I’ve always been curious about attending an orchestra performance for video game music, but never ended up going through with it. A lot of my favorite series, from Nier through to Sonic the Hedgehog have done them over the years, but I just never ended up justifying the travel costs when they were outside of my city or the ticket costs when they were a little too premium. When the team for the Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert invited me out to see their performance in New York City as part of the US leg of their tour, I figured it was the perfect time to finally see what I’d been missing out on. Now, I haven’t played Black Myth: Wukong at all, but despite not having an attachment to the game or its music, I had an incredible time seeing the sounds of the game brought to live on stage.
The Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert is making twelve stops throughout the summer and into the end of November, but only two of them were in North America, including the show I attended at Carnegie Hall. Future dates remaining will take the concert to Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Berlin.
Image credit: Game Science Interactive Technology Co.
It was easy to tell that there was a lot of love and excitement for the concert and its performers coming to the Big Apple – from the front entrance to the concessions hall to the massive indoor auditorium, Carnegie Hall was packed with people attending the show. This was my first time at Carnegie Hall in general, and I was in awe at how gorgeous it was. The layout and architecture added an extra layer of grandeur to the night that really helped make this feel like a premium experience.
While I haven’t played Black Myth: Wukong, I’m very familiar with the Chinese legend it’s based on and the pedigree of the Chinese studio that developed it. Even without any familiarity with the iconic songs or moments from the game, the two hour concert was so easy to appreciate thanks to the absolutely stellar performances and rare opportunity to appreciate so many unique Chinese instruments live. The familiar sounds of the Hollywood Film Music Orchestra mixing with the work of several accomplished Chinese folk musicians had me gripped throughout every song.
Image credit: Game Science Interactive Technology Co.
A screen behind the stage projected clips and cutscenes from the game throughout the night. A lot of this was built on compilations of boss battles and 3D in-engine cutscenes, but my favourite moments were when the multi-media animated backstory scenes from the game played. Some of these were 2D animations, others were stop-motion, but they were beautiful to watch and the songs that accompanied them were often the most impactful ones of the night.
By the end of the performance, and after a lightning encore that had the audience leaping from their seats to applaud, I was left with a huge appreciation for a soundtrack that I had never given the time of day to prior to that night. It was clear how much care and dedication everyone involved in the performance put into it, and I couldn’t have had more fun watching it. Hopefully I’ll return to Carnegie Hall again soon, and maybe it’ll even be for another wonderful Black Myth: Wukong performance.