Memories of Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions
Memories of my visit to London in 2015, to watch an official orchestral concert: Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions
One of my fondest Pokémon-related memories took place on December 20th, 2015, when my friend David took me to London to see Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, both as an early Christmas present and to mark my birthday a few days prior. It took place at the Hammersmith Apollo, a venue we had previously visited to experience The Legend of Zelda: 25th Anniversary Symphony in 2010 and The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses in 2013, so we were already familiar with the location. Symphonic Evolutions was a series of official orchestral concerts featuring music from the Pokémon series. The performance included music from the first six generations of Pokémon games, from Pokémon Red & Blue to Pokémon X & Y, with a few extra surprises thrown in.
Thanks to my previous work before I began Johto Times, I knew the producer of the show, Jeron Moore. When he discovered that I was coming to see the show, he invited me to attend rehearsals in the afternoon. I tried to encourage my friend to come along, but he wanted to stay at the hotel for a nap, so I headed over to the venue on my own.
When I got there, I was given a VIP badge, which I believe was so I could prove that I was at the rehearsal with permission. I recall that each badge had a Kanto starter holding different instruments, and I had the choice of Squirtle or Bulbasaur; I picked the former, while the latter I gave to my friend.
As I walked through the venue to take my seat, I saw there were members of the gaming press seated a few rows away from the stage. Some I recognised: One was a friend of mine I had met online several years prior. Another was Joe Merrick from Serebii.net. I had visited Serebii since I was a child, so seeing Joe was a little surreal. I didn’t know him very well at the time, so I nodded my head and said hello, then sat down to watch the rehearsal. Even though I joined part way through, it was such an exciting experience! I cannot overstate just how incredible it was to hear Pokémon music played by a live orchestra right in front of me.
This performance was performed by the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, one of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, which dates back to 1932. After listening to them play at the two prior Zelda concerts I attended, it was great to hear them play so many memorable Pokémon themes.
Once the rehearsals had concluded, I headed back to the hotel and rested for a short while before later queuing up with other attendees to watch the show in full. Once we were in, my friend treated me to a poster from the merchandise booth. After that, we found our seats and waited for the show to begin.
The concert began with the title theme of Pokémon, with box art from all the mainline games scrolling across the screen. I was fascinated by the cheers that could be heard from the audience, which began with overwhelming applause from people in my age group as Pokémon Red & Blue were shown, down to the excited screams of children as we reached X & Y. It was at that moment that I realised just how far-reaching these games had become, and how the franchise was spanning generations of Pokémon fans, each with their own memories and experiences. Every member of that audience, no matter what age or background they were, was connected through one common interest: Pokémon was for everyone.
Other highlights from the first half of the show were performances of the Team Rocket Hideout (“Prepare for Trouble”) theme from Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow; Vs Red (“...”) from Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; and Route 113 (“Falling Ashes”) from Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. The first half concluded with a performance of “The Lake Guardians” from Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
During the intermission, I noticed that my poster had been damaged by a drink that someone had spilled in the row behind, which had flowed down to our row and all over the poster. I was a little upset by this, especially because they cost fifteen pounds to buy. My friend surprised me by going back to the merchandise booth and replacing it for me, which was very kind of him. He claimed he was able to swap it, but I suspect he simply bought me a second poster.
After the intermission, we were treated to themes from Pokémon Black & White and the recently released Pokémon X & Y. My favourite piece from this act was “N-Counter”, and upon reflection, that was one of the most enjoyable themes from the entire performance. “Friends, Fights & Finales” was the final performance from this act. After hearing an evening of orchestral music, it was rather surprising to suddenly hear some loud bass from the venue’s speakers as the Gym Leader Battle theme was played. It was a fun moment, combining the electronic sounds the game is well known for with a live orchestra. It was a fun moment, combining the electronic sounds the game is well known for with a live orchestra in a fantastic performance. The piece ended with a section of the Gold & Silver ending theme, which actually brought me to tears.
All of this was followed up with an encore, featuring two pieces of music. The first was the immensely popular “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”, made famous from the Pokémon anime. This caused a venue-wide singalong of the theme, which I happily contributed to. The whole thing fell apart when the majority of attendees didn’t know the second verse, though. I, of course, being the huge nerd that I am, knew every single word, I sang it loud and proud!
The final piece was an arrangement of the Pokémon X & Y ending theme, called “KISEKI”. Unlike the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” theme, the audience was completely lost when it came to singing along to this one. I had certainly never heard the theme performed with English vocals before, and all I could do was listen. It was still a rather beautiful piece of music, but I personally would have swapped those final two encore tracks around,so the show could end with a popular and well-known theme.
Once the concert was over, I was able to queue to have my poster signed by Jeron. Despite meeting him during rehearsals, I wanted the opportunity to say thank you again for a great show. After getting my poster signed and a brief chat, I left the venue with my friend.
Once outside, I met back up with the group who I had met during rehearsals, including Serebii’s Joe Merrick. My memory of what happened next is rather vague, but I recall that we followed them as they went to the underground to catch the Tube. A few of us were singing the “Gotta Catch Em’ All” theme in the underground, probably being overly loud and obnoxious, but our spirits were quite high after an exceptional evening of music. I simply didn’t care what anyone else thought at that moment!
Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions was a rare opportunity for me to celebrate two lifelong passions: Pokémon and orchestral music. The combination of these two things is a memory that I will simply never forget. The London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played each piece of music exceptionally well and were the perfect choice for this concert. Symphonic Evolutions returned to London for two further concerts on December 19th and 20th, 2016, but it was unfortunately incompatible with my schedule at the time, and the production's final concert was played on January 6th, 2018. I truly hope it can return someday so more fans who never had an opportunity to experience it the first time around have a chance to do so. I can only begin to imagine what a show would be like today with even more generations of music to choose from!
I am incredibly thankful to Jeron Moore (producer), Chad Seiter (arranger and conductor), and everyone involved in that production for creating such a special evening for me and other fans who were lucky enough to attend. Finally, my heartfelt thanks to my friend David for treating me to such a special gift.