Like I said in my last post, my wife and I celebrated my November birthday last Saturday when we attended Video Games Live. First things first, the concert was awesome. Other than a little kid constantly tapping the back of my chair with his foot, it was a memorable experience. I would most definitely go back again.
Before the show kicked off, we got our photo snapped with Mario and Sonic. Both were overly excited to meet us, as clearly shown by their expressions in the picture. Following the photo shoot, we made it to our seats just in time for the opening of the program, an assortment of music from old school games including Punch-Out, Duck Hunt, Gauntlet and Donkey Kong. Intermittently throughout the show, the host and creator Tommy Tallarico would get the crowd involved through various games. He invited one audience member to come up on stage and play Space Invaders and another to play Guitar Hero. The orchestra and choir were involved in both contests, playing and singing in sync with the actual game.
The highlight of the evening, however, was a segment that featured Martin Leung, the blindfolded pianist. Leung is a youtube sensation known for his blindfolded piano version of the Super Mario Bros. theme song. The video has over 3 million views and his live performance didn't disappoint. I'm still baffled at how good this guy really is.
Generally, music is overshadowed in games by graphics and storyline. It's not common to hear, "man, that soundtrack was sick." Having the opportunity to hear these video game songs live absolutely gave me an appreciation of a forgotten aspect of video games. Next time you're playing a game, take time out to absorb the tunes and delight in the music.
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