Hindsight

Monday. May 10th.

Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Performing: Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale

Conducted by: Miguel Harth-Bedoya

Composed by: Nobuo Uematsu

Final Fantasy Concert Program. Autographed: Nobuo Uematsu (Composer). Yoshitaka Amano (Illustrator). Hironobu Sakaguchi (Executive Producer). James Arnold Taylor (English Voice Actor: Tidus).

Los Angeles to Encinitas: Midnight to 2am.

It was a privilege to be in the presence of Uematsu, Amano, Sakaguchi-san and Mr. Taylor after the concert (even if for just a signature and the chance to say “thank you”). Because this was something personal, an experience matured since childhood, the signatures are for keeps.

Imagine listening to some of your favorite music and finally having the chance to say hello to that artist. I grew up playing Final Fantasy games. So for me, this was an amazing thing. It was, for lack of a better term, surreal. The whole thing.

Hearing the music live was amazing. Fantastic. And, even though I sat alone during the concert, the music put me in the company of memories. Memories of the past, some I hadn’t recalled until the songs came along.

Collective chuckles by the audience as the Chocobo theme came into play. Collective and intense applause when certain melodies were recognized. Again, fantastic.

I hope this happens again in the future.

Very, very special thanks go to my friend and former coworkers who gave me the chance to attend the concert and follow them through the evening.