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I went to the symphony the other night and gots me some culture!
Well, not exactly.
Don't get me wrong I did go to the symphony-I went to "Video Games Live-Bonus Round" featuring The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra!!
Right off the bat, you'll soon realize that "Video Games Live" is no ordinary symphony event.
SideNote: Real quick, for those of you who have never heard of "Video Games Live" (don't worry, I wasn't either until just recently.) "Video Games Live" (VGL) is a concert series created and produced by a video game composer named Tommy Tallarico back in 2005.
Each concert is performed by a local orchestra and musicians.It's a traveling show that never stays in any one city more than a couple of days at a time. So when I found out that they were going to be in town I jumped at the chance and immediately purchased tickets back in early October.
Tommy Tallarico, MC'd the event, introducing special guests throughout the night as well joining in on the fun by rocking out to a few scores on one of his many many personal guitars.
Tallarico asked-no-insisted that we shout and express our excitement whenever we felt the need to; reminding everyone that even though the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra was performing these songs, this wasn't your typical "hush hush" snooty type of concert.No folks, this certainly wasn't a traditional night at the symphony.
Suits and evening gowns were replaced by Super Mario Bros. and World of Warcraft tshirts.
The concert included game soundtracks of every console generation. A lot of throwbacks to classic games from the 70's and 80's - plus the usual stuff from the big boys like Blizzard.
Some of the music performed included: Frogger, Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, Halo, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, Final Fantasy...well you get the idea.
As the music played throughout the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) I felt a certain energy that wasn't like anything I'd ever felt before. Everyone was there because they love video games. Everyone was there because they wanted to not only listen to, but feel, their favorite video game music – feel the gaming memories. The word "nostalgia" fits perfectly here.
I recognized a few of the video games by name, but only a little by their music.
But the music itself was good enough that you didn't need to know the songs or games to enjoy them. During each piece, footage from the games were projected on 3 large screens, for the audience.It definitely made me appreciate video game music a lot more.
Laura “Flute Link” Intravia was by far the highlight of the entire show. She's called "Flute Link" because she performs Legend of Zelda music on her flute dressed as Link.
Without her, the show would not have been nearly as cool. She is a star in the making let me tell ya, and I feel privileged to have witnessed her awesome talent live.
Another highlight of the night was Ralph Baer, the man who essentially invented the first video game was interviewed via Skype.
We were shown the long lost movie clip of him playing what was then called the Brown Box.
This was beyond inspiring and touching. This was a great example of how perfectly venues like VGL shows us how important gaming has become in our culture.
Just the very fact that Mr. Baer is still alive and kicking at 89 is beyond impressive! I guess they're right, an active gaming brain will keep you forever young!
You'll want someone to share this unique experience with. You'll want someone to turn to and smile at when their favorite video game soundtrack is being played. The look in their eyes will be worth the price of admission.
Even if you're a casual gamer you'll leave with a greater appreciation of video game music and you will realize that it is far more than a series of "beeps" and "bloops"
VGL far exceeded my expectations. Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect, sure I knew it would be a good show but the whole experience turned out to be so much more than that.
I'm still riding on the high from it!
Check out Video Games Live Here |
Posted by oxyjen on Jan 1, 2011
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