W♥M

Year of the Dragon

Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the year of the Dragon.

Read more When Animals Attack.

Constant Surprises (Little Dragon cover) by Miso Extra Read More Little Dragon The last time we saw Sweden’s Little Dragon was in May 2015 and we said, “I'm happy to report that Little Dragon is all grown up. Since we last saw the Swedish band in November 2009 …

Little Dragon
little-dragon.net

There’s actually a couple of Little Dragon news. The band released Slipping into Color EP on Ninja Tune, and went on a world tour last year with April + Vista (who collaborated with the EP).

Little Dragon (28 May 2015)

The Grammy-nominated Swedish band didn’t play Minneapolis last year, but we did see them in May 2015, and said, “I'm happy to report that Little Dragon is all grown up. Since we last saw the Swedish band in November 2009 (six years ago), the band has grown in terms of sound, stage, and fanbase. With the larger stage of First Avenue's mainroom, the band had custom diamond light setup with a massive backdrop image. Musically, the band is doing more dance club, even tribal, sound. This music appeal to a new larger legion of club music ... only a little more diverse with various ethnic groups.”

Also there is a new Little Dragon cover song “Constant Surprises” by London-based, mixed heritage singer, producer and rapper Miso Extra.

Speaking about “Constant Surprises”, Miso explains, “I adore the band Little Dragon and the lyrics in this song particularly resonate with me as I am often prone to daydreaming. To me this song serves as a beautiful reminder to count my blessings.”

Imagine Dragons invites you to Super Bowl LVIII Read More Imagine Dragons With over 14,000 fans in attendance at Imagine Dragons last appearance in Minnesota, I can tell you that the band has massive appeal to a younger demographic. …

Imagine Dragons
imaginedragonsmusic.com

The Super Bowl is taking place this Sunday. This year, the National Football League of the United States will be in Las Vegas, and they’ve already scheduled Usher to play their much-watched halftime show… much to the disappointment of fans of Imagine Dragons, who actually is from Las Vegas.

That still didn’t stop the band from raffling off two tickets to Super Bowl 58. The grand prize winner (Rebekah M. from Sacramento) won a round trip travel and three nights at a hotel, plus a $500 gift card.

Rebekah wrote, “I donated because I love helping out organizations that have causes with PURPOSE, selfishness of donating towards something bigger than yourself is amazing and you could only hope to spread some love.”

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit Imagine Dragons’ Tyler Robinson Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Thanks to Imagine Dragons and Fandiem.com for organizing the raffle.

House of the Dragon: Season 2 Read More Game Of Thrones With bitterness of the last two seasons of Game of Thrones still fresh in my mind, I wasn’t looking forward to the prequel House of the Dragons… or as the kids are calling it, “Hot D”. Going into House of the Dragons .…

House of the Dragon
hbo.com

In many ways, House of the Dragon made me love George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones again. The last two seasons of the original television show was so awful, it really made people embarrassed for recommending the show to friends.

With HotD, it resets the board. We’re introduced to brand new characters, taking place 150 years before the first season of Game of Thrones. All of these characters in HotD are new to us, and the first season of House of the Dragon, sets up a great story.

If you didn’t know, it tells the story of a king’s children who ends up in a civil war to claim the throne. Each side of the family believes they are the true heir.

What sets HotD apart from Game of Thrones, is that in this timeline, dragons, although rare, exists and commanded by the Targaryens family. We know that after the civil war, that all the dragons died out.

Anyway, we’re excited about the upcoming new season. HotD will be back with Season 2, available sometime this Summer 2024.

According to winteriscoming.net, HBO is currently re-shooting scenes for HotD, mostly indoors filming. They did note, “That said, we've wondered if these reshoots in particular were complicated by the fact that most of the second season of House of the Dragon was filmed at a time when Hollywood writers (and then actors) were on strike. The strikes shut down productions all around the world, but the House of the Dragon shoot was allowed to continue, mainly because the bulk of it took place in England, which is governed by different, more anti-competitive labor laws than is the United States.”

Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Wall Calendar: 50th Anniversary Edition Read More Dungeons & Dragons From the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2 comes a next-generation RPG, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Choose from 12 classes and 11 races from the D&D Player's Handbook and …

Dungeons and Dragons
dnd.wizards.com

With the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons (originally published in January 1974), there’ll be plenty of new 50th Anniversary D&D merch coming in 2024, as compiled by dexerto.com: “There’s plenty of merch coming to Dungeons & Dragons in 2024, from dice sets, trays, and so much more.”

Upcoming releases below:

Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth – 2024

Vecna: Eve of Ruin – 2024

Quests from the Infinite Staircase – 2024

2024 Player’s Handbook – 2024

Dungeon Master’s Guide – 2024

Monster Manual – 2024

Check out all the upcoming D&D merch items below:

Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary Vintage Set: July 1, 2024

Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary Commemorative Set: July 1, 2024

Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary Then/Now set: July 1, 2024

Dungeons & Dragons Shadow Light Dice Tray

Dungeons & Dragons Art Edition Dice Tray: Erol Otus

Dungeons & Dragons Signature Art Edition Dice Tray: Jeff Easley

Dungeons & Dragons Signature Art Edition Dice Tray: Larry Elmore

Dungeons & Dragons Art Edition Dice Tower: Erol Otus

Dungeons & Dragons Signature Art Edition Dice Tower: Jeff Easley

Dungeons & Dragons Signature Art Edition Dice Tower: Larry Elmore

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky/weheartmusic

Sci-Fi-A-I

Read More The Expanse Possibly the best Science Fiction television show on air right now is The Expanse (no, it’s not Star Trek: Discovery). As I previously mentioned, I love this show. In the world of the Expanse, there are three major …

Beacon 23
amazon.com

There is a new Sci-Fi show on Amazon Prime called Beacon 23. The show is based on the short story series of the same name by Hugh Howey. Originally it was meant to air on Spectrum Originals and AMC Networks… but it’s currently on MGM+ (which is own by Amazon).

The show stars Lena Headey, from Game of Thrones. She is a survivor from a spaceship crash and finds herself woken up on a space lighthouse called Beacon 23. The sole occupant named Halan Kai Nelson, but there’s more to his story than he lets on.

It’s a bit of mystery, and I’m not going to give away too much details… but let’s just say that it’s not what you think it is. Halan is locked out of control because of the A.I. malfunction. The Artificial Intelligence is written in a way where it has “emotions”, which is quite odd. Why would anyone program anger and sadness in a computer program?

Update: I’ve just watched Episode 4 of Beacon 23 and have concluded that this show is absolutely no good. The problem with this series is about the AI. Let me tell you, computers should not have feelings or are they children. It’s just dumb. In this episode, the computer is written like it is a three-year-old and it decides to murder someone. This is just bad writing.

Also, while we’re at it, for a space station, why is there only one person living there? Don’t you need a crew to keep maintenance on the space light house? Or how come the computer didn’t know someone was in the airlock? My home camera and sense motion, don’t you think an advance space craft would have basic sensors? It doesn’t make any sense.

If you’re looking for smart Sci-Fi, I suggest checking out The Expanse.

Read More Star Wars It seems like no one is watching Andor… or at least you rarely hear people talking about this Star Wars new television show on Disney Plus. Maybe it’s because fans are tired of Star Wars or maybe they’re just not interested in this weird prequel to Star Wars: Rogue One? …

The Creator
20thcenturystudios.com

Gareth Edwards’ latest film The Creator has gotten positive reviews. The film grossed $103.5 million with a “low” budget of $80 million.

Edwards is no stranger to Science Fiction, having debut with Monsters (a film I own on Bluray) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (easily the best “new” Star Wars film).

Since Edwards was a visual effects guy, he shot the whole film and used visual effects sparingly, which probably kept the budget low.

The story is about how the artificial intelligence (AI) detonated a nuclear warhead over Los Angeles, California, which started a war of humanity vs the robots.

There is a new threat and so the humans brought in an ex-undercover human to navigate the AI’s base.

I won’t give away too much, but the robot’s weapon is not what you think… and their goals are not what you expected.

It’s a simple story, maybe it might have worked better as a television series, where it can explore more on what it is to be human. Are AI really the enemy … or are the humans the true villains.

Read more Television and Sci-Fi.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Elden Ring

Read More Demon’s Souls I was a bit surprise to hear that the 2009 Gamespot Game of the Year went to Demon's Souls. What was so surprising is that the game was hardly marketed here, I mean I didn't really see any advertisement for the game nor did I read any reviews …

Yes, I’m finally playing Elden Ring, the game that literally everybody was playing in February 2022. The game went on sale on disc, so picked it up. I popped in the disc, expecting to play the game. Guess what? You can’t just put in a disc and play the game.

The game required a 50GB download/update. This might be more common than you think, as sometime the game on the disc is actually not complete. For example, if there are cut scenes or files that are too large to fit on the disc, you need to download the missing components. It just basically suck, because you can’t really play games offline.

Having said that, I’ve been offline and playing the Elden Ring game, after that one-time 50GB update. In recent news (as of today): “Microsoft is making it easier to play games on your Xbox Series X, even if it’s offline — as of the 2208 update released earlier this month, you won’t be forced to do an online compatibility check to play a game from an Xbox One disc. Instead, you can just pop the disc in, install the game, and play; no internet connection required.”

That works out just fine for me, as currently I’m only connecting online via my iPhone’s internet connection on Visible Mobile.

As for Elden Ring, playing at first was overwhelming, as the game is open world and you can wander where you like. I like that sort of game play, but I found myself getting killed a lot and I didn’t really understand all the mechanics in leveling up or farming for “souls”. I’ve played other “souls” games, starting with Demon Souls on the PS3, so I’m familiar on how they work. To be honest, I’m surprised that this sort of role-playing/action game is beloved by so many gamers… as they are very hard game. They’re so hard, that I’ve never beaten any souls games. I like playing them, but man, I generally suck at my timing for defending and attacking.

What drew me into Elden Ring is that the software developer, FromSoftware, hired George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) as writer. There’s actually not much of a story, but it’s clear that FromSoftware wanted a Western perspective/writing style to the game to appeal the Western market.

Anyway, I’ve been watching some masters at the game explain how you can level up faster and how they did it. It’s fascinating. You can go from level 1 to 100 in just an hour. There are obviously some exploits, but I didn’t think it was cheating.

Right now, I’m at level 15 and I’m still learning all the basics. I still suck at defense, but I’m enjoying what I already put into the game. From this point, I’m just going to take it easy and explore the world.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Fantasy TV (Sep 2022)

Read more Television and Fantasy TV.

Read More The Sandman The next big title to be given the Netflix treatment will be Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman… it’s currently in development. Everyone is excited about the adaption, and hopefully it will bring the story to a bigger audience. … Constantine The new episode of Constantine is probably the best show so far! The best ones are the ones that is based on the comic book, and this new episode, the whole setup is quite similar to Mike Carey's Hellblazer: All His Engines. .…

The Sandman
netflix.com

It breaks my heart, but I don’t love the Netflix adaption of The Sandman.

I realized that the television show wasn’t meant for me, but for a wider audience that is not all that familiar with the original comic books. You see, I own all the original comics, starting with #1 when it first launched in 1989, when Vertigo Comics was in its infancy. I own all the spinoffs titles (including Death: The High Cost of Living, and various Specials). I am a superfan, when it comes to the Sandman.

So, that’s the problem. I’m just too close to the source material, it is hard for me to accept the new changes… especially, when I think it brought absolutely nothing to the story.

They followed most of the story correctly, making some minor changes to give the Corinthian a bigger role, and overall, the story still follows the books.

What I had a problem with is all the gender and race swaps. I know, I know, most people aren’t bothered by this… but when you are used to a character to look a certain way, you just expect them to look the same on screen.

The biggest changes were Death is played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, a black actress, and John Constantine is played by Jenna Coleman, a woman, Rose Walker is played by Kyo Ra, a black actress, and Lucien, an old male elf librarian is played by Vivienne Acheampong, a black woman.

I know a lot of people argued that it doesn’t matter, but to me, it just didn’t feel like the Sandman from the comic books. I just wondered why they made these changes? For example, if they changed Cyborg, a black character, into a white character, wouldn’t it upset you? Another example, when they decided to make Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe to Asian, I wasn’t happy about that either. I would be upset if they changed Storm Shadow, who is Asian, to another race or gender. Another example, I was really upset that they wouldn’t show Constantine smoking in the Constantine television show... and yes, I was upset that Constantine was not blonde and English in the Keanu Reeves movie. To me, I just don’t like it when they make changes to the characters.

What The Sandman got right, such as The Corinthian, or Desire (maybe they could have gotten both a male and female to play the part!), or all the serial killers… they got it right! I’ve no complaints if they get things right.... Cain and Abel, they look like they’re from the bible. Even Fiddler’s Green looked the part, complete with his costume and glasses. When the show gets a character right, I’m going to praise it.

I guess, when it comes down to it, for someone not familiar with The Sandman, you are going to have a good time. You’re going to love the story of the Sandman, which combines the first two Sandman arcs, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House, into 10 episodes. I think the story still holds up.

Also, don’t miss the bonus episode, a two-parter Dream of a Thousand Cats and Calliope, which are both excellent adaptions. No complaints here, the cats looks like cats, the muse looks like a muse.

Read More Game Of Thrones The Seven Kingdoms come to life in a way like no other as the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience kicked off its all-arena twenty-four city North American tour at the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul. .…

House of the Dragon
hbo.com

With bitterness of the last two seasons of Game of Thrones still fresh in my mind, I wasn’t looking forward to the prequel House of the Dragons… or as the kids are calling it, “Hot D”. Going into House of the Dragons, I realized how much I love the original Game of Thrones (Seasons 1 to 5). That’s because the story and writing is strong, as it’s based on George R.R. Martin’s Blood and Fire book.

The good news is that the book has a definitive ending, so if they are adapting this book, they won’t run out of material, unlike Game of Thrones, where the showrunners were just making it up as they go along (and it shows how poorly they understood the characters).

In many ways, House of the Dragons is making me fall back in love with the Westeros world. Since the story takes place over 150 years before Game of Thrones, there are no familiar characters.

We are introduced to the ruling House Targaryen. The king Viserys Targaryen is facing a problem of not having an heir to his kingdom. He chose to named his daughter, Rhaenyra, as sole heir to spurn his brother, Daemon. This sets up conflict within the Targaryen family.

I think the best part of the show is Matt Smith, who is straight up an evil man. To call him evil might be wrong, he’s more like a big jerk. Smith does such a wonderful job in portraying Daemon, that every time he’s on screen, he dominate. All the other characters are boring compared to Daemon.

I’m only three episodes in, and knowing that HBO has already green-lit a second season, I have a good feeling about this series. I haven’t read the book, so I’m very much looking forward to how the story unfolds, and who will live and who will die, playing the Game of Thrones?

PS, I don’t like how House of the Dragons re-used the theme song to Game of Thrones. I wish it was a different theme song, so that it stands on its own, rather than being related to GoT.

Read More Lord of the Rings The Banner Saga, a game by Stoic, released on Tuesday, January 14th, is one of the best games I've ever played. The graphics is hand drawn and reminds me of Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings and pre-CGI Disney animation. .…

Rings of Power
amazon.com

Yes, I do have Amazon Prime, and no, I haven’t wanted to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power show from Amazon. The show is based on the The Lord of the Rings and its appendices by J. R. R. Tolkien.

One of the main reasons I am avoiding this show is that the diehard fans are ridiculing the show for its terrible writing and that the show is changing race and gender from the books. As someone who was not happy that they gender or race-swapped characters on The Sandman, I fully understand why these fans are upset that the Rings of Power show is getting their characters wrong.

I don’t know the whole story, but I think part of the problem is that Amazon only has rights to some books, so they can’t touch anything that appears in the Peter Jackson movies. They might have to make up characters or introduce a new race that was not mentioned in the books. For example, since the Hobbits didn’t exist in the time that Rings of Power takes place, the showrunners used a race called the Harfoots.

I haven’t read the books, so those kind of things probably wouldn’t bother me, but seeing as so many fans hate all the changes to the books, I am avoiding the fantasy series for now.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Free Games: Control, Hellpoint, and Batman TellTale

Read More E3 It’s E3 week (June 12th-June 15th). The Electronic Entertainment Expo took a break last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s back… although it’s mostly live-streams with some small in-person coverage …

As previously mentioned, it’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) week… so a lot of gaming websites are taking advantage of the event and giving away lots of free games.



>>>
CONTROL (2019)
epicgames.com

I’ve heard a lot about Control, from Remedy Entertainment/505 Games. The game got a lot of positive reviews from critics, and to be honest, I’ve always wanted to check it out. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time, and thought maybe I would just wait for a sale.

When the game was re-released in 2021 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it was met with some criticisms, because it was sold as full price – and fans who already own the original base game didn’t want to pay for it again.

Based on the negative reactions from the Control fans, it did sour my interest in the game and I did put a pause on buying it.

I guess all that waiting was worth it, as currently, the game is free on the Epic Game store. I know a lot of people hate on Epic, saying they’re a bully, saying that they’re own and controlled by China, saying their software sucks (it does!)… but still, despite the jank, at least this company is giving away free games. The rich/powerful Steam won’t (and has never) done anything like this.

Like all the free games, I just log in to claim the game… and when I have time, I’ll install and play it. So if you’re not sure you want the game… why not just claim it now and think about it later.



HELLPOINT
gog.com

I wasn’t expecting it, but my favorite game retailer, GOG (Good Old Games), was giving out Hellpoint for free. To be perfectly honest, I have never heard of this action role-playing game before. It was developed by Cradle Games and published by tinyBuild.

It looks interesting enough, I’m practically fond of RPG, so when I get the time this weekend, I’ll definitely be looking forward to checking out this game.

Perhaps if I like it enough, I might try and get it for the Nintendo Switch.



BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES
twitch.tv

Like many video game fans, I have dabbled in the TellTale games. They basically make visual novels… set to these “choices”. I’ve often felt that none of the choices you make actually affect the game. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I get.

The two games I’ve tried out is The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, both based on popular television shows. After playing the games, I’ve decided that these type of games were just not for me. I find that the graphics are bad and the game engine (called Telltale Tool) is really dated/doesn’t really run that well.

After years of licenses… TellTale filed for bankruptcy in 2018, and its assets were sold to LCG Entertainment… who is still selling these aging games.

The Batman: The TellTale Series is currently free on Twitch, but only if you have Amazon Prime. Since I have Prime, it was an easy free claim for me.

The bad news is that you’ll have to download the Twitch Desktop App to be able to download the Batman game.

vu([email protected]) ♥weheartmusic.com♥facebook.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic

We♥Sports: NCAA Fan Fest and Tip-Off Tailgate - Minneapolis (2019-April 5 to 8)

Read More NCAA After successfully hosting last year’s Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four Basketball Finals come to town for an exciting weekend, whether a fan of college hoops or not. The Final Four is expected to bring 94,000-out-of town visitors …

March Madness descended upon the Twin Cities as the metro hosted its first NCAA Final Four Basketball Finals since 2001, with plenty of other associated entertainment in tow, whether a fan of college hoops or not.

Among the other related activities were the NCAA Fan Fest (open Fri-Mon at the Convention Center) and the Tip-Off Tailgate, an open air area of food, booths, and activities set up along Nicollet Mall featuring a free-to-ride, ten-story high Ferris Wheel.

NCAA Fan Fest is described as a "sports wonderland" and included interactive games, celebrity and athlete appearances/autograph sessions, home run derby, rock climbing, and more. Capital One cardholders and kids 12 were under free and everyone else paid a small admission fee.

The sponsor-heavy exhibit filled the convention center offered numerous photo opportunities, new product tastings, car showings, video gaming, other sports activities as diverse as lacrosse, hockey, and football.

There was a chance to shoot baskets while riding a bucking bronco-like swerving basketball and a pick up medieval caged version of Game of Thrones basketball (?!), culminating in a chance to sit on a replica of the fabled throne chair itself, and one could also view the actual NCAA championship trophy on display. 

With all of the corporate sponsorship involved, it maybe should have been free to everyone, but was likely a fun afternoon for any family with pre-teen kids.

Stepping outside a few blocks away was the outdoor Tip-Off Tailgate area, which filled pedestrian-only Nicollet Mall for blocks. In addition to the Ferris Wheel (which was only a 20min or so, wait to get on), food trucks and booths, product samplings, an outdoor stage and several screens were up, so the crowd could watch the games, happening just a few blocks away at sold-out U.S. Bank Stadium.

NCAA Fan Fest and the Tip-Off Tailgate were fun weekend additions to the city hosting The Final Four basketball games, and a free or low-cost way to spend the afternoon in the fleetingly nice early April weather. The tournament moves to Atlanta and their new stadium, next year.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

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Tip Off Tailgate

NCAA Fan Fest

NCAA Fan Fest

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john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul (20 Feb 2017)

Tour Dates 02/25/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena 02/26/17 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center 03/01/17 Washington, DC Verizon Center 03/03/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre 03/04/17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 03/06/17 Boston, MA TD Garden 03/07/17 New York, NY Madison Square Garden 03/09/17 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center 03/11/17 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center 03/12/17 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena 03/14/17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena 03/16/17 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center 03/17/17 Houston, TX Toyota Center 03/19/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center 03/23/17 Inglewood, CA Forum 03/25/17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden 03/26/17 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort 03/29/17 San Jose, CA SAP Center 03/31/17 Seattle, WA KeyArena 04/01/17 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena 04/02/17 Portland, OR Moda Center Read More Game Of Thrones Game Of Thrones: Season 2 soundtrack is coming out June 19th, via Varèse Sarabande. UPDATE: A couple of inquiries about downloading the song, you can look to The National's official Twitter. .…

Winter is already here… it’s Music that is Coming --

The Seven Kingdoms come to life in a way like no other as the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience kicked off its all-arena twenty-four city North American tour at the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul. 

Headed by score composer Ramin Djawadi who leads an eighty-piece orchestra and choir (with locals from the Twin Cities community and McNally Smith College of Music helping out), the two-set concert was one of the most immersive audio/visual experiences for any cinematic property. 

Based on the HBO series adapted from author George R.R. Martin’s books, the world of Westeros was seen in all its glory through giant center and movable satellite octagonal three-layered telescoping screens, with special 3D designs rising from the stage floor as the orchestra performed musical score highlights from the series' six seasons on a 360-degree stage at the center of the arena.

The large stage was divided into three main parts with runways connecting each- the main stage (called King's Landing) featured Djawadi as conductor with the orchestra and choir, while the opposite end (Winterfell stage) was mostly for choir and also solo performances. In between those stages was a center with four smaller stages often filled with roving instrumentalists (some playing exotic instruments), with each named after different locations from the world of Game of Thrones.

Djawadi's previous credits include his Grammy-nominated score for 2008’s Iron Man as well as Pacific Rim, Clash Of The Titans and Warcraft and he recently worked on HBO’s Westworld, with bits from that score heard during the countdown to the main show starting. 

The first hour-long set started with an exclamation as soundbites were heard through the speakers and a dry ice fog filled the stage, as the iron throne rose slowly to take its place near the center.  Key moments between well-known characters, done mostly chronologically from the TV series, were shown on screens as the orchestra played. 

Early in the show, a violinist memorably ascended a dais on the Winterfell stage as a translucent sheet fell around her, and the encircling video screens above bloomed with images of branches from inside a Weirwood tree as red leaves fell around her as she played.

Everything in the production was perfectly timed as their combining video clips and dialogue would interlace with the music being performed, with sometimes the video muted and only the audio heard. With the pageantry of the roaming musicians, size of the massive orchestra, special effects, and clips played on the screens, it was often a challenge trying to take all of it in at once, in the very best of ways. 

The crowd that filled the arena’s lower bowl was varied—from younger die-hard fans of the show (some in costume) to older couples perhaps interested in the orchestral music, to everything in-between.  The audience was mostly quiet and respectful; not as much as a pure classical concert, but more so than at a typical arena show. 

‘The Rains of Castamere’ from season three (with Djawadi on hammered dulcimer) was particularly gripping, due to the nature of the scenes, with the music further enhancing it.  Scenes from the show would often seem completely refreshed, watching them presented in this massive format with the live orchestra providing the soundtrack. 

After a twenty minute intermission, the second seventy-minute set began, the story picking up from the halfway point of the series, highlighted by the Battle of Castle Black which takes place in season four.   With a song about the North, a virtual snowstorm took place, both on-screen as well as in the arena as blowers sent the white flakes into the air. 

A soloist came out in a tan dress to sing the song that plays during Cersei’s walk in ‘Mother’s Mercy’ as the crowd echoed what was on screen; chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and soon after, ‘The Battle at Hardhome’ would transition directly into ‘Hold the Door’.

A highlight of the second set was undoubtedly ‘Light of the Seven’, bringing to life when Cersei blows up the Sept of Baelor in the series, with Djawadi on the far stage playing a rising and transforming piano as fire spurted from the stage and screens (with lighting turning it green for the wildfire bits) and the heat easily felt from my seat, halfway up the lower level. 

After covering the moments from the show’s six seasons, the orchestra, conductor, and roving musicians, took their bows to a standing ovation, with Djawadi looking especially happy and relieved that it went so well.

“Every flight begins with a fall” Martin writes in the books, but the only miscues this opening night were a couple minor pixels out on one of the octagonal screens and an overly loud hydraulic rising and lowering on the Winterfell stage. 

Things took a merry and whimsical turn at the end, with an encore-like performance of ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair’, with Djawadi strolling about with guitar with other musicians playfully singing, "All black and brown, and covered with hair.”

Spoiler’s Notes- there is no reference to the series’ season seven, set to debut on HBO later this summer, as Djawadi has been so busy with other scores and this show, that he has not yet started work on the new score. 

And, if you are not completely caught up on watching the show (like myself), a lot of the key scenes are shown, and the encore doubles as an In Memoriam segment on-screen, showing all the main characters lost along the way. 

That said, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience was an exhilarating and immersive experience; crucial for any die-hard fans of the show, for anyone that enjoys soundtrack music performed live, and even for the casual fan, as this provides a completely new perspective on the series. 

“The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow” Martin writes in the books- in this case, the live concert can deliver both, in a way you’ve never seen before.

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul (20 Feb 2017)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: February 17, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on February 17, 2017. It’s a busy night!

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Game Of Thrones Game Of Thrones: Season 2 soundtrack is coming out June 19th, via Varèse Sarabande. UPDATE: A couple of inquiries about downloading the song, you can look to The National's official Twitter. .…

GAME OF THRONES LIVE CONCERT
at Xcel Energy Center
Friday, 02/17/17, 7pm ($39.50)
xcelenergycenter.com

Winter is coming! ... well we’re actually in the middle of winter.

As you know, we’re actually big fans of Game of Thrones, and we absolutely love the icon theme song and the show’s soundtrack. Now you can experience it live with Game Of Thrones Live Concert Experience, featuring composer and conductor Ramin Djawadi, is coming to Minnesota this Friday.

Tour dates:

02/15/17 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
02/17/17 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
02/19/17 Chicago, IL United Center
02/20/17 Auburn Hills, MI Palace Of Auburn
02/22/17 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
02/23/17 Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center
02/25/17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
02/26/17 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
03/01/17 Washington, DC Verizon Center
03/03/17 Montreal, QC Various Venues
03/03/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
03/04/17 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
03/06/17 Boston, MA TD Garden
03/07/17 New York, NY Madison Square
03/09/17 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
03/11/17 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
03/12/17 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
03/14/17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
03/16/17 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
03/17/17 Houston, TX Toyota Center
03/19/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
03/21/17 Salt Lake City, UT Maverik Center
03/23/17 Inglewood, CA Forum
03/25/17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
03/26/17 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
03/29/17 San Jose, CA SAP Center At San Jose
03/31/17 Seattle, WA KeyArena At Seattle Center
04/01/17 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
04/02/17 Portland, OR Moda Center

Read More Muna Be sure to show up early to check out Muna and Dilly Dally. We caught the latter in April 2016 and it turned out to be one of the most memorable shows we saw this year. .…

MUNA
at Turf Club
Friday, 02/17/17, 8pm ($15)
turfclub.net

Muna (who was last seen in Rocktober 2016 with Grouplove), is back in Minnesota... this time rocking the Turf Club in St Paul.

The all-girls trio (singer/production Katie Gavin, guitarist/synth Naomi McPherson, and guitarist Josette Maskin) made their television debut last November with “Loudspeaker” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

This is the band’s first-ever headlining tour to support About U, so catch them now while they’re under the radar. They’ve already sold out several major cities, so they have already built a good fanbase.

Opening for Muna will be Los Angeles’ Lo Moon (on their first American tour). The trio (ML. CB. SS.) has been heavily promoted by KROQ and NPR Music.

Tour dates:

2/13 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
2/14 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
2/16 The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
2/17 Turf Club St. Paul, MN
2/18 Subterranean Chicago, IL
2/20 The Drake Hotel Toronto, ON
2/22 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
2/24 Brighton Music Hall Boston, MA
2/25 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, PA
2/26 DC9 Washington, DC
6/3 Governors Ball New York, NY
6/15-18 Firefly Music Festival Dover, DE

Read More Austra Toronto-based artist Austra (featuring main singer/songwriter Katie Stelmanis) will be making a stop in Minneapolis on September 1st at the Triple Rock Social Club. .…

AUSTRA
at Triple Rock Social Club
Friday, 02/17/17, 8pm ($16)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Austra is back in town, touring in support of her new album Future Politics.

Future Politics is described as a collection of “urgent, disciplined anthems for dance floors and headphones alike”, is probably no way inspired by the recent Donald Trump presidency.... unless the record is dark and scary.

The Range (aka James Hinton) to open. He previously opened up for Phantogram in October 2016.

Tour dates:

February 13 | Holocene | Portland, OR *
February 14 | The Crocodile | Seattle, WA *
February 17 | Triple Rock | Minneapolis, MN *
February 18 | Thalia Hall | Chicago, IL *
February 19 | Magic Stick | Detroit, MI *
March 4 | Paradiso | Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 6 | Uebel & Gefährlich | Hamburg
March 7 | NIEBO | Warsaw, Poland
March 8 | Astra | Berlin, Germany
March 9 | Muffatwerk | Munich, Germany
March 10 | Conne Island | Leipzig, Germany
March 11 | Posthof | Linz, Austria
March 12 | WUK | Vienna, Austria
March 15 | Biko Club | Milan, Italy
March 16 | Les Docks | Lausanne, Switzerland
March 17 | Dampfzentrale | Bern, Switzerland
March 18 | Gloria Theater | Cologne, Germany
March 21 | Patterns | Brighton, UK
March 22 | Village Underground | London, UK
March 23 | Summerhall | Edinburgh, UK
March 24 | Deaf Institute | Manchester, UK
March 25 | The Button Factory | Dublin, Ireland

# w/ Ela Minus
* w/ The Range

Read More Colony House Here are some quick Colony House facts: #1 most played and downloaded single on SiriusXM Alt Nation, #3 Billboard Heatseekers Charts, and #7 on iTunes Alternative Rock Charts. …

COLONY HOUSE
at 7th Street Entry
Friday, 02/17/17, 7:30pm ($14 / Sold Out)
first-avenue.com

With the release of Colony House’s second album Only the Lonely is out on Descendant/RCA Records, the Nashville-based indie pop/rock band is doing a massive tour (over 35 dates) schedule this year.

Deep Sea Diver to open.

Colony House Headline Tour 2017

2/15 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill
2/16 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Bar
2/17 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
2/18 Madison, WI The Frequency
2/19 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
2/21 Grand Rapids, MI The Stache
2/22 Pittsburgh, PA The Club
2/23 Columbus, OH The Basement
2/24 Detroit, MI The Shelter
2/25 Toronto, OH Horseshoe Tavern
2/27 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair
2/28 Albany, NY Jupiter Hall
3/1 Philadelphia, PA The Foundry
3/2 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
3/4 Washington, D.C. U Street Music Hall
3/5 Charlottesville, VA The Southern
3/6 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
3/7 Charlotte, NC The Underground
3/9 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
3/11 Birmingham, AL Saturn
3/12 New Orleans, LA Parish
3/14 Waco, TX Common Grounds
3/19 Houston, TX House of Blues
3/20 Dallas, TX Club Dada
3/23 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar
3/24 San Diego, CA House of Blues
3/25 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
3/27 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
3/28 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
3/30 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
3/31 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
4/1 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
4/4 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court Gallery
4/7 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
4/8 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
4/9 Tulsa, OK The Vanguard
4/11 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge
4/12 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone
4/13 Chattanooga, TN Revelry Room
4/14 Atlanta, GA Vinyl

Read More Lily & Madeleine When it manifests itself, it doesn't require elaborate arguments or proofs; you can't debate someone into apprehending it. It's apparent and all it requires is appreciation, or perhaps even love. Such are the songs of Lily & Madeleine. …

LILY & MADELEINE
at Bryant Lake Bowl
Friday, 02/17/17, 7pm ($16)
bryantlakebowl.com

After a successful UK run with Dawes in November, the Indianapolis-based sister duo Lily & Madeleine is doing a midwest tour before they hit their European tour with Joshua Radin.

With the release their video for ‘Westfield’, the video was picked up by NPR’s All Songs TV. The song is taken from their latest album Keep It Together... which is available on 180 Gram vinyl with a download card, as well as CD and digital release.

Lily & Madeleine On Tour:

02/15 – Evanston, IL @ Space
02/16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo Coffee
02/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Bryant Lake Bowl
02/18 – Davenport, IA @ The Village Theater
02/19 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Nightclub
02/22 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
02/23 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
02/24 – Naperville, IL @ North Central College
02/25 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe

Read More Born Of Osiris Tomorrow We Die Alive is a great album for those who love heavy music! Born Of Osiris is a band that never disappoints, and everything you love about them is present …

Other shows in the area:

02/17/17 Minnesota folk singer/songwriter Rachael Kilgour recently won the grand prize of “NewSong Music Performance and Songwriting Competition” and the 2015 Telluride Troubadour contest. She’s playing a quiet house show at The Flats at Cedar Grove in Eagan on this night (and somewhere in Minneapolis the next night)... will likely be playing tracks from her new forthcoming record, Rabbit in the Road.

02/17/17 There is a crazy metal fest over at the Cabooze on this date. Headlined by Born Of Osiris, with Volumes , Oceans Ate Alaska, Within The Ruins, and Fire From The Gods.

02/17/17 Cole Swindell is playing the Treasure Island Resort & Casino.

02/17/17 Jauz is headlining Skyway Theatre.

02/17/17-02/18/17 I don’t normally go out in the winter, but this show Shen Yun Performing Arts at Orpheum Theatre came highly recommended by one of my favorite artist George Perez. Perez recently attended the dancing show in Florida, and he raved it about it. He called this show, “the greatest live art show”. From one artist to another.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Game of Thrones Season 4 Best Buy Unboxing

Game of Thrones Season 4 (Stark) Best Buy Read More Game of Thrones If you listened to my podcast with Cristina, you know that I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan. I actually own all the books (but have not read all of them) and always get the Bluray exclusive covers, if I can get them. .…

HBO's Game of Thrones Season 5 is set for April 12, 2015, and traditionally they've released their Blu-Ray and DVDs just months before the premiere to get fans caught up or excited about the new season.

Like previous releases, HBO has very specific exclusives to three American chains: Target, Best Buy and Walmart. I did look over all my options and decided to get the Best Buy Edition, one of five exclusive slipcases. Two of the slipcases are available as online only, so between the Starks, Targaryens, and Lannisters, I sided with Starks. That's because I already own the Targaryens via Season 1.

As for the special features, the Best Buy version comes with a 25-minute feature called Shocked & Awe: The Visual Effects of Season 4. The disc comes in its own thin case. Not my favorite thing, as I wish they could have found a way to include it within the Season 4 packaging (or maybe make the slipcase slightly bigger to fit in the extra disc?)

I don't know when HBO decided to not include the DVDs in their Bluray releases, but with Season 5, if you bought the Bluray, you do not get the DVDs. Personally I don't really use the DVDs, but I did like the extra low-fi option. Anyway, I'm semi-disappointed that I did not get a DVD copy.

Pricewise, which was also a factor, most of these are on sale for $35-$36, so if you want to save some cash this week is your best bet. If I missed the sale, I wouldn't care to spend extra $ to get an exclusive cover. I'll be just as happy with a standard cover, if I can spend less money. Typically, non-sale prices ranges from $49 to $59... which is too expensive, in my opinion.

Also unlike previous Best Buy Exclusive Covers, which were rare or sold out quickly, the Best Buy I went to had plenty in stock (even by Friday). Usually with these exclusive limited editions, they only get a handful in stores and by the end of Tuesday, they're all gone. So I'm glad to see that they've wised up and ordered enough copies for everyone.

Below are all the Best Buy Exclusives - including the two exclusive online covers.

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Stark) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Lannister) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Targaryen) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Martell) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Tyrell) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO

Game of Thrones Season 4 Best Buy Unboxing

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Game of Thrones Season 4 Exclusives

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Tyrell) (Best Buy)
(17 Feb 2015)
HBO

If you listened to my podcast with Cristina, you know that I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan.  I actually own all the books (but have not read all of them) and always get the Bluray exclusive covers, if I can get them.  Best Buy will be releasing five different covers for Season 4 - unfortunately, three of them were previously used for for Season 1 and 2, only the Martell and Tyrell are new covers. I don't know why they are recycling the images - they could have at least changed the colors or reverse the image or something?

 

Walmart's exclusive is a King Joffrey mini figure by Funko, while Target is offering a free "Beautiful Death Photo Book" with their exclusive. 

 

I hate to say it, but it would seem Best Buy has the best version with the bonus disc and exclusive slipcover.  I've rant about the slipcover before, saying that the covers are too thin, but the bonus disc might make up for it.  As for Walmart or Target, I suppose I have to see them in person to see if the book or toy is worth it.  Also, I guess it depends on availability as well.

Game of Thrones Season 4 is coming out on Bluray/DVD/Digital on February 17, 2015.  

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Walmart) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Target) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Stark) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Lannister) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Targaryen) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO GAME OF THRONES SEASON 4 (Martell) (Best Buy) (17 Feb 2015) HBO

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic