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Child Jedis, bounty hunters, and other miniature Star Wars characters waved light sabers as they filed through the streets of uptown Saturday for "Star Wars in Concert" at Time Warner Cable Arena.
A few adults donned Princess Leia's cinnamon-bun hairstyle, but most of the costumed attendees looked like they hadn't changed since last Saturday. Instead of candy, they got a three-pronged concert experience that celebrated composer John Williams' music and George Lucas' films. More than 32 years after its debut, "Star Wars" still crosses generations. Fans ages 5 to 65 gathered around costumes on display of Yoda, C3-PO, Chewbacca, Darth Vader and a frozen Han Solo and snapped photos in front of backdrops, including one of Luke Skywalker gazing into the horizon on Tatooine.
Images played out on a three-story LED screen as the Royal Philharmonic, led by Dirk Brosse, flawlessly revisited Williams' score.
The voice of Darth Vader (presumably James Earl Jones) introduced actor Anthony Daniels (C3-PO), who served as host and storyteller for the performance, linking the music and montages.. Instead of C3-PO's gold suit, he wore black with a gold vest and momentarily lapsed into character for laughs.
During the movies' most intense segments it was easy to get swept up in the soaring space ships and light-saber battles on screen and forget about the fluttering woodwinds, bounding horns, and choir.
The score was cleverly synched with the action. Tie fighters appeared to dance through the black sky as flutes and violins trilled on stage.
The production included smoke and flames bursting from the stage and a laser-light show . The second half of the two-hour concert focused on the original trilogy of films.
The music proved as timeless as the films. Some children fell asleep, but most sat enrapt by the crashing cymbals, tinkling triangle and looming bass that punctuated the orchestra's encore of Darth Vader's "Imperial March." Said one youngster afterward: "I've never seen the movies, and I still liked it."
