If you've ever listened to Elden Ring's overpowering operatic soundtrack and thought to yourself, man, this would be even better with more saxophones, then I have some oddly-specific but very good news: It's happening.
Set to take place on December 3, Elden Ring: A Night in the Lands Between will translate music from the hit videogame into live jazz performed by a band led by Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Kenny Garrett and Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda.
“We want to celebrate the incredible success of Elden Ring by presenting this truly unprecedented live and livestreamed jazz concert, giving fans a different way to immerse in the rich engaging world that has dominated their gaming days and nights this past year,” Bandai Namco's senior director of esports and live entertainment Wataru Nakasuji said.
"While videogame soundtracks have seen variations as symphonic music and even rock n’ roll, our A Night in the Lands Between jazz event is exploring a wonderfully different treatment of the Elden Ring soundtrack. Jazz master Kenny Garrett and new generation player Takuya Kuroda are both truly world-class musicians, respected and renowned by lovers of jazz around the world, and they are now lending their different talents to give birth to a new creative way to meld music and videogames."
Two shows will take place at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood, at 6 pm and 10 pm PT on December 3. The good news for those of us who can't be there in person is that the whole thing will be livestreamed. Unfortunately, you'll need a ticket to watch either way: I had initially assumed that the livestream would be available to all via the usual channels, but eldenringlive.com indicates that you'll have to purchase a ticket if you want to watch: $25 for basic access, or $50 for a "commemorative ticket" and digital soundtrack. If you just want the VOD, it'll cost you $15. (The price list doesn't specify whether the "watch live" tickets include access to the VOD as well, but I would certainly hope so.)
That's a letdown: I like jazz and I like Elden Ring, but I'm not sure the novelty of jazz Elden Ring is enough to justify spending 50 bucks on it. On the other hand, if you happen to be a big fan of both, this might just be the ultimate intersection of interests—and hopefully at least a track or two will find its way to YouTube at some point after the show for the rest of us.
