Video Games Live

Originally Posted by ashaman

Tommy,
Thanks for taking time to answer questions here. I was curious if the future San Fran show will have the same program as the San Jose one (from the game developer's conference). I was heartbroken when the last San Fran show was canceled, but was super stoked to be able to attend the GDC one. Now that San Fran has returned to the group I desperately want to attend again but it is hard convincing the wife to go to a concert she has already been to. Is there anything new/different I can entice her with?

Also, will a date be announced soon?

Thanks!


P.S. Any chance you have the vocal version of Destinationz Unknown available yet? I still listen to the Vol 1 edition pretty much on a regular basis. Also, you should add the Bonus Room songs from Aladdin and Cool Spot the the VGL repertoire, and maybe the Treasures of the Deep guitar theme too...

Yo! Thanks for the kind words!!

Great question!! Yes!! Each time we return to a previous area we change and update our show. The show you would see in San Fran in 2007 will be about 40% - 50% different from the one you saw in San Jose this year.

Things from San Jose that you haven't seen yet but will probably see in San Fran...

Original LucasArts composers doing thier live LucasArts Medley (Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Outlaws)

Halo 3

Civilization IV

Final Fantasy VII: One-Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VIII: Liberi Fatali

More (and different) Martin Leung on solo piano (including Earthworm Jim! Grooo-vy!)

Interactive audience participation with Guitar Hero and the original performers of the music.

Tomb Raider

Headhunter

Tom Clancy Medley (Splinter Cell, Rainbow 6 & Ghost Recon)

Interactive Voice-Over actors on stage

Interactive Space Invaders


And other surprises as well.


The announcement about San Francisco will be made at the end of November. I bet if you really thought about it and where/when you were this year when you saw it... you'd probably be able to figure it out.




Tommy


p.s. Thanks for the Greatest Hits Vol. 1 props!! I'd love to play some of that stuff live. But with so much great VGM out there I'd feel guilty playing more than one of my own pieces. I really enjoy playing Advent Rising and I think it translates the best to a symphonic & choral performance.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yo!,

Not sure if we have any people from Brazil here, but we just put this up on our website earlier today... Added a show in Rio! Really cool to see the support of the government and big sponsors. I think it really helps legitimize the whole art of VGM. We also announced 2 Edmonton shows. I'm making sure all the BioWare folks are gonna be there!




T.T.


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

Overwhelming Response to São Paulo Show Generates Added Performance in Rio de Janeiro

Renowned Brazilian Oil Company Petrobras to Join Forces With Brazilian Government, Intel and UOL
to Present World Class Event

New Video Games Live Portuguese Website Launches In Support of Upcoming Performance



Los Angeles, CA - Due to an overwhelming outpour of interest and support, Video Games Live has announced yet another location and date for the 2006-2007 world tour currently in progress. On Sunday, November 12th at the prestigious Claro Hall in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the highly regarded Petrobrás Sinfônica will perform in front of thousands of eager Brazilians whose tireless support and goodwill has sparked the addition of yet another groundbreaking South American performance.

The show is being promoted by Visom Digital who has joined forces with UOL, the biggest internet online provider in all of Latin America. Presenting the show will be industry leading oil company Petrobras whose goal it is to usher in a whole new generation of people to appreciate the artistic and cultural merits of a live symphonic performance in a setting that speaks volumes to people who may not normally come out to experience a live orchestra. Intel, the world's largest semiconductor company will also be on board once again to support the highly acclaimed South American landmark event. Also adding to the already powerful line-up is the government operated Ministry of Culture whose dedication to the Video Games Live project speaks volumes about VGL's importance now and moving ahead into the future.

"It is such an honor to be invited to perform by the government of Brazil and many of its leading corporations," said VGL Co-Creator and Host Tommy Tallarico. "This is only the beginning of something special which we intend on building and bringing back to Brazil each and every season." Co-Creator and Conductor Jack Wall added, "I've already started working with the orchestras and I'm really amazed at how proud they are and how hard they are willing to work to ensure our show is the best it can be."

Aside from all of the usual synchronized state-of-the-art lighting, special fx, interactive segments on stage, prize give-a-ways, pre/post show festival activities and fully synchronized video, there will also be a special interactive laser show production to accompany some of the show segments.

In order to provide the most current information to the Brazilian audience a new Portuguese website has been launched at: http://www.videogameslive.com.br/



Tickets for the November 12th performance are currently on sale at all Brazilian Ticketmaster locations or online at: http://www.ticketmaster.com.br/shwRe...releaseID=1259
(All student and senior discounts apply)



About Video Games Live™ (www.videogameslive.com)
Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live™ (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance. Video Games Live™ is an immersive concert event celebration featuring music from the biggest video games of all time. The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendance making it the largest video game concert in the world.


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

Groundbreaking Video Games LiveTM concert makes its Alberta debut
with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Jubilee Auditorium
hosted by co-creator Tommy Tallarico, conducted by co-creator Jack Wall
January 22nd and 23rd, 2007

Edmonton, AB - October 10, 2006: Off the heels of sold-out shows around the world, prominent video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall are bringing their revolutionary concert celebrating video games to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The new Video Games Live TM concert brings the intensity and excitement of the gaming world’s most powerful compositions, as a live orchestra and choir recreate the best video game music on a spectacular stage. Video Games Live TM is the first ever concert to celebrate music from the biggest video games of all time. Having sold to a massive 11,000 crowd on its debut performance at the Hollywood Bowl last year – making it the largest video game concert in the world – Video Games Live TM now comes to Edmonton on January 22nd and 23rd at the Jubilee Auditorium.

The evening combines exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists and groundbreaking interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

Special segments involving the audience will take place during the show, including a live interactive Space Invaders game, and a Frogger competition. New music and exclusive video has been added to the already spectacular line-up of games including MARIO™, ZELDA®, HALO®, METAL GEAR SOLID®, WARCRAFT®, MYST®, FINAL FANTASY®, and KINGDOM HEARTS. The evening also includes the exclusive HALO 3 announcement trailer score. There will also be a "Classic Arcade Medley" featuring music from Pong, Donkey Kong, Dragon’s Lair, Tetris, Frogger, Gauntlet, Space Invaders and Outrun. The performance will be conducted by Video Games Live TM co-creator Jack Wall and also includes Edmonton’s Kokopelli and Òran Chamber Choir.

Special events surround the show include a pre-show festival where all guest will enjoy an interactive costume contest, game competitions, game demos, and the very popular meet-and-greet with top game composers and designers.

Edmonton plays an important role in the gaming world. Bioware, an electronic entertainment company specializing in creating computer and console video games, is based in Edmonton and has created some of the most sought after video games in the industry.

These ESO special concerts will take place at 8pm on January 22nd and 23rd at the Jubilee Auditorium. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, Oct 11th. Ticket prices range from $50-$60 with children’s discounts available. Ticketmaster fees will apply. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at http://www.ticketmaster.ca/artist/1075830 and by phone at (780) 451-8000. Please note that tickets are NOT available through the Winspear Centre box office for this performance. ESO sampler passes cannot be redeemed for this special presentation. Buy early and be entered to win the latest in new video game releases through weekly draws. The draws will take place on Wednesday of each week up until and including November 29th. Winners will be contacted and posted on the ESO website.



About Video Games Live TM (www.videogameslive.com)
Created by two industry leading video game composers, Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live TM (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance. Video Games Live TM is an immersive concert event featuring music from the biggest video games of all time. The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendance making it the largest video game concert in the world.

About the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra:
As the professional orchestra of Alberta’s creative capital city, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents over eighty concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to country. The ESO is comprised of 56 full-time professional musicians who play an active role in the musical life of Edmonton and elsewhere as performers, teachers and recording artists. The ESO also performs as the orchestra for Edmonton Opera and Alberta Ballet productions, and its concerts and recordings are regularly heard across the country on CBC Radio Two.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was initially formed as Edmonton’s community orchestra and gave its first concert on November 14, 1920. It was incorporated as a registered not-for-profit organization in 1952, and made the transition to a fully professional orchestra during the early 1970s. It is deficit-free, and its players are the highest paid orchestral musicians west of Toronto. Music Director William Eddins was appointed in January 2005 and made his debut as Music Director in June of that year. In September 1997 the ESO and the Edmonton Concert Hall Foundation successfully completed a two-decade, $45 million capital campaign and moved from the Northern Jubilee Auditorium into its new concert hall, the acoustically superb, 1716 seat Francis Winspear Centre for Music. The ESO is committed to serving its entire community, through eclectic programming choices and innovative education and outreach activities. For more information on the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, please visit www.edmontonsymphony.com
Kokopelli's members range in age from 14 to 23 and come from across Western Canada. All are currently studying or working in Edmonton, and all are united in their passion for singing. The Òran Chamber Choir is a group of Kokopelli alumni who have banded together to keep singing past their Kokopelli experience. Both choirs combine high quality musical delivery and artistic staging - singing music ranging from canonical classical repertoire to experimental and avant garde contemporary works. Choristers often double as instrumentalists, providing percussion and auxiliary instruments for various pieces. The organization has also commissioned works from several emerging and established composers. Kokopelli has been featured at many national music festivals in Canada, and has participated in numerous international events. The Òran Chamber Choir, which takes its name form the Gaelic word for “singing,” was realized in September 2002.

Composer/Producer/Conductor Jack Wall has built a track record and an international reputation as an A-List composer and music producer in the interactive entertainment sector. He brings an unmatched depth of experience, credibility and knowledge in the engineering and production of records, film soundtracks and live recordings working with mainstream artists and major label artists such as John Cale, David Byrne and Patti Smith. His work spans full-length albums, live concert recordings, videogame soundtracks, film soundtracks and other projects that demand an exacting ear and vast library of musical and technical knowledge and know-how. Jack Wall’s composing credits include JADE EMPIRE, MYST IV: REVELATION, MYST III: EXILE, SPLINTER CELL: PANDORA TOMORROW (cinematic music), DUNGEON SIEGE II (promotional trailers), RISE OF THE KASAI, and WRATH UNLEASHED among others. Mr. Wall is Vice-President and co-founder of The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) www.audiogang.org, a non-profit organization established to promote excellence in interactive audio. For more information on Jack Wall please visit www.jackwall.net.

Tommy Tallarico is a veritable video game industry icon. As one of the most successful video game composers in history, he has helped revolutionize the gaming world, creating unique audio landscapes that enhance the video gaming experience. As a well-recognized on-air television personality, Tommy brings his in-depth knowledge, years of experience, and love of multimedia and video games to the masses. He has won over 25 industry awards for best video game audio and has worked on more than 250 game titles. His top titles include Disney’s Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Spider-Man, Metroid Prime and Advent Rising as well as top selling popular game franchises such as Madden Football, Blitz Football, Unreal, Pac-Man, Knockout Kings, Mortal Kombat, Twisted Metal & Time Crisis. Tallarico was the first musician to release a video game soundtrack worldwide (Tommy Tallarico’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1 – Capitol Records). He has released six video game soundtrack albums since, including the highly acclaimed James Bond Tomorrow Never Dies and Advent Rising. His score for Advent Rising has been noted as "one of the greatest musical scores of all time" by websites such as Yahoo, Gamespot and others. Currently, Tommy hosts, writes and co-produces the top rated and very popular Judgment Day/Reviews on the Run television show as well as the longest running award-winning video game television show, The Electric Playground (www.elecplay.com), which has been on the air since 1997.



To view the video games live trailer, please click on the following link and click view trailer:
(http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=home)

Promotional DVD’s are available upon request. Please contact the ESO Publicist for more information.


For further information contact:

Media contact:
Melayne Shankel, ESO Publicist
PH: (780)401-2532
Melayne.Shankel@winspearcentre.com

Ticketmaster Box Office:
PH: (780)451-8000
www.ticketmaster.ca
Jubilee Box Office: 11455-87th Ave, Edmonton

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by katchum

I wonder if there are VGM concerts in Europe (Belgium). Especially Hamauzu music.

Oh, do you know if something exists for Anime music too?

Yo!

We're doing London on November 25th. It will be the first ever orchestral performance of video game music in the UK!!

We're talking about potentially planning a full European tour in the Spring of 2007.

The game concert Eminence does Anime music! Their website is www.eminenceonline.com and some of the organizers post here. They are based in Australia.


Tommy







Double Post:

Originally Posted by civiscool

I bought tickets to see Video Games live about a year ago for Kansas City. But it was canceled due to poor ticket sales. Heart broken doesn't have begin to describe it.

Yeah! Me too!! Just think how we felt!

It actually wasn't us who cancelled though.. it was the promoter Clear Channel. The real story is that after our big success at the Hollywood Bowl everyone thought that if we put the tour on sale in a bunch of different locations that it would be a big success just like at the Bowl. But the reality is that we spent a LOT of time, energy & money marketing months in advance in the LA area. So when they quickly put 25 cities up within 6 weeks of the actual show... they didn't sell so hot so they decided to pull the plug on most of the dates. It wasn't as if the interest wasn't there... it's just that there wasn't enough time for the promoter to properly market and raise awareness for the shows.

Since that happened (end of 2005) we split away from Clear Channel and have been doing all of the shows on our own... one city at a time. Our agents at William-Morris are incredible and we're really fortunate to have them on our side! They are the ones who really help to make things like the Hollywood Bowl, Brazil, London, etc. happen.

The important lesson learned is that raising awareness is VERY important and it's better to walk before you run when doing something so unique that no one has ever really done before.

Hopefully we'll be making it back to KC soon!! When we do please contact me here and I'll make sure to get you hooked up with a backstage pass for the disappointment that the Clear Channel thing caused you (and us!).

It broke our hearts more than anyone! Imagine working on something for so long and hard... having it go great at the launch... and then letting down thousands of fans and ticket holders. It honestly made us cry! But within a day or so me & Jack picked ourselves up... brushed ourselves off... and decided we weren't gonna let this get us down or get in our way at all!! We went full steam ahead and started immediately planning shows for 2006!! People thought we were crazy but we never let the dream die... and never will!!!!


Tommy







Double Post:

Originally Posted by Hydelloon

That man (Tommy) sure puts his hard work and love into his posts. They are all well thought out and lengthy.

Any word on CDs for purchase?

Thanks!! I love interacting with fellow game music lovers!!

We'll be releasing a DVD & CD at the beginning of 2007. It's going to be really different and were doing a lot of cool things that a lot of people aren't going to expect.

Please feel free to sign up on our mailing list on the front page of www.videogameslive.com to get all the info first.

Thanks for the interest!!


Tommy

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by civiscool

Thank you Tommy I really do appreciate the gesture. I understand how the world of booking and promoting works. And know how fast the rug can get pulled out from under you. I hope I get the chance to see VGL if travels my way.

Cool!! Thanks for the support!

Looking forward to meeting you.


Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by xMxEdGaRx

Here in Brazil, VGL will be performing on November 19. I've got the tickets already.

I just can't wait for that performance! I hope this will be as GREAT as I expect it will be!

AWESOME!! Glad to know that there are people from Brazil in these forums as well. This is a great community!!!!!!

Because of the big interest and support, we just added another show on the 12th in Rio too!!

Make sure to stop by and say hi during the meet & greet after the show in Sao Paulo. Remember to mention that you're from Gaming Force!

We just put up a Portuguese Video Games Live site as well... www.videogameslive.com.br



Tommy

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by ctu

This sounds great, It saud it was TBA for Fl, but when there is a date I will have to find a way up there to see it.

We've upgraded the website over the weekend and you'll notice the Florida/Orlando date is getting closer to being revealed!

Just putting the final touches on the venue and date... I can say that it's looking like the first game concert in Florida may be in a VERY unique setting... different from anything else we've done yet!


Tommy



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


Double Post:
Hey Everyone!,

Entertainment Depot just put up a very detailed review today of the Hollywood Bowl concert. I thought some people here may be interested.

http://www.entdepot.com/features/art...ticle_1795.php

also... Advanced Media Network did a big feature as well which includes a LOT of video: http://360.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=8626

And if anyone is interested in VGM composer interviews... IGN spoke to a lot of people including Jesper Kyd, LucasArts boys, Marty O'Donnell, BT & Inon Zur to name a few:

http://media.music.ign.com/articles/...d_1687624.html


thanks!


Tommy

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Lucas-AMN

Ahh, Advanced Media. My place of work

Hey Tommy, is there any chance of VGLive coming anywhere near the greater Oklahoma area in the future?

Yo!

Love the sig!!!

:biggrin:


So far we haven't had Oklahoma on the radar but that doesn't mean it's out of the question. We'll play anywhere that is interested.

Is there a big college or university there? What is the symphony like?

AMN rocks!!!!! Everyone I've met from there has been super nice.


Tommy

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Lucas-AMN

Do you know if the (awesome) arrangement of music from Sonic the Hedgehog will be included on the DVD? That was one of the most jaw dropping musical arrangements from the show for me.

That is the plan!

T.T.






Double Post:

Originally Posted by civiscool

Are you refering to Tulsa or Oklahoma City? I've lived in Tulsa all my life. The two most likely places to hold it is the Tulsa Performing Arts Center and the Brady Theater. They both hold about the same amount of people but the Brady is far cheaper to hold an event like that.
Tommy you should really consider looking into booking VGL in Tulsa. Tulsa is the only place is the mid-west (aside from Texas) to hold an anime convention, star trek convention, and has more video game stores than cities 5x it's size. IE Kansas City and Oklahoma City. Tulsa is slowly becoming the entertainment hub of the mid-west. If you get any word on coming through Oklahoma I'd be more than happy to assemble a street team to make it happen.

Cool! Will do! Thanks for the info! Do you know if they have a symphony? If so... maybe you can contact them and let them know about our event to see if they are interested?

Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Lucas-AMN

Tulsa's also got some orchestral talent around as well.

Tulsa Symphony Orchestra

Tulsa Signature Symphony

Whoops! Should have read the rest of the thread before answering. Does anyone know anyone at the two symphonies listed? Maybe someone can contact them to see if they would be interested? Always cool when fans call first to inquire instead of the person trying to sell them the show!



T.T.






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

Please have the music from Castlevania in the DVD, PLEASE. Along with the usual good stuff like MGS, Mario, Zelda etc.

Can't wait to get it already though, hope there will be alot of special features in it, as well as an angles feature where we can choose to watch the concert recorded footage or the game videos you put up on the screen.

Hahahahahaa!! We think alike!!

:biggrin:

I'm hoping the DVD will be able to hold different angles. We're starting to put it together after our London show this weekend. I don't want to sacrifice compression quality for multiple camera angles and extras though... will know over the next month or so. Plan to release it at the beginning of 2007.


T.T.






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Lucas-AMN

This DVD is important from a preservation standpoint. Few video game concerts are recorded on video, even in Japan, and this show kills everything else that's been done thus far. Seriously, VGLive is a threshold breaker. Performing at the Hollywood Bowl is a historical marker for gaming, as so many of the world's greatest artists have performed there, and it's a wakeup call to the public of video game music's legitimacy as art. It's here, it's not going anywhere, and it's timeless.

That's what this DVD represents. Legitimacy of art in motion.

I feel the same exact way about every show we do. I'm currently writing this from Brazil... the fans down here have been absolutely incredible!!! We're already planning another multiple city tour in South America for 2007. Playing the Hammersmith Apollo in London this Saturday will also be a significant landmark for video game music in Europe. The Hammersmith is a very famous venue which we are honored and thrilled to be playing at. Not many tix are left so it looks like it will be a sell out. This is great news for the entire video game industry. We're already planning a big spring European Tour!!



Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Lucas-AMN

Since songs are replaced as time goes on, I would like to make a small request. Is there any way that all of the arrangements could be audibly recorded at some point or another for the sake of preservation before they are cycled out? There's always a chance that some songs in particular may not be performed again. I know it seems like an odd thing to wonder about, but it would be wonderful to know that those orchestral performances were recorded in high quality for posterity. It's not even really as much about them being eventually commercially released, but rather just having them recorded for the sake of preservation. Anyways, just a thought.

Another game I would recommend for Orchestration would be David Wise's soundtrack to Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. They always seems to get smeared by the media because all people remember them for was their (now dated) graphics, but it had some of (in my opinion) greatest VGM of the 16-bit era. Still, I don't think that the "main theme" translates to an orchestral arrangement, or at least, hasn't yet. It's been attempted before on Orchestrated Game Concert Volume 5 (track 3). I wasn't too fond of that particular arrangement, but there are so many other songs in that collection that would be perfect for a performance.

Anyways, just some suggestions. Either way, this show kicks three kinds of ass.

We try to record as many concerts as we can in the highest quality possible. Sometimes the symphony or venue doesn't allow it (union rules) but most of the time we've been asking and they've been cool with it. Our last two shows in Brazil were recorded in 5.1 24-Bit 128KHZ!!! We are going to be putting out a 5.1 CD version of the concert!! The music will be able to be played in any DVD player with a 5.1 hook-up!

Our London show this Saturday will actually be played in real time surround!! So things like percussion and choir may be heard behind the audience even though they'll be in front of them on stage! The orchestra will sound like it's all around you (depending on where your seat is). Pretty cool!! Not sure this has ever been done before with an orchestra? Definitely hasn't been done for a game music concert.


Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by xMxEdGaRx

Hey Tallarico!

I'm here to congrats you for the GREAT, SUPPERB, EXCELLENT, PERFECT performance of VGL here in Brazil, Sao Paulo at Via Funchal!

OMG! I got freak out during the whole concert! You guys surely deserves a medal!

Have you thought perform any songs from Shadow of the Colossus or from the Chrono Trigger?

I left the live concert extremendly satisfied, I would say I was purified, especially after the final song!!! Oh man, I love that song....

Congratulations Tallarico! Keep up the good work!

Thank you so much for the kind words!! The Brazilian audience has been absolutely incredible during our trip down here!! I'm currently in Florianopolis, Brazil speaking with government officials about doing other cities for 2007. The Brazilian governement has really rolled out the red carpet for us and it's so cool to see such a high level of people really wanting to get involved with promoting the video game industry and the music created from within! They believe (like we all do) that video games are an art-form and have cultural significance which speaks to a creative generation.


Please send me an .mp3 of your favorite Shadow of the Colussus tune. We're already on Chrono Cross/Trigger!


T.T.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by S_K

I nearly choked on my drink when I saw this thread, but I'll keep the fanboy speak to a minimum since you've probably heard it all before countless times. I'm not sure if it's the style of music you're looking for, but I'd also like to add my recommendation of including something from one of Yuzo Koshiro's more famous soundtracks such as Shenmue or Streets of Rage.

Keep up the great work Tommy

Yo!,

Thanks for the kind words!

Yeah... we're definitely looking to add Yuzo's work to our program. Probably either something from Shenmue or Actraiser (or both).


Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Cogo

The London concert is getting close. I will be there, although I live in Sweden, so it will be quite a bit of traveling

Yo!,

Thanks for traveling so far to see the concert! Hope you enjoyed it.


T.T.






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

KHU is gonna be there as well, good thing, cause they need to see this, not just Play!.... Though it would be awesome Tommy, if you guys can get the KH2 credits suite Fantasia Alla to be in future concerts, since that suite shows Yoko Shimomura's true qualities and themes in the Kingdom hearts series.

Thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely take a listen!


Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Moguta

LucasArts?? Would that mean that you've included one of Michael Land's wonderful tunes from The Dig? His "orchestrated" CD of the soundtrack was so wonderfully serene, and I've so been hoping to hear it performed by a real, life & blood symphony.

We have Michael Land, Peter McConnell, Clint Bajakian & Larry the O (all of the original LucasArts composers) do an acoustic medley from Grim Fandango, Monkey Island & Outlaws. Me & Michael have been kicking around the idea of a live orchestration from the Dig.

T.T.






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Kalekkan

This looks like a brilliantly designed setup Tommy... almost like a dream come true. I especially like the idea with the screen.

Do you have any idea in regards to some of the possible locations within Orlando that are being considered?

Think there's any possibility of adding some Xenogears/Xenosaga music to your show? Having that and Chrono in the same show would just be pure awesome.

We've been speaking to the city and the Orlando Science Center about possible locations. The Orlando Philharmonic is excited as well. Not sure on dates for Orlando just yet. We tried to sneak it in with Otronicon in Jan. (www.otronicon.com) but it came up too quick. Definitely next time! I am helping them with their convention this year. Did you go to the first one last year? I'll be there this year.

Could you please send me links to your favorite Xenogears & Xenosaga music?

I have the original 2 disc Xenogears soundtrack... would one of the tracks be on there? What numbers would they be? Everything is in Japanese so I don't know the names of the tracks.


Tommy

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Daft Ada

Hey Tommy,

Just want to say a huge thank you for coming all the way to the UK - the London show was absolutely amazing, one of the best nights of my life!

I have written a review for our site, please check it out if you get a chance!

I have pm'd you the link

Thanks too for doing the interview, unfortunetly my dictaphone died on me so i've had to do the write up from memory - not easy when you're dyslexic!


Can't wait for the show to return to the UK, let me know when you are coming back and i'll shout about it from the rooftops! Please consider adding some DKC stuff (especially brambles in the breeze) and maybe some Motoi Sakuraba tunes (loved his star ocean 3 and baten kaitos scores). Dragon Quest would also be good now it has more of a presence in the west!



Any way keep up the great work and hopefully see you soon.

Wow! Thank-you for the fantastic article & review!!

Everyone told us that the Brits are super hyper-critical but we've been hearing only nice things so far.


I'd like to share the article with everyone here because I gives people a really good insight about the show atmosphere and importance which other writers always seem to miss out on.

http://www.eurofusion.net/fullfeatur...cat=14&archive

I'll be putting up this article on the front page of our website later today.

Thanks again and I'm so glad you had a great time!!! We have some BIG announcements about Europe coming soon!


Tommy








Double Post:

Originally Posted by Kalekkan

From original Xenogears soundtrack:

Disc 1, Track 1 - Light From The Netherworld
Disc 1,Track 15 - Leftover From The Dreams of the Strong
Disc 2, Track 3 - Knight of Fire

My favorite track is "Tears of the Stars, Hearts of the People" but I don't think it would sound too interesting in a concert setting and that it wouldn't utilize the resources of a full orchestra.

From the Xenosaga series, I'm really partial mainly towards Yuki Kajiura's tracks from Xenosaga Episode III.

From Xenosaga 3:

Disc 1, Track 1 - A Prelude To The Tragedy
Disc 1, Track 7 - The Battle of Your Soul
Disc 2, Track 4 - Testament
Disc 2, Track 9 - Godsibb


I imagine the Orlando Philharmonic could use something like VGL desperately. It unfortunately doesn't get too many visitors and VGL would certainly draw in quite a crowd that it's not too used to having.

I missed out on Otronicon last time unfortunately but I'm really looking forward to attending in 2007.


Thanks again for taking the time to hear people out. I'm really looking forward to hearing VGL's performance.

Awesome! Thanks for the info!! I don't have the Xenosaga 3 soundtrack so if anyone has links it would be great!

Does anyone else have suggestions about Xenogears/saga series?


Tommy

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yo!,

Just wanted to let everyone know we've been signing up a ton of cities all over the world and will be making lots of announcements at the beginning of the new year. Recently we've added a bunch of cities to the site and have been putting tix on sale. So far we have 11 shows announced already in places like San Fran, New Zealand, Calgary, Arizona, Edmonton, Columbus, Ft. Wayne and even a performance at Yale University (with the Yale Symphony) in New Haven, CT. Here's the complete list: http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=dates

We are booking a ton of dates all over the world right now so please recommend cities that we should travel to.

Thanks!


Tommy






Double Post:

Originally Posted by Diversion

Hey Tommy, I'm hopping in this thread again.

As an alumni and soon to be returning student at University of Michigan (oh graduate school woes), I've had the privilege and distinct honor to sing and perform at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI.

http://www.umich.edu/~urel/hill/

Hill is one of the largest auditoriums in the region, seating 3,710. Ann Arbor itself is a great city for the performing arts with multiple orchestras and choirs available (I was in the Men's Glee Club, which is about a hundred strong male chorus). For concerts in upcoming years there is still plenty of available time for possibly adding it as a venue, though there may be limitations with the visual aspect. I know the building has strict codes, though if many of the set pieces are independent entities that don't require extensive connections to walls and such, it may be a possibility. I've contacted George Winston's agent 2 years ago and, no lie, he performed there the following year after contacting the box office.

If that doesn't work out, DTE in Detroit would be excellent!

It'd be awesome to see you come to Michigan: it's a strong venue with a great turnout potential! Lookin forward to the 2007 season!

We are definitely looking at Detroit right now and should have news in Jan. (hopefully). Thanks for the info!


Tommy






Double Post:
Thanks for all of the Xenosaga input.

Please let me know what other games you would like to hear that we don't currently have. Here is our current franchise list (although we don't play all of these during every show):

Mario™, Zelda®, Halo®, Metal Gear Solid®, Warcraft®, Myst®, Final Fantasy®, Castlevania®, Kingdom Hearts, Medal of Honor™, Sonic™, Tron, God of War™, Civilization IV, Tomb Raider®, Beyond Good & Evil™, Advent Rising, EverQuest® II, Monkey Island, Earthworm Jim, Headhunter, Splinter Cell®, Ghost Recon™, Rainbow Six® and a special reetro Classic Arcade Medley featuring over 20+ games from Pong® to Donkey Kong® including such classics as Dragon's Lair, Tetris, Frogger, Gauntlet, Space Invaders & Outrun.


Thanks!


Tommy

Most amazing jew boots

Yo Everyone!,

First of all... thanks for the great suggestions and comments. I am making notes of all of them and will be looking into getting the rights.

Today GameTrailers.com just put up a teaser trailer for a 3 episode "Making of Video Games Live" series that will run once a week for the entire month of January.

Please feel free to check it out. It's right on the front page... or you can follow this link: http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2016
and click on the top trailer.

There will be three 10 minute episodes coming once a week... starting next week.


Tommy

Originally Posted by KaneSlayer

Wow, Tommy T's actually in GFF?! Haha, this is so cool! Hi Tommy! haha, anyways, wow. Firstly, I have to say that gaming music has gone a long way, seriously. One wouldn't have thought back in the era when gaming music were just sound generated by electric synthesizers, that we'll be seeing full scale orchestras playing those very same songs we've heard a thousand times before. Ah, pure bliss.

Anyways, just came back from Eminence's Passion (I'm from Singapore, by the way..) a few days back..and all I can say is that I'm seriously addicted to this. It was totally surreal! VGL's going to Tokyo in a date TBA right? I believe I speak for a LOT of people when I say this: Please please drop by sunny Singapore! It has one of the world's best performance venues (The Esplanade: http://www.esplanade.com ) and you DEFINITELY wouldn't be disappointed with the view! ^^;

Yo KaneSlayer!,

Thanks for stopping by! We plan on making it to a lot of different locations throughout Asia. Singapore being one of them. Not sure of the exact dates just yet but it's on our list.

How was the Eminence show? I really like what those guys are doing. I can't wait to catch one myself!! I've spoken directly with a few of the guys from the Eminence team. Really nice guys with a lot of passion!

Tommy

Originally Posted by fathamburger

Hi Tommy,

I was at VGL at GDC earlier this year in 2006 (no I don't have a myspace profile ), and it was definitely the highlight of my visit. I was totally stoked afterwards, this is a must go-to event for *any* gamer. Any word on DVD's/CD's soon? My girlfriend (at the time) would have really enjoyed it too but she couldn't come and youtube videos do a really bad job of showing what it's like, makes me wish I'd bought a program.

One thing I kept thinking about after the show though, was the # of seats being taken by.. well essentially non gaming spouses, there were many "The Girlfriend/Wife" 's, in the back seats who looked pretty bored when things started and throughout the first half. By the time the concert concluded though, many were pretty shocked and I think a lot of them enjoyed themselves and were thinking "Wow, game music is this good? what have I been missing out on?". Still I cried for every gamer that would have loved to attend, but couldn't that would have really gotten the most out of it. The price was also a steal considering the venue was in California. Kudos for that!

Thanks for keeping in touch with the hardcore community like OCRemix and GFF. Dont know if you've ever thought about forum time as being a waste of time, but I can tell you it wasn't. Why? I had no idea that VGL was coming to my town of Mesa, AZ until I saw this post. Definitely time well spent and I'm definitely glad I came in looking for the Crimson Skies soundtrack today lol.

Yo Fathamburger!,

Thanks so much for recommending the show! One of the reasons we have chosen to present the music in the unique way we do is exactly the reason you mentioned. We believe that putting on a fantastic visual production as well as showing off the incredible music has an extremely positive effect on the "non-gaming" crowd. We are extremely pleased and proud to get so many non-gamer or casual gamer e-mails and letters after each of our performances stating... "WOW!! I never knew video game music was so powerful and emotional... I never knew that the visuals and storylines were so incredible... Now I understand why my kids are so much into this stuff. Thank-you for helping us to understand the industry. It truly is amazing and the music was incredible!"

This (for us) is the biggest pay-off of all and exactly the reason we started this whole thing in the first place and continue to watch it keep growing to bigger and brighter proportions.

Thank-you again for your kind words of support. Please spread the word! I hope to meet you face to face in Arizona! We have a couple of really incredible "special guests" who will be attending that show... I'll be bringing them on stage and they will be a part of our meet & greet. Details to be released next week.


Tommy

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hi!,

I was wondering if anyone had a .wav or .mp3 file of the communicator sound from the Metal Gear Solid series. It's the sound in the game when somebody is buzzing in to talk to Snake on his communicator.

I have a really funny part I'm working on for our 2007 performances and need that sound. Thought I would check here first.


Thanks!


Tommy

I was speaking idiomatically.

Perfect!!

Thanks seanne!


Tommy

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

So I'm guessing David Hayter recorded stuff for the concert? His Live voice acting kicked ass at the LA concert this year.

Its also great despite your busy schedule you can still find time to post here.

Shhhh!! You're giving away the David Hayter surprise!! Hehehehehhee!!
j/k

Thanks Kairi Li...
I love posting and being a part of the game music community from both sides. As a fan... and as a composer myself.



T.T.

FELIPE NO

Now you know the kind of things I have to deal with on a daily basis!



Even convincing some gamers that video game music is great is sometimes difficult.

The only reason I haven't released the info about the "special guests" is because I'm not sure yet if they can come on both nights.

I suppose I can let you know the names... we're releasing the info next week...

It's Don Bluth & Gary Goldman the creators and animators of Dragon's Lair & Space Ace. Don is a HUGE name in the animation world and also created the films Titan AE, Anastasia, Thumbelina, Land Before Time, American Tail, The Secret of NIMH, etc.

He worked at Disney for many years and his first film was Sleeping Beauty in 1959! Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh & Pete's Dragon were some of his others.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089940/

They live in the Pheonix area. We're also having people from the Postal team there as well (also in Pheonix)... pretty wide spectrum there. Disney to Postal! heheheheehee

Still not sure which composers are coming but it's been tough nailing people down over the holidays.

Hope that helps.

Tommy

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

Oh.My.God.

Don Bluth is gonna be there?! Argh How I wish I can go to the Arizona concert! I love his movies! Land before time is my all time fav childhoon film, and Anastatcia was a great comeback for him!

ROAD TRIP!! It's not that far (if you went to the Hollywood Bowl show)



Here... I'll sweeten the pot for ya (cause you always give us such great comments). If you come I'll get ya backstage passes so you can meet Mr. Bluth in person by yourself.

Ooooohhhhh!!! You know it's tempting!!




Tommy

Originally Posted by Hydelloon

Happy New Year, TT. Looks like VGLive is going to be touring for a long time after checking the websites. Still waiting on Boston but I go to college in Ohio close to Columbus so I'll probably check that one out.

Yeah! Boston has been a tricky one to nail down because of high costs. NYC is another one we've been working on for a LONG time and still have a little work to do to make it affordable.

I'm from Mass. too! Spent the first 21 years of my life there before moving to California 17 years ago. (Crap! Just gave away my age. hehehehe) The New Haven, CT/Yale University show in March would be somewhat close but if you go to school in Ohio then Columbus would probably be just as close.

Looking forward to meeting you. Make sure to tell me ya met me here!


Tommy

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Hey Everyone!,

Just stopping by to give some new news and answer some of the questions that have been building up. We announced today that Koji Kondo will be performing at our San Francisco GDC show in a few weeks. He'll also be taking part in the Meet & Greet after the show. Every ticket holder gets the opportunity to come to the Meet & Greet. We don't charge people $130+ to meet composers like some other concerts do.



We've added a LOT of shows over the past couple of weeks including 2 shows in Houston, 2 in Calgary, 2 in Salt Lake City, Ft. Wayne, IND, Columbus, OH & Lousiville KY to name a few. Dallas is being posted next. You can always get the latest TOUR DATES here: http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=dates

I'm currently writing this from New Zealand where we'll be performing on Saturday. Just got here earlier today. Our rehearsals start tomorrow.


Here's the official press release about Mr. Kondo. Hope that some of you can make it!!


Tommy



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

VIDEO GAMES LIVE SPECIAL SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCE

Legendary Nintendo Composer Koji Kondo to Perform Live & Meet Fans!

2007 Game Developers Conference to Present World Class Concert Event & Festival


SAN FRANCISCO – February 20, 2007 – The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is proud to present Video Games Live as its special closing night ceremony. After a sold out performance at GDC last year in San Jose, Video Games Live returns once again with a new show for 2007. Video Games Live is an immersive concert event featuring music from the biggest video games of all time accompanied by a full orchestra and choir along with completely synchronized state-of-the-art lighting and massive video screens. Exclusive video footage and music arrangements, solo performers, electronic percussion, live action and creative interactive segments combine to make Video Games Live the most successful video game concert in the world. The concert will take place at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium on Friday, March 9th at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online at: LiveNation.com.

Legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo will be making a special appearance at the event and is scheduled to perform one of his favorite melodies from his long and storied career. Joining Nintendo in 1984, he has worked on such beloved franchises as Mario™, Zelda®, Star Fox® and many more. “There is clearly no game music more recognizable around the world than the themes that Mr. Kondo has created over the years.” said Video Games Live executive producer and co-creator Tommy Tallarico. “What an incredible honor to have such a true legend in the gaming world join us on stage to celebrate video game music and the wonderful industry surrounding it.”


Other special San Francisco performances to include:

· Martin Leung the Video Game Pianist to debut a brand new classic video game arrangement

· A rare special acoustic performance by the original LucasArts composers performing a medley of classics including Monkey Island, Outlaws and Grim Fandango

· On stage performance by voice-over legend Dee Baker who appears as characters in SpongeBob SquarePants (TV), Teen Titans (TV), Viewtiful Joe, Halo 2, EverQuest II, Doom 3, Tales of Symphonia, Arc the Lad, Final Fantasy X-2, Metal Gear Solid 2, Kingdom Hearts & Spider-Man

· Incredible guitarist (and video game artist) Chris Kline aka “vertexguy” debuting his live synchronized Contra “Jungle Theme” rock-n-roll presentation.


Other events consist of the ever popular pre-show festival stating at 7:00pm which includes game competitions with Guitar Hero™ II and Space Invaders on a customized Dream Authentic arcade cabinet. Prize giveaways include a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS Lite and Guitar Hero™ II sponsored by Advanced Media Network and over 250 classic arcade games donated by Dream Authentics. Other pre-show festivities include a costume contest where audience members will come dressed as their favorite video game characters. Finalists to be judged on stage by the audience. 1UP.com will have a special booth in which they will be supplying personalized ID’s and a chance to win a Nintendo Wii. Other show sponsors and prizes provided by Intel, Ex’pressions College, the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), Music4Games.net, the Grammy/NARAS P&E Wing & ASCAP.

Prizes will be given away throughout the evening during several audience-interactive segments, starring one of the most beloved classic arcade games of all time, Frogger, as well as a live Space Invaders contest. This unique interaction with a live symphony has only ever been attempted and performed at Video Games Live. Grand prize includes a $2,500 Intel laptop.

The post-show Meet and Greet, where fans can interact with renowned game composers and designers will be one of the largest ever with more than 20 industry luminaries TBA.

“Video Games Live is a milestone in the evolution of games as an art form in world culture,” said GDC director Jamil Moledina. “Featuring VGL at GDC fits in perfectly with our goals of provoking innovation among game creators, and producing ideas that have dramatic reach into the greater entertainment audience.”

"Partnering with the GDC to present Video Games Live is an honor; not only will fans of video games be amazed at what we have in store for them, but presenting this performance in front of the entire industry will also prove to be very special," Jack Wall, co-creator and conductor of Video Games Live said. "Video games have become one of the most thrilling and electrifying forms of entertainment in the 21st century. Video Games Live captures that same excitement level to help create the ultimate celebration of video games for everyone to enjoy."

Tickets for the March 9th event are priced from $38.50 to $65, and are now available at LiveNation.com. You can also order tickets over the phone by calling any of the following numbers: (415) 421-TIXS, (510) 625-TIXS, (408) 998-TIXS, (925) 685-TIXS, (707) 528-TIXS, (916) 649-TIXS, (530) 528-TIXS, (209) 485-TIXS, (559) 485-TIXS, (775) 787-TIXS & TTD (415) 957-0105.



About the CMP Game Group (www.cmpgame.com)
A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through the Game Developers Conference, GDC Europe, the Serious Games Summit D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Asia, Game Developer magazine, Gamasutra.com, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and GDCTV. For more information, please visit www.cmpgame.com.

About CMP Media (www.cmp.com)
Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare and lifestyles industries, CMP Media has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

About Video Games Live™ (www.videogameslive.com)
Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live™ (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance. Video Games Live™ is an immersive concert event celebration featuring music from the biggest video games of all time. The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendence making it the largest video game concert the world had ever experienced. Most of the game music played (Halo, Sonic, Metal Gear Solid, Mario, Zelda, Warcraft, Tomb Raider, Kingdom Hearts, Tron, Medal of Honor, Advent Rising, etc.) had never been performed live.

About Live Nation (www.livenation.com)
Live Nation is the world’s leading live music company, annually connecting more than 60 million fans with their favorite performers at over 30,000 events. They are the largest producer of live concerts in the world, the second-largest venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. Live Nation creates superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, they own, operate and/or have booking rights for more than 170 venues, including House of Blues-branded music venues and prestigious locations such as San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Hammersmith Apollo and Wembley Arena. Live Nation’s websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”


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

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by lord-of-shadow

Hahah!. New Haven, here I come! I've been watching this thing sine you first started touring, just waiting for a location near enough for me to get to. New Haven... close enough. 3 and a half hours of driving is a small price to pay to get to see this. I'll probably go to the Boston one, too, since that's even closer. I imagine that this is the sort of thing I'll want to experience more than once.

I just paid the full $70 for two of the best tickets in New Haven for me and my girlfriend to go to the show. I can't wait. I look forward to meeting you there if I can manage it. Is that likely? I can't imagine you're that accessible at these things - you've got to be one of the busiest men alive on show day.



So it would be a different orchestra at the New Haven show? Or do you usually switch the orchestra around a bit from location to location?


I'll keep spreading the word - I'd hate for my readers to miss out on this because they didn't realize it was happening.

Cool! Yeah... we make ourselves accessible to everyone at the post-show Meet & Greet. Make sure to mention that you spoke to me on Gaming Force so I'll remember. Thanks for helping to spread the news!! Much appreciated!


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

I currently reside in LA Tommy, hence why I was able to go to the Hollywood Bowl one, the Arizona one isnt feasible...

And trouble is I may be moving to another country soon... Mostly due to college education and Visa issues. (Any immigration is a pain in the neck.)

Thank you so much for offering though, I would love to meet Mr Bluth, but my situation wont allow it I'm afraid, in fact I'm not sure if I can go to the next Hollywood Bowl Show... Especially since the last one was September, which will be during school semesters, meaning I can't make some vacation trip to see it. (Though I'm sure my boyfriend and his pals will go for me, and there will be DVDs)

However, if VLG never dies, then in about 2-4 years time I will return here, for my boyfriend, VGL (along with various Cons) and future career and will be able to attend again.

And if for some horrible reason I can't, well, I went to one of the greatest showings ever! WOOT!

What country are you moving too? The reason I ask is that we're planning a big European tour for this fall. We're also going back to Brazil and hitting a few other countries outside the U.S.

T.T.






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Hydelloon

Happy New Year, TT. Looks like VGLive is going to be touring for a long time after checking the websites. Still waiting on Boston but I go to college in Ohio close to Columbus so I'll probably check that one out.

Cool! See ya in Columbus!!!!

T.T.





Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Cronos

Just got a really expensive ticket (compared to student prices for SF Opera and SF Symphony, at least) for the March San Francisco show, hope it lives up to the hype

Me too!





T.T.






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by fathamburger

I saw the Arizona concert and it's definitely improved since I saw it at GDC. More choir (hope that will be a continuing feature), added civilisation as well as one winged angel from Final Fantasy.

Martin Leung also played a Mario medley live blindfolded, WAY FASTER than any youtube videos yet.

I'm still not 100% sure if I'll be at GDC this year, but hopefully it'll be a completely different concert by then

Cool! Thanks!

It won't be "entirely" different but as you can see from the press release we definitely have a lot of cool and unique stuff for the GDC show. You won't want to miss Kondo-san!


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Stench

Hey Tommy,

I was in attendance at the 2nd Edmonton concert you guys held last night.

Absolutely. SPECTACULAR.

I don't think there was a single person in the building who left unenthused or unentertained in the slightest amount after the event. I was so pumped afterwards, I felt like running a marathon!

Seriously, though, you should be very proud of the type of event you've helped put together. It's often been a belief of mine that video games as a whole never seem to receive the crediblity or legitimacy that they deserve, as I'm sure you're all-too-aware of, so to see an event like Video Games Live present the industry in such a positive and tasteful manner is more than appreciated on my part, so thank you very much for that.

By the way, are you *actually* planning on coming back next year, as you said at the end of the performance? If the "buzz" that was present after the concert is any indication, you can bet you'll have a guaranteed sellout the next time you're here - and the sooner, the better! Hell, I'll go BOTH nights - how's that for a deal?

I wish I could have told you this in person, but unfortunately I had to run immediately after the concert, so I didn't get the chance to go to the meet-and-greet.

You've got yourself a new fan, Mr. Tallarico. And tell Jack Wall he's pretty cool, too.

-Mike

P.S. What type of reaction do you receive from the musicians after they've performed everything? There was this one symphony member who seemed to be just all smiles during the performance, which made me a bit curious.






Oh yeah, and my friend was fascinated with the guitar you used during the Halo 3 piece. He said that he had never seen a "tuner-free" (I think) guitar like that before, so he wanted me to ask you what type/make it was.

Damn, even the instruments were getting love that night!

Wow!! Thanks so much for all of the kind words!! I'm so glad you liked the show so much. Wish we could have met.

Yes! We are definitely planning to come back to Edmonton next year! In fact we're playing two shows in Calgary in November. I think Calgary is driving distance? I remembered meeting a lot of people from Calgary at the Edmonton show.

The guitar I use on stage is called a Steinberger. I found a pic of the exact model on Google: http://www.geocities.com/chlmusic/g3t-bk.jpg

The musicians usually freak out during and after the show! They always tell us that they've never heard a crowd react so positively to their playing before. They beg us to come back ASAP. It's really cool to be able to offer that to them! We really feel like we are helping to get more people interested in live symphonic music... which is very important to us.


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by DragoonKain

Just let me know when you are in Philly again man. I'll gladly stop by. Missed it last time and to be honest this is the first I've heard of this.

Cool. Thanks.

The best thing to do would be to sign up to our mailing list so you'll know all the inside info before anyone else. I don't think we'll get to Philly in 2007. New Haven, CT. might be the closest although we've been speaking a lot lately to some New York folks.


Tommy





Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by soapy

I'll be there in San Francisco for the March 9th show. I was there in San Jose last year for it, so now that it's at the Nob Hill Masonic Center I'm really looking forward to it!

I haven't been keeping up with what's going on with VGL in the past year, but it's nice to see that it's still going and making the rounds around the world.

Cool!! You're probably as excited as I am about the press release today.




Make sure you check your inbox and e-mail me so we can set up that interview.

Thanks!


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by ctu

Is it just me or dose the Fl show keep getting pushed back more and more. At this rate I dought it will ever come down here.

Trust me... we'll be coming! We have a deal with a big convention that happens in January. We just ran out of time and couldn't put it together for 2007. Please sign up to the mailing list... we'll have word of Jan. 2008 probably around the summer time if not sooner.

Hang in there!! We're coming!!!!


Oh... and just for you I moved Orlando, FL up on the list on the TOUR DATES page! How's that for customer service!





Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Music4Games

Some interesting info on VGL in this 'definitive' interview with Mr.T!
http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=123

Here's an excerpt:
"Being new to the concert business, you should have seen some of the concepts we had originally drew up on paper for the show. We had things like Master Chief descending from a pod during our Halo opening and a hundred musicians and soloists on stage for every segment. We quickly learned that in order to keep costs and ticket prices low we had to be more realistic about some of the approaches we had, especially for our smaller shows that only have 2,000-3,000 people."

Thanks for the plug! There were some great questions that no one had ever asked me before. I really enjoyed the interview.


Tommy

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Hi Everyone!,

Been real busy preparing for the Game Developers Conference next week. Aside from putting on the closing ceremony concert of VGL on Friday night I'm also putting on the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards (in which were giving the Lifetime Achievement Award to Koji Kondo!) and I'm also on the Advisory Board for the GDC so I'm helping to run all 17 game audio talks as well as being on 4 panels myself.

WHEW!!!!! Gonna be a busy week!

But I did want to stop in and let people know we just announced a bunch of new cities for 2007 and more are coming within the next few weeks!

Let me know if there are any questions.

Thanks as always for the interest.


Tommy

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

VIDEO GAMES LIVE ANNOUNCES 14 NEW SHOWS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA

Cities Include Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, New Haven, Columbus, Calgary, Louisville, Salt Lake City and More!

Concert Series Brings Video Game Music to Over 60,000 People Worldwide


LOS ANGELES, CA – February 26, 2007 - Having already performed around the globe to over 60,000 people, making it the largest and most successful video game concert in the world – Video Games Live will continue its ground-breaking tour with the announcement of 14 new shows across North America. Video Games Live is produced and created by veteran video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. It features music from the most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements with synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, and unique interactive segments.

The highest and most prestigious level of symphony and venue quality continues with the announcement of some of North America’s most renowned orchestras and local theatres, halls, auditoriums and arenas. To further attract the biggest audience possible, Video Games Live also partners with gaming’s most important conferences and conventions.

Show Announcements:

San Francisco, CA March 9th, 2007 MasonicCenter Game Developers Confernce
New Haven, CT March 31st, 2007 Woolsey Hall Yale Symphony
Columbus, Ohio April 26th, 2007 Mershon Auditorium Columbus Symphony
Dallas, TX June 20th, 2007 Meyerson Hall Dallas Symphony
Dallas, TX June 21st, 2007 Meyerson Hall Dallas Symphony
Houston, TX July 13th, 2007 Jones Hall Houston Symphony
Houston, TX July 14th, 2007 Jones Hall Houston Symphony
Louisville, KY July 20th, 2007 KentuckyArtsCenter Louisville Orchestra
Los Angeles, CA October 20th, 2007 Nokia Live E for All Expo
Calgary, Canada November 9th, 2007 Jack Singer Hall Calgary Philharmonic
Calgary, Canada November 10th, 2007 Jack Singer Hall Calgary Philharmonic
FT. Wayne, IN February 15th, 2008 Embassy Theatre Ft. Wayne Philharmonic
Salt Lake City, UT March 28th, 2008 Abravanel Hall Utah Symphony
Salt Lake City, UT March 29th, 2008 Abravanel Hall Utah Symphony


In addition, there are approximately 20 European, Asian & South American dates currently being planned as well as a variety of other North American dates to be released soon. All tour date and ticket information can be found at: http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=dates

“Our goal of building Video Games Live as a worldwide brand is becoming a reality,” said Marc Geiger, Senior Executive Vice-President of Touring for the William-Morris Agency. “Tommy & Jack have created a very special event experience that is not only a hit with gamers but also speaks to a general mainstream global audience as well.”



About Video Games Live™ (www.videogameslive.com)
Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance. Video Games Live is an immersive concert event celebrating music from the biggest video games of all time. The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendance making it the largest video game concert in the world.


###










Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Kairi Li

I'm going to be in SYDNEY AUSTRALIA for over a year Tommy.

So unless you guys are coming over, get the DVD or CD out soon. :P

Announcement (and trailer) coming soon! Expect end of March for the announcement. We'll hopefully be hitting Australia in early 2008!


T.T.













Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by The GreyFox

Tommy, I've noticed you guys have toured to places closeby where I live (Toronto and noticed Montreal was on the TBA list) and was wondering if you planned on stopping by the big capital of Canada - Ottawa. I'm not too sure on what kind of venue would be appropriate, as the only one I know of really is the Scotiabank Place (used to be called the Corel Center) but I'm guessing that place is way too huge to use! I'm sure there is some concert hall in the city somewhere that would be a more suitable venue.

Thanks,
Jason

Thanks for the comment! We actually have been talking about Ottawa! It's on our list of possibilities for 2007.


Tommy









Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by trigunzero

HOly shit tommy talliarico! i love his music!
and i love video game music concerts, i've seen a bunch of them.

Thanks!


T.T.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Strahd

Tommy if you see this please try and come to Athens, Greece I know it's a long shot of asking you this... But I hope you hear me out There are SO MANY fans of game music too. I went to see you last November in London and it was AMAZING...

Please try and come to Athens. PLEASE

Hi Strahd!,

It would be AWESOME to play in Athens, Greece!! I'm a big fan of the culture and history. I've never been to Greece but have always wanted to go there. I didn't realize there were a lot of game music fans in that area. I'll definitely look into it.

Could you let me know if there are any popular Greece-based game websites or conventions that happen?

Thanks for the info! Glad you liked the London show!


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by shinryu

Hi Tommy great to see that you found out about gaminforce forums here is the sacred place of game music on the net heheh

I was on the show on Rio de Janeiro!!!!!!
I was amazed by the show and im sure everyone there was.

Hey Tommy i am on a picture on the VGL page :
http://www.videogameslive.com/gallery/album27/Games_24
the first on the guy with yellow shirt its me hahaha

Anyway i think you won't remember me, i told you i always wanted a VGmusic show here on Brasil etc but the security guys were hasting us heheheh, im very happy to see that there are one date scheduled on Brasil again i saw it right now, man ill be there if i can, and i hope the show go to more cities here the brazilian guys love VG.

MAN thanks you made a dream come true, for me man id say again thankx.
and remember ShinRyu will be there!!!

Hi ShinRyu!!

Thank you so much for your encouragement and nice words about our show. I'm so glad that you came out to support the cause!

We are planning MORE cities for Brazil this year!! The details should be coming within the next month or two.

Can't wait to go back to Brazil! We absolutely LOVED it and the fans there were the loudest we've heard all over the world!


Tommy

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Strahd

The two biggest sites are www.gamelife.gr and www.gamesradio.gr but there are in greek...
Here's an article my mate made about the Video Game's Live concert in London http://www.gamelife.gr/cPages/articles.asp?id=76

If you want more sites or info please don't hasitate to ask. Thanx for the answer Tommy.

Your info has helped a lot! We are speaking to a Greek promoter next week... he is interested in bringing it to Athens!


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Stabby

Hey Tommy, why did you guys decide to skip Belgium? I know tons of people who would go, but now they can't.

And Soul Calibur II & III would be perfect for the concert. It's a bit of a shame.

Belgium? Hmmm... we hadn't thought of that before. Are there a lot of people there who would be interested in something like VGL?


Tommy





Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by soapy

Great show last night Tommy! I had a lot of fun, but the meet and greet line was so long Did you guys wait until everyone got their autograph? I wanted to stay just to say hi but I was so beat, I was going to fall asleep standing up.

I know everyone there must have been exhausted after a week at GDC. I only went to GDC twice that week and that was enough Unfortunately I had appointments to go to and couldn't see the classes that I wanted to see.

Anyone who hasn't seen VGL has to go, and even if they saw it last year, you should go again

Yo! Thanks soapy!

Yeah... we didn't get done signing until about 1:30am!! Koji-san had to leave at around midnight so unfortunately everyone didn't get the chance to meet him... but most did.

It was a fantastic and memorable night!! I just wish more people would post videos on YouTube!! Hopefully they'll be coming the next few days.

The biggest thrill was having Miyamoto at the event. We're currently doing a story about the show and his presence for our website including a bunch of exclusive backstage pics. We talked about our work together on Metroid Prime and bringing VGL to Japan. He was really impressed with the light and video synchronization and asked us how we were accomplishing it. He said he wasn't expecting the visuals to play such a big role in the show and he thought they added a very unique and wonderful experience to non-gamers which is what he is trying to accomplish with the Wii. He commended us for bringing together families and non-gamers.

It was a night we won't soon forget!


Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Cogo

Which tunes did it include? I saw the video from the rehearsal, and there he performed the classic Mario theme and the underground theme.

Tell me about the whole experience with Kondo!

Coming soon to the VGL website.


T.T.






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Liontamer

Ah man, New Haven, CT! Ohhh man, would I like to be able to roll up there. I was born in New Haven myself. Only moved away 2 years ago. It would be great to visit there again. Missed my chance to head up with the OC ReMix staff (djpretzel, zircon & pixietricks) for the Philedelphia show a little while back, but maybe I'll find a way to make it for this one. Here's hoping!

Hope to see you there!! It's going to be a great show and the first game concert to be done on a college campus with the college symphony. I think there's going to be a lot of excitement and energy in the crowd. Going to be a special show!


Tommy

I was speaking idiomatically.

Hi Everyone,

We've been getting some e-mail inquiries over the weekend asking us if we have cancelled our Video Games Live - New Haven, CT show on March 31st at Yale with the Yale Symphony. At first I had no idea why people kept specifically asking about our CT show this month. Then we found out from some media and press people that they recieved a press release on Friday stating that the Play! concert happening two days before our show this month had been cancelled. The show was supposed to take place in Hartford, CT and only 2 days before ours so I can see why people may have gotten the two confused. I looked on the Play! website but didn't see any mention of the show being cancelled although it was gone from their upcoming shows page.

Our ticket sales for New Haven, CT/Yale are going fantastic and should be sold out over the next week or so. We have not and will not be cancelling our New Haven, CT show and have made a comittment (after what happened 2 years ago being involved with a big corporation) to never cancel a show ever again. Now that we are on our own and control everything, our show and presence has been continuing to grow due greatly in part to all of the awesome word of mouth that people like you are continuing to spread.

For that we thank you!!! Not to sound too over the top... but together we will all help to change the worlds thinking about what an amazing art form video games and their music have become.

It's too bad that the Play! thing didn't work out in Hartford although I must admit that I thought it was a little strange that they would attempt to do a show a few days before us and right around the corner. Luckily (after just looking at both schedules) it doesn't seem like anything like that will be happening for the rest of the year.

Just wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that we did NOT cancel our New Haven, CT show.


Thanks!


Tommy

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by soapy

Ooh I wasn't sure of the camera/recording policy.... I guess I'll post the stuff that I have. I did notice that there was no psychotic "no cameras" rule

I know GDC was keeping you busy, but when you get the chance, I had sent an email to your VGL account.

Yes! Please post pics & vids!


T.T.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by RainMan

Hi Tommy, and good news. (not that PLAY is cancelled, but that your fabulous show is still going strong.) Just out of curiosity, who was first in setting up the show in Hartford? If it was VGL, why do you think these concerts are all happening in the same vicinity? I am no economist, but it wouldn't it make the most sense for video game music concerts to be more spread out to possibly cover more ground and not take away from what anyone else is doing? It seems silly when multiple promoters are situating performances around a singular area. It seems to be stifling the potential of video game music in reaching out.

Anyhoo, good luck with the performances.

Ryan

Yo Ryan,

I agree. I'm not sure why they do that. We just do our thing and don't really pay attention too closely to what they are doing. I am in contact with the Eminence guys and we make sure we're on the same page. Hopefully we'll get an opportunity to work together on something someday.

As for Play! I just don't like the way they have operated thier business or handled their publicity and public perception.

Can someone please tell me why when you go to the Play! website and hit the ABOUT section it CLEARLY states that they have been to New Zealand and South America???


"The concert tour took off in North America on May 27, 2006 in Chicago, followed by Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand."


We played those countries/regions... not them. They also say they've already played Australia (which was Eminence) and they've never played Asia. This isn't rocket science... they are just lying and using others accomplishments to make themselves look better. I don't feel that is a very good way to run a business.

They also state that IMG are their agents.... that is also not true.



Tommy






Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

The title has been changed.

Long live Jambi.

Awesome!

Thanks for that.

Sorry again for any confusion or bad feelings. Wasn't my intention.


Tommy

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Stabby

Gaming is very popular in Belgium. Game events always attract tons of people here, I'm sure the same would happen to Videogames Live. Plus you'd get lots of publicity from magazines and video game shows such as Gamepower and Gunk TV who receive a respectable amount of viewers.

You should definately consider taking VGL to Belgium. I guess the best place to go would be Gent since all the popular game events take place there.

Thanks! This is all very good information to know. We are currently putting together our European tour which will take place in November & December.

If there is anyone reading this from a Europen country here is how you can help...


Please list your country (or one you are very familiar with) and please let us know what the best gaming websites, groups, conventions, magazines, gaming events, etc. cover video games.

Here are the list of possible countries we are curently speaking with and considering...

UK
Germany
Scandinavia
Italy
Greece
Istanbul
Spain
Portugal
Switzerland
France
Poland
Hungary
Czech Republic
Russia
Belgium

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,


Tommy

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Stabby

Belgium and Netherlands should be included. Looking at the succes of game events and such I'm convinced VGL will be a great succes in both countries.

Can I ask why Belgium wasn't considered?

Hi Stabby!,

Those were the cities we were focusing on before I read your response today. I just edited it to include Belgium as well. We will definitely look into the information you provided us with as a consideration. Please let us know if there are others. I'm totally serious when I say that all of the people in this forum can help to bring Video Games Live to their country!

I love this forum because there are so many diversified people from around the world who post here about their love and passion for VGM. I hope to meet all of you someday... especially on the day of the show which you helped us to bring to you!


Tommy

There's nowhere I can't reach.