The “Distant Worlds: Music from ‘Final Fantasy’” tour arrived at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 24 with a concert featuring music from the “Final Fantasy” video game series. Not only is this year the 35th anniversary of the franchise, but it is also the 15th year the orchestra has toured globally.
Under the baton of conductor Arnie Roth with music curated by “Final Fantasy” composer Nobuo Uematsu, the orchestra and choir took listeners on a journey across the series. Roth said that they were excited to be in “the best place in the world tonight,” before beginning this performance for fans to gather and celebrate their love of the series.
Also in attendance were members of developer company Square Enix, along with “Final Fantasy XV” composer Yoko Shimomura.
Many attendees arrived dressed in “Final Fantasy” T-shirts, with some people even coming in cosplay as some of their favorite characters. As the hall darkened for the start of the show, widespread laughter spread across the audience when the music began as the screen opened to a green, pixelated field with footage from the first game in the series, marking how far the series has come since it began in 1987.
Throughout the performance, the audience became increasingly engaged with the music and game visuals projected on screen. The first half of the program centered on the first six “Final Fantasy” games (the 2-D pixelated classics). They chuckled when the ostrich-like chocobos made an appearance on screen while the orchestra performed a playful tune and cheered when the character of Sabin from “Final Fantasy VI” suplexed a train to the sound of blaring French horns.
The opening performance closed with a medley of “battle themes” from all six original titles, culminating in thunderous applause when the iconic victory fanfare was played.
Following the intermission, the lights once again dimmed, and a spotlight shone on a newly added choir that joined the stage. The audience waited in anticipation until the silence was broken by the choir chanting “Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec” as they began the iconic “Liberi Fatali” from “Final Fantasy VIII.”
The second half garnered cheers for some of the most well-recognized pieces from the series, ranging from “Aerith’s Theme” from “Final Fantasy VII” to “You’re Not Alone” from “Final Fantasy IX.” The crowd’s applause was especially loud for “Torn from the Heavens” from “Final Fantasy XIV,” a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) with more than 39 million subscribers worldwide.
The concert ended with an emotional performance of “Suteki da ne” from “Final Fantasy X,” with original vocalist Ritsuki “RIKKI” Nakano making a guest appearance on stage. Credits rolled to the tune of the main theme of “Final Fantasy,” but before the night ended, the audience called for an encore.
Following “Zanarkand” from “Final Fantasy X,” the lights of the hall flashed red as the choir stood and began “One-Winged Angel,” the iconic theme of Sephiroth, the fan-favorite antagonist of “Final Fantasy VII.”
With a triumphant “Sephiroth!” from the choir, the concert came to a close. Attendees posed together in cosplay outside the theater while some lined up to buy vinyls and other merchandise.
Lifelong “Final Fantasy” fan Ryan Ovid attended the concert and spoke about his experience with the series.
“I guess it’s many things… It brings peace to my life,” he said. Whenever I have hard times I play games and ‘Final Fantasy’ is one of them.”
The performance allowed new and old enthusiasts alike to experience the series in a new, exciting way. In coupling visuals of some of their favorite moments from the series with live music, they revisit or discover the distant worlds of games played and games unexplored. Regardless of their progress through the series, fans could experience the thrill of reliving their favorite moments in the company of fellow fans.
“Distant Worlds: Music from ‘Final Fantasy’” performed at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Calif. on September 24, 2022. They are currently on a world tour and will be performing across Europe for the next few months. Learn more about “Distant Worlds” at https://ffdistantworlds.com/.