Unlike other forms of pop culture, video games face an uphill battle in convincing most folks of their legitimacy. Video Games Live, a symphony consisting entirely of video game soundtracks, started out to prove and validate video games as an art form, according to executive producer and host Tommy Tallarico.
“I wanted to prove to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games had become,” Tallarico said. “But I also wanted to create a show for everybody. You don’t have to know anything at all about video games to come to our show and have a greater understanding and appreciation for the culture.”
Video Games Live is now in its seventh year and will be coming to the Strathmore Saturday. For Tallarico, who has been a video game composer for more than two decades, the show represents the realization of a childhood dream.
“When I was a kid, I used to take my dad’s cassette recorder and record all my favorite video games at the arcade, and my home games,” he said. “I’d splice the tapes together, invite my friends over and I’d jump up in front of the television set with my favorite video games behind me. I guess those were the first video game concerts.”
In the intervening years, video game music has grown in complexity and scale. Video Games Live celebrates both the old and the new forms of game music.
“One thing about our show is that you get age differences across the board,” he said. “You’ll get kids who are 10-year-olds who want to hear Mario or Sonic. Then you’ll get 20-year-olds who’ll just die if they don’t hear Pokémon or the stuff they grew up on.”
Tallarico strives for a balance between retro and modern in his set lists. He also focuses on changing up the set list between every show, sometimes asking fans for suggestions.
“We’ve never played the same show twice,” Tallarico said. “I’ll keep a couple of the big hits around, like Castlevania, Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, Zelda. But even then, the Zelda piece we’re playing this year is totally different from the one we played last year.”
Besides changing the set list, Tallarico and his team also explore new technologies to make the show more interactive. For instance, Tallarico mentioned a simulation of Space Invaders used during a past concert in which an audience member became the ship while an orchestra played the accompanying game music.
“We always change up the humor, the comedy,” Tallarico said. “The technology and production changes and will continue to always change.”
Video Games Live will be held at the Strathmore on Saturday afternoon and night. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. for the 2 p.m. show. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. Tickets start at $25.
chzhang@umdbk.com
