Video Games Live at the Wang Theater
HOLY CRAP YAY VIDEO GAMES LIVE = AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. My throat is actually a bit hoarse from screaming and cheering so much during the performance.
Set included: classic arcade medley, Space Invaders, Final Fantasy piano medley, God of War, Civilization IV, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kingdom Hearts, Tetris, Guitar Hero (Aerosmith: Sweet Emotion, with a guy from the audience up on stage to play the song on Expert mode with the orchestra - he won a prize for getting more than 200,000 pts), Halo2, Halo3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Brothers, One Winged Angel (Final Fantasy 7), and Castlevania for the encore (oh yes, I came).
Also, there were two very special guests: Ralph H. Baer and William Roush, who built the "Brown Box" that was used to play the first video game table tennis match that later was developed into "Pong." I've actually seen clips of them playing this game, filmed in 1968, on retrospectives on video games on History Discovery channel. They played the entirety of this video, and then had Mr. Baer - now roughly 85 or 86, play table tennis on an old prototype Brown Box - similar or identical to the one now sitting in the Smithsonian - against an 8-year-old boy pulled up from the audience.
I have pictures, and I have some surreptitiously-recorded video, but these will have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday, as I am very tired and half frozen. Ashley and I went for food before the concert, and afterwards, split up at Park Street to catch the T home. Only... the Red Line wasn't running due to a fire up near Harvard Square. All passengers had to get out at Park Street - so, after wasting much time waiting around for cooperative trains only to find there were none, and that they were attempting to get the 300 or so waiting passengers onto buses, I said "F This," and started walking. I had no idea where to find the nearest functional ATM, and I had only a dollar on me, which meant that a taxi wasn't particularly feasible, so I ended up hoofing it. Around the Common from the corner of Park and Tremont, down Beacon, up Charles to the MGH t-stop, then up onto the Longfellow Bridge (where I found the sidewalk closed, so had to walk in the bike lane facing traffic and in dark clothes, which is now most assuredly on my list of the 10 Stupidest Things I've Ever Done), past Kendall Square where I WOULD have gotten off the Red Line, and up the final 3 blocks to where I had left my car. It was 12:15 when I got back to my car, although the concert had ended at 11:00. Booooo.
Gaaaaaaaah, this concert was so so so so so fantastic. I have been waiting for a year and a half for this concert to come to Boston, and it was well worth the wait - I just want it to come back soon! Depending on where the next concerts are, I might try to find another one to go to - I think there's going to be one in Jersey coming up soon...? I'll have to look.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
...ok I'm tired. Sleep now.
Set included: classic arcade medley, Space Invaders, Final Fantasy piano medley, God of War, Civilization IV, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kingdom Hearts, Tetris, Guitar Hero (Aerosmith: Sweet Emotion, with a guy from the audience up on stage to play the song on Expert mode with the orchestra - he won a prize for getting more than 200,000 pts), Halo2, Halo3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Brothers, One Winged Angel (Final Fantasy 7), and Castlevania for the encore (oh yes, I came).
Also, there were two very special guests: Ralph H. Baer and William Roush, who built the "Brown Box" that was used to play the first video game table tennis match that later was developed into "Pong." I've actually seen clips of them playing this game, filmed in 1968, on retrospectives on video games on History Discovery channel. They played the entirety of this video, and then had Mr. Baer - now roughly 85 or 86, play table tennis on an old prototype Brown Box - similar or identical to the one now sitting in the Smithsonian - against an 8-year-old boy pulled up from the audience.
I have pictures, and I have some surreptitiously-recorded video, but these will have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday, as I am very tired and half frozen. Ashley and I went for food before the concert, and afterwards, split up at Park Street to catch the T home. Only... the Red Line wasn't running due to a fire up near Harvard Square. All passengers had to get out at Park Street - so, after wasting much time waiting around for cooperative trains only to find there were none, and that they were attempting to get the 300 or so waiting passengers onto buses, I said "F This," and started walking. I had no idea where to find the nearest functional ATM, and I had only a dollar on me, which meant that a taxi wasn't particularly feasible, so I ended up hoofing it. Around the Common from the corner of Park and Tremont, down Beacon, up Charles to the MGH t-stop, then up onto the Longfellow Bridge (where I found the sidewalk closed, so had to walk in the bike lane facing traffic and in dark clothes, which is now most assuredly on my list of the 10 Stupidest Things I've Ever Done), past Kendall Square where I WOULD have gotten off the Red Line, and up the final 3 blocks to where I had left my car. It was 12:15 when I got back to my car, although the concert had ended at 11:00. Booooo.
Gaaaaaaaah, this concert was so so so so so fantastic. I have been waiting for a year and a half for this concert to come to Boston, and it was well worth the wait - I just want it to come back soon! Depending on where the next concerts are, I might try to find another one to go to - I think there's going to be one in Jersey coming up soon...? I'll have to look.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
...ok I'm tired. Sleep now.