Hans Zimmer Live (2023)

HANS ZIMMER LIVE 2023
Music composed and performed by Hans Zimmer
Vocalists: Lebo M, Lisa Gerrard, Loire Cotler
Violins: Rusanda Panfili, Molly Rogers
Cellos: Tina Guo, Mariko Muranaka
Keyboards, accordion: Nick Glennie-Smith
Guitars: Guthrie Govan, Nile Marr
Bass guitar: Juan S. Garcia-Herreros, Andy Pask
Drum kit: Holly Madge, Aicha Djidjelli
Percussion: Aleksandra Suklar, Steven Doar
May 20, 2023
ZAG Arena
Hannover, Germany

PART 1: CONCERT REPORT

(this report was originally written on May 21, 2023 – just after the concert)

The last time I saw Hans Zimmer and his band live was in South Korea just before the pandemic hit.

There are two things about that concert that I distinctly remember. First, that the Korean audience went absolutely nuts when Lebo M showed up on stage, and second, that I was sitting so far away from the main stage (i.e. in the very last row of the cheapest tier), I might as well have been watching the concert from outside!

Luckily for me last night, I was third row from the front.

There are just too many highlights to mention about last night’s Hans Zimmer Live concert in Hannover, so allow me to describe a few.

And no review of last night’s concert would be complete without me name-checking every musician and staff member involved with the show because it really was an incredible team effort.

The show opened with Loire Cotler’s striking vocals for the iconic “House Atreides” theme from DUNE. With the rest of the band joining in to share her musical anguish, it was a spectacular beginning to the concert.

Equally spectacular for the whole evening were the lighting, visuals and effects by John Featherstone and his amazing team. These guys should all be given medals. Gold medals! Through the carefully controlled changes of light and images projected on the back and overhead screens, every set piece had a distinct visual theme that perfectly suited the mood and movement of the music. The Japan-inspired backgrounds shown during the LAST SAMURAI SUITE were particularly striking.

In terms of sound, it was loud enough for me to truly feel the music, yet clear enough for me to hear and appreciate the subtle additions or changes to the original orchestrations.

At one point, the bass “stabs” and electronic pulses during THE DARK KNIGHT SUITE were so deep and pronounced that I thought my chest was going to explode! Bass player extraordinaires Juan S. García-Herreros and Andy Pask certainly played a big part in that.

Entering the stage with little fanfare, Lisa Gerrard immediately commanded the attention of the audience with her deeply emotive and spiritual sounds. I still cannot believe that I have now heard “Now we are free” from GLADIATOR live in concert with its original vocalist and composer performing on stage. It just doesn’t get more special than that!

When Lebo M entered the stage and blasted out the iconic opening call from THE LION KING, the audience went absolutely ballistic! Is there anyone that does not love this piece? Hearing it immediately transported me back to when I first saw the trailer in cinemas in 1994… now almost 30 years ago.

Although this is only my second time seeing Guthrie Govan perform live, I can safely declare that he is the greatest guitarist I have ever seen. He was constantly pushing the boundaries with his deliciously complex yet effortlessly confident guitar solos. In fact, everything he played last night added a whole new dimension to Zimmer’s already incredible music, so it felt like a true privilege seeing him perform last night.

Nile Marr shredded up the stage and confidently took up the guitar parts made famous by his father, Johnny Marr, in INCEPTION. I will never forget him swiftly positioning himself at the center of the stage to play the final stinger of the JAMES BOND THEME… a perfectly timed moment to cap off the first encore. Absolutely loved it!

It was wonderful to see Nick Glennie-Smith, an old but welcome name from the early days of Zimmer’s music team. He absolutely nailed the tricky keyboard parts in INTERSTELLAR and clearly had a blast on the accordion for the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN suite.

“Wow” is all I can really say about Rusanda Panfili. She plays with the finesse and technique of a world-class classical musician, yet can seamlessly and instantly switch styles and moods. Her violin parts in MAN OF STEEL and INTERSTELLAR were heartbreaking and you could really feel it in her playing and see it in her face.

What is there to say about the incomparable cello superstar, Tina Guo? She was vicious and aggressive playing the theme from WONDER WOMAN, cool and authoritative when belting out the iconic melody line from TOP GUN (on electric cello no less!), and beautifully tender playing the longing strains of the “One Day” theme from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. There is truly nothing she cannot do!

Also on cello, Mariko Muranaka is the newest addition to the Hans Zimmer Live team. Nothing pleases me more than to see someone from my adopted “home” country of Japan showcasing their musical talents on the world stage with Hans Zimmer and his band.

She mesmerized the crowd with her deeply impassioned solos during “A small measure of peace” from THE LAST SAMURAI. She plays with and radiates such grace and elegance – an absolute joy to watch. I can’t wait to see where her career goes from here!

Molly Rogers, one of the talented violinists on the tour, was another member of the band demonstrating astonishing versatility.

In addition to being a fine violinist, she supplied the spellbinding wordless vocals for the climax in the INTERSTELLAR SUITE. Later in the evening I also saw her banging away at some tubular chimes… very cool! To say that she is talented is truly an understatement.

Speaking of talented, I give you the prolific and legendary Pedro Eustache. He is simply unstoppable on woodwinds and shows, quite masterfully, that woodwinds can be bad-ass. He absolutely killed the shakuhachi parts in the THE LAST SAMURAI… I get the feels just thinking about it.

As with all Hans Zimmer Live shows, the drums and percussion were a huge part of last night’s concert, with Holly Madge, Aicha Djidjelli, Aleksandra Suklar and Steven Doar most definitely delivering the goods.

Especially during the chaotic drum and percussion parts of “Mombasa” (i.e. the entire piece!) from INCEPTION, their hands were moving so fast I could barely match sound with what I was seeing. Incredible!

And last but not least, the great man himself, Hans Zimmer. I flew in all the way from Japan to see him and his crew perform yesterday, and boy, was I not disappointed.

An entertaining raconteur on stage, and the genius behind the musical compositions and direction of these wildly popular live concerts, Hans Zimmer continues to impress with his strong musicianship and ability to manage a wildly diverse team of top-class musicians.

This show is rarely about Hans Zimmer the soloist as he gives each and every one of his band members time to shine, work off each other or play together as one.

Throughout the show you can really feel that everyone on the team is playing their best not only for the audience, but for each other. It truly is a joy and marvel to experience!

I’ve been a hardcore fan of Hans Zimmer since I first heard THE ROCK in 1996. Since then I have tracked down and listened to everything in his vast body of work from little known main title music for TV shows to his collaborations with the biggest names in popular music.

Many artists seem to settle into an artistic comfort zone late in their careers, but with Hans Zimmer, I feel like he’s just getting better and better. In fact, I’d wager to say that he’s just getting warmed up.

But don’t take my word for it – just go see Hans Zimmer Live and experience it for yourself.

I guarantee that you’ll smile, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer, and you’ll walk away with the experience of a lifetime.

PART 2: CONCERT MERCH

Plenty of concert merch was available at the venue with some of it still available for purchase online here. I bought as much as I could cram into my carry-on luggage for the plane home to Japan:

For a premium price you could also get a VIP ticket which gave you better seating, a tote bag, tour program, VIP ID card with Hans Zimmer lanyard, and most importantly, a huge ego for one night 🙂

PART 3: OVER TO YOU

Did you also go to this concert? How did you like it?

And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.