As you may know, other than a Zelda fan, I’m also a musician. As such, I enjoy video game music in a deeper way. Of course, music from any Zelda game is no exception and is what I consider one of the greatest masterpieces in video game music history.
This being said, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I first heard about the Symphony of the Goddesses series of concerts, even more when I found out there would be one in my country, Mexico. For Hylia! I had to go! So at the first chance I had, as soon as the tickets went on sale I literally ran to get mine. Now imagine me holding the ticket above my head and spinning it with a “DA NA NANAAA!!” fanfare in the background. No, I didn’t really do that, but I sure felt that way. It was more than a year before the concert, but I was ready and anxious, counting each day until the big date.
The day finally came on September 2013, and I made my way to Mexico City, a 13-hour bus ride that was worth every cramp trying to sleep on the terribly small seats for a 6’2” guy. It was my first time there all on my own, but I knew how to get around the gargantuan city by myself.
I was so happy with my hat, I could almost hear it talking to me.
The first thing I did after dropping my bags at the hotel was visit the local technology mall, a place full of video game and anime stores, where gamers and geeks of all kinds gather to play together, attend events or enjoy some Japanese food. While I was there, I saw an Ezlo hat from The Minish Cap, and I knew I had to buy it. I didn’t have much money, so it meant I wouldn’t be able to buy much more, but it didn’t matter. I was so happy with my hat, I could almost hear it talking to me. I also bought a t-shirt with the Royal Family emblem. I didn’t have a Zelda shirt because back then as that kind of apparel was hard to find in my hometown.
After my shopping spree I went back to my hotel to get ready for the concert; took a shower, put my Zelda t-shirt and Ezlo hat on, and made my way to the subway to ride the crowded train to the venue. And so the concert began…
There is something really special about listening to your favorite game tunes live, like watching them grow from an 8 or 16-bit chiptune or MIDI melody into a fully orchestrated piece of auditive joy. The chills I felt with every note, even with the first one of every piece, when you recognize the chord and go “Aaaah! It’s (insert song name here)!!”. Of course, the visual accompaniment in the background serves this purpose as well.
I remember seeing a familiar group of triangles spinning towards the center of the screen while a harp played a downwards progression. The A Link to the Past piece was beginning!! So many tears of joy were shed then, reminiscing every melody as if it was the first time I listened to them. Even now as I’m writing, I can’t help but feel that very emotion, as if I was there again, both at the concert and at that Christmas almost 20 years ago when I first played my favorite Zelda game ever.
The concert ended, but everybody was eager to hear more. “¡Otra! ¡Otra!”, the crowd chanted as the orchestra walked off of the stage — it is the Spanish way of saying “Encore!”. We all knew something was missing. Then, the musicians returned to their positions. Everybody knew was coming. In the screens before us appeared the ominous image of a spinning mask… Majora’s Mask! The crowd went crazy, screaming and whistling, one last piece of auditive sweetness for us to rejoice in, and what better way to end it all than Majora’s Mask.
I left the venue still unable to believe the glory of what I had just witnessed, I went back to my hotel and slept as happy as I had never been before until then. Early the next day I returned home, another long bus ride but I didn’t mind, I was happy and I had a great story to tell and a blessing from the Goddesses that would last for ages.
