7/11/2005
Video Games Live Tour
In other news, did anyone else hear about the Video Games Live concert at the Hollywood Bowl? It's true! Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra played the theme music from Myst, Halo, Tron, Frogger and Donkey Kong, complete with a choir. It truly is amazing how much video games have advanced in culture. Huge concert events just to play music from video games? I know I always wanted life to be like a game but you never expect it to happen. Even Stan Lee, co-creator of the comic book characters Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, was there to enjoy an earful or digitized symphony.
Of course just hearing the music wasn't enough. At Video Games Live, the orchestra performed beneath a jumbo screen which showed scenes from the games whose music was being played. Live performers act out scenes from the games. Fans were selected to play video games while the orchestra played along.
I had always thought that the music in video games could never complete with the great classics such as Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and The Legend of Zelda. But with games like Halo, Metal Gear Solid, and Disgaea whose musical scores are on a whole other level of greatness, it would seem that I was wrong. Hard core fans make their ways to stores or order online, the soundtracks to these great games. Tim Larkin, who wrote the score for Myst, says that a cheap score for video games could be done for $15,000. But many game publishers, he says, now pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a composition. That is a LOT of money! While those compositions are fantastic, I have heard some very excellent re mixes of game music on the site OverClocked ReMix (www.ocremix.org) that rivals and even sometimes blows away, the original. I highly recommend visiting that site. Especially to hear a remix of CutMan's theme called "CutMan Sonata" from MegaMan by a composer called McVaffe.
The Videogames Live Tour continues on and ill be coming to a city near you!
Thursday, August 11 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre 8:00 PM
Saturday, August 13 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center 8:00 PM
Sunday, August 14 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront 8:00 PM
Friday, August 19 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion 8:00 PM
Monday, August 22 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion 8:00 PM
Wednesday, August 24 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheater 8:00 PM
Thursday, August 25 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater 8:00 PM
Friday, August 26 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center 8:00 PM
Saturday, August 27 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island 8:00 PM
Sunday, August 28 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre 8:00 PM
Thursday, September 1 Denver, CO Universal Lending Pavilion 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 4 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 8:00 PM
Tuesday, September 6 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion 7:30 PM
Wednesday, September 7 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre 8:00 PM
Friday, September 9 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 11 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 8:00 PM
Check out their site at: www.videogameslive.com
Enjoy the music and I'll be back with more freshness in the next Rad Chaotic Review! This is Rad signing off.
Of course just hearing the music wasn't enough. At Video Games Live, the orchestra performed beneath a jumbo screen which showed scenes from the games whose music was being played. Live performers act out scenes from the games. Fans were selected to play video games while the orchestra played along.
I had always thought that the music in video games could never complete with the great classics such as Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and The Legend of Zelda. But with games like Halo, Metal Gear Solid, and Disgaea whose musical scores are on a whole other level of greatness, it would seem that I was wrong. Hard core fans make their ways to stores or order online, the soundtracks to these great games. Tim Larkin, who wrote the score for Myst, says that a cheap score for video games could be done for $15,000. But many game publishers, he says, now pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a composition. That is a LOT of money! While those compositions are fantastic, I have heard some very excellent re mixes of game music on the site OverClocked ReMix (www.ocremix.org) that rivals and even sometimes blows away, the original. I highly recommend visiting that site. Especially to hear a remix of CutMan's theme called "CutMan Sonata" from MegaMan by a composer called McVaffe.
The Videogames Live Tour continues on and ill be coming to a city near you!
Thursday, August 11 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre 8:00 PM
Saturday, August 13 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center 8:00 PM
Sunday, August 14 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront 8:00 PM
Friday, August 19 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion 8:00 PM
Monday, August 22 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion 8:00 PM
Wednesday, August 24 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheater 8:00 PM
Thursday, August 25 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater 8:00 PM
Friday, August 26 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center 8:00 PM
Saturday, August 27 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island 8:00 PM
Sunday, August 28 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre 8:00 PM
Thursday, September 1 Denver, CO Universal Lending Pavilion 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 4 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 8:00 PM
Tuesday, September 6 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion 7:30 PM
Wednesday, September 7 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre 8:00 PM
Friday, September 9 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 11 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 8:00 PM
Check out their site at: www.videogameslive.com
Enjoy the music and I'll be back with more freshness in the next Rad Chaotic Review! This is Rad signing off.
