Saturday was all about Video Games Live

In the west side of London, just across the street from the Hammersmith tube station, stands the Apollo Theatre.  Having been there since 1932, it's a remarkable example of art deco design, fleshed out inside in startling shades of dusty purple and gold. 

This venue has been famous for hosting rock concerts for the past several decades.  It played host to The Beatles and Johnny Cash in the 1960s.  In the 1970s one could go see anyone from Bruce Springsteen, to David Bowie, to Queen perform there.  Motörhead's live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith was recorded at the Apollo in the 1980s, and numerous other bands from Metallica, to AC/DC, to Iron Maiden have played there over the years. 

This December Ennio Morricone will be conducting his music from movies like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly at the Hammersmith Apollo.  But on Saturday, November 25th it was all about Video Games Live. 
 
 

Darn, it's cold out here. 

Video Games Live is a fascinating concept:  Take some of the best loved music from video games like Super Mario Bros. and Halo and have it performed by a live orchestra and choir.  Add to that professional laser lighting effects, synchronized video footage projected on a huge screen suspended above the stage, special guest performers and celebrity appearances, and you have just a glimpse of what VGL is. 

Video Games Live first appeared in July of 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl.  It was designed by composers Tommy Tallarico (Earthworm Jim, Advent Rising) and Jack Wall (Myst 3 & 4, Jade Empire) not only to pay tribute to this amazing genre of music, but to also open the ears of people who still have the impression that music from games is nothing more than bleeps and bloops. 

That first concert took three years to design and bring to the stage, but it was a huge success. It opened to a crowd of over 11,000 concert-goers, making it the largest game music concert yet.  The event not only brilliantly showcased video games as art, but its success once again proved that video games have been embraced by society and are a permanent and fully legitimate part of the entertainment industry. 

Spurred on by the initial triumph, the organizers planned to take the show on tour, and scheduled an ambitious number of stops for the rest of 2005.  Unfortunately that enthusiasm didn't immediately translate to advance ticket sales, and many of the tour dates had to be cancelled – much to the disappointment and confusion of the fans who had planned to attend.  However, concert dates for Seattle and Vancouver were salvaged, and the show played to sold-out audiences there in October. 

Through the end of the year Tallarico and Wall reworked their plans, formed new partnerships, and made preparations to relaunch the tour in 2006.  That second debut took place to another sold-out crowd in San Jose at the annual Game Developer's Conference in March.  Video Games Live has since proved unstoppable with more sold-out events in Philadelphia and Houston, shows in the Mid-West and Canada, a triumphant return to the Hollywood Bowl in September, and two more sold-out concerts in Brazil. 

Saturday's concert in London was a particularly special one for several reasons.  It marked the first of these kinds of concerts performed in Great Britain, and VGL's first trip to Europe.  Secondly, it was a great opportunity to showcase British game development. 

Often overshadowed by their American or Japanese counterparts, game developers in Great Britain are nonetheless very important to the industry.  England is home to publisher Eidos (Tomb Raider series) and developer Rare (Donkey Kong Country series), among numerous others. 
 
 

Final preparations for launch. 

The evening of the concert was much like any other for that time of year in London.  The skies were overcast, a light wind whipped across the city, and temperatures were already in the 40°s.  Outside the theater hundreds of people had already lined up to wait for the doors to open, while inside the final rehearsals were being wrapped up. 

In the second floor lounge, the Beautiful People were busy setting up a Nintendo Wii system with which to demonstrate Wii Sports in one of the earliest showings of the game to the British public.  Around the corner was an area for people to compete against each other in Guitar Hero II for prizes.  When the doors opened and people flooded in, both were immediately surrounded. 

Many concert-goers had also brought handheld games with them, and were busy setting up their own multiplayer matches with friends and strangers in the minutes leading up to the concert.  A number also came in costumes representing their favorite video game characters, such as one fellow whose recreation of Manny Calavera from Grim Fandango was particularly memorable. 

The concert opened, as always, with a medley of music from classic arcade games – everything from Pong (!), to Donkey Kong, to Dragon's Lair.   Coincidentally, this piece was arranged specially for VGL by British composer Richard Jacques (Starship Troopers).  Next up was music from the Metal Gear Solid series which features work by British film composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Kingdom of Heaven). 

Later came music from Tomb Raider and a brief stage appearance by British composer Nathan McCree who wrote music for the early games in the series.  Jacques was also there in person to talk about his piece from Headhunter that was performed. 

As you can see, the first hour became a kind of salute to some of the Britain's finest.  Even the music from Civilization IV, a memorable African choir and orchestra piece, was written by Oxford-educated Christopher Tin.  But France was also ably represented. 

In conjunction with the Beyond Good & Evil segment, award-winning game designer Michel Ancel, and composer for the game Christophe Heral, both took the stage, having flown in from Paris specifically for this event.  Besides a comical ska routine performed by the duo, Ancel also announced that he and his team are working very hard on making a sequel to their cult classic a reality. 

Paris-based Ubisoft also thrilled the audience by giving away 3,000 copies of a sampler CD featuring music from their catalogue of titles and produced strictly for this event.  Including titles like King Kong (also designed by Ancel), Brothers in Arms, and the recently released Dark Messiah, it was the perfect way to celebrate Ubisoft's 20th anniversary.  One can only wish these deserving scores would be commercially released on their own CDs too. 

The hour also included the always moving Medal of Honor segment, music from fan-favorite Legend of Zelda, and possibly the most popular yet overused piece of game music ever – One-Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII.  Most remarkable, though, was the interactive Space Invaders. 

One person was chosen from the audience to come up on stage and play Space Invaders for cash on the giant screen while the orchestra synched music to the action, complete with sudden tempo changes.  The twist was that the player had to run back and forth across the stage to control his ship's movement.  Perhaps a bit gimmicky, but it was definitely an entertaining and tense game for the audience. 

During the intermission, most people left their seats to procure snacks and beverages (beer was the drink of choice by a large margin), wait for a chance to play one of the game machines, or just chat with friends and strangers.  The attendees fell squarely within the 18-25 age range – though there was a small minority of those older or younger – and fell easily into conversation with each other.  Though it defies the stereotype, there's something about Video Games Live that makes concert-goers feel a kinship with each other, and really brings everyone together. 
 
 

Moments later not even the riot police could get through here. 

After the intermission was a performance of Kingdom Hearts with classic Disney footage playing on the screen.  Wall also took a break from conducting long enough to introduce his own music from the Myst series, and later a piece from Tallarico's score to Advent Rising.  Jacques' arrangement of music from Sonic was also a big hit, but one of the most enthusiastic receptions was reserved for World of Warcraft.  Even that couldn't top Final Fantasy, though. 

Martin Leung, the Internet celebrity known as the Video Game Pianist, was brought onstage to perform his solo medley of music from the Final Fantasy series.  At times emotional and delicate, powerful and harsh at others, Leung's performance – which literally broke the keyboard – left the audience amazed and ecstatic.   

Another interactive segment was introduced as well, and this time it was for two players competing for a top-of-the-line Ferrari laptop.  Frogger had the audience cheering or groaning as they watched the contestants take turns playing, and no doubt had the orchestra sweating as they carefully performed the music according to the visuals.  The music was brilliantly seamless, though, and it made for one of the more exciting and fun parts of the night. 

One of the most enjoyable parts of Video Games Live is always the Super Mario Bros. segment.  It's almost impossible to find someone who doesn't remember and love the music from those games, and it's a joy to hear a live orchestra perform something that was indeed bleeps and bloops at one time.  As at previous shows around the world, people spontaneously broke into applause or laughed happily whenever they'd suddenly hear a familiar area theme or transition.  Similar reactions happened throughout the night, but nothing quite like the enthusiasm people showed toward Mario. 

And if that wasn't enough, Leung came back out to perform another keyboard medley from the Super Mario Bros. series.  The twist this time?  He was carefully blindfolded right before playing.  As if it made no difference to him, he played a blisteringly fast rendition of some of the most memorable themes, including perfectly rendered power-up sound effects, much to delight of the audience. 
 
 

Wait a minute, that's not Halo! 

The concert closed at last with the ever-popular music from Halo 1 & 2, and then an encore of music from next year's hotly anticipated Halo 3 – complete with footage from the game.  A fitting end to an amazing concert, but the evening wasn't over quite yet. 

Anyone who wished to stay late was encouraged to stand in line to meet the celebrities and get autographs.  Several hundred people took advantage of that, and had a chance to say a few words to some of Great Britain's greatest game composers such as James Hannigan (Evil Genius, Harry Potter), the dynamic duo of Bob & Barn (Primal, MediEvil), Steve Burke (Kameo, Viva Piñata), Richard Aitken (24, Reservoir Dogs), Tim Wright (Lemmings, Wipeout), David Whittaker (Lego Star Wars 1 & 2), Tom Bible (Rogue Trooper, Miami Vice), Paul Weir (Constantine, Crime Life), and of course the other special guests who had appeared on stage earlier including Wall and Tallarico. 

It was great for the audience members to have a chance to meet some of their heroes in person, and the composers enjoyed themselves too.  Every once in a while one of them would be confronted with some particularly rare piece of memorabilia to sign, and his eyes would light up as he excitedly nudged the fellows next to him to show it off.  These artists who normally don't get much contact with fans definitely enjoyed a night in the spotlight. 

As things started winding down, the few people left began to leave singly or in small groups into the chilly London night.  Some took with them new friends they had made.  Some had a new appreciation for amazing music they hadn't heard before.  Others had favorite CDs autographed by their idols.  But everyone had memories of the night that they wouldn't soon forget. 

And at the end of the day, that's quite an accomplishment.