Toss a coin: The Witcher arrives in Glasgow

★★★★★

By Iain McLean

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall | Image by georgeclerk via Getty Images

The Royal Concert Hall hosted an immersive experience and a 14-piece orchestra that brought the music of the massively successful ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ to life for the game's 10th anniversary, with help from folk band ‘Percival Schuttenbach’ and Polish conductor Paulina Porszke.

Fourteen tracks were chosen, spanning the main game and its two DLCs, and segmented by chapter to make it easier for those unfamiliar with the game to follow along.

This one simple idea turned the performance from a concert into a full-blown spectacle. Narrative inserts of the most important scenes, paired with live music and an incredible light show, helped transport the entire concert hall into ‘The Continent’ of the Witcher world.

Witcher 3: Blood and Wine | image provided by LaBeCeTi29 via Alphacoders

The composer also encouraged those in attendance to record whatever parts of the show they wanted, alongside getting the audience to cheer for their favourite characters and challenged the audience to yell out whether they were ‘team Triss’ or ‘team Yennefer '–two romance options available to players in the game.

The most anticipated song for many fans, even talking in the queue, was “Silver for Monsters…”, which is used in online memes, fan edits of the game, and widely considered one of the best songs on the game's soundtrack.

The orchestra members expected this reaction, as those not playing in certain sections could record the crowd's response to their own performance.

Audience participation was integral to the performance: we were encouraged to turn on our phones' flashlights for “Farewell, Old Friend,” one of the more emotional songs, and clap during “Blood on the Cobblestones” as the lights flashed in sync.

The entire night was a masterclass in taking an already beloved soundtrack and giving it the respect it deserves, while also making the performance more memorable for fans of the games.

Fans also got a quick meet-and-greet in the lobby with members of ‘Percival Schuttenbach’ after the show.

Performances like this are essential to the gaming industry; every gamer has a favourite piece of music they can instantly recall, but showcasing it is rare outside televised gaming awards.

As a massive fan of The Witcher franchise, hearing those songs brought to life live on stage was an experience I’ll never forget.

The tour has 28 more stops, and you can find all locations and tickets here.