Four guys wearing colorful Mexican wrestling masks, shirtless underneath their open blazers, stepped onto stage. They took their positions, their eyes glued to a screen next to them, and the music started. While they played enthusiastically, their concert may have appalled the likes of Queen or the Clash.
Instead of playing typical instruments, this band was playing a video game.
These students were one of more than 600 bands across the country - and 25 at GW - to step onto the stage of the Rock Band tour this fall. Rock Band's big black tour truck has been setting up at colleges across the country since September to promote the video game Rock Band, due for release Nov. 23. The tour offers anyone a chance to try the new game and bring their new-found Rock Band skills onto a stage to audition for a spot on TRL.
“The tour will give everyone from casual music fans, to hard core gamers and professional musicians the chance to live out their rock star fantasies on an authentic concert stage,” said Jeff Yapp, executive vice president of MTV Program Enterprises, in a press release.
Rock Band comes from the collaboration of MTV Games (a division of the MTV network), Harmonix (the creators of Guitar Hero) and Electronic Arts (video and computer game creators). Likened by many to Guitar Hero, the game allows up to four players to pick up three different instrument peripherals, a guitar, bass guitar, drum and microphone, and simulate playing rock music while the music crosses the screen.
Ryan Bittner ‘11 said that he finds the game's versatility very appealing. “You can be like a real musician,” he said. “You can play guitar and sing at the same time.”
The game will give players more options than other games currently on the market, said Rock Band tour manager Kyle Brady. Rock Band will allow for solo players or up to a four-person band to play. The game comes with basic classic rock songs, but will have supplements available for downloading. Players will be able to download up to entire CDs of their favorite bands to use in the game.
“It's like playing along with the best quality songs from your favorite bands,” Brady said.
Trung Le '10 and a group of his friends decided to try the game on campus after hearing about it on Youtube.
“We're all big fans of (the video game) Guitar Hero so we're really excited for (Rock Band) to come out,” Le said. “It's going to be able to involve a lot of people. I think it will be a great party game.”
Gamers weren’t the only ones stepping onto the stage. Rock-star wannabes were also encouraged to drop to audition their music, gaming and rock star abilities for MTV.
“Every band that plays will get seen by a casting director,” Brady said. Of the auditioning bands, two will be picked to play at a battle of bands in New York City, with the winning band going on the open for a “real” rock band at the holiday launch party for the game.
The competing bands will be flown to New York and spend a week going through rock star boot camp.
Bittner auditioned with nine different bands, but was skeptical of his chance of going to New York.
“It seems a little far fetched for a lot of people,” he said. “I just came out here to play the game.”
Source: Daily Colonial