While The Clone Wars second season premiere debuts tonight, a second major Star Wars event is also making a debut of sorts, although it had a one night head start on Clone Wars — yup, Star Wars: In Concert opened its US tour last night at Anaheim’s Honda Center in California, and continues with a second performance tonight (that’s a double-hit for fans attending the concert and taping the Clone Wars premiere at home!)
Last night, thousands of audience members got to witness a brand new Star Wars experience for the first time in the US, one that included not only a live orchestra and choir conducted magnificently by Dirk Brossé, but also synchronized footage from all six Star Wars movies beaming from a huge high-def LED super-screen, a recorded intro by Vader voice actor James Earl Jones, and a brilliant series of introductions for each musical piece performed live by actor Anthony Daniels, who was able to thread the sequence of scores into a singular narrative spanning Episodes I-VI (in that order). Oh, and there were a few lasers and pyrotechnics thrown in for good measure.
Photo by David Iskra
While the narrative unfolded in episode order, the selected musical pieces roughly followed chronologically as well, but not exactly. For the Star Wars audiophiles out there, here’s the themes in the order played:
Star Wars Main Title
Duel of the Fates
Anakin’s Theme
Moisture Farm
The Flag Parade
Across the Stars
Battle of the Heroes
The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)
Intermission
The Asteroid Field
Princess Leia’s Theme
Tales of a Jedi Knight
Cantina Band
Yoda’s Theme
TIE Fighter Attack
Luke and Leia
The Forest Battle
Light of the Force
Throne Room/End titles
Photo by David Iskra
In addition to 18 memorable selections from all six Star Wars scores, there was an expansive exhibit of original Star Wars costumes, props and artwork on display in the venue’s round-about lobby, which actually threatened to make a good portion of the audience miss the first few minutes of the opening score. The exhibit captivated so many upon entering that many seemed torn between staying in the lobby or entering the theater. In addition to the exhibit, members of the 501st and Rebel Legions were on hand for photo ops with fans, and at least four stands stocked full of exclusive Star Wars: In Concert memorabilia kept several eager collectors busy through the start of the performance.
The performance itself is fully-immersive: Anthony Daniels first sets the tone of the piece to come by placing it in the context of the saga as a whole. Daniels, incidentally, was the perfect choice for this role, not only because his character — C-3PO — has seen the events of the entire saga unfold, but because the actor delivers a riveting performance. On stage, the 3-story high-def screen projects the film footage with utter clarity, surrounded by a halo of low-res screens to enhance the tone of the imagery (this is most effective when Tatooine’s twin suns are displayed around the central footage of scenes taking place on the desert planet). Additionally, there are lasers, jets of steam, and even balls of fire thrown above the stage, most effectively during the Anakin and Obi-Wan duel on Mustafar for “Battle of the Heroes”.
The orchestra and choir, displayed front and center under a wash of light to complement the footage, is of course the centerpiece to the presentation, and the reason Star Wars: In Concert enjoyed a sold-out performance on opening night. Savvy fans are pretty familiar with the magic behind the movies, but rarely do we get to witness first-hand the magic behind the music.
For more information about Star Wars: In Concert, visit the official site here, and also check out our image series over at Flickr.com.
Tags: Celebrities, Star Wars in Concert
KCTS says GM place van 22nd 23rd of june 2010
but its not listed anywhere on ticketmaster………..
i also really would love the show to come to vancouver bc, all of us really want to go!
Hey Vancouver, BC Fans…
I just channel searched after the ‘nuks OT loss to the Kings tonight, and came across the preview for this show on KCTS9 as part of a fundraising effort.
The show IS COMING to Vancouver, GM Place, June 22nd & 23rd. I just dropped $250 (yes…$125/ticket, but how I could pass the chance to take my son to this???), and the tickets will arrive shortly. KCTS9 # is 1.800.443.1999, but don’t know how long the offer will last – they are 1st come…
Is a tad weird though – Vancouver is NOT mentioned on the website, nor is the concert appearing at the GM Place website calendar. I’m gonna call Monday to confirm…Fingers crossed – otherwise KCTS owes my $250 back!!
Good Luck…
I have been going crazy trying to figure out what is going on. I have sent emails to KCTS, asking if they are the only ones selling tickets, and they dont know. I called Ticket Master, and they have no clue, all they know is, the show is coming to lots of canadian cities, but Vancouver is not listed as one. I have email sent directly to the shows website asking what the deal is. I mean if there are later dates in other cities and those tickets are on sale, it makes no sense. It could be that GM Place is holding off until the Canucks lose the series to the kings to book the date.
This was sent to me a few minutes ago for all those who want to know:
Travis — PBS has an exclusive set of tickets prior to our public onsale. You can always donate and get access to those seats. Concert goes onsale around month’s end. Watch our site for details — the date only appears when the public can purchase tickets — not before.
Best,
DB
David Barber
Phones:
323-954-7510 x20 desk
213-718-7100 cell
Email: d.barber@dcpublicity.com
Skype/Twitter: daydayb
Davidson & Choy
4311 Wilshire Blvd.#402
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Please bring this event to Vancouver, BC CANADA!!!!
Finally Announced on ticketmaster.ca !!! Whoot Whoot!!!
June 22 & 23!!!
In case you didn’t know yet…Star wars in concert is coming to GM Place, June 22 and 23. Check it out http://www.starwarsinconcert.com. Just got great seats at Ticketmaster!!
I love how the last 8 comments are from Vancouver….and so is this one. I bought tickets. GM place! Very excited. I got second row…don’t know if thats a good idea or bad one. We shall see.
the family pack tickets are awesome – out of principle i wouldn’t spend a hundred dollars for a childs ticket to ANYTHING, so these are a great alternative to breaking the bank.
my boys are insanely excited (star wars fans, just like daddy!)
i am really excited about star wars in concert its coming to boise idaho this week in less than 2 days on the 20th of june its predicted to be one of the largest fan events to hit boise since the 501st came here for a boise idaho star wars celebration we celebrate star wars all the time here in boise idaho well atleast i do i have loved star wars ever since i was old enough to speak so about 1 or 2 and i freaked out the first time i saw the first 3 star wars trilogy/saga films it was insanly awesome i am 17 now and am still a diehard fan and will be for the rest of my life.
Just saw it in Spokane at the Arena and it was awesome. Great seats, lots of lighting shows and great orchestra and not the least, great on screen stuff. If you get a chance – GO!
When will Star Wars in Concert return to Vancouver BC ? I’d love to see this …..