{"id":880,"date":"2023-06-16T15:58:42","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T15:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancyepton.co.uk\/?p=880"},"modified":"2024-01-04T11:08:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T11:08:43","slug":"review-hans-zimmer-live-at-the-o2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancyepton.co.uk\/?p=880","title":{"rendered":"Review: Hans Zimmer Live at the O2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some orchestral performances can be a bit bland. Beige, to use a funkier term. Sure, they might not be that bad. They\u2019ve got string instruments, wind instruments, the whole shebang. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s just not quite inspiring enough. If you passively listen to Classic FM enough, you\u2019ll probably get tired of it. If you want to get out of that funk, you\u2019ll probably be looking for something different. A bit extra. And not \u2018extra\u2019 in the bad sense of the word, but just something more<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I was already excited going into the live performance of Hans Zimmer, and my excitement paid off in dividends. I don\u2019t have too much of an emotional connection with The Lion King<\/em> (Judas, I know), but I\u2019ve loved every single musical collaboration Zimmer has done with Christopher Nolan, having watched (and therefore listened to) most of Nolan\u2019s films many, many times (looking at you, The Dark Knight<\/em>). Speaking of The Dark Knight<\/em>, Zimmer\u2019s performance of this particular soundtrack was my number one highlight. The soundtrack is great enough as it is in its original recording, but Zimmer (and all of his accompanying orchestra and musicians, who he made constant, humble efforts to laud and thank) made the composition into an epic spectacle with outstanding strobe lighting with some killer electrics and techno. The overall performance felt like more of a rock show than a traditional orchestral performance, which was much appreciated. While I\u2019ve heard Zimmer\u2019s work recreated with similar orchestral manoeuvres, hearing these sounds on non-traditional electric instruments definitely added a new spark (pun intended) to the mix. Groovy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zimmer\u2019s interludes were also much appreciated. While it\u2019s great to listen to sounds that I know and love rendered in new form, there\u2019s nothing quite like hearing stories about the composition from the mouth of the maestro himself. Having watched a documentary about Zimmer a few days before the event, I knew that he, like Ferris Bueller before him, is a righteous dude. Warm and incisive and engaging, you\u2019d be hard pushed to find a more rounded maverick working in the film music industry today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only slight initial setback was an annoying little [sic] kicking and pushing my seat from behind. Considering that this seat was bought for me as a birthday present by my parents and that it wasn\u2019t exactly cheap, I wasn\u2019t going to put up with that bs. I fired back a few judgemental head turns and hard stares that would\u2019ve left Paddington in the dust, but sadly to no avail. Escalating the situation any further would inevitably involve talking to the father, who would most likely support the [sic] and allow said [sic] to carry on doing what he was doing. And adjacent members of the audience likely wouldn\u2019t help out because they just came to see the show. Fair enough. My friend was gracious enough to swap seats at one point though, which was much appreciated. Not exactly sure why the father let the son attend if he was so uninterested (heck, if I was in his shoes I would\u2019ve lapped this stuff up. Admittedly, I\u2019ve been a massive film nerd from a young age, but still). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We unfortunately had to miss the final tunes to catch the train home, and even more unfortunately missed Zimmer\u2019s marriage proposal as a result. Ultimately I probably could\u2019ve stayed for it anyway, as I missed the penultimate train home (goshdarnit Bakerloo line) and got the delayed midnight one home. Never mind though, it\u2019s all good. Zimmer was awesome. He\u2019s the hero the world deserves, and the one it needs right now. We won\u2019t hunt him, even though he probably could take it. Because he is a hero. He\u2019s a musical guardian, a watchful protector. A white knight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some orchestral performances can be a bit bland. Beige, to use a funkier term. Sure, they might not be that bad. They\u2019ve got string instruments, wind instruments, the whole shebang. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s just not quite inspiring enough. If you passively listen to Classic FM enough, you\u2019ll probably get tired … <\/p>\n

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