Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony, 31st Anniversary Symphony Incoming

The new art from the symphony:


https://mobile.twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1407821365009211397

 

Remember that time when Mighty and Ray were obscure characters from an arcade game with a limited release right at the start of the series' history, and that one Knuckles' spinoff for a console virtually nobody bought? I absolutely love the one of the most enduring impacts that Mania had on the series was the reintroduction of those two. I know it's really insignificant, but it really make me smile to see them alongside the Classic cast as though they've always been important and didn't just get a comeback as DLC only a few years ago.

Plus it's just delightful art of all the characters on display.

 

Classic Eggman is arguably the most well-designed character of all time. Every time there's art of him looking like that with that massive grin it's just completely perfect.

 

I've never really understood why Sky Sanctuary is *the* song that keeps being used as the one to represent Sonic 3&K (see also Gold disc with SA2 10th anniversary birthday edition).

I don't hate the tune, it's fine, but it's not top tier S3K. Would have preferred a symphonic rendition of Big Arms.

 

I'm almost amazed (and a little bummed) that stuff like that got in, yet CD's original OST + Chaotix were completely snubbed, but even though they feature some of the most loved tracks of the series and are probably my personal favourites I know not everything could've fit in/adapted to a live setting well, like others have mooted.

I can't begin to imagine the amount of heart and talent that went into the stream, and though I didn't catch all of the event, seeing so many elated by something like this is never not a very nice thing. To say people generally expected them to play a few classic tracks and then use it as a vehicle for Colours Ultimate, I'd call this a rare recent resounding success for Sega's management of Sonic.

 

That’s likely because it seems to have been Katie’s passion project that she’s been working on for over two years. I reckon it was about celebrating the series as a whole since its inception rather than promoting any single game, hence the deep cuts and the entire segment of Ohtani/Crush 40.

Just seems to me like this is something conceived by somebody who’s a fan first and an employee second.

 

Finally had the chance to catch up on this - great stuff. Got chills from hearing the orchestrated pieces from the classics - the couple of MS/GG tracks really surprised me! Loved that it covered a huge range of games of all eras, too. Great stuff!

Interestingly, although DC footage was used for Sonic Adventure during the orchestral segment, DX footage was used during Crush 40's segment... except for the clips from the intro, which actually seem to be from whatever original source they used for the intro in DX, rather than from the game itself. How can you tell? Simple - in the footage shown, Gamma has no number on his body just like in the AutoDemo; however, even without seeing it full res the cropping and colour depth give away that the footage used definitely isn't ripped directly from the AutoDemo itself. In the final DX, the first shot of Gamma is a later render which seems to have been dropped in from another source (as unlike the rest of the intro it seems to have been accidentally run through a deinterlace filter despite being progressive footage, meaning its vertical resolution is halved compared to every other shot), and the second shot just had a makeshift number hastily plastered over the top of it which didn't match the DC intro's at all. So this definitely cements my existing suspicions that they (mistakenly?) reused a higher-res render of the AutoDemo-era intro when creating DX, which they still apparently have in their archives to this day!

 

I really loved the Symphony - I'm glad I watched it live last night because trying to rewatch/relisten to some of it today is kinda ruined by the constant youtube ads every 3 or 4 minutes. Lots of bits stood out but in particular I was delighted to see some Sonic 06 representation! Especially that My Destiny orchestration, it really pulled on the heartstrings.

 

I got a chance to listen to it last night, but not live. I was grinning like an idiot throughout the entire thing and basically everyone close to me, in ear shot or on Discord, was hearing about it.

I hope I've only convinced them to listen to it later, because Katie did an amazing job putting this thing together, and all the people behind the scenes did too, and it was amazing and they deserve the listen.

Also the bit with NiGHTs? Any excuse to slip that in, eh?

 

I got nothing to add that wasn't already said there.
The whole thing was great, and the Live and Learn segment at the end was nothing short of phenomenal. I shed a tear, but can you blame me? Such an heartfelt reprise.

 

I absolutely loved it! Echoing what people said about different parts of the set taking them back to different points in their lives. Very much the same for me. Ohtani's band had no right to go as hard as they did, those cover version of Reach For The Stars and Endless Possibilities were just magical. The Crush 40 set took me right back to the Summer of Sonic days and I genuinely had a tear in my eye remembering how happy I was then. Not that I'm not happy now but god damn, having a Summer of Sonic to look forward to ever year where you get to see everyone again and enjoy fantastic performances like that in person... I miss it so much.

 

Eh, to be fair they did let us know what we were in for. But they absolutely obliterated my expectations (which were already high) for sure!

 

If formatting breaks on this omegapost, no magic gemstones in the universe will save this site from me.
Made some timestamps for those who don't wanna bother downloading!

 

The part at Chemical Plant where the music got all dramatic and Sonic's counter went down had me at the edge of my seat like it was from a movie lol. I even clapped when he made it out alive.

The footage that backed the orchestra was really well edited, I hope they release it in HQ on youtube at some point without the cuts to the Orchestra. Bet there's a lot to appreciate.

 

My favourite part was when they used the Sonic 3 save select to represent Sonic Jam, when Jam has original tunes of its own they could've used.

By that logic they could've had a Sonic Generations medley too.

 

I'm dying for an iTunes release of this...

 

Yes omg what a joy this was to listen to. I know it's a little sacrilege but I was playing the new Mario Golf with that in the background. Just a beautiful trip through essentially my life growing up with Sonic.

Like I said in the other thread, my ride has been anything but consistent, but at least Sonic's always been there for me

 

So my thoughts on this whole thing since I've had a chance to process.

• First and foremost, I'd say this concert touched on nearly every single aspect of the series and fanbase in one way or another. Falk adding in his BTS arrangement of Tails' theme (with some revisions) was a pretty sly tribute to the fan gaming scene and I'm certain Katie and the other organizers were in on it. The modding (and I suppose you could argue the hacking scene by extension?) was tributed by the use of Exant's Chao Camera mod and the fact that it was properly credited is probably a more significant legitimization of the scene than even hacks were in the Steam Genesis collection.
• Game Gear titles were a nice surprise and the selections there were probably the best the 8-bit games had to offer.
  
• First near-cry moment was probably Sonic 2's ending theme, and honestly if it's in the 2nd movie then I WILL cry. Chemical Plant was an interesting arrangement musically since it's not really a track I'd think of when I think orchestra.
• Sonic Into Dreams was such a neat point in the show. NiGHTS' theme just needs orchestra and this was such a beautiful rendition that had me smiling like an idiot. The Data Select theme for Jam one could argue isn't really a Jam track, but it's so tied in that the moving mood of it melted my heart.
• It Doesn't Matter was another near cry moment for me, especially when they have that build-up to the climax. It's at the core of the character and they captured the triumphant feeling of it well.
• My Destiny was probably the point where I was most likely to shed tears. Say what you will about 06, but that theme was already so beautiful and nostalgic sounding that the orchestra and violin soloist just intensifies it. Following it up with Solaris Phase II was such a brilliant move.
• Good renditions of Unleashed, Lost World, Forces, and Colors. Those tracks were originally built for orchestra overall, so it was a good fit. Infinite's theme was interesting and I honestly think it should have been his 3rd battle theme rather than what was in the actual game.
• Ohtani's band is definitely on everyone's radar now. It's a neat synthy and pop-y alternative to Crush 40 that I think a lot of people are going to enjoy. Sega has a tradition of composers forming bands like S.S.T. and I'm glad this new band is kinda following in those footsteps. I look forward to seeing where they go. Apparently the latter half of Reach for the Stars is indicative of what they're doing to it for ultimate and I can't say I'm upset by that.
• While I'm not an uber-fan of Nate Sharp, I was pleasantly pleased by his inclusion. There's no way they could've gotten Jaret Reddik back to sing it and apparently his cover of Endless Possibilities is very popular so it's a good fit. I'm pretty sure Tony Harnell would've returned for another round of City Escape, but Nate handled that one pretty well too.
• Crush 40 killed it as usual. I will agree that Johnny's energy would be more suited for the stage, but this is just his natural energy given how he's been a rock star in one form or another since he was in his teens. He must be doing something to improve his voice because while it doesn't sound as smooth as it was in the early 2000s, it's nowhere near as rough as it was during his live performances in the late 2000s early 2010s. You can tell he loves this community so much, and it's so generous of him to donate so much time to us even outside the symphony.
• Saving Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, the Storybook games, and I guess CD (it's my pipe dream to hear Pastiche sing it live) for Crush 40 to play was a good move. That era was just dominated by their presence and it wouldn't be the same with the orchestra playing those songs. I will say it was a missed opportunity not to do What I'm Made Of, but it may have been pushing it slightly.
• Live. And. Learn. What a beautiful finale! For years fans have been trying to do mashups of the original song with orchestral versions, so this new version is probably going to be seen as the definitive version for a while. It's probably the song most associated with Sonic and it was a no-brainer to end on it.
• The credits rendition of Friends was a sweet touch too. Interesting in terms of arrangement as well. Whoever did arrangements of the more pop or rock music really knew what they were doing.

As I said on the video itself, it is the most passionate tribute to the series I've ever seen. It actually seemed to unite the fanbase for 2 hours which is no small feat. I do hope we get some sort of album release for it in the near future, especially on Vinyl if possible.

 

Haven't posted yet despite seeing it live.

9.9 / 10 performance - the only omission as far as I'm concerned is Open Your Heart. Even just the opening riff of it if not the whole song would have sent tingles down my spine - it's the moment Sonic properly 'grew up' (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I don't care - but the opening credits sequence of Sonic Adventure is going to be forever seared into my soul as ultimate hype)

EDIT: Ignore me - I'm an idiot. It was perfect in every way