(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Video game composers, Tommy Tallarico (Advent Rising, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Earthworm Jim) and Jack Wall (Jade Empire, Myst III: Exile, Splinter Cell), and Clear Channel Music Group have teamed together to launch Video Games Live, a tour that wraps up audio, video and the concert experience into one.
Produced by Tallarico and Wall's Mystical Stone Entertainment LLC, promoted by Clear Channel Music Group, and booked by the William Morris Agency, the national tour launches July 6 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Video Games Live features music from some of the biggest video games performed by top orchestras and choirs across the country combined with video footage, lasers, lights and live action to create an explosive and unique entertainment experience.
Some of the top game franchises and music are being showcased including Mario, Zelda, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Warcraft, Myst, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Medal of Honor, Sonic, Tron, Tomb Raider, Advent Rising, Headhunter, Beyond Good & Evil(, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, EverQuest II and even a classic arcade game medley featuring games from Pong to Donkey Kong. World class orchestras accompanied by a choir and selected soloists will perform against a backdrop of state-of-the-art video and laser sequences, which are being specially designed for each of the game vignettes with some segments adding live characters on stage.
"Fans of video games are going to be amazed at what we have in store for them,” said Tallarico. “Never before has the music of video games been presented on this scale. Live entertainment is about to evolve. Video games have become one of the most thrilling and electrifying forms of entertainment in the 21st century. We intend to capture that same excitement level to help create the ultimate celebration of video games for everyone to enjoy."
"Video game music is not bleeps and bloops anymore. People are absolutely shocked when they hear this music," stated Wall. "This music represents a true art form. The success of this tour will demonstrate to the world that video game music can command the attention of gamers and non-gamers alike."
Following the Hollywood Bowl launch, Video Games Live will travel Red Rocks in Denver; Chastain Park in Atlanta; and Tweeter Center in Boston, among others.
"The partnership between our company and Mystical Stone Entertainment will produce a blockbuster tour and unparalleled fan experience," said Brad Wavra, touring vice president for Clear Channel Music Group. "There are millions of video game fans in the US, who know and love the games, music and the entire scene, and we believe they will flock to this event."
There will be an additional segment in the show where selected audience members will compete against each other and play a video game live on-stage. The game will appear on a massive screen while the orchestra plays the music and follows the action in real time.
"You don't have to be into video games to experience the music, intensity and excitement that this event will offer," said William Morris agent Marc Geiger, and a co-founder of Lollapalooza. "I believe Video Games Live will impact entertainment in the same way that Lollapalooza radically changed the landscape of alternative music and the concert event experience." — Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
