Last Thursday evening, I was lucky enough to attend the Final Fantasy VII Remake symphonic concert with my brother, held as part of Distant Worlds. Square Enix reached out and offered me tickets to the concert, and having attended different versions of Distant Worlds twice before in the past, I jumped at the opportunity to go. I’m so glad I did, and I’m here to tell you why you should too, because it’s an unforgettable experience for any fans of Final Fantasy VII and its Remake.
Outside of seeing a few movies, I haven’t gone to any shows or conventions since pre-COVID. Ontario, the province that I live in here in Canada, has been very cautious about rolling back pandemic restrictions and measures. This was my first live show since the prehistoric times of early 2020, and it was amazing to have a small return to normalcy. Roy Thomson Hall checked vaccine passports and required masking, naturally, but being with an audience of people and experiencing the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII Remake together was refreshing, to say the least.
Conducted by the legendary Arnie Roth and performed in Toronto by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Distant Worlds: Final Fantasy VII Remake was simply brilliant. They covered many of the best songs from throughout the Remake’s score, from old favorites like Tifa’s Theme and Let the Battles Begin to new favorites like Jessie’s Theme and a grand rendition of the Honey Bee Inn vocal theme. Each one was performed to perfection, and had me smiling for the entirety of the show.
While the orchestra played each track, relevant (and often perfectly-timed) scenes from Final Fantasy VII Remake were played on a huge screen in the middle of the concert hall, which added context to each performance. It’s pretty pleasing to have something to occupy your eyes as you listen to the beautiful songs, so I appreciated the effort that went into making the videos relevant and interesting.
Every few songs, Arnie would take a moment to speak to the audience. Sometimes this led to fascinating videos from composers of the various tracks as they explained the process of making each track, while other times, he would just chat to the crowd. This added some pleasant personality to the whole show, as Arnie discussed finally being able to tour again, Nobuo Uematsu, and how he’s looking forward to Part Two of Remake. Arnie’s always been a fun part of any Distant Worlds show, even outside of his excellent composing, so I’m happy that he had some time to talk a bit during the show.
A little thing that I was very happy to see return was the teasing of One-Winged Angel. Even a decade ago when I went to my first Distant Worlds, they’d make it seem like they aren’t doing One-Winged Angel, only to save it for after the fake-out conclusion. It’s a tiny thing but it adds to the hype of the best boss theme ever.
Now keep in mind that this is strictly music from Final Fantasy VII Remake. If you aren’t huge on Final Fantasy VII in general, you may be better served going to something like Video Games Live, or the more varied regular Distant Worlds for music from across Final Fantasy. The experience of hearing live orchestral music is incredible, and it’s even more incredible when it’s music that you’re familiar with or passionate about.
If Distant Worlds: Final Fantasy VII Remake comes to a town near you, you owe it to yourself to try to check it out. I was blown away at the performances, and it was a wonderful way to spend an evening. If you’re a Final Fantasy fan, it’s an event you won’t want to miss.
