to the stage. Tommy gives us some background on the show, does some introductions, and kicks off the first feature performance. He introduces a video from Hideo Kojima, who sets up the following performance of Metal Gear Solid. Having been a fan of the series since the NES days, it was great to hear a live performance of songs that I spent so many hours hearing while trying to stealthily sneak through boats, factories, and other terrorist-infested areas. During the piece, someone came out on stage dressed as one of the terrorists in black with the mask and gun and all. Then someone in a cardboard box starts crawling across the stage as the terrorist patrols the area. Then the guard is startled by something and releases a “!” from a backpack and searches the stage more alertly. Cute little skit and a great first performance.
The guy under the box is still on stage, and up from under it comes Tommy, saying he’s the only one who would fit in it. He then introduces God of War. The combination of orchestra, choirs, and the larger than life video footage of Kratos and giant enemy bosses provided a powerful experience for the audience. Having owned the game since getting it as a birthday present in April ’05 and still not having played it (let the ripping begin, SunDevil56 -1 life), I need to give this game a go, and soon!
Next, Tommy comes back out for audience participation time. He calls one guy out of the audience and asks if he’s played Space Invaders. He gives the guy a black shirt with the player’s ship on the back. He tells the guy he’s gonna play Space Invaders for 2 minutes, and however many points from UFOs he shoots down, he’ll get that dollar amount, but only if he clears the level in those 2 minutes. Only this time, he won’t be using a joystick. To move the ship, he will be tracked on stage as he moves himself side-to-side, and will shoot using a handheld trigger. It was quite amusing to watch. The orchestra played faster and faster as the timer ticked down. The guy got about half the invaders and missed all the UFOs. Man, I should have been up there…
Next up is Tron. I’ve never really been too much of a Tron fan, so the music wasn’t too familiar with me, but still it was enjoyable none the less. There was a mix of footage between the movie and the various Tron games that have come out over time.
Medal of Honor followed Tron. Tommy said that instead of showing game footage on the screen, they would be showing real-life wartime footage from WWII. This turned out to be a very somber, moving piece. The footage combined with the stirring orchestra and choir composition created quite the experience.
The surprise performance for me came in the next segment, Civilization 4. I’ve never played the game before or really had any experience with it whatsoever (I’m not a PC gamer). The amazing music coming from the orchestra along with a monumental effort from the choir easily made this the best performance of the night. I was truly taken aback by this piece of music. I would almost say that I would see VGL again just to hear this again, although the rest of the show sure makes it easier to say that. Excellent job done on Civ 4!
And what better way to follow up such an amazing performance than with arguably the greatest console gaming series in history… Zelda! Ahhh, the classic music that a lot of us have listened to while journeying through Hyrule. A great concert performance coupled with some of the highlights of the series on the big screen really made me realize how epic of a series it is. I’ve played almost all the Zelda games but have only beaten the original and Zelda II. I came out of that performance feeling like I’ve missed out on some great gaming by not finishing those games. Shame on me. Anyway, this piece was a great tribute to a great series. This was probably my second favorite performance of the night.
The last song before the break was, as Tommy called it, maybe the greatest song in video game history, One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII. Square-Enix does not allow VGL to show footage from the games, so the screen was dark while the song was performed, which was a nice change. It let the orchestra and choir really feature themselves without distraction from the game footage. Another great song and more of a special treat for the FF VII fans.
It’s intermission time. The big screen displays a typical “loading screen” showing the time till part two begins. Time to check out some of the stuff going on in the lobby. There was a giveaway for a signed VGL poster by Tommy and Jack, Hideo Kojima, Don Bluth (more on him later), and others. There was a Guitar Hero 2 competition going on. We checked that out while I wavered on signing up, which I should have done… You Really got Me by Van Halen on medium… I could have gotten 100%. Just as I decided to sign up the lights flickered signaling the end of intermission. Oh well, that’s what I get for being indecisive.
We’re back in the theater after the break. Tommy is on stage and it’s time for our second audience participation segment. Two more guys are called onto stage. This time, it’s a simple head to head competition. Each player will player Frogger, on what looks like one of those plug-and-play games, for a certain amount of time and the winner gets some prizes. The orchestra plays music on the fly depending on what’s going on on the screen. The winner had 4 frogs successfully cross along with his higher score. Fun little segment, again I should have been up there, I could have cleared that level…
Tommy introduces Kingdom Hearts as the next song. Again, Square-Enix doesn’t allow footage so a bunch of Disney films are shown instead. Not much of a game feel to this performance since there was no game footage and only cartoons were shown, but still, who didn’t grow up on Disney films? Good performance here.
Jack Wall takes the microphone and introduces the next piece based on the series he worked on, Myst. I liked the choir and orchestra composition on this one. I haven’t played much Myst, merely dabbling in the first one, but the music was good.
Next was Sonic, another game I grew up on and played a ton of. This performance took us through the chronology of Sonic playing pieces and showing footage from each game from the original Sonic the Hedgehog through Sonic Adventure 2. I really enjoyed this one, being such a fan of Sonic. Plus, as the first part started up, the choir gave the old “SEGA!” startup voice which got a pop from the crowd.
Another surprisingly good performance came from the soundtrack to Warcraft. Like I said, I’m not a PC gamer, but this piece was just really well done. The great orchestral work along with a strong choral effort almost had the same epic feel as the Civ IV piece did. I thoroughly enjoyed this composition.
Now, as a change of pace, Tommy comes out and brings out Martin Leung. Martin is celebrated, award-winning pianist who is most well known for his online video where he played the Mario theme music while blindfolded. Anyway, he played a 10-part Final Fantasy composition that was simply unbelievable. There was a fixed camera on him that showed him on the big screen as he played. This guy is just overflowing with talent. As someone who played the piano/keyboard growing up, and was pretty good if do say so myself, I was extremely impressed. Martin received a very well deserved, lively standing ovation for his performance.
Tommy comes back on stage to introduce a game that he worked on himself, Advent Rising. Not to sound like a broken record, but I was again pleasantly surprised by how good this piece was. I’ve never played the game, but was very impressed with the musical performance.
Tommy has a special surprise for us all. It’s the man who created the breakthrough game Dragon’s Lair, and worked for decades as an animator for Disney and Fox Animation Studios, Don Bluth. Don’s credentials go on and on, with such movies as Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood (a personal favorite), Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, Land Before Time, Titan AE, etc. He gave some insight to his work and the movies and games he helped to create, and told some stories of experiences he’s had in the industry. Very cool to have him on hand for the show.
And now, it’s time for the most recognizable face in video games for many, many years, Mario. This was a very enjoyable segment of the show. The orchestra produced a very vibrant, energetic soundtrack to the games as Mario hopped, stomped, and, ummm, water-cannoned his way through worlds we’ve all lived through. The great music combined with the game footage, brought me back to some of my most unforgettable, and earliest, memories of video games. Another great tribute to the icon of gaming.
Tommy asks if we want more Mario… of course we do! Martin Leung comes back out and Tommy breaks out the blindfold! Martin sits at the keyboard blindfolded and, when asked if he has anything to say, merely says “I hope this goes well.” Martin goes on to perform a fun and amazing rendition of the Mario theme music. Very impressive. He takes the blindfold off and continues into another series of Mario songs, this time at Sonic-like speed (little cross-platform reference there). This is just unbelievable. He finishes to another enthusiastic standing ovation. Tommy says that may have been the fastest he’s ever played on the tour. I don’t know if he says that at every show, but he sure could’ve been right.
Time for our last performance of the night… Halo 1 & 2. The choir sings those first notes from the game and I get chills! This amazing soundtrack made for a great performance by the ensemble. Anyone familiar with this music would know what to expect, but hearing it live from a roaring orchestra and choir goes beyond expectations. As an added bonus, after the Halo 1 & 2 portion, Tommy comes out with his guitar and they all do the music from the Halo 3 trailer.
Overall it was an awesome show that I’d surely see again. Video Games Live will be touring all over the world, and I’d highly recommend seeing it when it comes to your town. You will definitely not be disappointed.
For More Information Go To www.videogameslive.com
