I had the opportunity to go to Chicago this last weekend to see "Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy". It was a concert of orchestral arranged songs from the Final Fantasy game series performed by the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra. Some of you may know who Nubuo Uematsu is. For those who don't; he was the man who composed and arranged nearly all the music from the Final Fantasy series since it's debut in Japan in 1987. He was recently acclaimed one of the top 50 most influential composers of the twentieth century by Time magazine. All the music played that night by composed by him.
The concert began by him walking out into the audience and taking a seat with the rest of us. This was a powerful gesture considering his celebrity in this niche. As soon as he entered he was greeted by a standing ovation of adoring fans. I have to say I've never felt more part of a crowd. Through his music, this man has helped to me to feel joy, sadness and excitement through a long history of RPG playing. It has accented some of the most moving parts of the stories told by these games. Fanfares that give you goose bumps, ballads that tug on the heartstrings, and melodies that touch the soul. I've even found his music a powerful tool in motivating me to pursue playing the piano. So needless to say I felt very much in the presence of greatness, and what was even greater is that I knew everyone around me felt the same way. United in our supreme geekiness we celebrated his accomplishment that night.
It began with a full choir to sing Liberi Fatali, accompanied by scenes from the game. It was very moving as this piece is incredibly dramatic. As the concert went on I heard favorites such as Aerith's theme from Final Fantasy VII and Terra's theme from FF VI. I even got to hear a new piece from the yet to be released movie Advent Children. I could see the surprise of the orchestra as the audience cheered during memorable movements and melodies, giving standing ovations at the end of nearly every song. The final piece was simply titled Final Fantasy; an ethereal piece featuring the harp melody fans of the game know so very well. As soon as that harp began to play, the audience roared their approval. And after that song had finished composer Uematsu gave his speech (through a translator). He talked about his hopes of bringing more Final Fantasy concerts to North America and even conducted a poll (by applause) which revealed that the vast majority had traveled from out of state to get there. He explained the title of the concert: Dear Friends. It was his show of appreciation to all his fans throughout the years and that we were his dear friends. He also spoke about possibly bringing the Black Mages (Final Fantasy Rock group) to NA as well; a very exciting prospect.
And then he said that we couldn't possibly end it there as we were having so much fun. So he gave us an encore.
I can't describe the anticipation I felt as the choir came back out; I immediately knew what they were going to play. The overhead screens flashed with Sephiroth walking into a wall of flame and crowd exploded. What a moving and powerful piece. To hear One Winged Angel performed live by a full orchestra and choir was simply amazing.
What was great about it was that when I was sitting in that crowd I knew that all the people in that theatre were there for the same reason; to experience something new and exciting that most of the world didn't understand or even know about. That was one of only two Final Fantasy concerts that have been performed in North America to date and I'm so happy that I could go and show my support for music I feel so strongly about.
-Rovon
(posted Feb. 22, 2005)
As for taking pictures; Well, I was so excited I forgot to bring my camera and I wouldn't have wanted to if I did.
There's a bit of a story that goes with this concert and how I came to attend it. First I must thank my dear friend Owen who was the initial impetus for this chain of events during my last visit to Victoria over Christmas. Being something of an audiophile he invited me over to listen to the newest incarnation of his impressive sound system. Knowing my fondness of old Japanese culture he threw in an SACD of Kodo's Mondo Head album.
I was immediately floored by the depth of sound and delightfully atypical rhythm of the many drums. As soon as I got back to Kelowna I ordered the album and one other (Ibuki) from amazon.ca and waited for them to arrive. Having quite a busy life I had already forgotten that I ordered them when they arrived. It was a slow Friday at the office so I threw in the two albums and got really into them. A thought occurred: "It would be amazing to see these guys live."
I went online and found they were performing on February 14 (roughly 3 weeks away). I went onto ticketmaster and was discouraged that there were no good seats left. I kept refreshing the search page; back of the floor, far left balcony, back of the balcony. The list continued in that fashion for quite awhile. I talked with my friend and he reasoned that they were drums and it really didn't matter where you sat, you were going to hear them. I saw the logic
and resigned myself to this compromise. But something compelled me to hit refresh one more time for good measure and I was in disbelief at what I saw: two tickets front row center section, directly in front of the stage. It appears luck is still one of my skills and further a skill in good practice.
The show began with a kabuki style dance by a single performer using a fan and then drawing a katana. It was so purposeful and disciplined it reminded me of noh theatre. Being that performer we directly in front of me at a range of 2-3 meters I got to see every subtle movement. Given my relatively long history in martial arts I could sense the discipline and recognize the focus being exerted as he moved.
The next piece featured three large drums in a triangle, with drummers facing outward. Very primal and powerful, it was then it occurred to me that this was not a musical performance in the way I typically think of it. This was a highly disciplined and demanding performance art that seemed to come directly from the spirit of the performers.
A special treat for me being so close was being able to hear the details of their breathing and closely examine and read the expressions on their faces as they performed. It was remarkably similar to the look I see on a well trained opponents face when practicing bokken (Japanese wooden sword) in Aikido.
This was followed by an unexpectedly subtle and soft piece performed on two Japanese harps (not yet sure of the right word for them), a set of chimes, a small drum and a flute.
Being in the front row for that piece afforded me an opportunity to hear the subtle reverberations of the harps and again to examine the subtleties of the performers movement and expression.
Several songs followed, each amazing in their own way. Seeing them so close and with no one in front of me to distract I got to experience the performance fully and with undivided attention. The performance that stuck
with me the most was the final piece. They wheeled out a huge drum on a large platform, lanterns decorating the sides. The performers kneeled in front the drum with their eyes closed gathering focus for what they were about to perform.
The simple grace and discipline of this spectacle are not done justice by the following photos but they at least describe the jist of what I'm trying to convey. Btw, though I did sneak my camera in I had too much respect by what these
drummers did. I felt it would detract from the experience not only myself but those around me to start snapping photos. Besides, they have a DVD of this tour (one earth tour) which I'm going to buy to remind me of it.
Pretty much the exact view from my seat:
Dump of shows I've taken pics at:
It's the best concert I'd ever been to to date and he's not nearly my favorite performer. Until the finale the concert was on par with the No Doubt concert I had seen in November. After the last song, there was no question; I now worship the god of fuck.
I wish I could look this evil for a living.
Now I know why everyone wants to be a rock star.
It's a small world after all.
My new desktop. (Contact me if you want the full size file.)
The stage after the last song. Take a bow, you deserve it.
(posted July 11, 2003)