Star Wars: In Concert, a unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams' epic Star Wars scores, begins its worldwide arena tour on October 1 and 2, 2009 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and October 7 and 8 at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, California.
Tickets for Honda Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE go on sale Sunday, August 2 at 12-noon at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone 800-745-3000, and online at ticketmaster.com.
Narrated live by Anthony Daniels (the actor who portrayed C-3PO in all six films), the production features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen - one of the largest ever put on tour. The live music and film elements are synchronized in order to create a full multi-media, one-of-a-kind Star Wars experience.
"We've taken the key themes from the music and cut together all the images that fit with each theme, so you can really get a sense of how the music played into the images," said George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars Saga. "The whole soundtrack is a testament to John Williams' creativity and his extraordinary ability to enhance the emotional aspects of the films."
"Creating the music for the Star Wars films has been an exciting and wonderful experience for me, and I therefore have derived particular pleasure in assembling a compendium of themes from all of the films to be presented in Star Wars in Concert," said Williams. "The editors at Lucasfilm have created original film montages to accompany each of the musical selections, and in the process, I believe that a singular and unique Star Wars experience has been born."
"This event has been crafted to present Star Wars from many points of view; for the first time, the full dramatic sweep of Williams' iconic scores can be heard performed live in one evening," said Another Planet Touring Producer Spencer Churchill." "The show is a new way of experiencing the epic scope of the saga."
Accompanying the concert is an exclusive exhibit of Star Wars costumes, props, artifacts, production artwork and specially created behind-the-scenes videos from the Lucasfilm Archives. Many of these pieces are leaving Skywalker Ranch for the first time. The exhibit features many classic fan favorite artifacts, as well as several new and never-before-seen items, including:
Full costumes for Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Plo Koon will be on display.
For the first time ever, pages from John Williams' original hand-written sheet music for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace will be exhibited for the public.
Also on display will be various never-before-seen props from the films, including blasters and helmets from Coruscant, Tatooine and other iconic Star Wars locations.
Star Wars: In Concert is produced by Another Planet Touring in association with Lucasfilm Ltd. Performances will be conducted by Dirk Brossé and the production is directed and designed by StEve Cohen. Star Wars in Concert had its world premiere at the 02 Arena in London on April 10 and 11, 2009.
Lucasfilm, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners
Honda Center is the premier entertainment and sports venue in Southern California. Owned by the City of Anaheim and operated by Anaheim Arena Management, LLC, the arena opened in June of 1993. In 2008, Honda Center finished as the 5th ranked facility in the entire country by Billboard Magazine while winning Fox LA's top "Hot Spot" for Orange County concert venues. The National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks have called the arena home since their inaugural season in the fall of 1993. In addition to Ducks games each year, Honda Center hosts sporting events such as the annual John R. Wooden Classic and Professional Bull Riders, concerts by top performers including U2, Paul McCartney and the Eagles, and family shows like Stars On Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as well as the Harlem Globetrotters.
Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, is a world-class 7,100-seat venue for live performances located in downtown Los Angeles has already become the preferred indoor venue for performers and fans alike. The venue offers guests mid-sized intimacy, with no seat further from the stage than 220 feet, exceptional comfort and amenities never before included in similar theatres. There are four levels of concessions, as well as numerous spaces for meet and greets, pre and post party events for performers, bands, clients and VIPS throughout the venue. Nokia Theatre L. A. LIVE hosts over 120 music, family, dance and comedy acts, award shows, televised productions, conventions and product launches annually. Since opening its' doors in October 2007, NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE has hosted six nights of the Eagles and Dixie Chicks, Sugarland, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young, Anita Baker, the American Music Awards, Mary J. Blige, So You Think You Can Dance Tour, John Mayer, Bjork, John Fogerty, Tori Amos, George Lopez, The Wiggles, Kayne West, Kings of Leon, The Who, Carrie Underwood, Speed Racer Movie Premiere, American Idol Finale Shows, Rush, Juanes, 16th Annual ESPY Awards, 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. For the second year in a row, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE has been named the Pollstar "Theatre of the Year," by the highly respected concert industry publication Pollstar. In the center of the entertainment capital of the world, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE is the heart and soul of the 4 million square foot L.A. LIVE sports, residential and entertainment district. Across the street from STAPLES Center, the world's busiest arena, and adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center L.A. LIVE will ultimately become the primary the "content campus" and event center for southern California where people seeking entertainment offerings intersect with the sports and entertainment industries at work in an energetic, unique, urban environment covering more than 6 city blocks.
