Elden Ring: A Night in the Lands Between, as the event will be known, is a collaboration between Bandai Namco, award-winning musician Kenny Garrett, and Takuya Kuroda. It promises “recognisable melodies from the game’s soundtrack… performed live in Jazz format - with improvisation” by a group of musicians lead by Garrett on alto sax and Kuroda on trumpet. “While video game 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”, wrote Bandai Namco’s senior director of esports and live entertainment Wataru Nakasuji in a statement accompanying today’s announcement. “Jazz master Kenny Garrett and new generation player Takuya Kuroda are both truly world-class musicians… and they are now lending their different talents to give birth to a new creative way to meld music and video games.” A Night in the Lands Between is due to take place at Hollywood’s Bourbon Room on 3rd December, with one performance scheduled for 6pm PT and another at 10pm PT. Both will be streamed live. There are, however, two potential snags here; firstly, Bandai Namco’s event website says livestream and video-on-demand access are only available to those within the US at present. Secondly, the charge for watching live isn’t cheap. To attend in person will cost either $75 USD, $125, or $200 - with prices determining the selection of goodies included and whether you’re sat in the reserved, premium, or VIP seating area. As for livestream access, that costs either $25 or $50, with the cheaper ticket being event access only, while the more expensive option includes a t-shirt and digital soundtrack. Finally, video-on-demand access after the event costs $15. At $15, I might be tempted if it wasn’t for the regional restrictions around the event. Hopefully Bandai Namco can find a way to open things up to a broader audience at a later date.
