Video Games Live hits London on November 25th
by Jennie Lees 
{ Sep 11th 2006 at 8:02AM }
Those of us this side of the pond may have been reading the various Video Games Live tidbits with a detached air of mild interest, but finally we'll be able to get in on the musical action. The concert of videogame music will be hitting London's Hammersmith Apollo on November 25th, and tickets went on sale last week. We'll be there, so watch out for the Joystiq t-shirt amidst the crowds; now, if only the concert would do a UK or European tour for those of us aware that London isn't the only city on this continent.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JonFitt @ Sep 11th 2006 9:14AM
Sounds good. I'm glad we haven't been overlooked.
Ashley Allen @ Sep 11th 2006 9:17AM
They should atleast put a show on somewher central to the whole country if they are only doing one! Birmingham?
Michael Rodda @ Sep 11th 2006 9:34AM
Got my Tickets ! Got my Joystiq T-shirt ! here i come ! :D
Chrysis @ Sep 11th 2006 9:40AM
Myself and James from RPG-TV will be there too so if any of you Joystiq bloggers or any readers want to get together and have a few drinks before and or after and play some multiplayer DS etc then make your voices heard :) would be great to meet you all.
dsub @ Sep 11th 2006 9:54AM
I'd be there...if I didn't live in Columbus, Ohio.
Too bad this isn't being televised at all. My HD cables channels usually have obscure stuff like this on. It's never live though.
On another note...I have a feeling this is going to be a slowww news week in the world of gaming. With TGS/X06/Nintendo Event happening this week and the rest next week, any big annoucements or news stories will be held over until then. Dammit. Now I'll have to figure out some other way to pass the time while I'm waiting in between classes on campus. Perhaps I should splurge and get a DS.
32_Footsteps @ Sep 11th 2006 10:01AM
It's not a question of whether VGL can be convinced to add mainland European tour dates. It's whether or not VGL can convince conventions taking place in mainland Europe to host them. They're vagabonds, begging conventions of various stripes to host them because they don't have the sense to be able to schedule a tour for themselves.
Dr.Swiss @ Sep 11th 2006 11:43AM
Wan't this co-created by Tommy from Electric Playground?? That show should be on more often. :/
cringer8 @ Sep 11th 2006 12:49PM
Welcome to Joystiq, Jennie.
32_Footsteps @ Sep 11th 2006 2:32PM
Erm... I think you mean "Welcome back", cringer. Jennie blogged on Joystiq for a bit before jumping over to Second Life Insider. I don't know if she's back on Joystiq or if this is just a lark for her, but she's done this before.
cringer8 @ Sep 11th 2006 3:58PM
Thank you 32_Footsteps
I begrudgingly retract my welcome.
Patrick @ Sep 11th 2006 4:25PM
I saw the show earlier this year in Philadelphia.
http://www.themediabunker.com/blog/?p=31
It was pretty good, but I found that the performance I saw had a bit too much prerecorded backup music for my tastes.
GSI @ Sep 11th 2006 5:36PM
Oh shut up 32_footsteps. Do you have something against this concert or something?
sockatume @ Sep 11th 2006 7:37PM
I finally move away from Kent, and this happens. Figures.
32_Footsteps @ Sep 12th 2006 11:50AM
Well, that was mature of you, GSI.
What I have is a decent memory. I remember two different tours with dates being cancelled. I remember spiking three different articles on the show because they couldn't get their act together. I remember full-page ads for a show that wasn't going to happen in my paper (not just any paper - the Boston Globe). I remember friends involved with conventions complaining how VGL spammed everyone associated with the convenion, begging to hitch onto their events.
I'm fully supportive of people who can actually put together an event - I have full respect behind both PLAY! and Dear Friends. But VGL is just Tommy Tallarico being an egomaniac. It's already failed twice, and exists only on the mercy of convention organizers at this point. I'd rather just support something like PLAY!, where they have a track record of actually pulling off everything they promise.
Tommy Tallarico @ Sep 12th 2006 12:44PM
Hi Everyone!,
I'm glad that most of you are excited about us coming over to the UK. I hope to meet all of you in person on November 25th!
I have a few answers based on some of the comments above...
To 32 Footsteps: Yes. You are correct that we've had to reschedule some shows in the past (Boston included) but I hope you can appreciate that putting on something as new & unique as this is a challenge task. It's difficult sometimes to explain to people how incredible video game music is. Both Play! & Dear Friends have also cancelled shows. Another thing to keep in mind is that the rescheduling of shows had nothing to do with the VGL creators and staff. It was not our decision but the promotors at the time. Since then (summer/fall '05) we have been completely on our own and putting on shows strategically around the world. One at a time (as opposed to a 6 week tour that noone had really heard about or knew what to expect).
To address your other comment that we ONLY hook up with conventions... this is also not the case at all. In fact our biggest show so far (Hollywood Bowl '05) had over 11,000 people in attendence. We've recently put on shows in Seattle, Vancouver & Houston with no convention attached. In fact, our Houston show sold out 5 days in advance and saw over 1,000 at the venue try to get tickets on the day of the show only to be turned away. I'm not sure why asking conventions if they would like to partner with us should be constrewed as "begging"?? We've put on successful shows in Philadelphia, Chicago, Indianapolis, Toronto, San Jose, etc.. and have been with big conventions. We like to do this because it gives an opportunity to people who are from smaller cities (who travel to the convention) to also enjoy game music.
Even the show that this thread is about (London) has nothing to do with a convention.
I hope you don't find my answers confrontational at all. It's not my intention. Its just disheartening sometimes for our team to pour so much time, energy, heart and passion into VGL only to have some unfortunate misinformation spread around the internet.
To Patrick,
As previously mentioned in this Joystiq post/thread: http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/03/video-games-live-starts-damn-in-3-hours/
The information in your blog is innaccurate. Probably due to a simple lack of communication and misunderstanding.
Thanks everyone. Please feel free to ask any questions about the show. We really appreciate the support and interest.
Tommy Tallarico
GSI @ Sep 12th 2006 9:21PM
@ 32_footsteps:
I said what I said b/c you whine and bitch about VGL and everything you complain about is either through someone who had something happen to them, by making up your own reasons on why it was cancelled, etc.
Hate to break it to you but VGL was not created by just Tommy so the fact that you say:
"VGL is just Tommy Tallarico being an egomaniac"
...is 100% false and you can't back it up.
Plus if VGL was so "desperate" and half assed then tell me why concert dates are growing to events all over the world? As cool as the Dear Friends/More Friends concerts were (I was at both), they were very limited. As for PLAY!, it has had less then a dozen performances and by the looks of it isn't growing all that fast (plus most have been in Northeast US.)
So you've had shows cancelled...big deal. The San Diego show last year was cancelled and I had tickets to it. Hell I was going to be driving from work in Orange Country, CA to San Diego...PLUS it was a birthday gift from my g/f. Was I mad? Kinda. Am I holding a grudge and whining like you are? No.
Get over it already.