Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play

I live in a rather small city that is not large enough to attract bigger name events. While we do get Snoop Dogg on the rare occasion, any tour with limited stops does not grace us with their presence. That is why I haven’t had the pleasure of attending Video Games Live, an one-of-a-kind immersive experience featuring music from the most recognizable and iconic video games of all time. Thousands of people have enjoyed this event that initially debuted back in 2005 but if you haven’t made your way there yet, you can live vicariously through the following write-up. Enjoy Halcylon’s tale of his recent adventures at Video Games Live. I’m pretty sure it’s the next best thing to actually being there.

When I was told that my birthday gift from my friend Cathy would be extraordinary, I had no idea what I could be in for. Strippers? Boob jobs for all the girls I know? I had no idea… until I saw the ticket for Video Games Live.

I couldn’t believe it! Any excuse is a good excuse to go to the famous Chicago Theatre, but now there was an added bonus of listening to video game-themed music live! I had heard of this concert through word of mouth and made a promise to myself to go some time. For the past three years, however, I’ve failed to follow up with it. This year, thanks to the tenacity of my friend and my overdeveloped love for video games, I went.

I walked in expecting somewhat of a crowd… what I found was that the entire theatre (over 3,600 seats) was sold out and everyone was there early to partake in pre-show entertainment, products, drinks, and booths. I was floored! I had expected some fun things, but this was something else all together – much like PAX or Wizard World. There was merchandise for sale, arcade games to play, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith contests, and booths for viewing. The booths were provided by the sponsors, Flashpoint Academy and Razor Zone, both of which are local in Chicago. They had samples of their products and services with ad placement during the actual show. They were packed. We didn’t even think twice about elbowing through the masses, trying to get in line for merch or the booths. We were there for one thing and one thing only – Video Game BGM!

So we went in, or up, rather. Our seats were front and center in the balcony; not that seating is ever an issue in the Chicago Theatre— all the seats are great! This did, however, give us a wonderful view down into and over the Metropolis Orchestra. We were even able to see the choir in the back while keeping a clear view of the main screen that hung above them all. Then… it started.

The lights went down, the crowd roared, and the screen lit up. Two parallel lines on either side with a square cube bouncing in between them appeared. Pong. At first, the sounds seemed like they weren’t from the game. They seemed… real. And then I saw it – or heard it rather. The orchestra was simulating the bouncing, paddling, and scoring of the game! It lasted for a few minutes and then all hell broke loose. A montage of classic arcade games roared across the screen as the orchestra kept pace and sound with every image we saw. Defender, Tron, Frogger… they were all there in their 8-bit glory! It was amazing to see so many games that I had forgotten reborn in a symphonic rendition that didn’t disappoint. When that ended, one of the creators of VGL, Tommy Tallarico, came out on stage, microphone a blazing. He greeted us and introduced the Metropolis Orchestra and his best friend and co-creator/ conductor Jack Wall – both members of Mythical Stone Entertainment. Within moments of being on stage, he explained to us that this wasn’t going to be a normal night at the Chicago Theatre. Not only did he explain it, but he made us feel it. We knew we were there as a part of this epic event. After all, if it weren’t for us playing games and loving the game music “we wouldn’t be here”, Tommy said. Telling us how important it was to cheer and shout when we heard something we liked was only the beginning of the involvement we were to be privy to.

This was to be the first of many microphone moments Tommy would do, but that did not detract from the fun and entertainment that followed. After a few segments of games, including Zelda and God of War, Tommy returned to the stage to bring up contest winners to participate in a live version of Space Invaders – one where the winner had to run back and forth on stage to avoid being hit – and later Tommy brought up the winner of the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith contest to play live with the Orchestra and Tommy himself riffing to Sweet Emotion.

Fucking awesome is right! I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having cheering for the winner while he played the song on EXPERT. After a quick stint of other games, the composers lent the stage to savant pianist Martin Leung. If you are racking your brains why that may be a familiar name, go to youtube.com and view the video that has over forty million downloads of this man playing a Super Mario tribute blindfolded. He showered us with his solo pianist skills – yes I said it – and we listened intently as he played melodies from Tetris and Super Mario Bros. Then, when he was done, Tommy brought out the one thing that could make it better: a blindfold. Martin proceeded to play again blindfolded. It was unreal and perfectly executed— one of those “You had to have been there” moments!

As the night wore on, we listened to the World of Warcraft opus, the sequel to StarCraft, Starcraft II (complete with game footage and concept art), Civilization IV’s Baba Yetu, and of course Kingdom Hearts. It was nothing short of amazing to hear these games. All I could do is sit staring in amazement as my mind flooded with all the memories of the great games that have come and gone in my life – Sonic the Hedgehog, ToeJam and Earl, and the Metal Gear series. It gave me goose bumps to hear songs I’d forgotten and left behind as I moved onto newer games, but nothing prepared me for the finale.

First, they brought a man on stage named Michael Salvatori. Sound familiar? It should. Go google Michael’s name and Bungie. Michael gave us a preview of what was to finish the night by showing us how to chant as a monk. Hint, hint? After a brief introduction, Tommy let the roaring crowd die down and looked at us intensely while introducing the final song of the evening with these simple words, “They call this game… Halo!”

In a roar of cheers and whistles, the choir began the chants and was followed by a seven minute montage of all three Halo games being joined by all the cut scenes from the games on the screen. The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end as I held onto every note and vocal. It was nothing short of amazing.

At night’s end, after two surprise encores (Final Fantasy VII and Castlevania), we found ourselves in line with most of the crowd waiting for the meet and greet. The conductors and creators we viewed for three hours stayed deep into the night to shake hands and autograph photos for anyone willing to stay. And stay we did. After a few photos and autographs, my need to play every game that I have was too great and we left… totally satisfied.

So what did I think of Video Games Live Chicago? Without hesitation, this is something I will be investing an evening in watching every time they are back here in Chi-Town. I was in awe of the dedication of Jack and Tom and the talent of their genius to produce accurate and fun renditions of our most cherished moments in gaming. If you have an opportunity to see this show, you would do yourself a service to go. Go in costume, go buy shirts, go and have a time that you will never forget.

-by Halcylon