Music is more than symphony orchestras. Shouldn't videogame music concerts be, as well?
Square Enix and producer Arnie Roth said this week that they will soon launch a new touring concert of music from the Final Fantasy games called "A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy." The concert promises "fresh arrangements of music... for a variety of chamber ensembles," from string quartets to guitar solos.
This has me excited about Final Fantasy concerts again. I was there for the first ever live performance of music from the storied role-playing game series on North American soil in 2004, and watched as a sold-out crowd went totally bananas to hear their favorite music played live in the presence of composer Nobuo Uematsu.
There's been a Final Fantasy concert touring the United States almost continually ever since. But in the 10 years hence, the format has barely changed: It's many of the same arrangements of the same songs. While new music is occasionally introduced to the program, if you've heard one local orchestra sight-read its way through "One-Winged Angel" you've heard 'em all.
Don't get me wrong: Going to a Final Fantasy concert is a grand old time. But after 10 years of them, one wishes for something to change up the formula. "New World" sounds like just the thing.
So far, dates have been announced for Chicago, Omaha and Montreal, beginning in May. Composer Uematsu will perform keyboard solo pieces at the Chicago and Omaha shows.
