Two time Academy Award Winner and now five time Grammy winner, Hans Zimmer, rocked
Music City on February 2 at a sold out Bridgestone Arena with Hans Zimmer Live. I thought the
show in Chicago was electric but Nashville took it up a notch when welcoming back Hans and
his band of world class musicians for the first time since 2017 – now performing for 20,000
people.
As the show began, I looked around the venue and noticed that it was nearly full already.
Perhaps it was because we were in Music City – people eat, sleep and breathe all genres of
music there. Or perhaps it was because Hans Zimmer Live has become a must-see that fans
around the country –no, the world – don’t want to miss it. I am one of those fans.
The first half of the 2 and a half hour show consisted of some of Hans’ most popular scores
including Dune, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Wonder Woman – the latter two featuring cellist
Tina Guo. These scores are played with such passion and brutality that it is so commanding that
it garnered a standing ovation after the first 30 minutes of the show – I have never seen
anything like this before. Those around me were mesmerized and made the entire experience so
much more special.
The second half of the show was even more eclectic with suites from films including The Dark
Knight, The Lion King and Interstellar. Every single one of these suites was aided with stunning
visuals which pulled the audience into that film’s world. One that is always stunning to watch is
The Dark Knight because the visuals in the show compliment the music so well. It’s brutal and
chaotic just like the Joker and Batman are in the film. Interstellar was no exception as it
completely transformed Bridgestone Arena into an intergalactic odyssey. Nothing compares to
when Hans’ and his band perform The Lion King. Everything about this suite is breathtaking
from the visuals to the singers – one of which is Lebo M, who sang on the original 1994
soundtrack. The audience absolutely stunned me with how they reacted to this performance.
Fans around the stadium stood up during the whole performance and sang and danced along to
the music. I could help but watch them with a huge grin on my face, knowing just how much this
film and score means to them.
As the show comes to a close, “Time” from the film Inception, is performed as a farewell and
goodnight to the audience. It’s a beautiful piece that always causes chills when I hear it – even
now as I write this I have chills thinking about it from that night. The music swells and grows
during this time but as it nears the end, the arena becomes nearly silent. Only a single piano
and violin play the last few notes of this song and just like the film, we are left with a big
question once the stadium turns to black – was it all just a dream?
Next Hans Zimmer Live shows
April 24, 2025 – Brisbane, Australia
April 26, 2025 – Sydney, Australia
April 29, 2025 – Melbourne, Australia
May 31, 2025 – Abu Dhabi
Hans Zimmer Live 2025 UK/Europe dates can be found here.
