Review: Video Games Live

During my interview with Tommy Tallarico, he mentioned that Video Games Live is difficult to put into words because one needs to experience it.  When I attended the show last Saturday at the Paramount Theatre, I was shocked to find it was true.  It isn’t simply about an orchestra playing video game music, there was something else to it.

The time is 6:45 PM and the doors to the Paramount Theatre are still not open.  According to the mostly unhelpful clerk manning the box office, the doors will be open at 7:00PM and that’s all they knew.  Around me there’s excitement and anticipation, even with the temperature at around 35*F and wet snow falling.  The warmth of gaming fans huddled as close to the door as they can get keeps the chill away from most.  A few in costumes seem to have enthusiasm to warm those gathered around which helps them to ignore unpleasant temperatures.

As 7:00PM eventually rolls around, the doors are opened and any resemblance of a line vanishes as many flock to the doors in search of heat.  Inside visitors are greeted by advertisements by Razer who were sponsoring the event.  Around a corner in the main lobby saw sales of video game merchandise which seemed to be made up of mostly t-shirts.  Farther down was a small booth where Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was setup for play.  It was quite obvious that the lobby was too small to properly house the pre-game festival Video Games Live traditionally.  Aside from the few booths setup, the floor had people scattered everywhere which made it difficult to navigate to the doors to the actual theater.  The main reason for the traffic jam I found was the fact that there was no outlet for attendees.  Last minute tests and setup were still being done inside the theater.

Upon receiving access to the theater itself, I was greeted by a stage that proudly displayed the Video Games Live logo on a giant screen in the back.  The stage was filled with instruments and equipment, but a lack of individuals.  A few were around, checking this and that including Tommy himself, but the absence of people was obvious.  Tests of all sorts were being performed such as a potency of the CO2 blowers that would be going off at the end of the show to create a great ending spectacle.  I settled into my seat and watched the process go on for awhile until the doors behind me were flung open and the crowd started filing into the room.

Looking over the crowd I found not only the typical 18-25 year old male gamer strewn about, but a sea of diversity both by age as well as gender.  Husband and wives with their children in tote, gamer females with DS in hand, and a few older looking individuals slowly making their way to their seats made up the audience.  Strangely, none of the costumed individuals seemed to be among the general crowd.  The reason for this would become apparent as the opening of the show drew near.

Ten minutes before 8:00PM a line off to the side headed in the direction of the stage was established.  Visible characters in the line included 8-Bit Link, Princess Peach, and Luigi.  Many others were there but weren’t as visible due to the poor lighting on the side.  Eventually they were led backstage, then onto the main stage where they proceeded to line up single file for the audience to observe. 

A costume contest was to take place and the judges were the audience.  One by one an announcer with a microphone went by each person, asked their costume name, then waited for a reaction from the crowd.  When he was through getting all the way down past a tall fellow in a Ness outfit, then another Luigi, he ended on Cloud from Final Fantasy VII.  At this time he picked out the persons who had received the most support for the final round of voting.  It was down to Princess Peach, a user avatar from World of Warcraft, and Cloud.  Eventually Cloud was the clear winner and took home a bag of goodies from Video Games Live.  With the contestants shuffling off the stage, it was time for the show to begin.  This was also obvious as Tom Dziekonski, the concertmaster entered with his violin and tuned the orchestra before Jack Wall, the conductor appeared on stage.

The lights dimmed in the theater and the screen displayed Pong, a fitting beginning.  The video ran, but what caught my attention more than the video itself were the lights on each side of the screen.  Depending on the position of the ball turned on or off to simulate the action on-screen.  Eventually the orchestra played along with the pinging of the ball on queue.  This was to be the beginning of the Classic Arcade Medley with tunes of Flight of the Valkyries to start and ending on a high note of Tetris.

Introductions were given briefly for the orchestra who were professionals made up of freelancers around Seattle along with the singers from the Seattle Choral Company.  Throughout the entire performance, both the orchestra and choir seemed to enjoy the evening.  Some would occasionally sneak a peek at the screen above them to see what was happening before their instrument or voice required them to get back to work.

Many notable medleys were played wonderfully throughout the evening that I had never heard before or didn’t think I’d care for.  Music from Civilization IV had me smiling from the sounds that came forth.  Though the tenor soloist Ben Derby seemed unfamiliar with the language he was singing in, by the end seemed to gain confidence and finish on a strong note.  A solo sung by Jocelyn Markey was also in the medley, though unfortunately I wasn’t able to hear her as clearly as Mr. Derby.

The Sonic medley caught me off guard and was a delight to hear.  My feet seemed to want to tap along on their own with my head bobbing.  With the timing and quickness of this section, I thought the orchestra would lag behind as I’ve heard in other performances not related to Video Games Live, but this was spot on.  They kept pace with how I remember the tunes in my head.  There were just too many segments to name that did the original songs justice.

Music in the show wasn’t performed by just the orchestra and choir.  Martin Leung, known as the Video Game Pianist came out on stage at various times during the concert to perform solo.  His acts were bright and chipper with a bit of pep for the most part.  During one trip out onto the stage, he was blindfolded as he sat down in front of the piano to prove what he had been doing on places such as YouTube, playing the Mario theme without referring to notes or looking at his hands.  Each time he would finish and exit the stage, the crowd gave him a standing ovation for his quality work.

Another unique section to the show was the performance of "On My Own" by Splitting Adam accompanied by the orchestra.  The two blended together well which made for great sounding music.  It seemed too short and left me wanting more however.

It isn’t just about the music, even if the name somewhat implies this.  On stage during select songs were costumed performers that added an element that the crowd seemed to feed from.  Sure, crowd reaction seemed to happen whenever they found something interesting on the screen in the back displayed for all to see.  Not to the level when live interaction was brought into the mix.  Tommy Tallarico himself even played a part by hiding in a box after moving on stage with it just as Snake has done in the Metal Gear Solid series.  Even when it was just video that the crowd found favorable, it charged the room with excitement when the cheers could be heard over what was playing.  At first I was annoyed by not being able to hear what was being played due to this, but after awhile I mixed the energy with my anticipation for the next melody and found it was the right combination for enjoyment.

If I were to say the experience was completely perfect, I’d be lying.  A few times when Mr. Tallarico would be playing along with the orchestra on his guitar, it was a bit loud and overpowering, so much you could barely make out the orchestra.  This is a minor complaint however, because the guitar was being played well.  Another complaint would be the crowd. Although there was diversity among the audience, the stereotype of the 18-25 year old male gamer could not be shaken off completely due to the smell.  Nothing much the organizers of the show could do about this, but those who wish to attend be warned.

As a piece of advice to the Video Games Live folks who put this whole show together, I would not book at the Paramount Theatre again.  Their facility takes away from your show and hurts you.  The small sized lobby with not much space to spread out and setup booths did not go unnoticed by the crowd.  Not only that, they were stopping individuals from taking video of the show.  It is their policy, but when the host says it’s OK to do so, something needs to give.

Overall Video Games Live is an experience worth shelling out the cash for.  It is great entertainment for not only gamers, but families not too familiar with gaming as well.  Come for the culture, stay for the music and enjoy the show.

Photos of the event are available for viewing here.