Unless you’ve been living in a pop-culture black hole for the past few years, it’s pretty likely you’ve heard of Game of Thrones, HBO’s sprawling TV series based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. It’s gripped fantasy fans for the past seven years with it’s tales of conquering, betrayal, lots of bloodshed and the occasional naked people stuff.
On Wednesday night, the Game of Thrones Concert Experience came to the Schottenstein Center for over two hours of music taken from the series, all performed live by a full orchestra.
Ramin Djawadi, the composer of the show’s music, was set to lead the evening but unfortunately fell ill before show time. Michael Sobie took over the duties of Djawadi and proved to be a worthy understudy.
A giant screen sat behind the orchestra, playing many of the huge story moments that have happened throughout the seven seasons we’ve all seen so far. The crowd roared with approval as fan favorite characters popped up, and the occasional “King of the North!” yell could be heard throughout the crowd as the evening went on.
The evening also featured some breathtaking special effects to complement the already spellbinding music coming from the main stage. Fire roared from the stage as Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons swept across the screen; snow drifts took over the floor when the music took us North, while a solo violinist was slowly lifted high above the Schott crowd in an ever-growing dress.
The highlight of the show was the long and dramatic “Light of the Seven” track that saw Sobie perform on a raised organ platform. Green flames highlighted the stage as the tension grew, and we relived the scenes leading up to the destruction of the Sept of Baelor that coincided with an eruption of green smoke completely engulfing the center of the arena.
For non-fans of the show, this would’ve been an enjoyable evening, but for fans of the show this was an epic, unmissable experience that will hopefully return again once the series wraps up for good next year. Season eight promises to have more can’t-miss moments for Djawadi and his many talented musicians to recreate in this wonderful setting.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found at Matt Ellis Photography.