As someone with a deep interest in music written for the media, I am always on the lookout for interesting concerts. What I have noticed over the years is that there has been a wide range of these concerts. Some are standard concerts with an orchestra on stage, while others are smaller performances with just a handful of musicians in equally small venues like a church. Concerts by the Neko Light Orchestra lie in between these two types. This group of around 20 musicians from Southern France perform a variety of programs based on a movie, a series or a game. The group has been around since 2011, but I first learned about them when they collaborated with Bear McCreary for a concert last year.
When the announcement came that the group would be coming to Groningen for their Echoes of Hyrule tour, a series of concerts with music from the Zelda games, I was mildly intrigued. I played the first game in the ‘80s at a friend’s house, and I heard many of the Zelda themes when I was still working for StreamingSoundtracks.com, but other than that, I am not that familiar with the games. Seeing that the concert had not sold out, I had the liberty to wait to see how my mood was on the day of the concert. Apparently, the mood turned out to be pretty good, so I found myself in De Oosterpoort that evening with a cup of beer in my hand, waiting for the concert to start.
The group consisted of a variety of musicians. On stage I saw a flute player, a violinist, a guitarist, a harpist, a drummer, and a brass section consisting of a trumpet, saxophone, euphonium, and tuba players. There was also a keyboard player, who also spoke to the audience in English with a heavy French accent. On the program were all kinds of themes from the different Zelda games, each with its own take. With most music coming from the older games that were simplistic and lacked real instruments, the musicians had more freedom to play around with the melodies, resulting in some fantastic, exciting cues. Sometimes the music got a bit jazzy, with the musicians improvising on the iconic melodies the audience knows so well. During other pieces, like “Lost Woods” from Ocarina of Time, the group members were all synchronologically dancing on stage, including the tuba player with his heavy instrument. This was all possible because of the drummer’s solid play, who also had a drum computer programmed with all kinds of quirky sounds from the Zelda games, for high entertainment value. He apparently did not have chicken sounds on his computer, so the audience had to help by making those noises while the group performed “Kakariko Village” from Ocarina of Time.
The concert was more intimate at other times. At some point, the guitarist was on stage by himself and performed a delicate variation of “Zelda’s Lullaby.” Near the end of the show, the harpist performed together with the violinist, who apparently can sing as well, and another guest vocalist singing “Ballad of the Goddess” from Skyward Sword. The concert was conveniently concluded with music from the final boss encounters from the games, but the final notes of the program were, of course, still from the iconic main Zelda theme.
After introducing all the musicians on stage and the crew off stage, and thanking the audience, the keyboard player invited children and cosplayers on stage for another dance session to the music of “Lost Woods.” At the same time, a big stuffed chicken was thrown around in the audience. It was a fun conclusion to a great, spontaneous evening out.
I am glad I decided to go at the last minute. The Neko Light Orchestra is a great bunch of entertainers and musicians, and they showed very well how beautiful and unique the music of these Zelda games is. If they return to Groningen for one of their other tours, I would gladly come again.
Concert information
Where: De Oosterpoort/Spot in Groningen, the Netherlands
When: April 16, 2025
Performers: Neko Light Orchestra
Setlist
Op de setlist stonden allerlei thema’s uit de The Legend of Zelda-games, waaronder:
- The Legend of Zelda
- The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- The Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
