Overly Positive

Yesterday’s usual post didn’t show up for good reason – because I was taking advantage of a rare opportunity to hear Final Fantasy songs at the Distant Worlds concert. I’m fortunate that the conductor, Arnie Roth, stakes his home here in Chicago, because this is the second time I’ve seen the concert.

The name of Distant Worlds is a misnomer, a titular song referring to something from FFXI, but the songs and music are anything but. For those who have an affinity towards symphonic music, hearing Nobuo Uematsu’s works played professionally elicits a feeling of closeness to the mood that he was trying to convey over the course of the existing Final Fantasy games. For those who are more Final Fantasy aficionados than they are musicians, the music is a way for people to relive hours upon hours of enjoyable gameplay and epic stories that they have fond memories of.

For people with both sensibilities like myself, however, the power of the songs performed by an orchestra has a double whammy – the appreciate of the nuances of concert performances and the games themselves is something that hits me pretty hard, in a good way. I think people underestimate the power of music – what a song can bring to a game or title or tv show’s mood, overall presentation, and emotive ability. What we take for granted because we may hear it over and over again (or in some cases only once or twice), has a power over us that adds to our appreciation for it. Songs such as “Love Grows”, “Aeris’ Theme”, “Distant Worlds”, and more have a way of highlighting just how amazing Uematsu’s compositions are.

Distant Worlds has apparently confirmed a whole slew of new dates that they plan on announcing on their website – Atlanta, Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, Texas, and more appear to be places where the concert tour will be stopping. If you get a chance to go, you should – it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.