Mario, Master Chief, Sonic and company dealt out musical justice alongside members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Sunday night as they presented Video Games Live! (VGL), an incredible celebration of some of the most popular videogame music of all time.Buffalo welcomed their heroic performers whole-heartedly as Kleinhans Music Hall played host to New York's first-ever performance of this internationally recognized, audience-interactive performance.
A stunning spectacle of sight and sound, Video Games Live! creates a unique experience that is highly innovative and entertaining. Their aim is to delight and dazzle audiences in ways that showcase how culturally relevant videogames have become, while romanticizing the artistic validity and beauty of the music that accompanies these games.
"Videogame music is more than just beeps and bleeps," boomed Tommy Tallarico, co-creator and host of VGL, as the show got under way.
Judging by the increasingly feverish applause as the night pressed on, the audience definitely agreed with Tallarico's sentiment. There wasn't a flicker of discontent from anyone, avid videogamer or not.
For those unfamiliar with the gaming world, a lack of knowledge mattered not as the abundant sensory stimulators provided enough unbridled energy.
The powerful sound of the full-scale orchestra, an impressive syncopated light show and the passion of the music being performed left even the most skeptical audience member clamoring for more.
As for the serious game aficionados, they were having the time of their lives.
"I knew this would be good, but they've gone above and beyond what I expected," said Matthew Kanner, UB student and videogame lover. "I was expecting a few well-orchestrated Mario pieces; this is so much more than that."
The majority of the audience could be found somewhere in the middle of the videogame sub-culture; they were not completely obsessive, but many them spent a good deal of their childhood getting lost in the world of Super Mario Bros.
The concert kicked off with a medley of classic arcade hits such as Pong, Donkey Kong, Tetris and others. On the backdrop of the stage was an enormous projection screen on which clips from the games were timed perfectly with the music. This fittingly classical start gave people only an inkling of what was in store.
Spurred on by the boundless youthful energy of Tallarico with co-creator and conductor Jack Wall, anticipation and excitement began to rise through the crowd like a princess-rescuing plumber rising up through a giant green pipe.
The anticipation gave way to the thunder of fans applauding musical scores from the most socially prominent and fanatically revered games to date. Dark, dangerous, profoundly moving pieces emerged from games such as God of War and Medal of Honor.
Contrasting this were songs from the epic and enchantingly whimsical Zelda soundtracks. Fan-favorites such as Sonic and Metal Gear Solid were also included, along with a theatrical performance of a live action Solid Snake.
Computer games, not to be left out of the mix, were also brought to life with scores from blockbuster phenomena Warcraft, Starcraft and Civilization.
Each piece was masterfully matched to clips from the showcased game and further synced with a stunning light show.
Adding interactivity to production gems, Video Games Live! also contained a costume contest (Princess Zelda won), a videogame cover band and audience participation in which a few lucky fans got on stage to show off their Frogger and Space Invader skills.
The last acts of the night came when nostalgic excitement had reached its peak.
First came music from the most influential and timeless character in the history of the industry: the music of Mario. The music of Halo, currently the most popular game in the world, was included in the show's encore.
"Art imitates life, videogames imitate life, so in a way the two (art and videogames) are very closely connected," said Scott Loblaw, UB alumni and longtime gamer.
The multi-sensory spectacle delivered by Video Games Live! bedazzled a Buffalo audience giving testament to the feeling that this touring troop will likely be glorifying the game for years to come.