For anyone 35 or younger, it's a good chance that the music from video games provided the soundtrack for a good part of childhood. Whether that music came from an Atari 2600, Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Playstation or PC, these soundtracks became a vital part of the game-playing experience. Think about those games like Tetris or Donkey Kong -- it just takes a few notes to bring back memories of a simpler time.
Blippy, poppy or orchestral, arcade and console music touches a nerve. Which is why the creators of "Video Games Live," an interactive concert experience coming to the Riverside Theater on Saturday, March 1, are finding so much success.
"I like to describe it as all of the power of a symphony orchestra and choir, combined with the energy and power of a rock concert, mixed together with cutting-edge visuals, technology and fun that video games provide," says host and co-creater Tommy Tallarico.
The show covers Super Mario Brothers, Pac Man and Halo -- and everything in between. The giant video screens and lighting stay in sync with the music, which complements elaborate costumes.
"We like to think of it as a celebration of the video game industry," says Tallarico.
Tallarico says the show is a little like Cirque du Soleil, in that it needs to be seen to be explained. He started the show with his partner, Jack Wall, in 2002, and it took about three years to get it ready. Wall conducts the shows, while Tallarico serves as host. For the Riverside show, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra provides the music.
Both Tallarico and Wall are video game composers, so it's a natural extension for them to trumpet the music of the games they've created.
"The whole world can see how culturally significant and artistic that video games have become," he says. "We didn't just want to put a symphony on a stage and play game music. They've been doing that in Japan for years."
Tallarico says that his audiences includes non-gamers, too, because the music can transcend the games, themselves.
"That was always our goal from the beginning. Not only are we exposing people to video games, we're also ushering in a whole new generation of people to the symphony," he says.
Tallarico says the most popular soundtracks at a show are Mario, Zelda, Warcraft, Final Fantasy and Halo. They've scored 40 songs, but can only play about 20 in a show. "Those are our signature songs," says Tallarico.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. show range from $29.50 to $75. In addition to the theatrical stage and pre show, selected audience members actually play a game on stage while the orchestra provides the music.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
