I know we have a thread about PLAY! already, but I thought this might be worth mentioning in an extra topic:

http://www.play-symphony.com/news.php?full=11

Short version:

Konami's composer and producer Akira Yamaoka will attend the meet and greet at the PLAY! premiere in Chicago and perform on guitar his music from Silent Hill live with the orchestra on May 27, 2006.

[...]

The arrangement features his composition "Theme of Laura" in a special treatment for the full orchestra. His performance is sponsored by Konami.

[...]

Akira Yamaoka will attend the meet and greet together with a group of other celebrity video game composers including Jeremy Soule, Yuzo Koshiro, Jason Hayes and Marty O'Donnell.

Akira Yamaoka live! It will be so good. Congrats to everyone who will attend the concert!

This will be a nice addition, and I certainly can see the value of adding the personal touch with the composer being onstage performing along with the orchestra.

Congrats to Konami for seeing the value behind sponsoring his travel expenses to make shows like this more special.   And to JMP Productions if they had to "twist any arms" to get the discussion going in the first place, heh.

I think they cannot complain about lacking support from the publishers. Electronic Arts is sponsoring two performances of percussionist Rony Barrak as well. Okay, he is no well-known game music composer, but a respected (and probably not cheap) artist from the Lebanon.

Word to that. There goes several hundred dollars. Looks like I'll be taking the train from Boston to Chicago for this awesome event!

...:O

Oh MAN...

What a time to be pinching pennies...

Thanks for the news, though. This is pretty cool!

I was thinking exactly the same thing! I really wish I could be there...

Dear sweet lord, now I'm even more excited for this concert!

From the article:  "Recently, Akira Yamaoka has released his first solo album early this year and also worked on the music for the motion picture SILENT HILL (R) released in 2006."

I thought he was not doing the music for the movie.

He is credited together with Jeff Danna. I guess that they will use many of Yamaoka's tunes from the Silent Hill series, but hopefully he has also composed new music for the movie. I really hope they use the Silent Hill intro music for the intro of the movie and Promise for the end credits.

Now that I think about it, Konami probably sees this opportunity more as a promotion for the upcoming SH movie, rather than a way of showing support for game-music or soundtracks, but oh well it works as cross-promotion both ways.

I'll be there

-Mike

Ditto!   Section 109 Row N Seats 5-6
(for myself and my brother)

I'm in section 109, row N, seat 11. See you there, man!

Nice.  We should all try to meet up after the concert at some cafe or something nearby.  Doesn't Chudah live in Chicago?  Party at Chudah's!!  Yamaoka is invited too, of course

-Mike

Sounds like a fun idea!

So where is everyone from that's going to the show? I'm heading down from Boston. Anyone else traveling a lot to get there?

Me and my two friends will be driving there from upstate NY.  So you beat us Zane, but not by toooo much, heh.

-Mike

I'm from Wisconsin.  Lucky me, only a five hour drive.