Last week my Dad and I ventured into New York to see the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience. With such a long wait between seasons this seemed like the perfect way to get our Westeros fix. Plus, the show does have an epic soundtrack so what better way to enjoy it than with hundreds of fellow fans, a state-of-the-art arena, and some pyrotechnics?
If all of that sounds fun, then the Game of Thrones Live Concert experience is for you, because it was actually way cooler than that. (Yes, there was fire and ice.) We missed the beginning, the catch-twenty-two of security lines at The Garden, but the rest was mightily impressive.
The Music
Helmed by the show’s composer, Ramin Djawadi, the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience included a choir, an orchestra, and a diverse assortment of instruments. And damn did it sound good. My favorites pieces of the night were Arya’s theme and “Light of the Seven”, which was the song from the beginning of season six finale, where Cersei blows up Great Sept Of Baelor.
What I also enjoyed was the way Djawadi took the time in between songs to directly address the audience. Sometimes he gave insight into the specific tune, other times he explained the instruments being used, and prior to playing “The Rains of Castamere” he even joked that the doors had all just been locked.
The Multimedia
While watching extremely talented people perform was a real treat, it was next to impossible to keep my eyes off the giant screens that occupied much of the aerial space. Using footage from the past six seasons, the concert recreated many of the series most iconic moments and also recapped the core characters’ journeys so far via a series of vignettes.
None of the scenes were new, but with the music front and center, it was like seeing Game of Thrones from an all-new perspective. The special effects, locations, and action sequences go a long way in making Game of Thrones what it is, but damn if the music doesn’t do some heavy lifting that department too.
The Atmosphere
If going to see a live orchestra conjures the images of stuffy people in fancy clothes, rest assured that the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience is anything but. In fact, the crowd was quite lively.
Throughout the show people clapped, cheered, booed, and yelled out all sorts of quotes including: “King of the North”, “Shame”, “Hodor”, and “Mhysa”. Sometimes it coincided with the scenes being played and other times it was just out of the blue, either way it was all in good fun.
Overall it was a great night, and well worth the money. Game of Thrones doesn’t do anything half-assed and this was no exception. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going queue up the Game of Thrones’ soundtracks and listen to them on repeat until July 16th. Winter is coming!
