Funny Mom Blog contributor Heather went to the Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions concert at The Greek Theatre (all opinions are her own)! Check it out!
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Thanks to The Funny Mom Blog and Desiree Eaglin, we made our way to the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park in Los Angeles to see Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions. Cool, right?!?
Ok, so I was one of those moms that, after months (and then years) of Pokémon this and Pokémon that when my now grown kids were young, just started tuning them out because I just didn’t get it. I am not a gamer. I could not for the life of me remember all of the characters’ names. I could not remember the special skills of each of the Pokémon, the names of their trainers or even why they were battling. I was not a good Poké-mom.
My older kids still have most of their Pokémon cards and I’m pretty sure at least one of them still has his Nintendo DS and Pokémon games. I’m betting, after seeing this show and how part of the audience brought their games with them and played along, he still sneaks the DS out and plays for a bit…at least now and then. I bet he doesn’t realize that he knows all of the songs too.
Pokémon for my older kids was not just a game. It was a movement…a different world they could escape to where their decisions really had an impact. They not only had to choose just the right Pokémon for the situation,they had to battle for and trade Pokémon to ensure they had what it’d take to win!
Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions gave me an inside peek at the adoration my kids have for Pokémon and how it spans such a wide age group. The audience was multi-generational, although there was a sea of twenty-somethings that knew every song to every part of the game, that oohed, awed, hissed, groaned and cheered loudly as the battles unfolded. This is the world they grew up in.
The show started at the very beginning when Pokémon was pixel characters in a pixel world. The twenty-somethings knew these songs by heart and the orchestra belted them out with a sizzling energy. After the intermission, Pokémon was into an era that my little guy related more to and he could not contain the need to move to the music.
It amazed me how much the game changed technology wise, but how the draw of the game to its’ fans hasn’t wavered over time. As the game was played out on the screens both above the orchestra and on both sides of the theatre, I realized how the music really set the mood of the game.
Once the show had made it through to the latest and greatest game version and the music stopped, the audience was on their feet begging for more. And more is what they got! Now, usually there is not a lot…or any…singing at a symphony. However, voices were raised loud and proud when the encore performance included the Pokémon theme song! The last song of the night was a true finale; the final score from the last game and it was just beautiful.
I guess I never really took the time to listen to the music in the games. I watch the cartoons with my youngest, but I think I missed out on part of my older kids’ world. After seeing how enamored the audience was, I know that I’ve been missing out on how much Pokémon really meant to my kids. I might have to sit down with all of them and REALLY try this time around. Maybe this will be one of those secret code type things that bridges the gap between my older kids and my youngest.
Thank you so much to The Greek Theatre for bringing such great shows like Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions to our lives. They bring us so much more than listening pleasure in a gorgeous setting. I think this one might just help our family connect even more!
Head on over to see when the Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions concert tour will be in a town near you!
