FRI 15 OCT 2004
Rock music and video games collide at Big Easy in Spokane
By Ryan WestArgonaut Staff
Hundreds of ticket holders lined up around the Big Easy concert house in Spokane Sunday, eagerly waiting to see what has been called a “fusion of new music and cutting edge video game design.”
The Nintendo Fusion Tour, a 37-city concert series sponsored by Clear Channel Entertainment Corporation and Nintendo Inc., featured three bands hired to promote Nintendo’s latest software and systems while in Spokane. The Big Easy venue featured Welsh alternative rock band the lostprophets, screamo band Story of the Year and indie punk band Letterkills. Emo-core rockers My Chemical Romance were also slated to perform, but due to scheduling conflicts were unable to make it on time.
The concert portion of the event began with Letterkills, a band hailing from southern California that was only recently signed on to Island Records and released its first album, “The Bridge” over the summer. The band’s performance quickly energized the crowd into mosh pits. Lead singer Matt Shelton’s hips and head moved in liquid fashion. The band draws on musical styles, including classic ’70s rock, metal and pop-punk to form a unique style that stands alone from other favorite bands of music mag Alternative Press.
The lostprophets began with a head injury. Lead singer Ian Watkins fell backward after bouncing to his own vocals at the start of their hit single, “Last Train Home,” and suffered what appeared to be a mild head rush that caused the band to pause. They continued their set, however, and redid the opening. The crowd swelled for the band’s performance, with concertgoers pushing forth onto the floor from the Big Easy’s upper levels.
Story of the Year ended the night with a significantly shorter set. Opening with its newest single, “Anthems of Our Dying Day,” the hardcore screamo band organized mosh pits and circle jerk dancing throughout its set. Concertgoers cheered and applauded as the band performed a montage of classic rock songs given a punk-rock edge. The band belted out portions of Maroon Five’s “She Will Be Loved,” the GooGoo Dolls’ “Iris” and Lynryd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” all in less than five minutes.
Nintendo has done promotional concerts and events in the past, but nothing as large in North America as the Fusion Tour. Following its purchase of several properties formerly belonging to video game software mogul Square Enix, Nintendo believed such a vast promotional opportunity could not be passed up.
“We are on the brink of a new dimension in gaming, and Nintendo will be leading the way this year,” Nintendo’s Web site states.
New and upcoming video games previewed on giant flat screens at the concert were “Resident Evil 4,” “Second Sight,” “X-Men Legends,” “Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door,” “James Bond Goldeneye: Rogue Agent,” “Lord of the Rings: The Third Age,” “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” and “Fifa Soccer 2005.”
The longest promotional video, running a full six and a half minutes, was a preview for “Baten Kaidos,” Nintendo’s first role-playing game since its buyout of Namco Software. The game has been labeled by Nintendo as “unlike anything Nintendo has ever produced,” and features some of Japan’s most popular anime voice actors such as Tiffany Grant of “Neon Genesis: Evangelion” fame.
At the front of the venue, Nintendo set up several interactive kiosks where concertgoers could sample the latest Nintendo games and catch a glimpse of Nintendo’s new handheld system, the Nintendo DS. This system is a portable, hand-held console with two monitors and a wireless connection so users can play with others via the Web. Classic titles such as “Super Mario Bros.” and “The Legend of Zelda” have been reformatted and redesigned for the DS system. Other free promotional items included hats, T-shirts, pins and patches featuring Nintendo properties.
The Nintendo Fusion Tour will run through Nov. 12, ending in St. Louis, Mo. Other bands featured along the way will include Autopilot Off, Anberlin, Matchbook Romance and Taking Back Sunday.
Arts&Culture Editor: Jon Ross
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