From 8-bit to Orchestra

BY James Day // October 16, 2009

A look at video game concerts.

he musical compositions found in titles like Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda can be as intricate and involving as the games themselves. Composers such as Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo have become revered amongst gamers, having created some of the best-loved music in the industry. And with countless soundtrack albums, fan remix projects and game-themed bands out there, it's impossible to deny to the significance of the music of video games, even in wider popular culture.

With such appreciation and demand, it was only a matter of time until it made the leap from the small screen to the concert stage.

Early Beginnings

As with many of the cultural movements involving gaming, the conception of game concerts occurred in Japan. By the late 1980s video games were already becoming ingrained in the popular culture there, with CD albums of original soundtracks, arrangements and remixes becoming some of the most popular items of gaming merchandise.

It wasn't long until the first orchestrated game concerts were performed for the public, and introducing this new movement was the nation's favourite game franchise. Dragon Quest series composer Koichi Sugiyama conducted his own compositions at what is regarded as the first symphonic game concert, the Family Classic Concert. Taking place in Tokyo in 1987, the show was deemed a success and led to subsequent tours and performances in Japan. Popular pieces from Square Enix games, RPGs and other Japanese-developed games filled the majority of set lists, with the music of the Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Mario and Legend of Zelda games quickly becoming staples.

Leaving Japan

Despite the increasing popularity of gaming in the West, it took over fifteen years for concerts on a similar scale to start outside of Japan.

As part of the first annual Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany in August 2003, a live performance was held by the Symphonic Game Music Concerts group which was the first of its kind outside of Japan. They would hold performances there every year until 2007 when the Games Convention moved to Cologne. Primarily conducted by famed conductor, composer, and symphonist Andy Brick, SGMC's set lists featured a strong presence of Western-made games such as Everquest and The Elder Scrolls but still included many classic compositions from Japan.

Just as music from the Dragon Quest games were used to introduce game concerts to Japan, the much-loved compositions from the Final Fantasy series were used to bring the movement to North America. In 2004, the first officially endorsed FF concert hit the US and was declared an overwhelming success both by attendees and organizer Jason Michael Paul. Motivated by positive fan reaction and the tickets selling out in a mere three days, Paul adapted the show to take it on nationwide tour, dubbing it Dear Friends — Music from Final Fantasy. Though it had a relatively short run with only nine dates through to 2005, it proved that touring game concerts could be financially feasible in the West, paving the way for further more ambitious shows.

Concerts Today

Final Fantasy music continues to be a key part of Western concerts today, with Distant Worlds — Music from Final Fantasy currently maintaining the spirit of Dear Friends. With Arnie Roth presiding as conductor, the show has been running since 2007 and continues to visit the United States as well as the rest of the world, having performed in Canada, Sweden, Singapore, Taiwan and soon, South Korea.

Outside of Final Fantasy, in 2006 Roth and other former Symphonic Game Music Concerts colleagues Jason Michael Paul and Andy Brick created PLAY! A Video Game Symphony. Continuing the spirit and similar set lists of SGMC, they perform several times a year this time outside of Germany in the United States and other parts of Europe.

July 2005 saw the debut of what would become arguably the most popular game concert tour. Video Games Live was founded by video game composing veterans Tommy Tallarico (Earthworm Jim, Advent Rising) and Jack Wall (Splinter Cell, Mass Effect) and continues its ambitious tour appearing in major cities all over the world. They feature local special guest composers and bands wherever possible, as well as their pianist Martin Leung who was previously known for his blindfolded speed performances of video game themes on YouTube.

These events break the mould from traditional orchestral concerts in numerous ways. They all utilise large screens to display game footage and have some degree of audience interaction with the hosts and conductors. Video Games Live in particular plays up the spectacle aspect by featuring an elaborate light show that syncs up with the performance and the occasional on-stage theatrics. At most performances they even have an audience member come up on stage and take part in an elaborate large-scale session of Frogger or Space Invaders.

The proceedings even extend beyond the concerts themselves with cosplayers, gaming celebrity appearances as well as the chance for impromptu portable multiplayer sessions with attendees. Video Games Live takes it a stage further, with demo kiosks from sponsored publishers, post-concert signing sessions and numerous competitions. All-in-all, these shows manage to meld the concert and convention experiences together, providing gamers with a unique experience that is both exhilarating and socially gratifying.

The Future

The popularity and the demand for these concerts looks to continue with Video Games Live, alone increasing the number of tour dates year upon year, jumping from forty-seven in 2008 to seventy in 2009. Distant Worlds has already surpassed the nine performances of predecessor Dear Friends, with eleven dates in 2009 and more planned for 2010. Even video game inspired bands such as the The OneUps are growing in number and popularity, threatening to hold large scale concerts themselves.

Right now, wherever you live in the world, it seems that a video game concert is never far away.