Concert Band plays to packed audience for Play II

In early February, McMaster Concert Band performed to packed audiences in the L.R. Wilson Concert Hall. Play II: A Symphonic Video Game Concert, performed on Friday February 11 and on Sunday February 13, saw the band perform music from a variety of video games including themes from well known titles such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy and Super Mario Kart as well as lesser-known masterpieces composed for video games such as Cuphead and Journey.

Eschewing conventional concert etiquette, band director Joe Resendes let the audiences know early on that clapping, cheering and singing along to recognizable pieces were welcomed. There were even a few tears according to some audience members.

“It’s certainly good to know that the impact of the music is connecting with our audience in many ways, and across all ages,” said Resendes.

The interactivity of the performances also saw audience members playing a Super Mario Kart race on the Concert Hall’s big screen while the band played the accompanying Coconut Mall theme.

For an encore, the band played The Super Mario Bros. Movie song Peaches with enthusiastic audience members signing along to the words on the screen.

McMaster Concert Band is made up of students from programs across all of McMaster and their Play II concert’s sold-out audiences remind us how music can be an experience that connects us all.

Get a taste of the concert with our one-minute, twenty-eight second recap!