Bond. James Bond.

"I'll have a vodka Martini  says the man in the tuxedo as he takes a seat at the bar. "Shaken or stirred?” the barman asks; "Do I look like I give a damn?” - That was probably my favourite line from James Bond in Casino Royale!

Last night I headed back to Roy Thompson Hall for another Pop series concert - James Bond: The Music. Here is the primer:

"Bond, James Bond! Conductor John Morris Russel returns to the TSO to highlight the dramatic music of the blockbuster 007 film franchise.  You'll feel like film's most infamous spy when you hear the cool bossa nova beats and passionate torch songs including Diamonds are Forever, Live & Let Die, and Goldfinger"

James Bond: The Music

Now that I got to hear a bunch of 007 themes back to back my favorite is a toss up between "Skyfall" and "For Your Eyes Only." I may be a bit more biased towards Skyfall only because I watched Adele perform it live at the Oscars not to long ago which was incredible. However listening to vocalist Capathia Jenkins last night, who did a pretty good job on her own with Skyfall, was simply amazing all night. She definitely gave Sheena Easton a run for her money when she sang For Your Eyes Only. Probably one of my favorite Moore era Bond Films - probably because it takes place in Greece and I actually visited Meteora and took a picture of that famous monastery!

Right after the break they did a quick "Spy-Fi" segment including the theme songs from Austin Powers, Mission Impossible & Pink Panther amongst others. Learned that Mission Impossible has 5/4 timing which is very rare in music and difficult to dance too! During Pink Panther the conductor had everyone snap there fingers along and the crowd did a good job keeping on beat. It really showed how awesome the acoustics are in that building.

As always the TSO put on a great performance. Conductor John Russel was super enthusiastic about the performance and his Bond history lesson along with his witty comments between songs was a lot of fun. Vocalist Ron Bohmer was also great - having to change singing styles as much as his outfits throughout the night.  This must have been tough but it did show some versatility in his singing abilities.  Capathia Jenkins however definitely stole the show with each performance more powerful then the next. She was superb!

As always a great time at Roy Thompson Hall and the Pop Series.

Here is the setlist:

James Bond Main Theme
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Thunderball
For Your Eyes Only
Dr. No (Suite)
Tomorrow Never Dies
Surrender
From Russia with Love
Diamonds are Forever
Live and Let Die

Intermission

Soul Bossa Nova (Theme to Austin Powers)
Johnson: The Avengers
Peter Gunn Theme
The Avengers
Mission Impossible
Pink Panther
Theme from Shaft
Skyfall
Licence to Kill
The Look of Love
You Know My Name (from Casino Royale)
Nobody Does it Better

Encore: Goldfinger

John Morris Russell, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Ron Bohmer, vocalist

A Merry TSO Christmas!

Last week the wife and I did our yearly ritual of heading down to Roy Thompson Hall for a Christmas concert featuring the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.  Last year we saw the TSO perform with the Canadian Brass which was great!  This year featured narrations by Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie for two of the numbers, "Twas the Night Before Christmas' and "The Twelve Days of Christmas".  You may remember him from the show 'Who's Line is it Anyways".

What made the Twelve Days of Christmas so special though was the play they did a long with it including young children acting out each of the 12 days and a full Scottish marching band with you guessed it... 12 drummers drumming and 11 pipers piping!! Wow did that sound fill the room.

Colin Mochrie!

 

11 Pipers Piping & 12 Drummers Drumming!

 
As always carols were sang at the end including Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithfull and Joy to the World.

This concert always makes for a great evening out!  Oh and if you are looking for some good eats before the concert...may I suggest "The Stockyards."  They serve some awesome RIBS 2-3 days a week...and they go fast!

Here is the programme:

Programme:

Tyzik: A Christmas Overture
Tyzik: Gesu Bambino (with Ji Soo Choi, violin and Daniel Hass, cello) 
Newsom/Tyzik: Winter Wonderland
Arr. Tyzik: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rag (featuring John Rudolph, xylophone)
Williams: Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
Adam: O Holy Night
Arr. Fry: O Come O Come Emmanuel
Arr. Fry: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Bass: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Anderson: Sleigh Ride
Arr. Tyzik: Chanukah Suite
Hayman: The Twelve Days of Christmas
Arr. Tyzik: Holiday Sing-along

• Jeff Tyzik, conductor
• Colin Mochrie, narrator
• Etobicoke School of the Arts Chorus

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Ocarina of Time!

Back in the 1998 for whatever reason I visited my cousin's home and for the first time saw the game "Zelda - The Ocarina of Time" for the Nintendo 64. I was so impressed I went out that week to Toys R Us and purchased the N64 Entertainment system...I had to have this game! The game was unbelievable with most gamer magazines giving it a perfect score. I played it so much that my wife (GF at the time) pretty much memorized all the melodies in the game and could hum and sing along the soundtrack while working on a puzzle or reading a book...she's not much for video games...music a different story.

Symphony of the Goddesses

A few years later I found a copy of an orchestral recording of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack and to this day still have a listen. The whole Zelda score was composed by Koji Kondo a sound designer / director employed by Nintendo and who's known for not only his work on Zelda, but the Super Mario Brother series as well. Probably the most memorable melody in the game is "Zelda's Lullaby" Check it out here:

Anyhow a few months ago my wife found tickets (was a difficult task) for the showing of "Zelda - The Symphony of the Godesses" a concert dedicated to the 25 year history of the Zelda franchise held at the Sony Center for the Performing Arts. The show was completley sold out, filled with a number of fans dressed as Link or other famous characters. For the record I was wearing designer jeans and a nice dress shirt. The concert featured music from many of the different Zelda games along with footage from them played in behind the orchestra. What made it kind of neat was the footage was actually taking from parts of the game that were the most memorable...ie collecting certain items, boss kills or some of the more frustrating parts. The crowd found those most amusing.

For the most part the crowd picked it's moments to be loud and boisterous, and were polite for the majority of the showing.  Shout outs from the crowd, not normal in orchestral shows, were done tastefully and drew smiles from the conductor and members of the orchestra.  However, when the conductor Eimear Noone pulled out the "Windwalker" and used it as a baton to conduct the Windwalker movement everyone went nuts!

Anyhow...I have to say we both enjoyed ourselves. The music was beautifully played and brought back many frustrating memories playing that game.

Here was the programme:

Legend of Zelda Medley
Creation of Hyrule
Kakariko Village
Ocarina Medley
The Ocarina of Time
The Wind Waker

Intermission

Great Fairy's Fountain
Twilight Princess
A Link to the Past

Encores:
 Link's Awakening
Gerudo Valley
Majora's Mask

Another Brick in the Wall...literally

Back in November I secured two seats for Roger Waters - The Wall Live at the Rogers Center for $285.70!!  My wife thought I was nuts (she despises Floyd) and these were not even the most expensive seats....but what I was witness to on Saturday was worth double may be even triple what I paid.  For the majority of the night I was speechless...

On the way down to Toronto my buddy Sven was playing Pink Floyd's "Is There Anybody Out There?" a live recording of Pink Floyd from back in 1980 to prime us for the concert we were about to see.  The first track on the album "In The Flesh" blasted out interrupting the MC as he was introducing the band...the hair on my arms immediately stood on end as the Goosebumps appeared and a shiver went down my spine...

The Huge Set-Up!

I wonder why though?  Why am I at a Roger Waters concert in the first place? My father loved Pink Floyd.  He purchased all the LPs, and I, curious, would check out the album artwork which was always filled with weird visuals...pigs flying...men on fire shaking hands...a brick wall with some very weird cartoon characters on them.  When the wall came out I was 5.  When the movie came out I was 7.  I remember watching it.  Probably bad parenting on my dad's part.  In my late teens early 20s I appreciated them a lot more.  I remember purchasing the Division Bell at the HMV on Yonge St when I was in university and not long after seeing them in concert at the CNE to promote that album.  Even that concert was an awesome production. 

Thec concert starts with a bang!

I was more drawn to their older work with "Animals" and "The Dark Side of the Moon" but rarely listened to "The Wall."  But throughout the concert I rarely missed a lyric...singing along as if I've been listening to the album my whole life.  I turned to Sven at least two or three times and with my jaw dropped.....my only words were "wow....wtf???....wow..." He then turned to me at one point and said "you're telling me...I'm almost in tears..."  I was just in complete awe.

Man-oh-man...what a concert!!!  The beginning had more pyrotechnics then the Symphony of Fire (look that up if you don't know what I am talking about) ending with a world war II fighter plane soaring over our heads and crashing in behind a gigantic wall (the span of Rogers Center outfield) in a ball of flames.

The screen goes Red during Another Brick in the Wall Pt1.

A massive circular screen over top of the band and the wall built up on both sides served as a backdrop for a stunning visual spectacle including footage from current events around the world, animations from the movie and even footage of Roger Waters at a concert in Earl's Court in 1980 in which he sang "Mother" in a duet with himself!  When he sang the lyric "Mother should I trust the government?" the words no, fucking, way appeared on the wall resulting in a massive cheer from the crowd...well done....

The point In between "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Happiest Days of our Lives" where you hear the sound of a helicopter approaching...a huge spotlight blinded sections of the crowd...moving about looking like it was searching for someone.  The roaring sound of the engine and the blades cutting through the air was so loud I thought the stadium was going to crumble.  It totally took your attention away from the massive inflatable school master being formed to stage right which was accompanied by the Regent Park School of Music Choir to sing those famous lyrics "we don't need no...education!"

Kids from Regent Park Music School yelling at their school teacher!

Roger Waters performing Mother in a duet with his
formal self from a concert back in 1980!

A fully bricked up wall...

As the first half of the concert came to an end the wall was completely built up isolating Roger Waters from the Band behind it...a sort of metaphor for Rogers Waters himself being isolated after the death of his father in World War II by his abusive schoolmaster and overprotective mother when he was a child. The remainder of the concert the wall remained and from time to time performers would appear at the top of the wall to join in with Waters who remained by himself in front.  During "Run Like Hell" a massive pig appeared from behind the Wall and made its way overhead floating above the crowd with red eyes glaring.  The later half of the second set was filled with animations from the movie itself...pretty demented stuff...those famous walking hammers, the judge and other sickly creatures all bearing down on "pink" a character from the movie supposedly representing Waters.

Roger Waters decides to take us all out!!

Walking hammers?  What does it mean??

The concert  pretty much came to a close with Rogers chanting, and getting the crowd to do so as well, "bring down the wall" and sure enough with a loud explosion...the center portion of wall crumbled to the ground in what was probably the coolest ending to a concert I have ever witnessed. 

With the lights on the band played appeared on stage left and sang the last song of the night "Outside The Wall"  Sven asked...."hey isn't that the guitarist from SNL??" Sure did look like him...and after some quick poking around the internet it was in fact G.E. Smith...former guitarist from SNL!

Anyhow...the concert was simply awesome.  The 67 year old lead singer was on form....and I truly hope this concert makes it onto DVD since it is definitely one to remember.  Yes Mr. Rogers...just for one day... they built that "Rogers" center just for you...

My concert partner Sven...yeah buddy rock on!

At the end as I was leaving, I thought to myself...man I wish my dad were alive.  To see this with him would have been a real treat.

For some more pictures from the concert check out tmakworlds review of the concert.  His camera was a lot better then mine.  He makes the claim that this was the best concert ever...PERIOD.  I have to agree with him...