Sonic Anniversary Symphony going worldwide

I went to the NYC showing at 3pm with two of my friends...! It was so much fun!! The energy was incredible, a little bit like a convention or something but more focused. Just an outpouring of love and passion for the series there... Much like a con, I even picked up some StreetPasses there! That was cool to see!
I admit, since I avoided looking at the setlists posted online (I wanted it to be a surprise!) I was expecting a little more on the symphony side of things, as that was maybe 1/3rd of the whole show, and the latter half was more of a concert of vocal Sonic songs. Still, I really enjoyed it overall. There was a fun variety of music from across the series, and it really felt like a huge celebration. It feels like we've come a long way from the "self-loathing marketing" era of Sonic; the people who organize this stuff love it just as much as we do!

I can confirm they did that at the NYC showing as well. It was really sweet and made me tear up a little...


As for the merch... I bought the desk mat (which seems very well-printed), the tote bag (which looks...decent, maybe not incredible), and the concert lightstick (which... is cheap and flimsy, and already falling apart, lol). I definitely feel like I overspent for what I got... Oh well.

 

Just caught it in San Diego tonight during Comic-Con. My husband was shocked at how good the music and the hype was!

I loved it and could have listened for hours and hours. My only complaint is that we were missing Sonic Superstars, Bridge Island Act 1 at the very least!

Jun did his guitar thing on stage

 

Not sure if this was mentioned before but they recorded the last gigs in New York, Nakama has been posting some snippets of the soundboard audio on his Twitter. There was conversation of a second album, right?

 

Year 2 has kicked off with new additions such as a Sonic Heroes medley, which includes new Shadow Generations gameplay during the Rail Canyon segment. I’d love to tell you how I enjoyed this new arrangement, but I couldn’t hear it as the crowd in the Apollo was screaming over the music until the end of the song!

Also, to whichever of you bastards cheered for the Shadow Generations trailer
That’s already on YouTube
BOTH times that it played before the pre-show
You’re weird

 

Yeah I was really surprised seeing them go from Dreams of an Absolution straight to Sonic Frontiers Medley. I was also hoping for S3&K Medley to feature arrangements of the proto tracks since it was promoted as a new medley, but it ended up just being the same as the 30th anniversary version.

While I think Never Turn Back could’ve been cut, I think the Frontiers power hour is a great time in the theatre. And honestly, what would they realistically put in place of it? Green Light Ride? Seven Rings In Hand? I’m certainly never getting that Team Chaotix arrangement in either orchestral or rock, it seems.

Also had brief chats with Richard Jacques and TJ Davis while they were signing my poster and both seemed lovely. Jacques said Diamond In The Sky has a special place in his heart of the tracks he’s composed, while I found out TJ is a Yorkshire lass, much to my surprise. Didn’t really get to chat with Shota Nakama, who seemed absolutely rushed trying to sign as many things and snap as many selfies as possible, and Ohtani barely left the backstage exist before being huddled back in again. Still, had a great time overall.

 

Hoping maybe they'll come back to Canada some time soon. By the time I had an itching to go and enough money to burn for a ticket the Quebec show was a week away and a plane ticket would've been $500. I know they're never coming to my city, which sucks, so best I can do is go out of province. I just want that energy of singing Sonic songs with hundreds of losers.

 

For those wondering, the Sonic Heroes Medley was Ocean Palace > Seaside Hill > Generations Seaside Hill (I’d love to tell you specifically what but I couldn’t hear it over all the bloody cheering) > Rail Canyon.

I don’t know whether I’d say those last three songs were an encore. They were always going to play them. They didn’t even leave the stage like I remember them doing in Paris.

 

The Sonic R medley must have been absolutely mind-blowing. Just watched a recording of it and it sounds amazing! Hope you all had fun!

 

I think I preferred the Barbican 2023 concert overall, just because it was such a pleasant surprise, but I really enjoyed 2024's too! The crowd was absolutely wild. My gf tagged along, and she's not the biggest Sonic fan and she kept asking why everyone cheered when Maria got shot, haha.

The Sonic R Medley was amazing and a highlight for me for sure! We also made friends with a Rouge cosplayer who gave us some handmade tickets which was very sweet.

I really, really hope it stays a yearly occurence - as someone that doesn't really get to interact with Sonic fans in offline spaces it's invigorating to just share space with a bunch of people on your level.

 

What was different about the Florida show?

Sonic the Cosplayer built a real life version of the Sonic Underground guitar, and Shota Nakama played it, on Live and Learn, no less.

 

That’s nutty as hell lol, massive respect to everyone involved in Sonic Symphony for being so willing to engage with our…exuberant community.