The Symphonic Tribute to Comic Con: The Tetralogy - Scotty's Recap

Written by Scott Edwards

There are just a few events a year that I really look forward to to let my geek flag fly high and the Colorado Symphony’s Tribute to Comic Con has to be one of them. With plenty of genres being catered to during this event, it is hard not to stand up and cheer when the conductor takes center stage, especially when it is the sublime Christopher Dragon who seems to really love this event. With the crowd waiting anxiously for some of their favorite scores to come to life, it is easy to get lost in the music, whether it is something that is near and dear to your heart, or a melody that you were not too sure about.

Coming on stage dressed like Jack Skellington, it was easy to see that Dragon was ready to take us on a journey that would involve The Nightmare Before Christmas, but instead of diving right into it, the symphony started with 'One Winged Angel' from Final Fantasy VII, complete with a choir joining in. Moving through the playlist, the Nightmare Before Christmas Suite was played and gave the audience a little treat. Then with a little prerecording call from Austin Wintory about his work from Abzu and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, the crowd was graced with the presence of Sandy Cameron, a violinist who performed the violin solo in 'Assassin Dances' from the score. Needless to say, she was on top of her game and brought the house down. 

Trying to get the audience to calm down a for a moment, the conductor-less symphony took it upon their shoulders and brought the Game of Thrones theme back to life with a fantastic rendition, right before one of the surprises of the night hit the stage. Mister Dragon, dressed in an inflatable T-Rex outfit stepped to the podium and gave us a trip back to Jurassic Park. This still has to be one of my favorite movie themes and even though it does not bring me to tears, it does put scenes from the movie in my head as the music plays. With a standing ovation at the end of the first set, a much needed intermission was given to the audience and musicians who gave it their all.

Coming back from the short break, more John Williams music was played with some Harry Potter love from The Prisoner of Azkaban. I must admit that this is far from my favorite movie series out there, but when listening to the controlled chaos of ‘Witches, Wands and Wizards’, I may need to give the movies another go through since the music is really something else. As the set continued to move on and looking at Scott Murray when The Last Guardian suite was announced, I could see he was having a fantastic time since he really looking forward to hearing this piece live. No tribute to Comic Con would be complete without some Doctor Who and Star Wars, so that is how the show finished off. The playing of ‘Leia’s Theme’ was great this year to help celebrate what Carrie Fisher helped bring to the role for so many of us who are still in mourning. Yes, this one did make me tear up a little bit and I have no shame, it was beautiful. 

So in a nutshell, another great show to add to the books and I know that everyone that attended the show had a fantastic time. This show should be a staple to anyone that has even a little bit of love for pop culture since it covers so many genres from movies to video games. You never know what the Colorado Symphony will bring to the table when it comes to this event, but you can always know that you will be blown away. A huge thanks to Pop Culture Classroom, Denver Comic Con, the Colorado Symphony and of course Matt Krupa for letting us be a part of it for the fourth year and running. This is just fun for the entire family and if you have any doubts, don’t because there are more great geeky shows on the schedule with the Music of Star Wars, along with a show for The Legend of Zelda and one for the Harry Potter movie series coming up in the near future that will blow you away.  

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