Staff Blog: Experiencing Distant Worlds At London, UK
It's no secret that the music of Final Fantasy is iconic and arguably holds some of the most beloved soundtracks in video gaming history. With this in mind, it should be no surprise to anyone that since the 2002 concert held in Japan, the popularity for live orchestral performances of such recognizable pieces would only grow. However, November 5, 2011 marked the first ever UK tour of the Distant Worlds concert, and, not surprisingly, it was a show that sold out in a matter of days. Accompanied by Damian, Laguz & MooMoo, I took the trip into London to release my music/Final Fantasy geek.
The concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall, which is a treasured venue to musicians from all genres, with stunningly grand architecture and interior décor, making any of its visitors feel like something special was about to happen. This was definitely the way that many fans seemed to have felt as they waited excitedly out in the cold for the doors to open. It was interesting to see how diverse the attendees were, reminding me that Final Fantasy is a universal love for so many different gamers from all walks of life. Many people even turned up to the show in cosplay, and posing for photos when asked. As we finally made our way inside, there was a scramble for the merchandise stalls, which were selling programs, t-shirts and various different soundtrack CDs. From our seats in the Circle we could almost see the entirety of the hall as it completely filled up and the air held the tension and buzz of the unforgettable event that was about to occur. Large screens were set up behind the stage on either side which, throughout the evening, would show clips from the games associated with the music being played.
As is custom for Distant Worlds, Arnie Roth was the conductor for the evening, guiding The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra through two and a half hours of beautiful music. Nobuo Uematsu, composer of most of the music performed that evening, was also in attendance. Arguably one of the most popular video game composers in the world, the presence of Uematsu caused the concert to feel even more special and the recognition that the fans gave him throughout the evening only highlighted even further how legendary his contribution to video game soundtracks has been. Alongside the amazing choir, Susan Calloway, the vocalist for the vocal theme "Answers" from Final Fantasy XIV and "Distant Worlds," sang the vocal pieces performed while Rosalind Waters, Philip Sheffield and Benjamin Bevan all performed the opera piece from Final Fantasy VI.
The concert opened with "Prelude," perhaps the most recognisable of all the Final Fantasy music, and floated across the hall on harp strings producing goosebumps amongst audience members. Followed by the epic "Liberi Fatali," the audience settled in for a night of music that alternated between pumping them up and moving them to tears (some more literally than others). When the short "Victory Theme" was played, the audience erupted into cheers and applause at the sheer brilliance of what they were experiencing. The "Victory Theme" itself is something that every Final Fantasy fan has heard hundreds, possibly thousands, of times, but the reality of hearing it played by an orchestra in real life was just beyond incredible. From the adrenaline pumping "Clash On The Big Bridge" to the poignant sadness of "To Zanarkand", the performances of these pieces highlighted everything that we loved about the music – and Final Fantasy as a series. Before the interval, Roth introduced the next piece as a tribute to the oldest mascot of the series: the Chocobo. A medley of the various incarnations of the theme, including the newest from the MMO Final Fantasy XIV, was performed. Alongside this, various comical Chocobos were shown on the large screens running across vast world maps.
After the interval, the music restarted with the "Opening - Bombing Mission" from Final Fantasy VII, bringing back that nostalgia of the first time watching the opening cutscene from the game. Although this may not have been the first or favourite game in the series for many members of the audience, it is so very important to the overall success of the franchise after joining the PlayStation era, and for myself especially is incredibly evocative of how I first got into the games. "Dancing Mad" is a piece that you'd never imagine you'd ever get to hear live due to the pipe organ and is definitely not a common-place piece to play, as Roth commented that the facility to play on such a beautiful instrument is not always possible with the venues Distant Worlds has visited It was definitely a treat to hear and was performed by the soloist Malcolm Hicks. There was also a nice tribute to the original trilogy of games in the form of a medley, which sometimes seem to be a bit forgotten in current day fandom due to their age.
My personal favourite piece of the night had to be "Eyes On Me" from Final Fantasy VIII, performed beautifully by Susan Calloway. The power and emotion of the song took me back into the sadness of the circumstances in the game itself, but even without the original source, the song is so emotionally powerful. The applause after this performance reflected the audience's likewise reaction. The Opera scene from Final Fantasy VI was an amazingly iconic moment in the original game and the piece "Maria and Draco" took its rightful place amongst all the other masterpieces in the concert, despite not necessarily being a fan favourite in terms of musical tastes. "Terra's Theme", also from Final Fantasy VI, closed out the second half of the show, ending with the large screens showing Biggs, Wedge & Terra walking across the snow in the opening cut-scene, as the credits for the show, and Final Fantasy as a series, appeared. The audience went wild for every key staff member's name that appeared, showing their love for each person's work and the legacy they have created.
After a short break Roth returned to the stage with Uematsu in tow. The conductor teased about getting Uematsu to perform a solo in the show, much to the adulation in the audience as the microphone was handed over. After a moment, Uematsu replied "I cannot do it!" with joking shyness, proving yet again how much of a character he is within the Final Fantasy team. The audience went wild with adoration. He then moved to join the choir as they performed the last piece, but not before giving high fives to eager fans reaching out to him as he ran past. It will come as no surprise that the encore was One Winged Angel and Roth encouraged everyone to join in. He laughed that even if you didn't know all the lyrics, there was one word which everyone knew: SEPHIROTH! It was the perfect end to an amazing set list and an amazing show.
For any Final Fantasy fan, even those that aren't particularly familiar with the music (that has to be some kind of sacrilege), this show was absolutely perfect in that it re-ignited the feelings that each of us felt when we first played our first Final Fantasies. The music was just as brilliant as it had ever been. The performance from The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra was gorgeous, despite the obvious fact that it seemed as though several instrumentalists weren't entirely familiar with the series, shown in their surprise reaction to the sheer noise of the audience, applause and cheering after each piece. To some extent, the amazing atmosphere created by the music itself was compounded by the sense of camaraderie that the audience felt in the joint appreciation of the music from a series of games so very close to their hearts and the whole evening felt like a celebration of Final Fantasy as a whole as well as the music.
Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy, as the first game was released in 1987, and Roth promised that the concerts were going to be celebrating this fact in a special way. Asking the audience what they thought they should do for this, a lone voice from the back of the venue shouted out "Remake Final Fantasy VII!" causing a ripple of laughter. Promising to come back to London in 2012, it's almost certain that this show is going to be unmissable for any fan of the series and I strongly recommend that those near to any Distant Worlds venue keep their eyes open for tickets. They sell out fast.
SETLIST (as in the program):
FINAL FANTASY Series: Prelude
FINAL FANTASY VIII: Liberi Fatali
FINAL FANTASY Series: Victory Theme
FINAL FANTASY VIII: Don't Be Afraid
FINAL FANTASY X: Zanarkand
FINAL FANTASY XI: Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds
FINAL FANTASY IX: You're Not Alone
FINAL FANTASY V: Clash on the Big Bridge
FINAL FANTASY VII: Aerith's Theme
FINAL FANTASY IV: Theme of Love
FINAL FANTASY XII: Kiss Me Good-Bye
FINAL FANTASY Series: Chocobo Medley 2010
Interval
FINAL FANTASY VII: Opening - Bombing Mission
FINAL FANTASY VI: Dancing Mad
FINAL FANTASY I-III: Medley 2010
FINAL FANTASY VII: JENOVA
FINAL FANTASY VIII: Eyes On Me
FINAL FANTASY XIII: Blinded By Light
FINAL FANTASY VI: Opera "Maria and Draco"
FINAL FANTASY VI: Terra's Theme
Encore: FINAL FANTASY VII: One Winged Angel
