For fans of Game of Thrones, the Game of Thrones: Live Concert Experience is an amazingly entertaining, immersive experience that explores the first six seasons of the show and grows anticipation for the final season. Seriously, Stevvi Alexander’s version of ‘Rains of Castamere’ was haunting and lovely. And don’t be afraid to cosplay!
Get there early because there are plenty of things to do before the experience kicks off. There were multiple green-screen photo ops set up around the Verizon Center when I attended in Washington DC, with the opportunity to pose in Meereen or take a short video in the fires of the Lord of Light, amongst other locations and activities. The Iron Throne was also on display (roped off unfortunately), along with some costumes from the show.
Once you take a seat, the stage itself is awe-inspiring. Split into three main sections, one holds the orchestra that provides the live music alongside some of the most emotional moments in the show. The middle section has smaller stages that branch off, resembling a bridge, and at least one has a platform filled with water that performers zealously stomped in, causing water to go flying.
Frequently, things came up from the floor of the middle section of the stage and the large screens playing clips from the show were situated above this section. It was also a perfect space for providing movement during the concert, most notably when revisiting Cersei’s walk of shame and a line of women in nude colored clothing walked from the orchestra across the stage and even down into the section where the high-dollar tables sat.
#GameofThronesLive is a must-see concert experience! pic.twitter.com/7bhGdxRKCD
— NERDOPHILES (@nerdophiles) March 2, 2017
The final stage off to the side opposite of the orchestra was similar, but allowed for up and down movement of the stage platform, as well as the screen above the stage. At one point, the stage raised and the screens helped form a weirwood tree that dropped actual leaves on the audience. The screen also dropped on more than one occasion, encasing performers behind a see-through screen to match the scenes playing out.
When the North was shown, paper snow fell from the ceiling onto the audience, when dracarys was uttered, fire shot up from the stage and down from below the screens to echo the attack on the Sons of the Harpy, and when the penultimate scene of season six was shown, wildfire erupted around Ramin Djawadi as he played solo.
It’s clear that Ramin Djawadi is proud of the show he’s been able to put together on such a massive scale and his love and appreciation shines throughout the entire concert. The carefully crafted stage, as well as the unique and amazing instruments that were brought along or made specifically for the show were sights to behold. After introducing his band that travels with him, he also revealed that on each stop of the tour they work with local musicians and choir groups to fill out the rest of the performance.
The concert itself focused mainly on the Starks, the Lannisters, and Daenerys’ journey throughout the series. It was a mix of montage clips that went along with certain pieces of music, focusing on the Starks in the North or Daenerys gathering her army, amongst other stories that spanned the seasons. There were also full scenes played along with the audio as the orchestra provided live music, including the Battle of the Bastards scene in its entirety.
And with the inclusion of the screens above each of the three stage sections, it means there’s not a bad seat in the house – except maybe the most expensive floor seats. The bar tables nestled in between the middle section of the stage and the smaller stages branched off of that appeared to put the stage about shoulder height with people sitting, making for a great experience to crane your neck and stare at shoes. Likewise, the folding chairs around the stage with the moving screen and platform seemed too short to not have to look up the entire concert. There were smaller screens provided near all of these seats to, I assume, assist with viewing what was happening on stages they couldn’t see.
That might have been my biggest gripe had I spent that much money to sit on the floor. Instead, I was about eight rows back in the raised stadium seating of the Verizon Center, maybe 100 feet from the stage and centered and that was perfect seating. It provided a view of all three sections of the stage, as well as the screens, and the action on the floor. Seriously, there’s a lot to look at all the time, even if you’re ignoring the clips playing on the screen.
Found the Iron Throne at #GameofThronesLive! pic.twitter.com/eLrxBkazqk
— NERDOPHILES (@nerdophiles) March 2, 2017
After an emotional journey through the first six seasons and after Ramin Djawadi and the rest of the performers received a standing ovation, the show closed with a rowdy rendition of ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’ with an accompanying In Memoriam clip that included everyone – and I mean everyone you may or may not have known had names. It was a great way to end the concert and leave the audience laughing.
Game of Thrones fans will not be disappointed by the Game of Thrones: Live Concert Experience and if you have the opportunity to attend the event at a venue near you, definitely go! Find a concert near you!
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