#awesome concert overall

[vanillawurld]

༊*·˚Telepatía

✧.* Request- @cvmtitss

"Hey, my first time requesting you! I was wondering if you could do a joost w a fem reader where she's famous as well and she has a concert but doesn't think joost can make it due to him being busy or she thinks he has a tour and he comes back early without telling her. And so while she's performing the music, either suddenly changes or turns off and then she turns around and sees joost like proposing overall it js seems rlly cute and fluffy ❤️"

✧.* Pair - Joost Klein x Fem! Musician! Reader

✧.* Tags & Warnings - fluff

✧.* Summary - Joost proposes to the love of his life while she is performing on stage in front of thousands of fans.

✧.* Extra- The reader's performance will be inspired by Kali Uchis' stage performance at Lollapalooza in Brazil (2023) because i'm obsessed with that fucking performance LMAO but if you guys don't like it, ofc change it up for your own imagination. Also highlighted parts are dutch.

✧.* Word Count - 1,442

It was one of the last tours that (Y/N) was doing and she decided to add the cherry on top in Brazil. She had everything ready to go. Her crew, her outfits, the stage, but she was missing one important thing. Her man. Joost was always there to support (Y/N) at her concerts. Whether it was on stage performing with her or watching her with heart eyes behind the scenes. This time, he was on his own tour in Europe, which was what (Y/N) thought.

It was a couple hours before the show was about to start and (Y/N) was starting to get ready while being on the phone with Joost. l “I’m really sad you aren’t here with me, my love,” she expressed.

She heard Joost softly chuckle on the other line. “I know, honey. I wish I was there with you. I love watching you sing and dance, but this is your last show and I finish mine next week. We’ll see each other soon, very soon, gorgeous.”

(Y/N) was content to hear that. She couldn’t wait to see her lover. “I know, im so excited to see you again. Anyways, I got to go. My stylist just arrived,” She blew him a kiss and ended the call with ‘I love you’ one of the few phrases she knows in dutch.

Mine while, in a small town in Brazil, Joost made a plan to get to where (Y/N) was performing and get on his knee to pop that one particular question he’s been waiting to ask her. He landed there a couple days before (Y/N) was set to perform. He presented his plan to his crew and they immediately were on board to help him. His social media crew helped give the allusion to the media that Joost was still in Europe. He had it all planned out carefully and it was all going smoothly. The only thing getting in his way was time. He had to wait a good couple of hours to sneak into her set.

Joost managed to get (Y/N)’s manager’s number and immediately called him. A couple rings pass by until he heard the sound of the other line getting picked up. “Hello?” he heard the voice of (Y/N)’s manager say.

“Hey, what’s up man, it’s Joost. Can I facetime you real quick?” Joost asked.

“Yeah man,” the manager said. They quickly switched to facetime to talk “face to face” (virtually).

“You will never guess where I am at,” Joost said in a jokingly manner. He turned the camera to a small flag of Brazil and giggled.

“Are you serious? That’s awesome, dude, welcome. Does (Y/N) know you’re here?” the manager asked. Joost turned his camera back on his face and shook his head, saying no.

“No, and we need to keep it that way because…” Joost picked up a small black box and opened it. It revealed beautiful gold ring with the most alluring diamond on top to show the camera.

The manager let out a happy laugh, “That’s fucking awesome, man. Are you going to ask her after her show?”

“No, I’m going to ask her during her show, on stage. And that’s why I called to ask you if you can sneak me on set and not tell her. I want this to be special to her,” Joost replied.

“100% we’ll let you on stage and hide you. (Y/N) is going to love every second of whatever you plan to do. Uh, yeah, alright i’ll alert everyone about the plan and let you know when she arrives at the stadium” the manager said. Joost gave him a quick thank you and goodbye before hanging up the call. He did a small fist pump and smiled. Now the only thing to do was wait.

Seconds gradually turned to minutes, at least that’s what Joost felt. The more he had to wait, the more he was desperate. It felt like the universe was doing that on purpose to test him. It was killing him. He couldn’t wait to see his lover. His beauty. His woman. His everything.

When the time finally hit, Joost practically dashed out his hotel room and jogged towards the elevator. Him and his crew he took got taxis and they were finally on their way to the stadium. The drive was filled with laughter, smiles, and conversations. Joost knew how to light up a room, so him preparing to do one of the best things ever made everything 10 times better. Even the driver was joining in on the good time.

Joost finally made it to the stadium. His heart realized what was about to happen and started beating faster. There was a lot of fans and reporters there that he had to ignore. Joost always loved to talk to his fans but, at that very moment he couldn’t blow his cover. He needed this to be a surprise.

The backstage crew immediately went into action when Joost stepped foot in the stadium backstage. They did everything in their power to hide Joost and distract (Y/N). Joost would watch his girl from a far and fall in love even more. Her beauty always made him fall to his knees.

It was finally time for (Y/N) to perform. She went on stage with her backup dancers and got into position. They covered (Y/N)’s frame with giant white feathers, like if she was an elegant swan. She was able to hear her adoring fans and got butterflies in her stomach. She heard her fans already cheering even though they couldn’t see anything on stage due to it being pitch black. She loved every moment of it all. It was finally time to wrap this all up.

She heard the introduction music and narrator speak. She turned to her back up dancers and smiled, “You guys ready?” she asked. They all nodded and asked if she was ready, not knowing that question had a double meaning. She said yes with a big smile on her face.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present the one and only, the elegant, the heart stealer. Everyone here, please welcome, (Y/N)!”

The dancers pulled back the feathers, revealing (Y/N) and everyone cheered. She was finally performing. Meanwhile, Joost was backstage watching the beautiful performance. He got the little box ready and was preparing himself. He watched as (Y/N) sang, danced, performed with her life. He always loved that about her, she always knew how to put up a performance.

Joost saw the fans go wild and it was just the very first song. They all sang along like it was karaoke and dances to the beats. He watched his favorite girl with heart eyes and before he knew it, the song was about to come to an end. It was finally time to do what he always wanted to do. He told the crew to signal the DJ to prepare to lower the music.

As (Y/N) was about to finish her song, the music lowered and cut off all together. She thought it was a mistake so she improvised and continued singing the song. She didn’t want to disappoint her fans. That was until she heard her fans scream even louder. She got confused and was wondering why everyone was going crazy until she saw some fans in the crowd point behind her.

(Y/N) turned around and saw her man, on one knee with a box containing a beautiful gold ring with a gorgeous diamond showing. (Y/N) couldn’t believe her eyes. She covered her mouth in shock and started tearing up. It took her a couple of seconds before she said yes. She watched as Joost put the ring on her finger with a huge smile on his face. Joost got up and hug her tight.

In that moment, it’s like everything and everyone disappeared. All that mattered was Joost and his lover. “I can’t believe you did all of that, and for me?!” she said to him.

“Of course I did it all for you, my love. You’re the only woman I love and you are my everything,” he replied. Joost gave (Y/N) a kiss on her lips and pulled away to look at her, “I'm going to stay on stage with you and watch because you look like a goddess when you’re performing.”

Joost took the microphone from (Y/N) and turned to the audience, “Brasil! Prepare for this woman to have a new last name! (Y/N) Klein!” The audience erupted in massive roar-like cheers. The soon-to-be newlyweds gave each other one last kiss before a new song played, signaling (Y/N) to continue the show.

˖◛. *. ⋆ Vanilla Speaks

Hey peoples i hope you liked this im so in love with this man </3 i like writing to muscian readers cuz then I can add what artist I wanna be like (ariana grande, kali uchis, lana del rey, etc etc)

[restinslices]

Earth realm boys dating a popstar???? 👀👀👀👀

“Send me ideas guys” *proceeds to hit brain block* I didn’t know if you wanted the Lin Kuei Bros or Syzoth involved but imma add this little rule/guideline(?) so I don’t throw myself down the stairs. So the Earthrealm Boys will be Johnny, Kenshi, Kung Lao, Raiden and Liu Kang. Lin Kuei Bros are Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and Tomas. You can also ask for specific characters but IMMA LET YALL KNOW RIGHT NOW y’all have a limit of FIVE people per post or I’m sleeping in traffic.

Johnny Cage 

If you think Johnny Cage is anything other than excited, you're wrong. 

There's no way he doesn't enjoy dating a pop star. 

He'd tell you how great your names sound together. Johnny Cage the movie star and you the pop star. 

He's probably asked you if your songs can be in his movies. 

I think he'd be extremely supportive. Sometimes a little overbearing. Some people might enjoy him wanting to come to every show, while some people may say “dude, calm down”. 

Your ringtone on his phone is one of your songs for sure 

He also asks for some of your merch for free since ya know, debt 😀

If there's a dance that goes along with it, I can definitely see him learning it and showing you how good (bad) he is 

Please let him be in your music videos. He's on his knees begging 

He has such a huge ego, he'd probably say something like “you can't possibly turn down an A lister like me”

He's so President of your fanclub 

He also posts exclusives of you on his social media 

This may sound selfish but he's hoping your popularity will increase his. When we meet him, his fame is dying out so he's hoping being seen with you will remind people he exists 

Don't get it misconstrued though. He adores you. He just can't help but have these thoughts 

Probably makes you promise to dedicate a song to him too. Realistically he wants an album but he'll take whatever

He's so Ken coded to me and remember, Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him. You're his Barbie, regardless of gender 

Kenshi Takahashi 

Considering the fact that he's on the run from the Yakuza, uhhhh he's not the happiest 

Is he proud? Yeah. But dating him puts a huge target on your back. Kenshi can hide. You, as a popstar, can't do that. You're always in the spotlight. And since the Yakuza got connections, they'd find out somehow. 

He'd encourage you to take a break until things cool over. Only problem is he doesn't know when that'd be, and the music industry is competitive. You don't have time to be on a break. People could forget about you. 

Under any other circumstance, he'd be happy for you. Not many people can make it in the music industry. There are tons of people who have big plans but settle for less. 

In any other circumstance he'd listen to your songs, spread the word about your concerts, buy your merch cause he's not in debt, even attend a few concerts. 

Now though, he's uptight and worried. Every concert you have he's worried will be your last. Any fan meet you have he's worried will end in death. 

I honestly think he'd try to actively avoid anything that has to do with your career. It's a constant reminder that you're doing the exact opposite of what he's asking you to and you're putting yourself in danger. This could possibly cause a lot of arguments since he could come off as controlling when in reality he's worried and trying to be cautious 

He's trying to avoid anything to do with your career but every playlist he has has your songs sprinkled throughout them 

Overall he's proud of you but life has him pretty uptight. He'll be his normal self once he restores his clan. 

Kung Lao

This cocky little shit is so hype his partner is famous 

I can see him talking about your music with others like “my partner? They make music. You probably know them. I don't know yours though cause they're unknown. How are y'all paying the bills?”

You tell him not to do that but he continues anyway. Everyone had to know how awesome you were compared to them

Idk why I have this scene in my head of him buying your concert tickets to sell it again but make it more expensive. I legit don't know why but I couldn't ignore it. 

Kung Lao has such a huge ego and your success does not help that. In fact, it makes it worse 

How many people can say they're dating a popstar? Or anyone famous for that matter?

I can see him “helping” with lyrics but the shit he tries to add is dog shit so you do not add it, which he does not get. 

“I have an ear for music” “An ear. Not a talent”

Starts a fanclub and forces Raiden to be involved 

You'd think he's the popstar with how much pride he has when it comes to your career 

Like Kenshi, he has a whole playlist dedicated to you and your songs are sprinkled throughout his other playlists 

If you ask for his honest opinion on a song, he's gonna give you his honest opinion so be prepared. It's like asking a kid if a jacket makes you look fat. 

He doesn't mean to be malicious. He just can't have you releasing bad shit. His approach just isn't the best but it's all with love 

“What do you think about Bubblegum?” “The chorus isn't catchy at all if I'm being honest. You've definitely made better” 

He'd help though by saying what he liked from other songs and it'd steer you in the right direction 

Your career? No. Y'ALL career. UterUS type shit

In all seriousness, he's very happy that out of all the celebrities you could be with, you chose a non celebrity like him.

Raiden

Honestly I don't think anyone would even know you're dating. He's just too shy. 

With Johnny, he's famous and has no shame so that's how people know you're together. The Yakuza is out here so that's how they know about you and Kenshi. Kung Lao is Kung Lao, idk how else to explain it. With Raiden though, I don't think he'd want your fans to know you're dating. 

He's shy and also values privacy and you respect that. Your fans know you're dating someone just not who. 

He probably has a second account he uses to stay up to date with fan discourse 

Likes every edit of you and shows you them. 

“Were you looking these up?” “I… don't know what you could possibly mean”

I don't think he's a big concert person. I don't know why. At least not a huge, no personal space type of concert. So I think he'd do other things to support like using that second account to promote your activities, reposting edits, and buying your stuff. 

Knowing his luck, that second account for privacy and being sneaky would end up getting fans attention. He'd become the main update page everyone goes to. Guess he wasn't sneaky enough 

Probably asks you to sing to him when it's quiet 

Has bought a poster of you and forgot to take it down when you came over 

“Kung Lao put that up” “Mhm, sure”

He has two hats. His normal hat and a hat that has stickers of you on it. Kung Lao or Johnny probably did it to tease him but he kept it anyway 

Dedicate a song to him and watch how flustered he gets. He'd be so honored 

If you had an MV and there was a love interest in it, he wouldn't wanna be jealous but it'd happen. 

Everytime he sees you perform or hears you, he falls deeper in love. Like Kung Lao, he's very happy you picked him to be your love and muse 

Liu Kang

He probably saw this coming based on your life in the past timeline

Knowing how the past timelines were though, your life was probably chaotic and your music career was probably disturbed by the constant threats 

Seeing you just having fun and making music in this timeline would make him extremely happy and proud of himself for creating such a peaceful timeline (at first)

Liu Kang has glowing eyes so there's a chance concerts aren't happening, but I think he'd still stream your music like everyone else 

Would probably try to keep you far away from any disturbances. When he takes his champions to Outworld, he makes up a lie. He doesn't want what you're passionate about disturbed at all 

Supportive in the sense that he's always going to say “yes” to whatever ideas you have. A breakup song? Great idea. A fun party song? Awesome. A fan meet? Sounds fun. 

He genuinely just wants you happy this time and music makes you happy. 

You could talk him into using his fire as some background effect as long as others won't see 

He talks you into doing smaller performances at Madam Bo's. You're spying on Raiden and Kung Lao without even knowing 

Whenever you find out about the shit storm going on, he does not want you involved and will say so. He wants you to focus on your passion and let him take care of it. Whether you do or not is up to you 

After all that though you'd probably end up making music for Johnny's movie about shit that happened. He doesn't disapprove but thinks you can do better than make a soundtrack for Johnny 'Big Mouth’ Cage 

Secret fanboy. Forced to act all serious all the time but he's mumbling your lyrics under his breath, even if it's super cutesy. 

He's just so happy for you. I know I keep repeating it but you probably DIED in the past timeline or some shit so seeing you happy and just living? It shows his efforts for peace paid off. 

I usually say smth after but idk what to say. I wanna start art commissions so bad but half bodies are kicking my ass. I’m finna start tweaking fr

[unstationarywagon]

met @bughuntermusic and @narcissistcookbook last night! (I lied to them on accident because I said I didn't really have social media because I forget Tumblr counts, please forgive) the concert was incredible and they were both so nice!!

they signed our patches :) and they had some super cool merch

got a vinyl and a couple pins for the collection + some jam mechanics stuff (songwriting podcast check it out)

and some super awesome fellow concert-goers gave me some gifts of their own!

overall, an incredible experience!

[eptodaytommorowforever]

Events In The History And Of The Life Of Elvis Presley Today On The 11th Of September 1970.

Elvis Presley Plays In Detriot The City Of Motown In Michigan At The Olympia Arena On The 11th Of September In 1970.

Elvis Presley performed at the Olympia Arena, Detroit, Michigan. The whole gang had their own things to attend: Charlie Hodge remained stage manager and general assistant to Elvis Presley providing him with water and scarves. Lamar Fike was taking care of the lighting. Sonny West responsible for the security and Richard Davis controlled the wardrobe. Dr. Nichopoulos was tour doctor and Joe Esposito remained in overall command. The Fat Controller The Colonel Parker always arrived before Elvis Presley and the Band in each city.

That's All Right(Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup cover)

I've Got a Woman(Ray Charles cover)

Amen

I Walk the Line(Johnny Cash cover)

Love Me Tender

I've Lost You(Matthews’ Southern Comfort cover)

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'(Barry Mann cover)

Polk Salad Annie(Tony Joe White cover)

Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)(Eddie Miller and His Oklahomans cover)

Polk Salad Annie(Tony Joe White cover)

Johnny B. Goode(Chuck Berry cover)

The Wonder of You(Ray Peterson cover)

Detroit City(Mel Tillis cover) Elvis Presley briefly mentions its a honor Playing in the city of Motown and does a fantastic version of Detriot City.

Heartbreak HotelPlay

Blue Suede Shoes(Carl Perkins cover)

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On(Big Maybelle cover)

All Shook Up

Blue Suede Shoes(Carl Perkins cover)

Hound Dog(Big Mama Thornton cover)

Bridge Over Troubled Water(Simon & Garfunkel cover)

Funny How Time Slips Away(Willie Nelson cover)

Suspicious Minds(Mark James cover)

Can't Help Falling in Love

Above Set Song List For This Sold Out Awesome! Show.

Rare Candid Fans Unseen Till Now! Photos Of Elvis Presley Arriving At Detroit Airport In Michigan. Also Performing At The Olympia Arena Wearing The White Chain Jumpsuit Red Silk Scarf And Red Macrame Belt Also Rare Olympia Arena Concert Poster From 1970.

[ourshadowstallerthanoursoul]

On this day... - June 13th

On this day Led Zeppelin performed:

+ 1969 : Town Hall in Birmingham, UK

“According to the ads, the only way to fly is by Led Zeppelin. On Friday night at Birmingham Town Hall, at the start of a five-date tour, the group certainly took off all right. The passengers were Bloodwyn Pig, the Liverpool Scene and a full house. An almighty wall of sound and a huge crashing of drums signaled the start of the group’s act which eventually overran by quite some time.” – ‘Zeppelin Fly High’ by R. Green (NME)

+ 1972 : The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

“The histrionics of the band members, the awesome pretension of their loudness and stage antics, made it clear that several elements go into “superstar” concerts. First, of course, is the music. To fill a hall the size of the Spectrum […] huge amplification systems are needed. Every little instrument, even the hi-hat on the drum kit, must have a microphone place next to it. What happens then is that a little sound, such as a tambourine being shaken, becomes a mighty apocalyptic noise, louder than if the sky were to fall. Everything, in other words, gets bigger and louder and seemingly more important. Then, the ambience of the hall and the people in it is important. With about 17,000 people on hand, rock-festival-like hassles are inevitable. […] And the huge throng, which carpets the mammoth hall, makes demands on the musicians for showmanship and song selection that no one could possibly fulfill. […] Zeppelin played for two-and-a-half hours last night, a rarity. But the overall impression was that they sailed flashily and mightily, but failed somehow to engage, working below the level when the brain gears in.” – ‘Led Zeppelin’s music needs the Spectrum’ by W. Mandel (Bulletin)

+ 1977 : Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, USA

“Down in the arena, it was after eight and the crowd knew it. There was wild cheering after every song on the public address system and waving of flags and banners. […] The massive garden was already alive with a frenzy it would not lose until after midnight. […] Coming almost exactly halfway through the performance, the acoustic set was Zeppelin’s surprising non-surprise. It was surprising because, aren’t these guys the terrible overlords of heavy metal? And yet not surprising because we had all been clued in to this unexpected turn of events. […] Kashmir brought the crowd back to rock reality, as the thunderous Zeppelin epic reverberated through the Garden. […] And for the umpteenth time, Stairway to Heaven knocked ‘em cold. Their ‘song of hope’ is a song that no Zep audience could leave without hearing, for everyone needs the kind of wishful wondering that Stairway has to offer. The crowd was spellbound and did not seem to notice, or care that Plant forgot several verses. The song was there, and that was more than enough.” – ‘Led Zeppelin’s Garden party’ (Sunday Magazine)

[ashbashsquashmabosh]

Went to the Boygenius show in Dublin yesterday and I'm trying to combat post concert amnesia by documenting everything before I forget it. So here's a bunch of the best bits

Openers

Phoebe just casually walking on stage in a hoodie to announce ye vagabonds and tell everyone to shut up while they're on

Muna have amazing stage presence like I already knew that but woooww

God bless whoever was in charge of the camera for all the beautiful shots of Jo I was struggling to breathe honestly

Katie's jacket was so low cut and tight

Naomis mic was ON

Katie crying during kind of girl

Phoebe silk chiffon verse, her voice was lighter and airier than I expected, everyone else came on for the 2nd chorus

No one in the crowd seemed to know Muna very well I heard them talking about "the bassist" and "the one with curly hair"

The energy was so good they are amazing performers

Katie being an "annoying American with Irish grandparents and a celtic tattoo" in her own words

Saw Catherine Clinch from An Cailin Ciun in the gold circle

Boygenius

Lucy resting her head on Phoebe's during without me without you ahhh so cute

Slippy floor on Phoebe's side of the stage, Julien checked it, Phoebe cleaning her hands with "purell' that's just funny to me cause it's so American

Julien telling the story of getting a minor chemical burn from just picking random things up in chemistry class, Lucy teasing her that she was the reason for eyewash in labs, Julien joking that she'd found her career.

Phoebe in her suit pacing around with her hands on her hips looking very Father

Everyone wore their suits, Julien took off the jacket halfway through and rolled up her sleeves it was awesome

Sound quality not amazing I would have loved to hear more of their harmonies, the balance of vocals to music was a little off in my opinion

The boys had to stop multiple times for people to be taken out, they passed around water

Julien sang the "best song love song you've ever heard", and "familiar characters" in Anticurse and I could not believeeee it

Lucy getting the words of bite the hand mixed up singing I can't see you in the first line instead of I can hear you and giggling about it

The band absolutely slapped, the trumpet was so good

Phoebe asking for the pics of everyones dogs before me and my dog

Julien giggling and screaming about the cute dogs

Julien playing the piano was amazing so beautiful omgggggg

Everyone being so respectful when phoebe asked for no phones, phoebe just sinking back into the crowd at the end of the song

The boys coming back on super fast for the encore and phoebe saying "we just go back there, get some water and high five, that's it"

Everyone saying they loved each other and Julien "dangling my feet off the edge of a tangent" but stopping herself because there was only one song left. What did she want to say????!!! I want to knowww

Lucy going down to the audience during salt In the wound to kiss the crowds hands

I underestimated how hard the songs would hit I was teary eyed for a good portion of the concert

Julien absolutely slayes the " gnashing my teeeeeeth like a child of Cain" part in Salt in the wound

Katie coming on for salt in the wound in a hoodie

Couldn't keep track of who kissed who all of the boys kissed each other I think

Phoobies

Everyone was on the ground in a pile kicking their legs in the air and then Julien got up again for some last minute zoomies to finish out the guitar

Katie trying to quietly leave the stage and Phoebe motioning for her to come back and take the last bow with them

Lucy and Julien hugging, piggybacking off the stage

Overall amazing show would 1000% go again, because I love Muna and boygenius so much I basically got 2 in 1 so def my favourite concert thus far

[greensolsikke]

On my way back home. 25 hours in Finland - what a madness!

Böle was incredible! The new visuals look so great, there were video sequences for nearly all of the songs. Not to talk about the purple lightning added to the show. And the pyro 🔥

The new stage outfits are awesome. Käärijä's new spiky jacket with light elements fits in so well with his prior bolero jackets. The new trousers look like they're made to move, which is totally necessary 😂 and the broad belt reminds me so much of Rammstein, but in a good way.

The Daltons also got new suits - they wore netted shirts and black dungarees, along with new spiky accessories. And one leg was rolled up, so we have another well-working blend with the prior overalls.

Häärijä wore his usual yellow suit and some song-specific attire, like a white outfit with a mushroom head for "People's champion" and the yellow bolero for CCC. I was a bit surprised that both Kä and Hä continued wearing their boleros. They're iconic, don't get me wrong, but I had slight hopes that he'd let it go.

The gig itself was great. People were cheering so much, singing along and even jumping. I was at the top row, surrounded by lots of families, so there wasn't a lot of party 😅 so I made my own party!

It was interesting to see that many of them seemed to be waiting only for CCC. Whereas foreign fans that came there (even from Japan!) were cheering for all the songs 😂

But the best part of the evening was the afterparty. Sonny put up a whole Kä set list up, including rarely heard songs, and many people danced along. Around 23:30 Kä and his crew came on stage and it was 🤩🤩🤩

You could feel the energy seeping through him and the audience, he's really made for club performances. He sung the first CCC version, Kovis, unreleased songs AND Paidaton Riehuja!!! I was waiting for that song for so long, it was awesome!

I had so much fun and enjoyed every minute of it. Even though I missed the afternoon concert and the (nice part of) queueing, I still met some people and mutuals 🥰

Thanks for an incredible night 🫶

[proxiimitysky]

opinion on the new quest? spoiler warning

what were your thoughts on the last season quest? my overall thoughts were that it was... kind of underwhelming tbh.. with such a huge area with tons of seats you would expect them to utilize most of it or maybe schedule an event where skykids can group together at the concert hall to watch something, kind of like the aurora concert (but not THAT many people yknow im just making a comparison). the final concert (at least in my expectations) could've been really cool and awesome and i understand the demos of the song were short in the previous quest for obvious reasons but for an actual performance.. the song was less than a minute long i think. idk in my personal opinion a whole song performance by two passionate reunited song writers should be like, a full song instead of like 30 seconds of an unfortunately not very catchy melody. i did like the beginning of the song like in the first few quests but from there on it doesn't really sound that great tbh. it's great if you like the song but i think its underwhelming and kind of uninteresting sorry. were my expectations just too high and dramatic for this season??? was i expecting too much?? i was kinda hoping for more

another thing is i kinda don't get why it was the abyss spirits specifically that we invited to the concert hall. at first i thought "why are we only taking the abyss spirits?? ohhh wait maybe we're doing all the seasons one by one!! or at least a few of them" but it ended up just being one season of spirits. season of performance did do the same thing with only valley spirits but at least that one was understandable because the theater is IN the village of dreams, which is a valley location. but abyss?? in concert hall?? i don't see the correlation. i think it would've been better to invite one spirit from every season. it would add more variety and make it seem more special. but i guess i understand if getting too many spirits would make it tedious but i just thought it was weird that it was just one specific season of spirits and not a variety. not really a big deal but so is everything i just said. its just my opinion im not tryna make a big deal out of it

(Edit: i didnt realize abyss was mentioned in the past quests, i forgot thats my bad)

my favorite thing was just the final animation at the end when the camera was zooming out and the duo were showing off only because it had unique animation that weren't emotes. those types of cutscenes are my favorites, the ones that the animators actually put effort into lmao. i'm not trying to get into why i strongly prefer these cutscenes because that would be going off on a tangent that's unrelated to this post

so what did you think of this finale? tldr for me it was....... ok... was expecting more tho

i've seen someone say that the season in general was very predictable which i totally agree with but that's not my main point here

[no-see-um-incorrect]

I’ve been going to a lot of concerts recently, sooooooo my favorite redacted boy concert headcannons (this is my favorites. If I get enough requests to do more then I will)

Caelum

His first concert  he is a little nervous. So he’ll go with Gavin and freelancer. And he’ll have a great time.

#1 because he’s with his favorite people 

#2 all of the happy vibes/ emotions from everybody there will make him feel 10x better 

For all the other concerts, though, I can imagine Gavin/his brothers and sisters, taking him to a demons only concert and him having a blast with bracelet trading, making sure everyone’s hydrated. 

Overall, having a great time 

Milo

Milo only likes concerts if other people are there with him. and he likes to get seats that are really close to the stage even floor if possible.(providing that the venue isn’t just floor) because it’s no secret, it’s tough being a short person at concerts (as a short person I’m speaking from experience)

So yeah, Milo by himself at concerts it’s rough

Milo plus the rest of the pack (David, Asher, Sam plus their mates, etc.) he’ll be having the time of his life 

Sam

This poor man…..

Concerts are not his favorite thing….

if it’s for a band that he really liked before his turning, then he’ll stick it out and risk the migraine. but the only time he will willingly go to a concert is if Darlin is going. And even then he hast to wear sunglasses and noise canceling headphones. All of the lights and loud music can be a bit too much for our vamp grandpa (I said what I said)

Asher 

I am convinced that this man schedules all of the fun group activities for the pack so you know he’s having a blast at the concert 

We’re talking pregaming at his apartment (if necessary)

He’s got the glow sticks, everybody’s getting Murch.

But not only is he Asher the party animal. He’s also Asher talbot beta of the shaw pack 

Making sure Everybody is safe, happy and accounted for.

Cuts people off when he has to, helps David make sure everybody is hydrated and fed

Making sure everyone has a safe and awesome time.

Believe me, I would do one for hush, but we don’t know enough about him yet.

David

I’m sorry did you say concert dad

No, I said David Shaw 

Are you sure cause I could’ve sworn you said concert dad 

As alpha of the pack it is his job to make sure that everyone  stays safe and healthy during their activities….

Which is just a fancy way of saying as the dad friend, he must keep his menaces on a short leash

“is your phone charged?”

“do you need anything?”

“buddy system everybody”

“you can’t go to the bathroom alone and take someone with you”

Are phrases that you will hear him repeat throughout the night, and we love him for it 

Yes, he’s having a great time but he’s not gonna have a great time until he ensures the safety of everybody else.

Those are all my favorites. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave. Suggestions on who I should do next. 

Love you have a great day/night

Forgive me, if I misspell things, my glasses are broken 

[can-of-pringles]

Recap of the Mother Mother and Cavetown concert from last night! It was such a blast, had a great time. Was very hot though... I don't know why they bother doing summer concerts in Texas /j

It was kinda fun being able to tell who was a Cavetown fan and who was a MM fan. A couple of people had frog build a bears with them. Also random but I saw someone there with a Ghost shirt?? I almost said nice Ghost shirt but didn't have the courage to 😅

At one point in between bands, people in the pit had started stacking cups and it became this whole thing, they got the cup tower pretty high! And the people who were in charge of the big screen displays focused on it more than once. People would cheer about it lol. Also, the amount of pride flags I saw was wonderful. It really was awesome. MM had a small trans flag on stage! And of course Cavetown had flags too. I almost made a joke to my mom (who went with me for MM) saying "What's gayer? A MM and Cavetown concert or a pride parade?"

Meet Me At the Altar was good to hear live, I'll admit. They had picked up this little rubber ducky and asked the crowd what its name should be (I think it ended up being Carl?)

(Here's a couple of pictures I took. In this whole collection, just a reminder that some pictures are better than others...)

Cavetown was great! He asked the crowd a lot if we were staying hydrated and were ok. I didn't get a good look but someone had to be escorted out because I think the heat got to them and they collapsed? Hopefully they're ok :/ but nothing (more) bad happened afterwards.

The mushrooms were fun and the frog bit too. I got so nostalgic hearing Lemon Boy, This is Home, and Boys Will Be Bugs 🥺

And then the grand finale that I had been waiting for! Mother Mother! Absolutely amazing live and they had such a great vibe and atmosphere? Ryan's speech right before they played Grief Chapter almost caused me to tear up 🥹 he had so many inspiring speeches.

I loved hearing both Haylofts live! And Bring Me Back to Life was a pleasant surprise! Wisdom too. My seat was pretty close, I think about three rows down from the pit to the left side. That's the closest I've gotten. Plus the seat in front of me was empty the whole time!

(I have more photos but you know how it is)

Overall a really good experience for my second concert. I'm very exhausted though and will probably need a few days to decompress. I might post some of my video clips if y'all are interested.

[yurisorcerer]

I think Girls Band Cry has finally edged out Jellyfish as my girl band show of the season, and probably my favorite overall as well. I caved and caught up with the other group doing fansubs (their translations are on par, although the subs themselves aren't as fancy), and I just....wow. There's a lot to process here. This post is going to be long.

So, Nina's pa is aware of her faltering grades and now that she's talked to her sister about the band, her family is probably going to know all about that soon as well. Naturally, she has not told any of this to said band. The girl's natural inclination to simply Not Tell People Things is going to absolutely blow up in the second half of the show, I'm sure.

The use of traditional flat animation to convey the past---bygone periods of one's life, memories that have gotten hazy in the recollection---is probably the smartest thing Girls Band Cry does visually. Other uses of 2D animation in the series can feel like a concession, these very much do not.

Of course I wrote that and then they did the broken glass split shot thing when Momoka announced she was leaving the band, so I don't know. The series is just very inventive, visually, and I like that, even if most of the visual symbolism is not necessarily subtle.

Mine, the character in red who's given a supporting role here for what is honestly not a ton of screentime, makes an immense impact in the brief amount that she's on screen. We have somebody here who is herself not "successful" in the broad-stroke pop star sense, but who is clearly at least getting by and making a living with her music. It's inspiring, in a way, and I think that Nina might feel that way too.

I've avoided using the P-word much in my writing lately, because I think it's easy to attribute to passion all sorts of other emotions that might be described better with other terms, but if we read this work as a reflective one, we can assume that the people working on it feel similarly to Mine about their own profession. Things can be difficult, they can be hard, but you push through for your own sake. Because, if you're really that devoted to what you're doing, you almost have to.

In another piece of awesome yet obvious visual symbolism, when Nina redoubles her commitment to the band, she runs to a nearby lake and happens to catch the start of a fireworks show. I kind of love this series.

In episode 7's final moments, in the middle of a concert, the band, which has remained nameless for the entire first half of the show, is finally (and hastily) christened Togenashi Togenari. A literal line-of-sight name, because Nina is an insane person.

Episode 8 opens on a flashback, immediately reflecting Nina's current desire to drop out of school with Momoka's past plan to do the exact same thing. This entire section is flat animated, which to me is enough evidence to confirm that the show's usage of 2D animation to represent the past is an intentional stylistic choice.

Momoka remarks that if Diamond Dust gives themselves an escape route from their desire to make it big, they'll definitely end up using it rather than succeeding, so they shouldn't make one. It's interesting to note that this is the same philosophy that no less an artist than Eminem once advocated. I'm not sure it's the best advice, necessarily, but you can't deny the drive.

Subaru correctly points out that Nina's drive to succeed isn't as far-fetched as it seems, given various factors (those listed include; Tomo & Rupa being somewhat notable indie musicians, Momoka being an ex member of Diamond Dust to begin with, an endorsement on Twitter from another singer, etc.) Nina's plan is no plan---the same that Momoka had as a teenager---no escape routes, no backup plans.

It's notable that Nina's memories don't get the 2D treatment, and I think that may be because unlike Momoka, she's not romanticizing her own past. Momoka, we can clearly see by this point, is guilty of seeing Nina as a slightly younger version of herself in too literal a sense. She thinks that because she failed with Diamond Dust, she'll fail with Togenashi Togenari too, and that Nina will fail with Togenashi Togenari too, because "that's how these things go." She fails to consider that the only data point she's operating off of is her own, and what the final scene---and the inevitable confrontation with the renewed Diamond Dust---tells us, which is that the original group splitting up might have been best for both them and Momoka.

And then there's the final scene, which I find hard to put into words. It's just so much. Momoka cranking her own old song, crying her eyes out, as Nina says she loves her (!!!!!) as they speed down the highway. This show is unhinged. I love it to pieces.

Truly we are in the middle of a girls band revolution. I never like to promise these things, but I might review this when it's over.

Worth noting! The show TRENDED ON TWITTER FOR SEVERAL HOURS after this episode aired. It really does feel like an *event.* I haven't seen this many people pop for an original anime in ages.

[m1lkyw4yw1sh3z]

The second mass attack we did for Artfight this year, and one of our last attacks overall!!

This was a Lemon Demon themed attack as well as partially a mass revenge towards people who included our sona Dial in their own mass attacks :D !!!

We also included a fun little story blurb in the attack description that references as many Lemon Demon songs as we could manage lol We couldn't attack all the people we wanted to (you guys all have such AWESOME OC designs that we'd love to draw) but we're glad we managed to fit a ton in this piece!

Story Blurb + OC Credits Below!! You should go check out all the people we attacked! Their OCs are super cool!!

Dial, an extra clever paranormal investigator, after hearing mysterious rumors and fuzzy radio broadcasts about an exclusive concert coming to town, enlists the help of a friend (Ethos) to investigate. Perhaps together, they can make the calculations and get to the bottom of this mystery; everything's connected, after all!

But, when the music begins to filter from not just the radio, but the phone, the television, and the vents around them, they may have stumbled upon more than they bargained for! There's no turning this techno music down, and once you hear the beat, you won't be able to take a vow of silence!

Not to worry, this supernatural spectacular is the place to be, and you're invited to the party! So be brave to the stage, you're a natural! Just don't go trying to become a rock star, this concert is one night only!

OC Credits: Us!! - Dial @lavalampo - Ethos @redezign-yr-logo - Brody FOXL on Artfight - View Cifur on Artfight - Deporitaz sexysweetcadaver on Artfight - Spiritstar @ohmysheetmetal - Goodsie and Almond @mothwithcrayonz - Beaker Mim_F on Artfight - Kaleido re-animator on Artfight - Dial

[cnmcn]

I've been in the vocal synth (vocaloid/utau/cevio etc) community for over a decade and I remember like five or so years ago people, at least in the west, were lamenting that the golden age of vocaloid was over. That people weren't making songs as much or the voicebanks slowed, Suna no Wakusei dropped and all. Where are they now?

Right now it feels awesome to be a synth fan. The amazing banks coming from SynthV, which I watched come into existance in real time and feel so much over, project voltage fucking rules, Deco*27s Mannequin era, Porter Robinson made a voicebank, the concerts keep looking better. So many artists that came from vocaloid are hitting it big but still sticking around the scene. The production quality of songs is way higher now overall.

Honestly it feels like an awesome time to love vocal synths.

[petrichoraline]

Omg Petri! I saw the concert and it was awesome!! I love seeing Seventeen perform, they really give off such good vibes and happiness!! 🩷🩵

It was shorter than the original concert, they def cut some songs and parts of the ments out. And I saw what you meant about catering to non-fans 😅 but I thought it was well edited to show how fun they are, although I kinda wanted them to zoom out from the closeups sometimes. And I definitely cried too!! 😭 the ments always get to me!

There were more people in the theater than I initially thought were gonna be there which was great to see! Not a full house but still. Everyone was mostly quiet though. The two girls next to me were so quiet and still that I was shy about waving my lightstick (I had the light off) and moving and cheering but as the show went on other people made noise and laughed out loud at the jokes so I felt more comfortable.

One other girl in my row brought her lightstick too and I could see her waving it and by the end of the show she was cheering so I felt better about doing it too. After the show we talked about how since we were the only two like that we should’ve sat together and cheered together 😄 and this other girl came up to me and said she sat behind me and seeing me wave my lightstick brought her joy cause she was too shy to bring hers 🥹

You’re right, Jun and Wonwoo definitely caught my eye! Mingyu and S.Coups are my biases but it’s impossible not to look at how gorgeous they all are 😍 I was squealing on the inside so much! My sister is Jun biased and was bias wrecked by DK 😁

It was overall just such a fun time! SVT bring me so much joy!! I wish I could do it again!

aaaa Karen thank you so much for coming back with a report!!! makes me so happy!!

I'm so glad you felt more comfortable and even got to talk to others, that's the best part about fandom 🥹💞

with mingyu and coups as your biases idk how you handled lalali, that was smth else 🤧 but yess, everyone was stunning

(I get your sister, that bright smile with that hair was an amazing match)

IM SO SO GLAD YOU HAD FUN!! and I really hope you get to see them live 💖💞🥰💗💓💕🥹

[married-2-the-music]

K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Rolling Quartz 🎸

Rolling Quartz is the fourth band I’ve covered here, and the first girl band, which is very exciting! They debuted in 2020, with five members: bassist Arem, guitarists Iree and Hyunjung, vocalist Jayoung, and drummer Yeongeun. They aren’t exactly K-pop, but instead a blend of that and k-rock. Here are my credentials: I’ve been a fan of Rolling Quartz for a while now, after being recommended their excellent cover of Dreamcatcher’s Good Night, and though I know they’re not that popular (and so this review is more for me than other people), I thought it’d be fun to do to break up the SHINHWA epic.

Blaze was their debut, and what a debut it is! Coming right out the gate with a blistering, half-minute-long guitar riff, inspirational lyrics, and Jayoung’s signature husky contralto. From this first song, they immediately stand out from the crowd: besides playing instruments, having a grungier style and music video, and dabbling more in rock, their music also feels more personal, probably due to the fact that they weren’t assembled by a company but instead formed on their own and have the power to write their own songs.

Delight starts out quieter than Blaze, though it doesn’t stay that way for long. It keeps the inspirational lyrics, with a slower, more minimalistic opening that feels like it’s holding its breath until the song explodes in rock bliss. It’s a masterclass in pulling back and rushing forward, and keeps you guessing—in a good way. This was never one of my favorites as a casual listener but I’m pleased to say this changed my mind.

Holler starts with the somewhat haunting call of “Holler, holler, holler”, befitting of the MV’s vampiric inspirations (especially Jayoung’s awesome dress), and the chant repeats again in the post-choruses as a break from the established build ups. It’s definitely reminding me of a Taemin song, with its seductive creepiness, albeit based on far more of a rocky vibe than is usual for him. Overall, I like this one more this time too!

From the EP, Fighting, I liked the crisp guitar riffs of Higher and of course their excellent cover of Dreamcatcher’s Good Night...but my favorite would have to be Azalea. Adapted from an old poem protesting the Japanese occupation of Korea, it’s the true definition of an anthemic, passionate, head-banger, and I hope one day (Hera willing) I’ll get to experience its incredibleness in concert.

One is a collaboration, and goes more of a teen-movie-soundtrack-pop-punk route; as one comment I saw said, “it sounds like it could be from a Monster High movie.” Which is absolutely not criticism, by the way; though I don’t think that One is as good as tracks like Blaze, Delight, or Azalea, it’s a fun break from the darkness and makes me want to relive my younger teenage years (though maybe not all of them, let’s be honest here).

Nazababara is their return after a while, and goes a much sunnier, brighter route, making it feel less like a political anthem and more like one for a night out for friends. I love the segments with less instrumentation in the pre-chorus so that the vocals have time to breathe, and of course the short “you got me, got me” bridge was a highlight too. It’s a short song, but a memorable one.

Sing Your Heart Out is a b-side, but it was given a music video so I’m treating it like a single. It’s harsher in sound and darker in tone than Nazababara, and more true to their usual sound. The guitar riffs are as sharp as ever, and have a great sense of build in those pre-choruses, before the chorus appears to smash everything out of the park. It definitely had me banging my head, especially during that great guitar breakdown and outro.

I’m A Loner isn’t a usual Rolling Quartz song in many ways; it’s both a collaboration with Nam Do-hyun, and an OST. But, it retains their staples of driving beats and Jayoung’s strong voice with those sharp guitars that propel it forward. I hadn’t actually heard this song before this deep dive, but I ended up liking it. I wish it had more of a cathartic end to its great build-up, but otherwise it’s pretty good.

Fearless takes a more EDM-based approach to its rock, for another banger, this time choosing something I normally dislike: an “I’m-so-cooler-than-you” song…and yet, they pull it off! That guitar solo was perfection and I couldn’t resist the urge to dance along with them as they played their instruments in the rain (which I hope they didn’t have to film more than once).

Reminiscence is their most recent single, and though it starts with a sharp snare drum, its first verses are actually a quite straightforward ballad, made unique by the ever-present power in Jayoung’s voice. But of course, since this is Rolling Quartz, it soon becomes a power ballad worthy of single status, and manages to be incredibly captivating despite its music video only being them playing their instruments in their studio, and it actually became one of my favorites of theirs. Also, I had no idea that Jayoung plays piano, so that was a fun surprise.

I’m glad I did this! I knew I would have a great time, but it was still a fun ride. I forgot how few songs Rolling Quartz actually has, but when every one of them is so high in quality, I can’t really complain. I learned a lot more about them as people too, watching some interviews and behind the scenes content and having some good laughs along the way.

My Top 5 songs are Blaze, Azalea, Nazababara, Reminiscence, and Fearless, with Sing Your Heart Out as an honorable mention. Rolling Quartz gets a 9 out of 10 from me, the same as The Rose did, which isn’t surprising at all. I don’t think that there’s a single song of theirs I don’t like, and very few that I don’t love. They’re remarkably consistent and incredibly talented, and I can’t wait to see what they do next!

Next time, we’ll finally be finishing the SHINHWA deep dive, so stay tuned. Tschüss!

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: What’s your favourite piece of classical music that you discovered through a film soundtrack?

What an interesting question to which I have had to really scratch my head and think a little. The main issue is that if you are, like me, one of those kids who was exposed to classical music and some of its canon from an early age then the question becomes harder to answer. Like many other children, I was taught to play musical instruments and have music lessons from about 6 years old onwards. Films, especially the more adult themed ones with a classical score, were something you discovered much later in your teens onwards. So I’m going to cheat a bit here and there. For example I can’t include Milos Forman’s classic movie ‘Amadeus’ because I was already familiar with a range of Mozart’s repertoire before watching it.

Predictably, I’m going have to start with Walt Disney’s classic film ‘Fantasia’ (1940).  This was perhaps the first film I was truly exposed to classical music in all its glory. It was Disney’s love letter to classical music and I can still watch it with child-like wonder at the magnificent music set to an incredible animation.

I’m pretty sure that Igor Stravinsky almost certainly wasn't thinking of dinosaurs when he wrote his ballet The Rite of Spring. But Walt Disney and his talented team of animators decided to tell the story of these prehistoric creatures using the dramatic, angular sounds of Stravinsky's masterpiece. And it's become one of the most famous sequences of the 1940s film.

The score was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski and was narrated by composer Deems Taylor was awesome. As magnificent was the music that Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J. S. Bach, selections from The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 6) by Ludwig van Beethoven, and the “Dance of the Hours” by Amilcare Ponchielli, it was the last two pieces that left a real impression. Of course I’m talking about Night On Bald Mountain by Modest Moussorgsky, coupled with ‘Ave Maria’ by Franz Schubert.

I’m also going to add Léo Delibes’ Flower Duet (from the opera Lakmé). I used to hear this ad nauseam but not in a movie. This classic piece was the chosen soundtrack for the British Airways advertisement on television and in their departure lounges and flights. The ad - updated often - has been around in one form or another but with the same soundtrack since the 1980s. It was a huge feature of my childhood in the 90s. Whenever I boarded a flight in the Far East or South Asia or the Middle East to fly back home to Britain - because we lived overseas - you would hear this as you strapped yourself in to your seats.

As for my main list (in no particular order):

Second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No.7 from: The King’s Speech (2010)

The climactic scene where King George VI has to make his speech ‘unto the nations’ was made more powerful by this piece. Like King George VI and his personal battles with his voice, much speculation has taken place over what personal agony the musical piece reflects in Beethoven’s life, especially since sketches for the movement predate the symphony by several years.

One clue is that Beethoven, who conducted the premier in December of 1813 for the veterans of the Battle of Hanau, made an address to these veterans, saying: "We are moved by nothing but pure patriotism and the joyful sacrifice of our powers for those who have sacrificed so much for us." There is every reason to believe that the deep emotion of this movement was founded on anything but what he said it was. His sentiment had existed long before 1813, as had the wars. Napoleon was being repelled, and the symphony is overall joyous.

However, Beethoven was not the kind of man to casually dismiss sacrifice, and the concert was dedicated to veterans. I believe that this movement celebrates those military veterans who made sacrifices for their nation, in much the same way King George VI was asking his subjects in Britain and the Commonwealth in the fight against evil menace of Nazism and Fascism.

Ligeti's Lux Aeterna and Requiem from: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

I hated it. I saw it as a teen and I thought something was wrong with the audio. I still hate the piece but at least I know who Ligeti is. It was way too avant garde for me back then and it remains so today. I think scratching your nails down a chalk board has more melody than a piece by Ligeti. Kubrick clearly loved his work and used it in his other films such as The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut.

Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra from 2001: Space Odyssey (1968)

By contrast I loved it. Music can be the difference between a highly memorable scene and one that leaves viewers with an indifferent shrug. It’s hard to believe that this classical piece was used in the main opening scene of the film originally as a temporary place holder by Kubrick whilst he waited for the film composer, Alex North, from the full soundtrack. In the end Kubrick left Strauss in and it made all the difference.

Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio in E-Flat from: Barry Lyndon (1975)

The Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major for piano, violin, and cello, D. 929, was one of the last compositions completed by Franz Schubert in 1827 and one of the last pieces he heard being performed before he died. The track itself has been used in countless of movies over the decades such as The Hunger, Crimson Tide, The Piano Teacher, L'Homme de sa vie, Land of the Blind, Recollections of the Yellow House, The Way He Looks, The Mechanic, Miss Julie, The Congress, and the HBO miniseries John Adams. But I first heard it on Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon and remember being captivated by the film and the music. I was a teen watching it my parents and the whole scene at the card table was beautifully directed and wonderfully lit. As I learned much later in life, Kubrick and his team invented new kind of film lens to be able to film in candlelight.

Handel's sarabande from: Barry Lyndon (1975)

The sarabande is traditionally the music written for a courtly dance in triple metre. Handel's version was composed for solo harpsichord at some point between 1703 and 1706 and first published in 1733. This classic piece is the 4th movement of the Cette pièce est le quatrième mouvement de la Suite in G minor composed for the harpsichord. Although the Sarabande was originally intended by its composer to be played solo on harpsichord, the orchestral version of the Sarabande is very well known these days thanks to the Barry Lyndon film. Moreover, the Sarabande is beloved by filmmakers and has been adapted several times for various films. It’s one of my favourite pieces and it reminds me of the English countryside for some reason rather than some formal court dance.

Domenico Cimarosa’s Concerto for Oboe in C Moll from: Though the Olive Trees (1994)

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, this little known Iranian-French film was something I stumbled upon through my Norwegian mother who loved these kind of independent films when we lived in South Asia as an antidote to all the Bollywood films we children enjoyed. Kiarostami’s film traces the trouble arising when the romantic misfortune of one of the actors on a film set - a young man who pines for the woman cast as his wife, even though, in real life, she will have nothing to do with him - leaves the director caught in the middle. In hindsight I can now say it was a metafictional masterpiece. Kiarostami contemplates cinema and its romantic fallacies. The film is gorgeously grounded in Northern Iran’s folk traditions and with a soft focus on its shaken yet convalescent landscape. It’s a warmhearted tale that explores what happens when love goes unrequited - which was surprisingly relevant to a teen with raging hormones at the time.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis from: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

A classical musical masterpiece in a masterful cinematic movie - both epic in every sense of the word. As a former British Army combat pilot it’s the only film that made me have a smidgen of sympathy with the Royal Navy. It was one of the first films I was allowed to go and see at the cinema itself as a teen. The film is almost faultless in terms of acting, directing, cinematography, and authentic detail. It even made me go and read one or two of the books by Patrick O’Brian. How Peter Weir never won an Oscar for directing I shall never know.

Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is a 15-minute (or so) work for double string orchestra and string quartet, based on a melody by the 16th century composer Thomas Tallis. The quartet traditionally sits away from the orchestra in performance, to create an atmospheric antiphonal (alternating voices) effect. It is often known simply as the ‘Tallis Fantasia’. The tune is from a setting of Psalm 2 that Tallis wrote in 1567. It originally sets the words ‘Why fumeth in sight: The Gentils spite, In fury raging stout? Why taketh in hond: the people fond, Vayne things to bring about?’ It was in 1910 at a festival that Vaughan Williams himself conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the first performance, which was followed in the same concert by Elgar conducting his own The Dream of Gerontius. Vaughan Williams, in his late 30s, was already establishing himself as a major name, but the Tallis Fantasia raised his profile even higher, not least because the concept of harking back to the 16th century was a comparatively new one.

The piece by Vaughn Williams is what has stayed with me throughout the years. In a nod to Proust, I chiefly identify the piece with reflections of my time on the battlefields of Helmand during my time in Afghanistan and especially seeing wounded friends and comrades long after we got back home from war.

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana from: Excalibur (1981)

I was already familiar with bits and pieces from Wagner’s operas - played loudly in our home by my parents - but I must admit this classic piece by Carl Orff I first heard watching John Boorman’s magical and majestical film about King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. I know this piece has been used endlessly in other films and even gained fame as a men’s aftershave advertisement (so my father says) but I first heard it watching this film.

John Boorman’s 1981 fantastical retelling of Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur is, to quote Nicol Williamson’s Merlin in the film, “A dream to some. A nightmare to others!” It can sometimes come across as an episodic and hammy sword and sorcery tale, but I saw it as clever and satisfying retelling of an evergreen myth. I had read read Mallory’s epic books and so my expectations were unduly high. For the most part they were met and then some. Boorman took an abstract approach that shows us Arthur’s (unnamed) Kingdom, a place out of time, in several stages of transition; from dark to golden age, via loss of innocence, and painfully bloody rebirth. Excalibur arose out of the ashes of Boorman’s earlier attempt to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to the screen (ironically after trying to get a filmic retelling of the Merlin myth off the ground).

Excalibur is a cautionary tale. The characters are all struggling to find their place in the world, to maintain harmony with nature. Merlin says poignantly of Excalibur to Arthur, “It was forged when the world was young, and bird and beast and flower were one with man, and death was but a dream.” The film is a longing for a golden age, and the struggle to balance the warring natures of honour and goodness with human greed and jealousy. Surely the most rousing image is when Percival has returned the Grail to Arthur who, rejuvenated, also recovers Excalibur from Guinevere (now a nun, to atone for her adultery with Lancelot). She has kept it safe, knowing her once and future king would one day seek its power. Merlin is unfrozen by Arthur, and even Lancelot, a raggedy wild man driven into exile by his own shame, heeds his true king’s call. Arthur rides out with his knights and these fellow warriors through a re-blossoming countryside to do battle with Mordred for the soul of the land, to Carl Orff’s stirring music.

The name of Orff’s piece has Latin roots. 'Carmina' means 'songs', while 'Burana' is the Latinised form of Beuren, the name of the Benedictine monastery of Benediktbeuren in Bavaria. So, Carmina Burana translates as Songs Of Beuren, and refers to a collection of early 13th-century songs and poems that was discovered in Beuren in 1803 - although it has since been established that the collection originated from Seckau Abbey, Austria - and is now housed in the Bavarian State Library. The songs (over 1000 of them) were written in a mix of Latin, German and medieval French by the Goliards, a band of poet-musicians comprising scholars and clerical students, who celebrated with earthy humour the joys of the tavern, nature, love and lust. Although Orff set the original texts, he chose not to use the primitive musical notation that accompanied some of the songs. The collection was first published in Germany in 1847, but it wasn’t until 1934 that Orff came across the texts; a selection had been translated into English and formed part of a publication called Wine, Women And Song. With the help of Michael Hofmann, a law student and Latin scholar, Orff chose 24 songs and set them to music in what he termed a “scenic cantata”.

It was in this form that it was first heard on June 8, 1937, in Frankfurt, under its full title Carmina Burana: Cantiones Profanae Cantoribus Et Choris Cantandae Comitantibus Instrumentis Atque Imaginibus Magicis (Songs Of Beuren: Secular Songs For Singers And Choruses To Be Sung Together With Instruments And Magic Images) Quite a mouthful! After the triumphant premiere of Carmina Burana, Orff, then 41, wrote to his publishers: “Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, published, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana my collected works begin.” However, nothing Orff subsequently wrote ever came close to approaching the popularity of Carmina Burana. Oh dear.

Richard Wagner’s Siegfried’s Funeral March (from the opera Götterdämmerung) from: Excalibur (1981)

The film almost plays like a screen Opera - it is a heightened reality, a world anew. One where sex, jealousy and pride threaten to undo the mystical balance and ties between the King and the land. A powerful aid to that feeling is the superb score which utilises music such as Siegfried’s Funeral March by Wagner, and O Fortuna, a medieval poem set to music by Carl Orff. Boorman was determined to squeeze as much of the legend into his film’s running time as possible, chopping and condensing characters, and switching acts around. He created a three-act saga - the dark ages and the birth of Arthur, a period of brutality and superstition; the rise of Camelot and its age of reason, law, and dawning of Christianity; and the final descent into chaos and wasteland, where a frail Arthur commands the Round Table knights to seek out the Grail. Arising out of this a final battle commences for the soul of the land and the people, a sense of renewal with a promise of a new age to come. Boorman called it the “past, present and future of humanity.”

Richard Wagner composed his opera Götterdämmerung between 1869 and 1874. It is the last of the four operas that make up Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle, a project that had taken him over 25 years to complete. The opera is much renowned for its orchestral sequences, and these are often performed as concert extracts. Siegfried's Funeral March is taken from Act Three after Siegfried has been murdered by Hagen. Following his murder at the hands of Hagen, the death knell of “Siegfried’s Funeral March” opens with funereal timpani as Siegfried’s body is placed on his shield and carried off by the vassals. The music vacillates from deep mourning and rage-filled outbursts to the majesty of the “Hero” motif, brought out in bold relief at the centre of the movement.The whole opera is made up of musical motives from previous operas that tell of Siegfried's background, including the Volsung theme, Siegmund and Sieglinde's theme, the Sword, Brünnhilde's love theme and the curse of the Ring. 

Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries (Die Walküre) from: Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War phantasmagoria is an epic fresco oozing with madness. It is a madness that manages to escape from the frame and infect the director and his team, turning the film into a legend. It is impossible not to talk about this film without mentioning the Dantesque shooting of the film. A typhoon that destroyed the sets, a heart attack that nearly killed Martin Sheen, a Brando who was more obese and obtuse than ever, who arrived on the set without knowing his lines, and a director at the end of his rope physically and psychologically, on the verge of divorce and suicide. Instead of taking four months to complete, the shoot lasted 15 months. The analogy with the hell of Vietnam is obvious.

The film itself is about Benjamin Willard, a special forces captain, who is given a highly perilous mission: to find and assassinate Colonel Kurtz, a renegade who has set up his headquarters on the Cambodian border. To accomplish his mission, Willard must travel up a river in a small patrol boat with a handful of men. We follow Willard sinking into the madness and insanity of this war, personified by the character of Colonel Kurtz, an obese Buddhist, a true godfather of the Vietnamese jungle. Apocalypse Now is in fact a mirror for the spectator, it plays on our feelings about the Vietnamese conflict, and this is what sets it apart from other great war films. It is a physical and very real journey through Vietnam, but also an inner journey for its hero, Willard, a drug addict and alcoholic, which will allow Coppola to make his denunciation of the war. After watching this movie over several years I’ve come to regard Coppola’s movie as more than just a war movie but also an hallucinatory trip, as anxiety provoking as possible, about the human soul lost inside itself.

For a movie that had two of my greatest loves - combat helicopters and Wagner - the film surprisingly didn’t inform my future career path as a combat pilot for the British Army. I was too young as a teen and caught up with other feminine things girls of my age did. But watching it retrospectively I’m sure it had some unconscious influence on me. I noticed things more with each viewing such as before Jim Morrison's paradoxical and delightful prologue, it is the helicopter blades that open Apocalypse Now. The jerky noise that spatialises this mortifying horizon is a motif that will be the melodic line of the entire film. In crosshatching, it truncates reality and allows the initial confusion of a man in reverse who opens his eyes on an uncertain world. The fan in the hotel room is not the air-conditioned shelter of war. Everything, from then on, is under the sign of duality.

Then of course we have the euphoric scene but no less horrifying than the helicopter attack by Kilgore and his men to lay waste to a village so that they could surf. And all done to the terrifying bombast of Wagner’s Ride of Valkyries. It’s a demented scene but also so visually lyrical. Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries is sadistically perfect. It’s a perfect mythical metaphor of the valkyries who majestically flew in the sky and decided who died in battle from above. Of course the symbolism of Wagner - wrongly tarred with its fascist connotations - as a place holder for Western imperialism over the Vietnamese is not lost on the viewer. It’s a clever piece of juxtaposition.

Armies have of course used music in warfare for millennia. The deployment of musicians - from trumpeters to drummers - in battle was useful in instilling regimentation and rhythmic purpose for soldiers; and in days before radio, in carrying specific orders across the battlefield. As well as unifying an army - it could potentially disorient the enemy, or as Kilgore eruditely elaborates: ‘We use Wagner, it puts the shits up the slopes. My boys love it!’. So what we are seeing is an age old military tactic being given a modern twist. This has already been established by the notion of an air cavalry, trading their horses for helicopters - which gets further embodied by Kilgore’s wearing of a cowboy hat, common to the Western film genre. The symbolism of linking old and new - ancient and modern, history and the present - occurs throughout Apocalypse Now, as it does in the original novella Heart of Darkness. It indicates an uncomfortable continuum, a never ending foreboding cycle. That beneath the fragile veneer of civilisation, humanity is endlessly repeating barbarism - a cycle foreshadowed by helicopter/fan blades at the start of the film which also loops back to become the end of the film - itself a cycle that won’t end.

When I flew combat helicopters over in Afghanistan we were banned from playing music in our cockpit. It’s simply not practical because you need to be aware of all your aural cues of what the hell is going on around you as every mission is task intensive. You’re focused on a mission where the shit can hit the fan such as coming under rocket attack at any second especially if you’re on a night mission. In theory you could,  as anyone with some audio equipment and electronics knowledge could wire in a 3.5mm headphone jack and hook up your music into your own helmet. I knew some pilots who broke the ban and did this. They would get their clever avionic ground staff technician crew to put in a some sort of patch cord that could plug through to their helmet ICS - in return you get them a case of beer. I’m not telling where we got the beer from.

Other honourable mentions:

Second movement of Schumann's Piano Quintet from: Fanny and Alexander (1982)

Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor "Il dolce suono" from: The 5th Element (1997)

Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez from: Brassed Off (1996)

Maurice Ravel’s Trio en la mineur pour piano, violon et violoncelle, Sonata for Violin and Cello, Violin Sonata #2 in G, and Berceuse Sur le Nom De Gabriel Fauré from: Un Coeur en Hiver/A Heart in Winter (1992)

Mozart’s Divertimento in D major, K. 136 from: Out of Africa (1985)

Carl Orff - Schulwerk Volume 1: Musica Poëtica - Gassenhauer from Badlands (1973)

Puccini’s O mio babbino caro (aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi)  from: A Room with a View (1985)

Verdi’s La forza del destino (the Force of Destiny) overture from: Jean de Florette (1986)

Mozart’s Letter Duet (from The Marriage of Figaro) from : The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Thanks for your question