PlayStationhas captured the hearts and minds of players for the last thirty years and to help celebrate, there’s a live orchestral concert that plays the soundtracks of the games we know and love, around the world. Heading down to London was a pain to experience this concert, so I was hoping it would be worth the trouble.
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A Long Wait for a Wonderful Experience
WhilePlayStation - The Concertis an incredible experience for most of its showtime, it does really stick to the tagline, “Greatness Awaits” a bit too much. At the Wembley OVO Arena, the event says that the doors open at 6:30 pm. My cousin and I decided to go at that time to get settled in. The show didn’t start until an hour and a half later, however, and there’s no notice on the event’s website or the poster that this is the case. The end result had us sitting in these uncomfortable seats for a long time. This is probably due to PlayStation wanting to sell their overpriced shirts at £45. The positive, however, is that we got into a deep discussion about gaming and even chatted to our neighbors.
Once the show finally began, however, it was worth the wait. This concert is special and makes itself stand out from competitors like Video Games Live (which I’ve been to twice). The visuals are an absolute spectacle. Curtains go up and down, layering the video and background like a foreground and background with the musicians in the middle. It felt like a cinematic experience as the concert utilized the beautiful visuals from each game’s environments. Dramatic moments are also shown perfectly on these curtains as the faces of the characters and visual effects flickered in time with the music. Additionally, it’s neat that the musicians on stage get the limelight in these videos as well, showcasing the powerful nature of the instruments they play.
The compositions are beautiful. Hearing the incredibleGod of Wartheme by Bear McCreeryroar throughout the OVO Arena is spine-tinglingly amazing. The vocals present throughout the concert are pristine and some of the best I’ve heard in my life. My jaw was agape at their performances. For theGhost of Tsushimasection, the authentic (and massive) taiko drums boomed throughout the room and the flute that was played sounded beautiful.
Some Sections Could Have Been Shortened for More Representation
Despite how beautiful each composition was, most of the medleys to the main four games presented felt long in the tooth. Some of the battle themes are a bit generic, especially during theHorizonsection which felt way too long. The pacing was a little off in this retrospect. What what was cool, however, is that the concert included one to two songs from other PlayStation titles. Bloodborne’s themes continued after theHorizonseries with its creepy vibes intact and striking visuals on stage. The Uncharted series had a spotlight, fittingly beforeThe Last of Us, and its main theme made the audience scream in excitement.
As previously mentioned, however, the first two generations of PlayStation were bizarrely absent. None of the mascot platformers from the PS2 age were represented, despite Ratchet getting a brief nod in the introductory montage. It was disappointing not to hearJak & Daxter’s Sandover Village theme orSly Cooper’s Paris rooftop music. Additionally, don’t expect Spyro or Crash to be a part of the show, despite their monumental importance in PlayStation history. I guess they’re owned by Xbox now, which is strange to think about.
Another strange absence from the show was the lack ofShadow of the ColossusorThe Last Guardian. They were both shown in a pictorial slideshow before the show for an hour and half, but had no presence in the PlayStation concert itself. Missing out on “The Opened Way” fromShadow of the Colossusfeels like a huge miss as it’s such an epic piece by Kow Otani.
Rather than focusing on four major titles, it would have been better to slightly cut them down to make room for classic soundtracks fromShadow of the Colossus, Gravity RushandJak & Daxter. It feels like we’re only getting representation from PS3 and up rather than the full history of the company.
There are two more PlayStation games that are featured after the main four so watch out for those.
What was included, however, was sensational. Some of the fan-favorites did make an appearance andJourneyis surprisingly one of them. It’s an indie game by thatgamecompany that has a phenomenal score by Austin Wintory. It had a good 8-10 minute representation within the show. The performance by the musicians for Journey’s soundtrack brought me to tears as the pieces within this game are so emotional and nostalgic. The visuals on screen itself also had the Traveler staring at the mountain in a gorgeous render.
Another emotional moment in the concert is when The Last of Us took over the stage. Under one spotlight, the guitarist played the main theme ofThe Last of Usand you couldn’t hear a pin drop within the audience. The visual of the light seeping through the window from the main menu of the first game shook me to my core as well as this beautiful music played. A few minutes later, the audience was completely different, clapping to the country music that plays during the beginning ofThe Last of Us Part 2.The atmosphere in the room was electric.
Don’t Leave Early
Whatever you do, don’t leave the arena until the final note is played. That’s because the musicians treated us to two more songs that fans didn’t expect. These tracks being played live in the orchestra had me grinning from ear to ear. The encore tracks are worth staying around for and I feel bad for those who left the arena early to get to their car or train faster.
Despite the expensive drinks/shirts and the long wait for the show to get started, PlayStation - The Concert is a must-see for fans of the brand. The show is a visual spectacle that’s timed perfectly with the music. While it would have been great to get PS1 and PS2 representation in the concert, it’s a spectacular love letter to the games we know and love, likeUncharted, Ghost of TsushimaandThe Last of Us. The vocalists and musicians are incredible as well, melting my mind with how striking their performance is. They get the love they deserve from the visuals and shout-outs by the hosts, which had the audience clapping. PlayStation - The Concert had most of the audience giving a standing ovation; yes, it was that great.
(Shout out to my cousin Jack Penwell for taking the last three pictures!)
