There’s no adulation like nerd adulation

On Friday night Chris took me out for my birthday and, to his glee, he took me completely by surprise. I had no idea where we were going, and even when we joined the end of a ridiculously long queue, which started in what looked like an indoor sports dome and snaked its way around a frozen park and down the road, I still hadn’t clued in.

In the car on the way there, I thought maybe we were going to a classical music performance, but when we arrived and I had a peek into the building and saw lights and a big screen, I dismissed that idea. I also noticed immediately that the average age of the others waiting in line was probably around 22 years, which usually doesn’t spell classical music.

We were too far away from the building once we got in line, so I couldn’t see any posters, and I don’t often pay attention to what bands are playing in town, not being a real live music enthusiast. I figured it was a concert of some kind, but really had no idea what, since Chris and I have fairly divided music taste. I couldn’t imagine him sitting through a concert of music he hated, and the only bands we share a fondness for would have needed a much bigger or much smaller venue. When I asked him for some clues, he made a face that indicated maybe this was going to be more of a present for him than for me. Sneaky bugger…

When we got up close I finally saw a poster, but it still took a moment to sink in. It was only when I saw the guy in the doorway handing out free copies of the 14-day-trial version of World of Warcraft that I clicked. My first instinct had been right, and yet so wrong. We were going to see “Play! A Video Game Symphony“.

I was SO excited! I have been listening to orchestrated tracks from the Final Fantasy video game series for over ten years, and the programme listed Final Fantasy’s fantastic composer, Nobuo Uematsu, among those whose compositions would be played. The concert even began with a fanfare composed by Uematsu written especially for this tour.

Throughout the evening we were treated to orchestrations from Nintendo’s Mario series, Sonic the Hedgehog, Chrono Trigger, Guild Wars and even a fantastic Commodore 64 medley added just for the European portion of the tour (the Commodore 64 wasn’t as popular in the USA). While each performance was played, the screen at the back of the stage showed images of gameplay, and in the cases of game series’ it showed the evolution of the graphics over the years.

I was a bit concerned when they announced the final three pieces, and Final Fantasy was not among them. A guy behind me started twisting around in his seat and whispered urgently to his friend, “What the hell? What about Final Fantasy?”. I began to think there would be a riot if the show ended without it.

But of course, the encore was “One Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII, and it had the entire audience on its feet, screaming and clapping with the kind of enthusiasm only nerds can show. How wonderful that a room of more than 500 people with an average age between 18 and 25 could get so excited about classical music. My stomach was in knots and I believe I even had a tear in my eye. Did I mention that Final Fantasy VII is, in my opinion, one of the greatest RPG’s of all time? Don’t know what an RPG is? Look it up.

Anyway, what I really loved about this evening, despite the disappointment that they didn’t play the whole FF medley, was watching the faces of the people around me as each one heard the beginnings of whatever their favourite game music was. The bursts of applause as each nostalgia-filled Commodore 64 moment came back to us showed how much this music forms the soundtrack to the lives of gamers. There truly is no adoration like nerd adoration and it’s beautiful to watch, especially when you know nerds as well as I do, and know how emotionless and/or critical they can sometimes seem.

And so I have to say a big THANK YOU to Chris for knowing me so well, and finding the perfect way to treat his nerdette to a perfect night out for her birthday. I have to love a man who loves the nerd in me.