Video Games Live

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

And it also looks like our good friend Chris Huelsbeck is also doing a symphonic show in Cologne a few days after ours! I'm totally going to stick around for that!! Can't wait to check it out. Looks like it's going to be a GREAT week for game music in Germany!!

Yeah, I plan to be there. Tickets are available yet! Your last sentence you can say again. For years here's nothing and then two events in one week! Wow!

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We're also currently planning 4 other major cities in Germany.

Good to know! :3

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We haven't thought about our the setlist for our Leipzig show just yet because throughout the year we'll be adding to our setlist and don't want to sell ourselves short by deciding on the exact show right now. However!! I can tell you that this will be a VERY special show for us considering the convention and the venue/promotor and we'll be "pulling out all the stops" (as they say) to ensure that the material and special guests involved will be unique and special. Just like we did with Miyamoto & Koji Kondo in San Fran earlier this year or with Akira (Silent Hill), Yuichi Asami (DDR) and IGA (Castlevania) at the EForAll game convention in LA.

*thumbs up*

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Check out some of the special guests we had at some of our game convention shows this year:

San Fran (GDC 2007): Video Games Live | www.videogameslive.com

LA (EForAll 2007): Video Games Live | www.videogameslive.com

London (London Games Festival 2007): Video Games Live | www.videogameslive.com

Amazing listings. Never read them before. And man, on every show were Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. Incredible!

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Also important to note... as big and prestigious as all of our meet & greets have always been... we have never once (and never will) charge extra or a premium for people to take part in meeting our special guests. If you attend the show... you can certainly attend the meet & greet afterwards.

A meet & greet with that amount of special guests is really unique. It seems I should purchase a special book for all the autographs.

I'm disappointed that the Sixth Symphonic Game Music Concert will be replaced by a Video Games Live show.

Not to sound rude or anything, I appreciate the work you're doing, Tommy.
But it's just that I totally loved the atmosphere the Gewandhaus conveyed. The dim light, the cross between modern and classic architecture, the perfect acoustics, a more than professional orchestra (in addition to the professional solo-performers) - all that made these wonderful experiences for me and I absolutely object to the idea of these concert series being changed to a big stadium event.

...is a definite downgrade for me.

This evening should be about video game music, and video game music only. The moderator giving newsflashs about football results was slightly annoying last year, but destroying the whole concert by including fancy light effects, showing cutscenes and hundreds of people yelling and laughing in the midst of an orchestra performance is too much for me to handle.

This announcement really gave me a heartache. GC in Concert used to be the year's highlight for me. I know a lot of people have a different opinion than I do, but should this really be like the other VGL shows and not take place in the Gewandhaus, I will not attend the event and am saddened that the Symphonic Game Music Concert series by Thomas Böcker is dead.


An unrelated note: It seems to me like 7000 seats are far too much for such an event. The tickets of last year's concert were cheaper than this year's and still only little more than half of the seats in the Gewandhaus - approximately 1000 - were taken. The 2006 concert was sold out but back then, tickets only cost ~€15.

Prime Blue, I'm absolutely sure that Thomas Böcker is one of the heads behind Symphonic Shades - Hülsbeck in Concert. This project is his alternative to the GC concerts I guess.

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

Could someone point me to some of their favorite SotC tunes? I need to order the soundtrack... going to do that now... what are some of the more popular tunes?

Some of my personal favorites are: Revived Power, In Awe of the Power, Counterattack and Swift Horse. I think a battle medley would fit perfect at a concert. I have heard Revived Power live at a concert in Sweden and it was one of those moments I won't forget.

Originally Posted by Prime Blue

I'm disappointed that the Sixth Symphonic Game Music Concert will be replaced by a Video Games Live show.

Not to sound rude or anything, I appreciate the work you're doing, Tommy.
But it's just that I totally loved the atmosphere the Gewandhaus conveyed. The dim light, the cross between modern and classic architecture, the perfect acoustics, a more than professional orchestra (in addition to the professional solo-performers) - all that made these wonderful experiences for me and I absolutely object to the idea of these concert series being changed to a big stadium event.

...is a definite downgrade for me.

This evening should be about video game music, and video game music only. The moderator giving newsflashs about football results was slightly annoying last year, but destroying the whole concert by including fancy light effects, showing cutscenes and hundreds of people yelling and laughing in the midst of an orchestra performance is too much for me to handle.

This announcement really gave me a heartache. GC in Concert used to be the year's highlight for me. I know a lot of people have a different opinion than I do, but should this really be like the other VGL shows and not take place in the Gewandhaus, I will not attend the event and am saddened that the Symphonic Game Music Concert series by Thomas Böcker is dead.


An unrelated note: It seems to me like 7000 seats are far too much for such an event. The tickets of last year's concert were cheaper than this year's and still only little more than half of the seats in the Gewandhaus - approximately 1000 - were taken. The 2006 concert was sold out but back then, tickets only cost ~€15.

Yo Prime Blue,

Just a couple of quick comments...

I don't think anyone has said or suggested that Thomas Boeckers' Symphonic Game Music Concert is dead by any means. I certainly hope not. Thomas' show was a trailblazing experience for all of Europe and he was one of the first to prove to the rest of the world that game concerts could most certainly survive outside of Japan.

As Hamu-Sumo suggested... I believe the Huelsbeck concert is being produced by him.

Quite frankly, there was even some talk this year at one point about having one show at the beginning/launch of Games Convention 2007 and the other one at the end. Thomas and I spoke about this over e-mail but I think we both felt that it may be a little too confusing to have two shows at the same exact convention... maybe in the future this would work when both shows are a little more established? That may be cool.

I certainly hope we get the opportunity to help promote the Huelsbeck concert at our show and to our fans/mailing lists, etc. And hopefully they would be interested in doing the same for us.

I'm sorry that you feel the way you do about VGL without ever having experienced it for yourself. I think you may be selling the overall experience a little short and hopefully by the time the concert rolls around and we've made all of our special announcements that you'll want to come and check it out.

btw... have you ever seen the VOICES concert that Uematsu put on in Japan (with Arnie Roth conducting). I have the DVD and they use lots of amazing lighting, video, special effects, etc. I (like Uematsu) believe that these visuals really help to enhance the concert experience and widen the audience for game music for people who may have normally never have come to listen.

I understand your preference for wanting something different and I would certainly never try to convince you otherwise. I have always said that the great thing about multiple concerts being out there is that there are multiple ways that game music is being presented. I think that's wonderful for our industry and shows how far game music and the industry has become.

We don't believe 7,000 seats are far too much if it is marketed properly (and not just to hardcore game music fans). We have had at least 5 or 6 shows where we have done in the vincinity of 5,000 - 10,000+. The energy and excitement level from the crowd is pretty electric at some of those shows. I'm sure it will be quite a challenge to try and fill every seat during the very first time entering into a new area for us. But I believe it helps to send a certain message that game music is growing and becoming bigger... just like having it at a very fancy and high-class venue sends certain positive messages as well. We do both all the time. I believe by not having it at the same exact venue as Thomas' concert will help to further differentiate each of the shows... which I believe is good for both shows! Maybe we'll end up only selling 1,000 tickets. We would still consider that a success considering this would be our first time in Germany. It takes a lot of time, energy and money in new markets to start to build a fan base. Germany will be no different.

Thanks for your honest comments. I totally respect your point of view and hope you may reconsider giving Video Games Live a chance.



Tommy

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

I don't think anyone has said or suggested that Thomas Boeckers' Symphonic Game Music Concert is dead by any means.

There were some rumours about Thomas planning a break after the fifth concert. I read it at G wie Gorilla. Regarding the recent events, the information seems legit - at least in some respect.

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

Quite frankly, there was even some talk this year at one point about having one show at the beginning/launch of Games Convention 2007 and the other one at the end. Thomas and I spoke about this over e-mail but I think we both felt that it may be a little too confusing to have two shows at the same exact convention... maybe in the future this would work when both shows are a little more established? That may be cool.

Personally I'd prefer two separate shows in two different seasons. The traditional Symphonic Game Music Concert at the Gewandhaus still in August, at the beginning of the GC Games Convention, and an additional Video Games Live performance in spring or winter.
You're right, two concerts at the same event is probably too confusing and will cause unneeded rivalry between the two concerts, as a lot of people don't have the chance to stay in Leipzig for the whole GC timeframe (because of work or monitary reasons, hotels costs and all) and to afford both concerts. Just my two cents.

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

I'm sorry that you feel the way you do about VGL without ever having experienced it for yourself. I think you may be selling the overall experience a little short and hopefully by the time the concert rolls around and we've made all of our special announcements that you'll want to come and check it out.

I know that my comments seem a little overcritical given that I never attended one of the VGL concerts. As of now, my opinion is mainly based upon the tons of videos I've seen of the performances. A lot of them seemed like recordings from a big pop concert, with people going rampant and screaming while the orchestra is playing because of a specific cutscene on the screen. The people's excited reaction to it is my biggest worry. It's like someone talking in the cinema while you're enjoying the film.

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

btw... have you ever seen the VOICES concert that Uematsu put on in Japan (with Arnie Roth conducting). I have the DVD and they use lots of amazing lighting, video, special effects, etc. I (like Uematsu) believe that these visuals really help to enhance the concert experience and widen the audience for game music for people who may have normally never have come to listen.

It's really just a matter of personal preference, I guess. If done effectively, it can enhance the experience - and VOICES is a pretty good example for that, I agree.
I don't like it when the lightning goes all flash-flash-flashy-flash, I like it dim.

Anyways, thanks for addressing my concerns.

I got my tickets for Montreal!

At last I will get to see this amazing show. Thanks Tommy to you and all your team for making all of this possible. It's a rare occasion for me to go see this kind of event near my town.

Ottawa! Ottawa! Ottawa! Ottawa!

You said Tommy it was a possibility for 2007 but now we're in 2008! Any luck with finding the time and venue for all of us here yet? Thanks!

Originally Posted by Mithrandir

I got my tickets for Montreal!

At last I will get to see this amazing show. Thanks Tommy to you and all your team for making all of this possible. It's a rare occasion for me to go see this kind of event near my town.

Cool! Cant wait for you to see the show! I'll see ya in Feb!

Make sure to come up and say hi at the meet & greet and tell me you're from Gamingforce.


Tommy




Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by The GreyFox

Ottawa! Ottawa! Ottawa! Ottawa!

You said Tommy it was a possibility for 2007 but now we're in 2008! Any luck with finding the time and venue for all of us here yet? Thanks!

Nothing official right now but I can tell you that we're currently speaking to people in both Ottawa and Winnipeg because they were the two most requested cities in Canada that we have yet to perform in.

We'll be getting there in 2008 for sure. Just don't know the exact dates yet.

Please make sure to sign up to our mailing list on the front page of our website (www.videogameslive.com) so you'll receive all the latest info and special offers before anyone.

thanks.


Tommy

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

Cool! Cant wait for you to see the show! I'll see ya in Feb!

Make sure to come up and say hi at the meet & greet and tell me you're from Gamingforce.


Tommy

There's a meet and greet? Is it an extra or can anyone with tickets come up and say hi. Just another gamingforce guy wanting to offer thanks for the show

Originally Posted by Turbo

There's a meet and greet? Is it an extra or can anyone with tickets come up and say hi. Just another gamingforce guy wanting to offer thanks for the show

All of our meet & greets are free and open to any ticket holder after the show.

See ya there!


Tommy

Tommy,

Just checked out your planned shows for this year and am very pleased to see one relatively close (Birmingham, AL on October 9th). I'll definitely try and make it it down there to see you guys perform.

Originally Posted by Synthesis

Tommy,

Just checked out your planned shows for this year and am very pleased to see one relatively close (Birmingham, AL on October 9th). I'll definitely try and make it it down there to see you guys perform.

Cool! Yeah... that one was a bit of a surprise when they contacted us. We're actually going to have a very special guest at that show as well because his family is from that area.

More details coming within the next few months.

T.T.

I'd LOVE to see a show in Ottawa or Toronto sometime this year. I'm a little too far to make it to the show in Montreal, otherwise I'd probably go to that one, but hopefully you'll announce something good soon. :D

Also, I'm pleased to see that you guys are releasing a CD soon. I'll probably order that, cause it looks awesome!

[edit] I just realized that there's already a show scheduled in Toronto... but being only a month away, there's probably no way I could make arrangements to get there or anything. Damn. Here's to hoping for another Toronto show later in the year!

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

All of our meet & greets are free and open to any ticket holder after the show.

See ya there!


Tommy

Super! No