Sunday, November 26, 2006
We went to Video Games Live!...
This blog documents mine and James' recent experiences at the first ever Video Game dedicated orchestral concert in London, Video Games Live. Please enjoy :) ...
It's Saturday the 25th of November and we're standing outside the Hammer Smith Apollo theatre in
Six O clock ticks past and the doors still haven't opened. I look behind me, people are standing on tip toes to try and get a look at the doors in a fruitless attempt to see what, if anything is the hold-up. Suddenly the orderly lines lurch forward and the processions of dedicated music fans march to the doors. Some moments later and it's our turn. We hand over our tickets, they get scanned, and we shuffle forward into the main entrance. To the right is a stall selling T-Shirts, caps and posters. A woman appears from nowhere thrusting complimentary CD's into our hands. The Ubisoft logo adorns the front; I smile and pocket the CD instantly. Like a magpie I love free 'schwag' and the hording thereof.
A sign informs us that games and competitions are taking place upstairs, I read it aloud and without further conversation we both make a beeline for the stairwell, both of us knowing that the illusive Nintendo Wii console would likely be on display. Sure enough, beyond the crowd of people playing the new Guitar Hero II, there was an even bigger crowd, one we soon found to be impenetrable at the time. All around us people were excitedly talking about the console and this would have to be confirmation enough that there indeed was a Wii in the building, at least for the meantime.
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Defeated we filter back down the stairs and find our seats in the "circle" area. We had booked early, consequently we found ourselves close to the action. We settled into our seats and took a moment to absorb the stage in front of us. All manner of instruments were visible, I'm not familiar with all of their names but I can tell you there was a harp, many violins and a xylophone. You'll have to fill in the blanks yourself. Above the stage a huge projector displays the Video Games Live logo in all of its animated glory. We look around ourselves, discovering the periphery to our live music experience and one thing becomes immediately apparent. Nintendo has sold a lot of Nintendo DS units. Approximately one in six people seemed to have a DS of some variety in their hands. Excited I scrabble in my bag to retrieve my own console and activate "Pictochat", an Ad-Hoc wireless chat program built into every Nintendo DS. All four chat rooms were full, full of gamers inviting each other to "MarioKart" multiplayer sessions, full of gamers drawing cartoons of Mario and Zelda, full of gamers excited and waiting to hear 25 years of videogame history re-created by a symphony orchestra.
After a handful of matches in MarioKart I check my watch, mercifully (my MarioKart skills aren't what they used to be apparently) its
The next segment, the first real segment, featured the music from Metal Gear Solid. The music was fantastic; indeed the composition is marvellous even at the worst of times but this was something special. As if the footage and music wasn't enough a spotlight appears on the stage highlighting someone dressed as a soldier from the game. As he walks across the stage someone hiding in a cardboard box shuffles around behind him, emulating some of the stealthy tactics one can use in the videogame. The effect was one of pure pantomime, especially as the guard notices the box and, in time with the epic orchestral score, becomes alerted to his intruder. He presses a hidden button on his outfit causing a large cardboard exclamation mark to shoot up above his head courtesy of a clever mechanism. Every single person in the audience lets out a cheer, some throw up the horns and the rest pump their fist with excitement. The atmosphere just became that of tangible enthusiasm and there is nowhere I or James would rather be.
The music continues with scores from such video games as Sonic, Super Mario, Tomb Raider, World of Warcraft and The Legend of Zelda. Every segment is greeted with cheers and applause the likes of which you will only ever experience when die-hard fans are receiving the entertainment and recognition they have grown up wanting deserving for years and years. Before the intermission Tommy Talarico brings up two contestants to play Frogger, the highest scorer winning for themselves a $2500 laptop. After a tense battle a young man walks off the stage with a huge grin and one very nice looking piece of electronic hardware.
During the Intermission I hunted down the gentleman's facilities, meanwhile unbeknownst to me, James had gone upstairs to hunt down the playable Nintendo Wii. Twenty minutes later and we reconvene at our designated seats and he informs me he was about to be given the controller when he was asked to leave. Apparently filming was frowned upon and the woman handing out the controller for the console took it upon herself to make an example of James and his handy-cam. He curses and I laugh through my milkshake as the second act begins.
The second half continues in the same manner with more breathtaking pieces and another competition, this time on the classic game "Space Invaders". At
Despite the promise of a meet and greet from the musicians and performing cast in the lobby we saw fit to take our leave. The journey home was a long one and catching trains at Ealing Broadway past