Sonic Symphony


Sonic Symphony is an ongoing concert tour featuring original arrangements of the music of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series by Sega performed by an orchestra and rock band. A concert also displays footage of gameplay from the series synchronized to the music. The first concert, Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Symphony, was presented as a free live stream on YouTube and Twitch on June 23, 2021 to commemorate Sonic the Hedgehogs 30th anniversary. The second and first live concert was presented on October 12, 2022 at the 2022 Brasil Game Show. A live tour, Sonic Symphony World Tour, started on September 16, 2023 in London, England.

History

The Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Symphony was announced in the Sonic Central presentation on May 27, 2021. The concert starred the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra performing orchestral arrangements and the Tomoya Ohtani Band and Crush 40 performing pop rock arrangements, with Nathan Sharp as the guest singer. The fan-made Chao Camera mod for Sonic Adventure 2 was used for gameplay footage. The Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Symphony was also featured in the 2021 Summer Game Fest. The concert took two years to plan and switched to being shown as a free live stream due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An album of its music was released on September 18, 2021 on the iTunes Store and Apple Music and on other major digital music services four days later.
The concert at the 2022 Brasil Game Show was announced in the Sonic Central presentation on June 7, 2022 with more tour dates to come.
On May 19, 2023, two dates in London, England and Los Angeles, California, United States for the Sonic Symphony World Tour were announced. The Sonic Symphony World Tour is produced by Sega and soundtrec, and presented by MGP Live. Pre-sale for subscribers to the official newsletter started on May 25, 2023 and public sale started a day later. Guest stars are to appear at certain dates. More dates were announced in the Sonic Central presentation on June 23, 2023, with pre-sale starting on June 28, 2023 and public sale on June 30, 2023.
During the Fearless: Year of Shadow marketing campaign in 2024, music related to the character Shadow the Hedgehog was included in Sonic Symphony World Tour's setlist.

Reception

The Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Symphony was received positively; Andy Robinson of Video Games Chronicle and Daniel Hollis of Pure Xbox noted such reception from fans. Ash Parrish of Kotaku and Kenneth Shepard of Fanbyte reported that they cried of happiness and the former described the concert as "a heartwarming, tear-inducing, nostalgic happy-time-memory-recalling performance that surpassed all expectations". Stephen Tailby of Push Square called it "a brilliant musical trip down memory lane" and Hollis of Pure Xbox deemed it "the perfect birthday treat" and "one of the best things SEGA has produced in a long time for their trusty mascot".

Set list

30th Anniversary Symphony

The following set list is of the Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Symphony and is not intended to represent all dates; later concerts incorporated themes from games released after the 30th anniversary, including Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Superstars.
First act
  1. "Sonic the Hedgehog Medley"
  2. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Medley"
  3. "Sonic Game Gear Medley"
  4. "Sonic 3 & Knuckles Medley"
  5. "Sonic Mania Medley"
  6. "Sonic SEGA Saturn Medley"
  7. "Believe in Myself" / "It Doesn't Matter"
  8. "Sonic the Hedgehog Medley"
  9. "Sonic Unleashed Medley"
  10. "Sonic Lost World Medley"
  11. "Sonic Forces Medley"
  12. "Sonic Colors Medley"
Intermission
  2. "Chao Garden - Neutral"
Second act
  2. "Reach for the Stars "
  3. "Speak with Your Heart"
  4. "Endless Possibility"
  5. "Open Your Heart"
  6. "Sonic Heroes"
  7. "Green Light Ride"
  8. "Sonic Boom"
  9. "I Am... All of Me"
  10. "Knight of the Wind"
  11. "Escape from the City"
  12. "Live & Learn"
Credits
  2. "Friends"

    Sonic Symphony World Tour

The following setlist was performed at Line Cube Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan on February 11, 2024, and is not intended to represent all of the shows on tour.
First act
  1. "Sonic the Hedgehog Medley"
  2. "Sonic CD Medley"
  3. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Medley"
  4. "Sky Sanctuary"
  5. "Sonic Mania Medley"
  6. "Believe in Myself" / "It Doesn't Matter"
  7. "Chao Medley"
  8. "Rooftop Run"
  9. "Aquarium Park" / "Planet Wisp"
  10. "Sonic Frontiers Medley"
Second act
  2. "I Am... All of Me"
  3. "What I'm Made Of..."
  4. "Open Your Heart"
  5. "Knight of the Wind"
  6. "Sonic Superstars Opening Theme"
  7. "His World"
  8. "Reach for the Stars "
  9. "Fist Bump"
  10. "Break Through It All"
  11. "Undefeatable"
  12. "I'm Here "
Encore
  2. "Find Your Flame"
  3. "Endless Possibility"
  4. "Escape from the City"
  5. "Live & Learn"

    Tour dates

Individual concerts

Sonic Symphony World Tour

Cancelled dates