Another night, another Video Games Live concert, this time in Las Vegas. With over 50 shows planned for 2008, co-creators Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall have been busy. Having seen the show numerous times, I can’t say that this was the best performance, but this is mostly due to the unbearably hot Henderson Pavilion (an outdoor venue in Las Vegas… really?) and a shoddy sound setup that treated listeners to hisses and crackling during quiet portions of the show and Earth-shaking aural bombardments during the louder portions of the performance.
Hit the jump for impressions of the show.
I enjoyed the return of the Medal of Honor segment that had been absent from some recent stops, and Martin Leung (The Videogame Pianist) received standing ovations for his performances of Super Mario Bros. and Final Fantasy. The highlight, however, was the world premiere of “Hell March” from Command and Conquer: Red Alert, which we had previously brought to your attention. Composer Frank Klepacki storming onto the stage decked out in a custom Russian-inspired outfit with an awe-inspiring guitar definitely left an impression.
Klepacki head banged and threw his arms in the air in typical rocker fashion. “Hell March” happens to be a favorite among fans of the series, so this performance was a significant one. Afterwards, Klepacki, other Westwood staffers, and Video Games Lives regulars were on hand to sign autographs. I likely giggled like a school girl as Klepacki endorsed my copies of the original Red Alert and Tiberium Sun soundtracks.
If you missed out, be sure to watch YouTube for the video, as a number of people in the audience were recording the performance. In the meantime, feel free to visit Klepacki’s personal website and the Video Games Live website to find a concert stop near you.
Did anyone attend the show and have thoughts about the performance? Was it worth the nearly intolerable heat to see this spectacle? Is anyone as impressed as I am with that crazy looking guitar?
For those who care to know, the rest of the set list was as follows:
Act I
1. Classic Arcade Medley
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. God of War
4. Space Invaders Interactive Segment
5. Medal of Honor
6. Civilization IV
7. Final Fantasy Piano Medley
8. Metroid
9. Gears of War Sound Effect Segment with Dee Baker
10. Tron
11. The Legend of Zelda
Act II
12. Command and Conquer: Red Alert – “Hell March”
13. Frogger Interactive Segment
14. Kingdom Hearts
15. Sonic the Hedgehog
16. World of Warcraft
17. StarCraft II
18. Super Mario Bros.
19. Super Mario Bros. Piano Medley
20. Halo
Encore
21. Final Fantasy VII – “One Winged Angel”
22. Castlevania
Amazing! He looks like Vash.