As I write this article, I'm actually on a flight back home. It's been a wild two nights and I'm a far way from home. I had traded the pleasantly sunny skies of California for the snowy streets of Chicago for the weekend. "Why?" you might ask. A very good reason: the premiere of the Nier: Orchestra Concert re:12018 tour.

In October 2019, Chicago's Rosemont Theater was announced as the sole American stop for the Nier: Orchestra Concert re:12018 tour. It's based on the 2018 Japanese tour of the same name (well, minus the re: part). VIP tickets sold out during presale in minutes. When the concert officially went on sale, the remaining tickets disappeared in a flash. The same can be said about the sole European tour stop in London; VIP tickets sold out during presale and fans snapped up the rest just as quickly. It looked like anyone who had missed the boat would be out of luck. Intrepid fans did notice that on the tour's website you could suggest new locations and they got to work. In November, their prayers were answered when Square-Enix announced three more shows: a second show in Chicago, a show in Los Angeles, and a second London show. Two shows in Bangkok, Thailand remain the sole location for Asia.

Nier (a spin-off of another series, Drakengard) began in 2010 with the releases of the games Nier: Replicant (the Japan version) and Nier: Gestalt (the international version). The only major difference between the two is that in Replicant you play as a young boy named Nier and in Gestalt you play as an older, fatherly Nier. The official reasoning is that western audiences would be more accepting of a gruff, muscular protagonist. Nier was, to be honest, a niche game, and never wildly popular. In early 2017 Square-Enix released a sequel, Nier: Automata, and that took off like a rocket. No one predicted how well it would perform or how popular it would be. It made sales records for the entire franchise stand alone to this day and helped open up opportunities for events like the orchestral concerts.

As mentioned, the re:12018 concerts are based upon the Japanese iterations which, until now, had never been performed outside of Japan. T he background visuals are subtitled in English. The interludes with Emil (voiced by Mai Kadowaki) and Automata's 2B (voiced by Yui Ishikawa) are not read live like in the Japanese production; instead, they have their audio played in Japanese and shown translated onscreen in English. The tour features veteran singer Emi Evans which any fan of Nier should recognize. She's provided vocals for the songs "Song of the Ancients," "Kaine," and "Weight of the World" amongst others. Arnie Roth, who you might recognize from Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, is the conductor for the tour. The same folks behind the Final Fantasy concerts, AWR Music Productions, are another common element for re:12018. The World Festival Symphony Orchestra & Chorus provide their talents for the three North American concerts. Chicago's two concerts took place on 1/24 and 1/25 and Los Angeles' will take place on 1/29.

My seat for the first night of Chicago ended up being right in the middle of the front row: section 103, row C, seat 4. Rows A and B were completely empty. If you were any closer than row C, the orchestra obstructed your view. Even being in row C was a bit too close for comfort and I resorted to glancing at the side screens so I could see the visuals. I ended up not being able to see anyone but the string sections from my seat. Keiichi Okabe, composer for Nier and Nier: Automata's music, came onstage and spoke a few words before things began. He mentioned that at the PAX convention they had asked if a Nier concert was something people were interested in. The answer from the crowd was a resounding, "Yes!"

The first half of the concert comprised of music from the original Nier game. "Snow in Summer" and "Song of the Ancients," two pivotal songs from Nier, lead the set. Many important songs from the game such as " Shadowlord " and "Kaine" are also included . Okabe said that because they feared the foreign audience would not recognize the original videos from the Japanese concerts, they created new videos for the re:12018 tour. I feel this was a disservice to the western fanbase. There were plenty of fans in the audience who knew the first Nier game, but I understand the apprehension. The game has a cult following but things are nowhere near the level of Nier: Automata.

During intermission, I regretted not buying a ticket for the upcoming Los Angeles show. As of writing, there are perhaps two dozen resale tickets available for the Los Angeles date. If you're still sitting on the fence, you should buy one. Once it sells out, you might not have this chance again.

The second half of the concert was dedicated to Nier: Automata. "City Ruins" took up the lead position for the set. There were noticeable crowd reactions for the next two songs, "Amusement Park" and "A Beautiful Song" as fans recognized them immediately. Visuals during the second half were more complex than the first half and worked well in reigniting emotions that fans had during the game. Ironically, I enjoyed the simplified Pod text from "The Sound of the End" the most with its inherent defiance.

Emi Evans performed two songs: "Kaine," from Nier, and "Weight of the World," from Nier: Automata. Vocalist J'Nique Nicole handled English vocals for "Weight of the World" during the original Japanese concerts but due to scheduling conflicts, she was unable to join the tour. One of the only ways to make this concert better would be to have her perform a duet alongside Evans. A dream would be to also have Japan's Marina Kawano alongside so they could perform the three-language version of "Weight of the World" from "The Memories of Puppets" concert.

Keiichi Okabe reappeared, followed by Square-Enix producer Yosuke Saito and director Yoko Taro. Yoko Taro had his trademark Emil mask on so he was following Saito very, very closely. "Hello. I can't see anything. But, thank you very much!" said Yoko Taro. On the second night, he even had a bit of fun by introducing himself as Okabe (much to the real Okabe's chagrin). Okabe told us: "Ten years ago when Nier first started, we could have never imagined this. Thank you all so much for coming." Saito added, "Maybe we'll be back?" which the audience met with cheers. Arnie signaled one more song and the night ended with "The Dark Colossus Destroys All." 'All good things...' as the saying goes.

Throughout the night I talked to people around me while waiting for the show to begin. People had come from all across the eastern half of the US. North Carolina, Maryland, and Florida were a few of the states present. My own group represented California (both San Francisco and Los Angeles), Texas, and beyond. Diehard fans were clearly willing to travel to see this concert. I flew more than two thousand miles to get here and I'd do it again in a heartbeat for something of this caliber. I've flown farther for less (a short concert in Atlanta). I've flown farther for more (a sold-out Tokyo Dome performance). I got my money's worth this weekend and then some. Hopefully, this will open the doors to more of Asia's orchestra shows in America. A few of the concerts out there are ones for Fate/Grand Order, Granblue Fantasy, and Girls Frontline.

For some, the concert was a truly moving experience. A girl dressed as 2B in the row behind me was "having a moment," except that moment took place during the entire concert. Throughout the performance, I could hear her doing her best to hold back tears and when that failed she wept openly. I can relate; by the end of the night, I had also lost my stoic demeanor. Hearing the opening bars of "Weight of the World" is what broke me down. The beauty of the music, the glory of the vocals, and 2B's words onscreen ; together they were a force to behold. Speaking with others after the concert I learned that the girl's reaction was not unique. Others across the theater had been equally moved to tears.

An accurate depiction of what your emotions will be during the concert

The concert is best enjoyed by fans who have played the game. The visuals have a much greater impact if you recognize the characters and scenes (naturally that means there are lots of spoilers). Someone who enjoys listening to orchestras and desires to learn more about the games may also be interested if they have friends willing to explain things. I did see a story that described as much.

Tips for anyone attending Los Angeles, London, or Thailand: if you want merchandise, either come two or more hours early or buy it from the Square-Enix website. Almost all the merchandise were released previously except for the tour shirt. If you're able to, bring cash. There was a cash-only line on the side that processed much faster than the other lines. Shirts should be in plentiful supply for all the performances. For VIP ticket holders you should definitely buy whatever you want to be signed ahead of time.

The VIP meet-and-greet took place after the concert. The front center section and approximately half of the two front wings were all VIP ticket holders. That meant a lot of people to get through. Each person had a chance to speak briefly with the five guests, shake their hand (or get a hug), and finally take a photo with the group. The whole exercise took about two and a half hours from start to finish. Some of my friends towards the back of the line did not leave until 1 AM. This is, for many, a once in a lifetime event. Chances to meet Yoko Taro, Keiichi Okabe, and Emi Evans do not grow on trees. The small premium in the ticket price was well worth it compared to normal orchestra seats. When you consider the fact that you get an autograph from each of the guests it is an even more valuable experience.

I got the box for the Orchestral Special CD Set signed as well as the front cover of the hardcover Nier: Automata world guide signed ( yes, I went as VIP, twice.)

Thank you to Square-Enix, Yoko Taro, AWR Music Productions, and the Rosemont Theater for holding such a wonderful event. The next concert in Los Angeles takes place on Wednesday, 1/29. I'm sad I won't be able to see it.

For more information please visit https://nierconcert.com/. The concert dates and setlist follow.

Nier: Orchestra Concert re:12018:

1/24 Chicago, IL - Rosemont Theater

1/25 Chicago, IL - Rosemont Theater

1/29 Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater

2/2 London, UK - Royal Festival Hall (matinee)

2/2 London, UK - Royal Festival Hall

2/15 Bangkok, TH - Prince Mahidol Hall

2/16 Bangkok, TH - Prince Mahidol Hall

Setlist:

Snow in Summer

Song of the Ancients

Hills of Radiant Winds

Emil

Gods Bound by Rules

The Wretched Automatons

Grandma

Shadowlord

Ashes of Dreams

Kaine (Emi Evans)

Intermission

City Ruins

Amusement Park

A Beautiful Song

Alien Manifestation

The Tower

Dependent Weakling

Bipolar Nightmare

Mourning

The Sound of the End

Weight of the World (Emi Evans)

The Dark Colossus Destroys All