Saw Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy last night
Posted: 2005-02-20 11:40pm
As you may or may not know, I had tickets to see Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago last night. The Chicagoland Pops Orchestra performed selections of music from the Final Fantasy series.
I'll say right now, it was a dream come true. This may sound corny, but seeing the music from Final Fantasy performed by a symphony orchestra has been a dream of mine for years now, ever since I played Final Fantasy VI. I just love Uematsu's work. It's brilliant. And last night could not have been any more perfect.
Just before the show began, Nobuo Uematsu came into the theatre and was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He was all smiles, bowing and generally acting silly. You could tell he was thrilled to have his music being performed in the US.
Then the chorus came out with Arnie Roth, the conductor, and the show started with "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII. The chorus was nice, but they lacked baritones, which you really need for a piece like that. They just got overpowered by the orchestra, but it will still enjoyable. During the whole show, there were scenes from the games interspersed with live shots of the musicians playing on three giant monitors hanging above the stage.
Then the Master of Ceremonies came out. I forgot his name, which I feel badly about, because the guy was really great. He does radio commentating for White Sox radio in Chicago and is an avid gamer. They basically did three pieces at a time. There was an awesome classical guitarist for "Vamos alla Flamenco" from Final Fantasy IX. Some of the selections for the game scenes they chose were a little strange though and didn't seem to go along with the music very well, except in the cases of "Liberi Fatali" and "Love Grows" from Final Fantasy VIII. But the close-up shots of the musicians were really very cool.
They also had a new composition made for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which, as the MC put it, "takes us back through time to the very first Final Fantasy." It started with the familiar Final Fantasy melody, then went to the Chocobo theme, then to the Final Fantasy theme. It was a very cool piece.
For the MC's last bit, he said, "You know, there are some who would question whether this music belongs with this venue and orchestra." Boos from the crowd. "I think we've proven them wrong!" Massive applause. And really, that was a great thing for him to say. Some people might poo-poo videogame music being performed in an orchestral venue, but fuck them. More tickets for people who enjoy it.
And of course, they did "Aeris' Theme" from Final Fantasy VII, which earned the orchestra a standing ovation. The last piece was the ending theme common to all Final Fantasy games.
Then Uematsu came on-stage to say a few words with the help of a translator. He got a standing ovation, and the entire audience remained standing while he spoke. He said he wanted to do a little survey and asked, "Who's heard of my rock band, The Black Mages?" Thunderous applause. "If I did a show here in the United States, who would promise to come?" Again, thunderous applause. "Can I trust you?" Laughter.
He also did a little informal poll of where everyone was from. I'd say a good half of the crowd was from out-of-state. They'd come from all over to see this show, New York, California and even a few people from out of the country. Then he said, "Well we can't just end it like this. Who wants an encore?" Again, massive applause/hooting/hollering. So then the chorus walks out to a massive applause, since the crowd knows the encore is going to be "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII. They did a pretty good job, but I could swear the Latin was slightly different from the other recorded versions I've heard. But hey, the crowd was psyched, and it was a perfect way to end the show.
Really, I can now check something off the "Things to Do Before I Die" list. The crowd was unbelievable. I've been to a symphony performance before, and the most they get is polite clapping. This orchestra got the full rock-star treatment.
Although a lot of people in the crowd clearly hadn't been to such a performance before, and a lot of them applauded during the performance at certain parts in the music, which is a huge no-no. Applause during the performance could throw the musicians off. Luckily, nothing like that happened. And really, the musicians were probably very flattered.
In general, the audience was very diverse. People of all ages and all ethnicities were there. It wasn't just a bunch of 20-something Japanese males. There is a big market for this kind of thing, and it's hard to argue with two sold-out shows in the US. I imagine that they'll hold more across the country, probably in New York next.
But if this comes anywhere near you, go see it. Seriously, I was so overjoyed to be there with other people who obviously loved the music as much as I do. It was a massive geek-gasm. There was just so much energy there; it was unbelievable. Uematsu himself seemed like a very genuine guy, although I didn't have a VIP ticket, so I didn't get to meet him personally. But you could tell that he was just thrilled with the success and was doing this tour for his fans. And as I said before, it was a dream come true. Anyone who enjoys a good symphony performance would enjoy this show, and for Final Fantasy fans, it'll just be heaven.
I'll say right now, it was a dream come true. This may sound corny, but seeing the music from Final Fantasy performed by a symphony orchestra has been a dream of mine for years now, ever since I played Final Fantasy VI. I just love Uematsu's work. It's brilliant. And last night could not have been any more perfect.
Just before the show began, Nobuo Uematsu came into the theatre and was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He was all smiles, bowing and generally acting silly. You could tell he was thrilled to have his music being performed in the US.
Then the chorus came out with Arnie Roth, the conductor, and the show started with "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII. The chorus was nice, but they lacked baritones, which you really need for a piece like that. They just got overpowered by the orchestra, but it will still enjoyable. During the whole show, there were scenes from the games interspersed with live shots of the musicians playing on three giant monitors hanging above the stage.
Then the Master of Ceremonies came out. I forgot his name, which I feel badly about, because the guy was really great. He does radio commentating for White Sox radio in Chicago and is an avid gamer. They basically did three pieces at a time. There was an awesome classical guitarist for "Vamos alla Flamenco" from Final Fantasy IX. Some of the selections for the game scenes they chose were a little strange though and didn't seem to go along with the music very well, except in the cases of "Liberi Fatali" and "Love Grows" from Final Fantasy VIII. But the close-up shots of the musicians were really very cool.
They also had a new composition made for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which, as the MC put it, "takes us back through time to the very first Final Fantasy." It started with the familiar Final Fantasy melody, then went to the Chocobo theme, then to the Final Fantasy theme. It was a very cool piece.
For the MC's last bit, he said, "You know, there are some who would question whether this music belongs with this venue and orchestra." Boos from the crowd. "I think we've proven them wrong!" Massive applause. And really, that was a great thing for him to say. Some people might poo-poo videogame music being performed in an orchestral venue, but fuck them. More tickets for people who enjoy it.
And of course, they did "Aeris' Theme" from Final Fantasy VII, which earned the orchestra a standing ovation. The last piece was the ending theme common to all Final Fantasy games.
Then Uematsu came on-stage to say a few words with the help of a translator. He got a standing ovation, and the entire audience remained standing while he spoke. He said he wanted to do a little survey and asked, "Who's heard of my rock band, The Black Mages?" Thunderous applause. "If I did a show here in the United States, who would promise to come?" Again, thunderous applause. "Can I trust you?" Laughter.
He also did a little informal poll of where everyone was from. I'd say a good half of the crowd was from out-of-state. They'd come from all over to see this show, New York, California and even a few people from out of the country. Then he said, "Well we can't just end it like this. Who wants an encore?" Again, massive applause/hooting/hollering. So then the chorus walks out to a massive applause, since the crowd knows the encore is going to be "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII. They did a pretty good job, but I could swear the Latin was slightly different from the other recorded versions I've heard. But hey, the crowd was psyched, and it was a perfect way to end the show.
Really, I can now check something off the "Things to Do Before I Die" list. The crowd was unbelievable. I've been to a symphony performance before, and the most they get is polite clapping. This orchestra got the full rock-star treatment.
Although a lot of people in the crowd clearly hadn't been to such a performance before, and a lot of them applauded during the performance at certain parts in the music, which is a huge no-no. Applause during the performance could throw the musicians off. Luckily, nothing like that happened. And really, the musicians were probably very flattered.
In general, the audience was very diverse. People of all ages and all ethnicities were there. It wasn't just a bunch of 20-something Japanese males. There is a big market for this kind of thing, and it's hard to argue with two sold-out shows in the US. I imagine that they'll hold more across the country, probably in New York next.
But if this comes anywhere near you, go see it. Seriously, I was so overjoyed to be there with other people who obviously loved the music as much as I do. It was a massive geek-gasm. There was just so much energy there; it was unbelievable. Uematsu himself seemed like a very genuine guy, although I didn't have a VIP ticket, so I didn't get to meet him personally. But you could tell that he was just thrilled with the success and was doing this tour for his fans. And as I said before, it was a dream come true. Anyone who enjoys a good symphony performance would enjoy this show, and for Final Fantasy fans, it'll just be heaven.