Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back—In Concert

Hands down my favourite Toronto thing of all time. I've been meaning to go to a TSO "in concert" series for the past couple of years, but for some reason or other, the timing just couldn't seem to work out.

By chance, I overheard my sister and her partner talking about buying tickets for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and I had to third-wheel them. I just had to experience the TSO playing the soundtrack of such an iconic movie live.

My parents also overheard us talking about the performance, so it became a family event, starting with dinner at Lee Chen Asian Bistro (214 King St W), followed by a short walk across the street to Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe St).

We were able to get a row to ourselves for the Friday, March 22nd performance, and as you can see above, it gave us a great view of the screen and the orchestra. We arrived a few minutes early, which was unfortunately too little time to get a drink or a small snack. By the time we were settled in, we just had enough time to go to the washroom before they signaled that the concert was about to start. And so it began...

It was spectacular. From the classic opening of the "Star Wars (Main Theme)" all the way to the intermission, I was blown away. I was amazed to see the conductor lead the orchestra and to hear the different sections play in harmony with each other and in sync with the movie.

After the intermission, during which we tried and failed to get snacks again (too many lines!), the orchestra continued to play beautifully. It was epic to hear them back so many memorable scenes, including that infamous scene between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Everyone cheered when the credits rolled. It was so good on so many levels; everyone knew it.

I remember walking out of Roy Thomson, thinking about when I'll ever get to see a performance like that again. Lo and behold, after many years, I will finally be able to go to a Harry Potter in concert performance! I randomly saw an ad on Facebook and bought tickets the night after. I can't wait! I am sure it will be awesome.