The music of Avatar: The Last Airbender is an important part of the series as Aang, Sokka and Katara try to stop the Fire Nation from taking over the world. Composer Jeremy Zuckerman brought emotion and a sense of awe and wonder to the world of Avatar, whether it’s the theme for Aang or Katara or hearing the peaceful themes in “Into a Nighttime Sky” or the dark sounds of the Fire Nation in “Into Fire Nation Territory.” Fans had the chance to embark on an adventure together at Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert on November 17th at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA. It was a blast from the 2000s as fans united to celebrate the popular Nickelodeon animated series.
The over two-hour concert was composed and arranged by Jeremy Zuckerman with a live orchestra that brought the music to life in front of the Orange County audience. There are the traditional live orchestra instruments including the violins and clarinets, and they are joined by special instruments like the taiko and erhu. There were four vocalists serving as the choir, two for the masculine voices and two for the feminine voices. They’ve helped to enhance the orchestral performances from singing to chanting.
Each character gets their own highlight piece including Aang, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, The Kyoshi Warriors, Jet, and more. There are many fan-favorite characters and groups in Avatar: The Last Airbender and the crowd went wild for many of the characters and moments including the romance between Sokka and Suki and Sokka and Princess Yue.
Aang Becomes the Ocean and Into the Nighttime Sky
My highlights included the dramatic performance of “Aang Becomes Ocean” and the somber track “Into a Nighttime Sky.” Both were emotional, with the former being sad and angry and the latter being peaceful and sweet.
The most tear-jerking moment for me was the performance of “Leaves from the Vine,” a song sung by Mako, who voiced Iroh in the animated series and passed away in 2006. The orchestra performed with a lot of heart and at the end, there was an “In memory of Mako.” (I’m listening to the song right now as I’m typing this and I’m already tearing up.)
One of the funniest moments during the concert was the performance of “Secret Tunnel.” The vocal is taken from the series, but the instrumentals are brought to life by the orchestra epically and hilariously. The crowd was ecstatic when it was introduced, and it was a triumphant way to end the concert.
If you still want to catch Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert in California, tickets are available for Riverside, Sacramento, and San Luis Obispo at https://www.avatarinconcert.com.
Featured image credit: Nerd Reactor
