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Five thoughts: Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at MGM Grand Garden Arena (March 25)

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The Iron Throne makes an appearances during the intro of the Games of Thrones Live Concert Experience at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Saturday, March 25, 2017.
Photo: Yasmina Chavez
Jason Harris

1. Currently on a 20-city tour, GOT Live offers fans a chance to re-experience pivotal, fun, tragic and epic moments from the HBO fantasy series—with the immediacy and impact that comes with orchestral backing (in this case presented by the music’s composer, Ramin Djawadi). The show features two, intermingled forms: character pieces, in which the music is accompanied by onscreen montages of important players, and event pieces, in which the music illuminates essential moments. One perfect meshing brought together the Wildlings’ attack on the Wall with a retelling of the love story between former Night’s Watch Lord Commander Jon Snow and Wildling Ygritte.

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience

2. Surprise guest Matt Berninger, the deep-voiced lead singer of indie-rock outfit The National, joined the orchestra for a stirring rendition of “The Rains of Castamere”, which first appeared in Season 2 as the theme for House Lannister.

3. Djawadi, who had never been to Las Vegas before this show, told the crowd planning for the tour took three years. It showed. No detail was missed, from special effects like the pyro mimicking Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons to physical set pieces like the Iron Throne and the Hall of Faces to the stage itself, which provided a separate space for featured musicians, like violinist Christine Wu and cellist Cameron Stone.

4. No individual piece provided more emotional resonance than the epic battle between Snow’s army and the Ramsey Bolton’s troops. As Snow’s little brother Rickon ran for his life, the orchestra played up the terror. As Snow was trapped under a mound of men, the music captured the claustrophobia of impending doom. And as Sansa Stark rode in to save the day, relief arrived on chords of victory.

5. Kudos to the show’s hometown talent. Along with the touring band, the GOT orchestra is always backed by a local choir and local musicians, who play essential roles contributing to the overall power of the night. The Vegas-based singers and instrumentalist should be proud of their efforts, which fit seamlessly into this touring fantasy of a show.

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