Video Games Live

Originally Posted by Pew pew pew

Hi Tommy,

I know it's only been casually mentioned before, but I'm curious. Are there plans to come back to Winnipeg and do another show there in '09?

Absolutely!!

Did you see our Winnipeg show this year? If so, what were your thoughts?

thanks,


Tommy

Fantastic news. I'll definitely go again.

Yeah, I was there, and I loved it. A great experience all around, and certainly a change of pace from anything else that's played the Centenial Concert Hall. (It was pretty funny seeing head banging Cellists during the Castlevania piece) I was amazed by the whole thing, but the Metroid and Civ 4 bits were my favorite.

Coming back to Montreal in 09?

Originally Posted by Pew pew pew

Fantastic news. I'll definitely go again.

Yeah, I was there, and I loved it. A great experience all around, and certainly a change of pace from anything else that's played the Centenial Concert Hall. (It was pretty funny seeing head banging Cellists during the Castlevania piece) I was amazed by the whole thing, but the Metroid and Civ 4 bits were my favorite.

Cool! Thanks for the feedback! Glad you had a good time.


Tommy


==========================================

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Turbo

Coming back to Montreal in 09?

Yep! That's the plan!! The Montreal shows were amazing! The chanting that the audience was doing on the second night was so cool! I felt like I was at a soccer or hockey match!




Tommy

I live in Northern VA now, so I will try to attend the Newark, NJ show. But if not, definitely the Washington, DC one. There may be a chance for me to see the Anaheim one during a trip back to CA.

Do you know which tracks you will be performing during these shows? I think it would be cool if your website listed scheduled music, and also if it had a page dedicated to past events along with full "tracklists" for each one.

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

I live in Northern VA now, so I will try to attend the Newark, NJ show. But if not, definitely the Washington, DC one. There may be a chance for me to see the Anaheim one during a trip back to CA.

Do you know which tracks you will be performing during these shows? I think it would be cool if your website listed scheduled music, and also if it had a page dedicated to past events along with full "tracklists" for each one.

Yo!,

We normally don't post which segments we're going to play because we like to surprise the audience and feel it makes for a more interesting evening. That being said, we normally always play Halo, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Warcraft, Metal Gear Solid, Mario, Zelda, Castlevania, Classic Arcade Medley, etc.

We're also adding new segments to the production all the time so it's difficult to give an exact setlist until closer to the show.

I like your idea about listing all of our past shows with full setlists. I'll look into putting that info up on the site. Maybe in the forums. I actually have a spreadsheet that has all that info. I use it to make sure we create a unique show whenever we return to the same cities or areas.

Thanks,


Tommy

Hey Tommy,

I've been to the Leipzig show last week and as a long time GFF member, I thought I'd drop by and let you know that my girlfriend and I really enjoyed it. I would have loved to wait in line for the meet & greet, but unfortunately didn't have the time.

Just wanted to let you know that your original MDK soundtrack was pretty much the soundtrack that got me into game music (really should have brought it and have it signed) and I'd love to hear some of your original work in one of your shows.

Hope to see you in Germany again some time!

P.S.: How did you like Leipzig/the country? And did you have time to enjoy some of our "traditional" food and drinks? ;-)

Tommy,

I went to the second night. I really liked it. I felt it was more audience interactive and that certainly made it all the more interesting. The music was good, but the ISO is one of the best orchestras in the country, imo. I was hoping to meet you personally that night, but my friends wanted to leave because of the long day. By the way, I was pleased to see Michael Gluck at Gen Con. I had the pleasure of meeting him personally at the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concert in Chicago ad he is a talented pianist. It's nice to see him getting some recognition. He and I are talking about a possible collaboration for charity. Perhaps when we are through recording I might send the music to you? Anyways, I really hope VGL visits Indiana again sometime soon (don't think I can wait until next Con :P.) Thanks for the great times, Tommy.

Hi Everyone,

There is a poster here named Mr. X who seems to have made it his mission to discredit VGL through his lies and uniformed opinions. He takes every opportunity to lie and spread false rumors on this forums and his website. His smear campaign started the second I entered these forums and continues to this day. He even goes as low as trying to mislead people through posting edited PM's.

I have continued to tell him not to contact me yet every day he keeps sending me PM's with his threats and insults. I've contacted the mods here and hopefully there is a way I can block his PM's. He has been banned from this thread in the past (and hopefully that ban will continue), but I do feel a little obligated to dispell his recent public smearing and lie filled rant against us.

Why not just ignore him you may ask? Yes. I refuse to have any type of contact with him but I have been asked by a few people to answer his false allegations and to please let them know the "real" truth for their own clarity.

As I have always done in the past, I can easily disprove his lies, negativity and hatred with proof. Also... I think it's important to keep in mind that he's never actually SEEN Video Games Live and admits that he illegally downloads game music... including our latest album which he proudly despises.

I apoligize if any of this comes off as negative or petty... but at some point this person needs to be held accountable for what he is purposely and maliciously trying to do to us.

So, without further adeu... here are my comments, answers and proof to his latest slander campaign of lies...

Quote:

1) Who was it that claimed Video Games Live Volume One was delayed because it wanted to be closer to Christmas? Who was it to actual reveal it was delayed because Nintendo and Square Enix refused to license to them?

Video Games Live WAS delayed originally until after Christmas because we didn't want to compete (and get lost) with all the Christmas game titles that were getting the attention of the media and distributers. By January we were working on a new Castlevania Rock arrangement that we really wanted to put on the album which showed a bit of the live "energy & excitement" that VGL has become known for.

His so-call (and untrue) "revealing" of Nintendo & Square "refusing to license" to us is not the case. Aside from the fact that we have Kingdom Hearts on our album (which Disney owns but we still needed other approvals from Square to release worldwide).... we have also received some of the rights to release the others he mentions we were "refused".

Volume Two (which we have already started working on) will contain some of this material.

Quote:

2) Who was it to not reveal anything about the delayed album despite numerous threads about it? Who was it to reveal the actual track listings for the first time despite industry sites reporting the wrong ones?

We answered numerous posts in our own forums and answered every e-mail that came to us. We were unsure at the time of the delay EXACTLY when the album would be released worldwide... and quite frankly... it wasn't really up to us. It was the record company EMI that needed to make those decisions based on worldwide marketing budgets and worldwide distribution channels. Please keep in mind that this album project was very difficult to put together because it was the first true (and legally legitimate) video game compilation album to ever be released worldwide by a major label.

And to be honest... what difference would it make anyway?? Delays happen with things all the time. Similar to great games like Zelda, Halo, Half-Life, etc... I'd rather wait and do something right (and have it be delayed) then to come out with something half-assed that I'm not happy with.

In regards to his bragging about getting the new setlist before anyone else... this is absolutely NOT the case by any means. He simply went on the EMI website and copied our new tracklist. Greg O'Connor-Read over at Music4Games accidentally (for less than one day) printed the old setlist. As soon as I let him know the new setlist (which included things like God of War & Castlevania) he changed it immediately. What would any of us gain from lying about what was on the album? How come he seems to make it sound like people intentionally tried to do this and he unmasked a huge cover-up? Utter egotistical nonsense!

Quote:

3) Who was it that claimed Video Games Live Volume One was recorded at Abbey Road? Who was it to reveal it was actually recorded in a church?

Wow! This one really cracks me up... but it does give you a little insight as to how this guy operates and twists the truth for his own advantage.

The album was recorded in 4 different places including Abbey Road (and two of the others were taken from live performances in Brazil & Mexico). It is absolutely FACT that the album was recorded (and completely mixed) at Abbey Road and EMI made sure to include that in our press release. He once again makes it seem like we're lying and trying to deceive people. I think it's pretty clear who the deceitful one is.

Quote:

4) Who was it to refuse a free copy of Video Games Live Volume One because they didn't want to lie? What site was it that wrote the first and most balanced review of the album?

Again, his ego calls out. I guess he can't stand the fact that the album received rave reviews and it debuted on the Billboard charts at #10. So he needs to make sure to tell everyone that HIS review was the first and balanced review... no one else who praised the album mattered. Hmm?

Also important to note that he said he "refused" a free copy of the album. Does this make any sense to anyone?? What he did is illegally downloaded the album (which he freely admits)... I guess this is his way of not being embarrased at the fact of his unprofessional-nature and thieving illegal downloading ways.

Quote:

5) Who was it to claim that Video Games Live uses full symphony orchestras and is properly rehearsed? Why do many testify that the orchestras are small, the rehearsal times are minimal, and they actually use playback?

He LOVES using this one a lot. As I've continued to say from the beginning of VGL, our goal is to show the world how culturally significant and artistic video games and their music have become. We want to spread this ALL over the world and not just to the big metropolitan cities that have 100 piece orchestras. We (of course) ALWAYS try to use the most musicians as we can, but sometimes the budgets, venues and local symphonies don't allow for such ammenities. So instead, we use smaller orchestras so we can play countries like Mexico or cities like Ft. Wayne, IND. I think it's also important to note that VGL has also performed with the MOST musicians as well. In Houston this year we had over 170 musicians on stage!

In regards to "rehearsal time"... this is just ridiculous. First of all, I'd be really interested in knowing where he gets his information from!! How exactly would he know how much time we have to rehearse with each symphony? I think if you just break down his words and look at it from "outside the box", it's pretty clear to see that he has absolutely no basis for any of the false information he spreads.

That being said, I think anyone can easily refer to the 1,800+ videos of our show on YouTube to see the quality of our performances. Is it perfect everytime? Of course not! It's live. Even if we were to rehearse for a month there would be small mistakes here and there. To say our shows are terrible because the symphonies don't rehearse enough is not only crazy, but also an insult to some of the greatest symphonies in the world for which we perform with. Does anyone think for a second that world-class symphonies like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, The London Philharmonia, etc., etc... would risk their reputations because we didn't want them to practice and rehearse?!?!? What kind of crazy theory is that? Why on God's earth would we tell the greatest symphonies in the world to cut our rehearsal times?? They are the ones who hire us!! They tell US how much time we get to rehearse because they are familiar with level of their playing ability. Once again... ridiculous!

He also would like people to believe that we play to a CD recording. Aside from being completely impossible (every instrument in the orchestra would flam and chorus against each other) I must also state that do you think for a second that these world class orchestras would allow us to even do that?!?! PLEASE take a look at the bottom of this link at the Symphony Affiliates section: Video Games Live | www.videogameslive.com

Tell me if you think these amazing musicians from around the world would just let us play a CD and have them follow along! Utter nonsense! What we DO freely admit to doing (and have from the start) is to sometimes enhance certain segments in our show with instruments that cannot easily be recreated on stage. For example... drum loops (Metal Gear), Synth patterns (Tron), Taiko drums, complicated and rare African instruments & other massive percussion hits (Civ IV). Our goal is to try and re-create the original sound as much as possible and hopefully even better sometimes! We're not interested in completely re-arranging a segment of music because the instrument doesn't exist or can't fit on stage. I believe both ways are acceptable. One way isn't right or wrong... but I personally prefer to hear the song as it was written and intended inside the game. I don't believe there is anything wrong with that.

Quote:

6) Who was it to claim that Leipzig being taken over by Video Games Live was agreed after extensive discussions with Thomas Boecker? Who was it to conduct interviews to actual verify this is completely untrue?

Ah, what a tangled web he weaves. It was only yesterday that he was telling everyone that VGL was a massive commercial failure and that the Games Convention was planning to dump us for next year (as if he would know!... HA!). Unfortunately for him... the Games Convention this morning released a press release to the world stating the following...

"Video Games Live: Fantastic Prelude to the Fair
This year’s GC– Games Convention kicked off with a top-quality German premiere. At the Arena Leipzig, Video Games Live, the cult show from the USA, was received with wildly enthusiastic applause. Conducted by Jack Wall, the Video Games Live Symphony Orchestra and a powerfully-voiced choir played the best hits in computer and video game history, such as“Halo”,“Final Fantasy” and“Tomb Raider”. Parallel to the music, game scenes flashed across a giant screen, actors took on the roles of digital characters and the very brave could come on stage to test their skills in competition."

SOURCE: http://www.developmag.com/press-rele...ipzig-for-2009

Doesn't sound like the Games Convention felt that we were a huge failure.

He continues to harp on this whole Games Convention and Thomas Boecker thing. Clearly he's upset because we played in Leipzig this year. I'm not sure what else to say at this point except to keep saying what I have from the beginning... The Games Convention saw our show at the Game Developers Conference 2 years ago and asked us to take part in their 2007 show. They had already signed Thomas so I e-mailed Thomas and we all agreed that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for anyone if we both performed in 2007. In fact, I believe it would have probably caused a lot of market confusion. So instead, we decided to wait a whole year before going to Germany and decided to play in 2008. I really don't understand why this is so hard for him to comprehend or understand except to only say... he has it out for us and is willing to maliciously lie about us because he's upset, jealous (or whatever). There really is no other explanation for this constant smear campaign is there?

Quote:

7) Who credits themselves constantly with Metroid Prime as their third representative title? Who confirms it was actually Kenji Yamamoto and Koichi Kyuma that did that one?

Ah yes... Once again he sticks his foot in his mouth and tries to twist things to make us look bad. It is very well documented that I only did part of the sound design for Metroid Prime. Please feel free to read the complete story here: www.tallarico.com - Metroid Prime

I of course have NEVER taken credit for composing the music to Metroid Prime and I would like to challenge anyone to find proof of the contrary. Does anyone actually think it would be smart of me to betray my trust and friends at Nintendo in order to make myself look better? Let's be real. Once again you can see how he tries to spin a deceitful web of lies in order to make us look bad. He truly is a sick and twisted individual.

Quote:

8) Who is it that constantly writes press releases full of spin, self-praise, and half truths? Who is it that writes news articles that presents the simple facts?

NEWS FLASH... Press Releases ARE always full of marketing hype! That's what a press release is! Of course any true journalist knows and understands this. Someone who is not a professional would not.

He then ends by saying that HE is the one "that writes news articles that presents the simple facts."


Funny huh!!





I'm sure he will once again try to spew his negativity and hatred towards us. I'm done with having to deal with someone who is purposely so malicious and knows he is lying in order to discredit others. I feel I have done my duty to the ones who have asked for answers but I will NOT be addressing this individual any longer because I believe that part of what he "gets off on" is saying as much dumb and untrue stuff as possible so that it makes me respond.

Well, no more. I hopefully have proved my point and shown beyond a shadow of doubt that he is malicious and should NOT be trusted. Just know that whenever you see a post about VGL by Mr. X (or whatever the next name he'll go under) it is probably filled with lies and deceit only intended to maliciously and unfairly give us a bad name.

Thanks for listening.


Tommy

Additional Spam:
================================================== ==

Originally Posted by Rock

Hey Tommy,

I've been to the Leipzig show last week and as a long time GFF member, I thought I'd drop by and let you know that my girlfriend and I really enjoyed it. I would have loved to wait in line for the meet & greet, but unfortunately didn't have the time.

Just wanted to let you know that your original MDK soundtrack was pretty much the soundtrack that got me into game music (really should have brought it and have it signed) and I'd love to hear some of your original work in one of your shows.

Hope to see you in Germany again some time!

P.S.: How did you like Leipzig/the country? And did you have time to enjoy some of our "traditional" food and drinks? ;-)

Hi Rock!,

Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so glad that you and your girlfriend had a good time. I didn't really have enough time to see Leipzig the way I should have. I took the one extra day we had to go to the Games Convention and then check a lot of great stuff in Berlin.

Hopefully next year for sure! Thanks again for your comments.


Tommy


===============================================

Additional Spam:
============================================

Originally Posted by Josh_1

Tommy,

I went to the second night. I really liked it. I felt it was more audience interactive and that certainly made it all the more interesting. The music was good, but the ISO is one of the best orchestras in the country, imo. I was hoping to meet you personally that night, but my friends wanted to leave because of the long day. By the way, I was pleased to see Michael Gluck at Gen Con. I had the pleasure of meeting him personally at the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concert in Chicago ad he is a talented pianist. It's nice to see him getting some recognition. He and I are talking about a possible collaboration for charity. Perhaps when we are through recording I might send the music to you? Anyways, I really hope VGL visits Indiana again sometime soon (don't think I can wait until next Con :P.) Thanks for the great times, Tommy.

Yo Josh!,

Cool! Yeah, the 2nd night had more people and seemed to be a little more electric!

Michael is a great friend and will be performing with Video Games Live as well. His passion is unmatched and his charity work is amazingly commendable! I was honored to give him a G.A.N.G. Award last year at GDC for his great accomplishments and continued passion for game music.


Tommy


================================================== ===

I appreciate you answering all of those questions, Tommy. There were a few answers that I was already aware of, and I don't even know why Mr. X chose to challenge them. The rest clearly seem to have enough backing to them, and were interesting to read. I felt there could have been less "Mr. X is a liar" rote, as frankly, I think your facts speak for themselves. As for Mr. X, he needs to cool it. Staff is now well aware of what's going on here, and we will make sure that things stay in line. That's all I can say for now.

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

I appreciate you answering all of those questions, Tommy. There were a few answers that I was already aware of, and I don't even know why Mr. X chose to challenge them. The rest clearly seem to have enough backing to them, and were interesting to read. I felt there could have been less "Mr. X is a liar" rote, as frankly, I think your facts speak for themselves. As for Mr. X, he needs to cool it. Staff is now well aware of what's going on here, and we will make sure that things stay in line. That's all I can say for now.

Thank-you Kaleb and I apoligize for the excessive "liar" stuff. I'll be totally honest and say that his hurtful banter does upset me to the point of anger. We've worked VERY hard and put a lot of passion and effort into Video Games Live over the past 6 years and to hear someone maliciously try to tear it apart for their own gain is upsetting to say the least.

I appreciate you and your staff taking the time to review this matter. I really like interacting with 99.9% of the folks on this forum and would hate to always feel the need to defend myself to the haters.

Thanks,


Tommy



================================================== =================


Additional Spam:
This video was just posted on YouTube and I thought some of you might enjoy it. It was from our 2 Taiwan shows a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks!

YouTube - Video Games Live in Taipei,2008


Tommy

Still no dates for Boise.

Fuck Idaho, though. I'm moving back to Vegas in a couple months.

I just hope that when I get the chance to see it there, I don't have to attend that shitty SpikeTV Game Awards.

Originally Posted by Tommy Tallarico

Thanks for listening.

Wow.

Well, I've seen VGL about 8 times now, and I happen to love the show. I realize that it's a different experience than a "traditional" classical concerts out there, and I really wish there was a bigger market for game music so VGL wouldn't be competing with the other shows. I also enjoyed the VGL CD.

Tommy, you and I go back and forth all the time about how many musicians are in your show versus other shows, and really, I don't know what to make of it (I'm not really familiar with the intricacies of orchestras and arrangements, as you've pointed out), but VGL does come off well, and I've enjoyed the shows I've seen. If anything, I think the shining moments in VGL are the interactive segments because there really is an atmosphere of fun in the crowd, and I always find myself laughing, especially when you're offering to keep in touch with 12 year olds through MySpace! (I'll never let you live that one down).

Anyway, I think we all know th