Qui-Gon Joe Jun 16, 2016
So being that I'm spending a bit of time in Japan this summer, I was able to attend one of the BRA BRA Final Fantasy concerts with the Sienna Wind Orchestra at a venue in Ueno Park on June 4.
Set list, completely out of order because I don't remember and neither did the friend I was with. All these were played... in some order:
Battle 2 Medley, Cosmo Canyon, FF1-3 Medley, FF4 Main Theme, Battle on the Big Bridge, ...whatever the Beatrix battle theme from IX is called (Something to Protect?), Man with the Machine Gun, Seymour Battle, Moogle Theme, Chocobo Theme, Kefka's Theme, Zanarkand, Gold Saucer, One Winged Angel, Aeris, and the FF Main Theme.
I think that's all of them. Overall it was one of the most FUN game music concerts I've ever been to. Uematsu came out at the beginning and informed us that we were supposed to act like crowds in not-Japan act at concerts and actually react and interact and applaud. He ran around the audience getting people to shout "BRAVO" and it appeared he gave them some small trinket for doing so.
Once the concert got started, the performance was really quite good. It's interesting hearing normally string-heavy stuff done with this type of group. For the moogle theme, one of the percussionists taught the whole crowd clapping, knee slapping, and foot stomping rhythms to do along with the music. He actually dressed up in a moogle costume for the actual song.
A few of the pieces were done by small groups apart from the main performers. Specifically Kefka's Theme, Zanarkand, and Gold Saucer (the last of these was particularly cool because it was an all-recorder performance).
SPEAKING OF RECORDERS, I did not know this before going to the concert, but people were encouraged to bring recorders or other instruments to the concert and there was sheet music on the website to download. This allowed anyone in the audience who brought a recorder to play the FF Main Theme when that happened. Then for the final encore, the chocobo theme, anyone who brought an instrument was allowed to GO ON STAGE and play with the band. This was actually pretty spectacular and unique and there were more people than I've ever seen on stage before with a huge range of instruments from tambourines to saxophones to electric guitars to violins.
Anyway, super fun concert! Also I like the second CD! Also I enjoy quite a bit off of the concert-exclusive album of random wind performances: http://vgmdb.net/album/58526