Fanboys, PR Reps, and the Press stood, for one night, on equal ground. In a night, unified in dignity by the remarkable experience afforded to them by the grace of Nobuo Uematsu. The groundbreaking affair, for some, was indicative of the legitimization of an entire medium of entertainment, for others, it meant much more. For those completely immersed in the Final Fantasy franchise, the night of May 10th was an awakening point. As though a conduit of the soul had crackled to life and through it was sent the artistry and passion of the entirety of the Final Fantasy series.



Speaking as a member of the press, (a luxury I question I should be afforded) I cannot give accurate description as to exactly how the event was handled pre-concert for average ticket-goers. On my way in, I saw lengthy gatherings of people in line to gain admittance to the historic performance, but that was only a passing glance. I was whisked away to a private assembly of high-ranking and otherwise well known members of the industry and press, suddenly, I found myself very much out of place. Decked out in fine forms of dress, I not only felt very out of place, I most defiantly looked it. There were circumstances beyond the spectrum of my control that brought about my lack of formal attire, but those will perhaps be saved for an interesting forum thread, but I digress. Easily the youngest in this striking hall filled with industry veterans, I was overcome with anxiety and a general sense of apprehension toward the whole of the crowd. I was at first troubled with the idea of not knowing anyone else there, as I soon came to discovered, the reality of having no one know me was far worse than my fears held previous. All sitting, all "schmoozing," my fate as the smallest fish in the biggest pond of my life was all but sealed. Self doubt and discomfort became my brothers in arms for the remainder of the "party," However, at one point, an absolutely lovely executive from UbiSoft sat next to me, however my apprehension gave me little to work with in the way of intelligent conversation and the concert began just as that veil of apprehension began to lift. But those feelings should serve only to contrast those brought on by the concert itself, in which, as I mentioned before, made all who bared witness to it stand on equal ground.





As the crowds were escorted to their seats, the Los Angeles Philharmonic took theirs, as did the Los Angeles Master Choral. The majesty of the auditorium itself took the crowd at first glance. It was truly architectural art, both functional and stunning in nature. Above the audience hung numerous plasma monitors and enormous projection screens emblazoned upon them all, the azure logo of the concert. As all were seated, the music promptly began. We were treated to "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII as the first composition to be played, very appropriate for a first selection, it quickly set the mood for the rest of the evening. As the first song drew to a close, the crowd was in defined awe of the reality of what they were seeing. At that point James Arnold Taylor, voice actor for the character of Tidus from Final Fantasy X stepped out to welcome the crowd and even schlop a little humor down. He identified what had just played and the next four pieces that were to be played and also acknowledged the conductor as Miguel Harth-Bedoya. The selected titles were led first by "Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X, which provided not only outstanding sound and ambiance, but the large monitors displayed appropriate FMV from the game which really gave the full on experience of what the concert was all about, the blending of different mediums into true art. The remainder of the pieces that followed were equally artful and, though not all displaying FMV (most likely due to licensing issues,) gave the full experience of what Square-Enix hoped to accomplish with this concert. It was wonderful to see the expressions of delight on peoples faces as songs like "Medley" from Final Fantasy I-III played out, and striking to see tears streaming down a beautiful Asian girl's face as "Aeris's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII was performed. The concert continued on from there with very notable pieces from most every title in the series (with the exclusion of Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, and Final Fantasy X-2; the "freak" titles,) James would stop every four songs or and lay down the next few tracks and schlop a little game humor here and there, nothing amazing, but very serviceable and respectful.



In a typical story, the formula is singular and dedicated: conflict, climax, resolution, the story of Dear Friends played out a little differently from said formula. The conflict was really in the choice of musical compositions, of which there are literally hundreds in the Final Fantasy series to choose from. That problem was solved long ago; all the choices were, in my opinion, rock solid. Nay Sayers and jagged edge critics may question a few selections in lieu of more well known material, but the fact of the matter is that the song list they provided was probably the most well rounded and eclectic list that could have been put together. After this "Conflict" was settled came the conclusion. After all the tracks had been played, Miguel came and thanked the audience and crowd, and all were satisfied. The resolution was well impacted on everyone. At that point, they could walk out of the theater having received more than would ever have anticipated, but no more than what they were told to expect. But that was by no means the end of the concert. It was then that James brought out Nobuo Uematsu himself to greet the crowd, which was now completely in the palm of his hand. But, as though he were trying to repay some crucial debt, Uematsu San stirred up the crowd with a rousing speech and behavior that seemed almost uncharacteristic for a Japanese man of his stature. From there, Uematsu San welcomed series producer; Hironobu Sakaguchi and Series Artist From there, Uematsu San welcomed series producer; Hironobu Sakaguchi and Series Artist Yoshitaka Amano. The three of them expressed their gratitude to the faithful audience in their own individual ways and then left.



From there it seemed as though the band was ready to leave, but just as the cheers and applause began to fade ever so slightly, Miguel came back and said. "We'd leave, but we have just one last song to play." Just than the white lights faded out and nothing but red filtered lights and the abyss was shown. A flash across the screen and the familiar antagonist from Final Fantasy VII appeared shrouded in flames, and from there, the encore presentation of "One-Winged Angel" proceeded to blow the top off that concert hall. The song was performed perfectly by the Master Choral and the Philharmonic both, hitting the different notes exactly while singing the bewildering Latin chorus flawlessly. The scenes of Jenova and Sephiroth together on so large a screen with a live homage of "One-Winged Angel" being played was more than enough to break the composure of even the most jaded series fan. This was the climax the audience had waited for, and it put a cap on the evening like nobody's business.



After the concert, Uematsu San took some time to have a little Q & A with the press. One of the more entertaining questions had to do with which Final Fantasy character Uematsu San identified himself with the most, he answered "Zidane" from Final Fantasy IX. I was even able to ask him a question, which was "What do you think of music in video games more oriented to western markets, and do you think a concert based on such games could be as successful as Dear Friends?" His response was long and had to do with an example of a Final Fantasy concert that was performed in Germany, I'm guessing some part of the question was lost in translation.



Dear Friends was a historic concert indeed, and I believe all in attendance left the Disney Amphitheater with that impression in mind. I would like to stretch a very heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful representatives at Square Enix that made my experience possible. It was an honor to be a part of such an event, and I hope to see more like it in the future.