Classical music and opera have always drawn in the crowds. Its potent mix of high emotion, drama, themes of betrayal and love have often proved a provocative draw to many. Some come for the scenery, others the performances but most, if asked, will say the music. Now, in the 21st century a new genre of music is on offer. That of the Video Game.
On the 25th November ‘06 at the Apollo Theatre London on a dark dreary evening, the birth of this new genre in the United Kingdom made its debut. I count myself as one of the lucky few who can proudly say “I was there at the first!” Although, admittedly, I would only say this to my very understanding friends. Everybody else seems to respond with a rather shallow smile and a pitying nod of their head, regardless of the inane grin that greats them from my face. But what is this embarrassment I feel? Should I be embarrassed at all? Surely of all this, ‘Video Games Live’ is vindictive of the growing nature of the industry. A celebration of what makes games great.
Video Games Live took place in conjunction with the London Games Festival ’06 (LGF). One of the most unconnected and disjointed festivals I’ve ever visited. In order to take part in this festival you would have to have an intimate knowledge of London and its woeful transport system. But less about the confused and strangles LGF, on to the concert.
Video Games Live at the Apollo Theatre was one of the jewels in the crown of the LGF and so garnered quite a bit more publicity than the majority of the other events. The producers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall appeared on the BBC morning news for an informal interview promoting the event. To their credit, the event was a virtual sell out! The premise of the concert is to celebrate all those memorable tunes found within video games. From the simple but catchy beeps of Mario’s first adventure, to the full blown orchestral score of Halo. Video Games Live should really be commended for bringing to the audience, not only the big names but classics such as Mario, Zelda and even the lamentable Frogger.
To sum up my worse fears and problems of the event, and this really is my own fault, was the scale seemed significantly smaller than those events appearing in the states. The general air around the America events was extremely grandiose and very, well, American. The British event took on some very interesting differences. For one, the orchestra performing was from the Royal Ballet (this is not confirmed), who performed amazingly well. There were however some instances of solo’s or certain areas of the music that was obviously pre-recorded. These moments although few and far between, when they did occur really brought down the experience. Also there were moments where some music and scores were missing. If you look in the programme it waxes lyrical over games such as Tron, God of War and EverQuest 2 which were notably absent from the event, even though they are still mentioned in the programme, evidently left over from the American event. Another notable absent was some of the actors appearing in the American event were no where to be seen. Although these changes were minor and did not affect the quality of the show, the fact that this is a celebration of all things video game and is slightly watered down for the British event is a shame. Th
is of course is my own fault as prior to the show I researched the background and found the American promo and got my hopes up. I’ve only myself to blame.
I’m being particularly harsh on Video Games Lives, through no real fault of its own. The show itself is a very moving tribute to all things interactive. The show took on an informal air with the MC Tommy Tallarico controlling the evening with ease as well as showing an in depth knowledge of the source material and background culture. Video Games Live also helped celebrate the multitude of British designers and game makers present on our shores. Designers and musicians working today on next-gen projects were all brought on stage and applauded as they all should be. It was elements like this that made the event very exciting. The quality of the music and performances helped to lift the event beyond what many were expecting and the atmosphere was well received.
The night ended with the triumphant Halo music, including the new trailer for Halo 3, which to some surprise did not receive the thunderous applause the presenter was obviously expecting. The finishing words were of a return performance in the summer of 2007. If you get a chance or if you have any interest in video games or even music, this show is a
fantastic experience. For so long gamers have not had an actual connected community, outside of the forums to meet and talk to others just as enthusiastic as themselves. This is an event to celebrate the continuing growth of this, the most interesting of all modern entertainment. Lets hope events like this go from strength to strength. Bravo
On the 25th November ‘06 at the Apollo Theatre London on a dark dreary evening, the birth of this new genre in the United Kingdom made its debut. I count myself as one of the lucky few who can proudly say “I was there at the first!” Although, admittedly, I would only say this to my very understanding friends. Everybody else seems to respond with a rather shallow smile and a pitying nod of their head, regardless of the inane grin that greats them from my face. But what is this embarrassment I feel? Should I be embarrassed at all? Surely of all this, ‘Video Games Live’ is vindictive of the growing nature of the industry. A celebration of what makes games great.
Video Games Live took place in conjunction with the London Games Festival ’06 (LGF). One of the most unconnected and disjointed festivals I’ve ever visited. In order to take part in this festival you would have to have an intimate knowledge of London and its woeful transport system. But less about the confused and strangles LGF, on to the concert.
Video Games Live at the Apollo Theatre was one of the jewels in the crown of the LGF and so garnered quite a bit more publicity than the majority of the other events. The producers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall appeared on the BBC morning news for an informal interview promoting the event. To their credit, the event was a virtual sell out! The premise of the concert is to celebrate all those memorable tunes found within video games. From the simple but catchy beeps of Mario’s first adventure, to the full blown orchestral score of Halo. Video Games Live should really be commended for bringing to the audience, not only the big names but classics such as Mario, Zelda and even the lamentable Frogger.
To sum up my worse fears and problems of the event, and this really is my own fault, was the scale seemed significantly smaller than those events appearing in the states. The general air around the America events was extremely grandiose and very, well, American. The British event took on some very interesting differences. For one, the orchestra performing was from the Royal Ballet (this is not confirmed), who performed amazingly well. There were however some instances of solo’s or certain areas of the music that was obviously pre-recorded. These moments although few and far between, when they did occur really brought down the experience. Also there were moments where some music and scores were missing. If you look in the programme it waxes lyrical over games such as Tron, God of War and EverQuest 2 which were notably absent from the event, even though they are still mentioned in the programme, evidently left over from the American event. Another notable absent was some of the actors appearing in the American event were no where to be seen. Although these changes were minor and did not affect the quality of the show, the fact that this is a celebration of all things video game and is slightly watered down for the British event is a shame. Th
is of course is my own fault as prior to the show I researched the background and found the American promo and got my hopes up. I’ve only myself to blame.I’m being particularly harsh on Video Games Lives, through no real fault of its own. The show itself is a very moving tribute to all things interactive. The show took on an informal air with the MC Tommy Tallarico controlling the evening with ease as well as showing an in depth knowledge of the source material and background culture. Video Games Live also helped celebrate the multitude of British designers and game makers present on our shores. Designers and musicians working today on next-gen projects were all brought on stage and applauded as they all should be. It was elements like this that made the event very exciting. The quality of the music and performances helped to lift the event beyond what many were expecting and the atmosphere was well received.
The night ended with the triumphant Halo music, including the new trailer for Halo 3, which to some surprise did not receive the thunderous applause the presenter was obviously expecting. The finishing words were of a return performance in the summer of 2007. If you get a chance or if you have any interest in video games or even music, this show is a
fantastic experience. For so long gamers have not had an actual connected community, outside of the forums to meet and talk to others just as enthusiastic as themselves. This is an event to celebrate the continuing growth of this, the most interesting of all modern entertainment. Lets hope events like this go from strength to strength. Bravo 
