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The six years it took for Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy to return to Singapore certainly felt like sixty, given how the world was brought to a standstill with the pandemic in the last few years.
That long wait was finally over on the 6th of October 2023. And it was worth it.
Naturally, the crowd and queues were packed at the Star Performing Arts Centre while waiting for the show to start. Hordes of like-minded Final Fantasy fans filled the space, all decked out in T-shirts sporting their favourite numbered game from the franchise.
Queues for both the merchandise and photo-taking section featuring standees of the iconic cast of characters for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth were equally packed, which simply alluded to the overwhelming hype and love the community has for this franchise. Cosplayers also showed up at the concert dressed up as iconic characters and provided another avenue for photo opportunities (much to the chagrin of the crowd control staff, perhaps). Needless to say, I was overjoyed simply to be among fellow Final Fantasy nerds.
But of course, this was only the prelude to the main event: the music itself.
Simply put, it was 2 and a half hours of pure aural bliss, performed by the talented Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, and led by Grammy Award-winning conductor Arnie Roth. The music featured a finely curated assortment of iconic tunes from the various games in the series, much to the fanfare of the crowd.
Once we settled into our seats, the lights dimmed and the sonic journey to, ahem, distant worlds was underway. In the spirit of classic Final Fantasy, we were greeted by the orchestra with the always-iconic “Prelude”, as if we were booting up the game and taken to the main menu. That serene harp lead will always give me goosebumps, especially on the live stage. It was accompanied by flashes of the titles of the mainline games so far, all the way up to XVI, released earlier this year. It certainly felt like a nice, nerdy walk down JRPG memory lane, and I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear throughout.
Things took a sharp, more intense turn when it transitioned to “Those Chosen by the Planet” (Final Fantasy VII Remake), with the loud crash of the drums synchronised nicely with the descent of the legendary villain Sephiroth on the massive projector just behind the band. The cutscenes were edited very nicely to the timing of the music, which certainly gave any characters that featured on the projector (Sephiroth most of all, arguably) much greater weight and gravitas, and elicited tons of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd.
Once the introductory pieces were done, Mr. Roth and the orchestra turned to face us with a formal, albeit smiling, greeting. The tone was set for the rest of the show, as we were peppered by a never-ending onslaught of the most incredible tunes from one of the most beloved video game series to exist.
Over the course of the concert, various sections of the orchestra took turns to shine in the limelight. The string instruments came to life most especially in pieces like “Phantom Forest – Phantom Train” (Final Fantasy VI), where the monk Sabin was pictured suplexing the titular monster train in comic fashion. The percussion section took centre stage in the more light-hearted “Chocobo Medley”, with the mallets harmonising nicely with the iconic yellow bird waddling away on the big screen.
The wind instruments breathed life to the intensity and calamity of Zidane and his comrades narrowly escaping being petrified at the Evil Forest with “Festival of the Hunt” (Final Fantasy IX). The choir sent chills down my spine with the vocal-only intro to “Liberi Fatali” (Final Fantasy VIII). Last but not least, the iconic piano intro to “Zanarkand” (Final Fantasy X) gave us goosebumps with its melancholic melody, drawing the entire audience to let loose a collective moan of cathartic satisfaction.
So masterful was the orchestra in bringing these memorable songs to the live stage. But that was not all, as we were met with a couple of guest vocalists who were met with even more fanfare.
Susan Calloway of Final Fantasy XIV fame gave her all in her soulful rendition of “Eyes on Me” (Final Fantasy VIII), arguably one of the most iconic love songs in the entire franchise’s history, as well as “Dragonsong” (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward), an incredibly powerful, tear-jerking ballad sure to melt the hearts of even the most steely people among the audience.
Making an appearance was also the sweet, gentle-natured RIKKI, whom many would know as the singer of “Suteki Da Ne” (Final Fantasy X). Like Calloway before her, RIKKI sounded even better on the live stage, and we were all left craving more after having heard her siren-like vocals echo across the theatre hall.
The best part about Distant Worlds is that it doesn’t just celebrate the “greatest hits” of the Final Fantasy series; it also puts the spotlight on some of the more “robust” (in Mr. Roth’s words) pieces in the games’ massive discography. The upbeat “Stand Up” (Final Fantasy VII Remake) was one such piece, turning the vibe of the theatre into a cabaret with its show-tune-style melody, which was a really cool way to change things up.
Over 16 pieces were played throughout the show, and by its end, we were still wanting more. And in sublime fashion, the Distant Worlds orchestra sated our hunger with the final piece for the day: the legendary “One-Winged Angel” (Final Fantasy VII).
With the advent (pun intended) of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launching in February, it was only fitting that the show was bookended with music from arguably the most popular Final Fantasy game of all time, with its most iconic villain of all time. No one would complain at the sight of Sephiroth bearing down on us from the big screen, while the choir belted his name. It was the perfect way to end the night. Cue standing ovation.
As a lifelong Final Fantasy fan, it was a dream come true to finally attend Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy. There wasn’t one second where I didn’t enjoy it. That said, however, I do wish the setlist did include music from all the games. All the mainline games were featured at least once, with the exception of XII, XIII, and XVI. It’s understandable that the latter was omitted from the setlist since the game was only released a few months ago. It is a shame, however, that the former two didn’t get a chance to shine this time around.
Hopefully, the wait for the next instalment of Distant Worlds won’t be another six years away, because I am stoked to experience the magic all over again.
