HANS ZIMMER LIVE IN NAGOYA
Music composed and performed by Hans Zimmer
Music director: Steven Doar
Vocalists: Lebo M, Lisa Gerrard, Loire Cotler, Refi Sings, Molly Rogers and Leah Zeger
Violins: Rusanda Panfili, Molly Rogers and Leah Zeger
Cello, keyboards: Mariko Muranaka
Woodwinds: Pedro Eustache
Keyboards, accordion: Eliane Correa
Guitars: Guthrie Govan, Nile Marr and Hans Zimmer
Bass guitars: Juan S. Garcia-Herreros (Snow Owl) and Andy Pask
Drum kits: Holly Madge and Aicha Djidjelli
Percussion: Aleksandra Šuklar and Steven Doar
May 24, 2025
IG Arena
Nagoya, Japan
PART 1: MORE THAN JUST A CONCERT
On the surface, Hans Zimmer Live (HZL) is a concert of Hans Zimmer’s (HZ) greatest hits for the movies performed by some of the world’s greatest musicians. But it is actually much more than that: it is testament to the power of a close-knit band of musicians and the greatness they can achieve together on stage.
PART 2: MANY FIRSTS
As stated on stage by HZ himself at the newly constructed IG Arena Nagoya, the day’s concert marked a very special occasion: it was the first time that any event had been held at that venue.
But as special as that may be, there was an even a bigger reason that made this day special: this performance was part of a tour that marked HZ’s first ever concerts in Japan.
And with locally born and raised talent Mariko Muranaka performing with the band to dazzle with her cello and striking presence on stage, it was bound to be an unforgettable experience.
PART 3: THERE IS NO “I” IN BAND
One thing you will never find lacking in a HZL concert is praise – not just from the audience members blown away by the concert, but also from HZ himself to his very own band members.
Throughout the concert I attended on Saturday – as well as the two HZL concerts I saw in the past – HZ could be seen taking to the microphone after each piece to introduce a band mate and shower them with praise.
And how do his band mates invariably respond when he does this during his concerts around the world?
With ultimate humility they just brush it off, even after they’ve stunned the audience with arguably the greatest solo you’ve ever heard (yes, I’m looking at you Guthrie Govan!)
And that there lies the appeal with the HZL band*: despite each musician in the band being at the top of their games, they never act as if they are above each other or playing for themselves. In fact, you can see and feel nothing but respect and appreciation between the band members – they encourage each other during stupendous solos, and they are often the first to applaud their band mates when they’ve just finished dazzling the audience.
It’s beautiful to see and only adds to that undeniably warm vibe radiating from the band that makes the audience feel like they are in the presence of friends or people they can trust and feel totally comfortable with. Coupled with HZ’s unforgettable music, you can’t help but enjoy the concert infinitely more, wanting to come back to see HZL again and again.
* when I say “band,” I don’t just mean the musicians – I’m also taking about the tireless crews taking care of stage design, lighting effects, sound, tour logistics, and so much more. As HZ mentioned during the concert, the tour would be much less successful without these unsung heroes working behind the scenes – so hats off to all of you!
PART 4: A FEW WORDS BEFORE WE BEGIN
I realize HZL has been reviewed (and viewed on YouTube) a countless number of times since it first hit the stage around a decade ago.
So for this review I will simply give my written account of the performances, what was said on stage by HZ between pieces, and any other tidbits that I can remember.
I’ll sprinkle various concert photos throughout while doing my best to list individual tracks within each suite so you can track down and listen to the original album recordings if you so please. Please note that I may have made an error here and there with the track titles, so if you see something that is obviously incorrect or missing, please do let me know.
And finally, if you want to hear a good approximation of last week’s concerts in Japan, I recommend you get the 2-disc HANS ZIMMER LIVE album from Sony Classical:
The program on this set is essentially the same as the Japan performances minus the two “Absurdities” tracks on disc one. You’d also need to add the track “A Time of Quiet Between the Storms” from the DUNE: PART TWO soundtrack.
Alright then, let’s dive into this review.
PART 5: THE FIRST HALF
DUNE
– “House Atreides”
Against a backdrop of striking orange light and “spice” gently blowing across a large screen, vocalist Loire Cotler appeared and sung the peaceful and earthy opening to “House Atreides.”
The sound of tribal percussion, courtesy of tour music director Steven Doar – broke the peace as the screen lifted to reveal HZ and his band who proceeded to play that rousing Scottish-influenced march with actual bagpipe players lining the back of the stage. The piece continued to build as Cotler’s raging vocals accompanied the piece until its end.
INCEPTION
– “Mombasa”
With barely a second to rest, the sounds of the iconic “Mombasa” exploded into the auditorium with drummers Aicha Djidjelli and Holly Madge positioned side-by-side to steal the show with their controlled but chaotic drumming. And when Nile Marr stepped up and played those truly iconic* runs on electric guitar, I was in soundtrack heaven!
* you’re going to see this word a lot in this review!
WONDER WOMAN
Suite included selections from:
– “Themyscira” from WONDER WOMAN 1984
– “Games” from WONDER WOMAN 1984
– “Is she with you?” from BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE
It was now time for Mariko to shine. Positioning herself centre stage, she started to play a dark and mysterious theme on her electric cello, sounding like a wild animal about to pounce. But it soon came to an end as an uplifting piece full of joy and promise began to appear. With choir joining and the piece driving forward towards a powerful and catchy heroic theme, I couldn’t help but think this theme would be perfect for the Olympic Games.
It then segued into the tribal “Games,” with members of the band taking centre stage and moving their arms to the beat of the music. Lead by the vocals of Molly Rogers, Leah Zeger and Refi Sings, it was mightily impressive.
Next came what many had been waiting for: the “Wonder Woman Theme” (a.k.a. “Is she with you?”), which first appeared in the score to BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Played with furious intensity and enough bad-assery to fill a stadium (or two), Mariko had us praying that we were on the side of the Amazons!
MAN OF STEEL
Suite included selections from:
– “What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?”
– “If you love these people”
I absolutely ADORE this score.
Opening with HZ on the piano playing a theme full of nostalgia and gentle hope, my spine already started to tingle. The drummers then made their entrance, building with anticipation as THAT theme started to take shape. Then when Marr came in with that truly iconic wailing effect on electric guitar as the theme is revealed in all its superhero glory, I just couldn’t contain myself.
But the feels weren’t over yet as my other favourite track came next: “If you love these people.” A fast piece drenched with feelings of impending doom, it featured a stupendous electric guitar solo by Guthrie Govan that absolutely floored the audience. Profuse with praise after the piece ended, HZ proclaimed that even “Bach would have been jealous” of Govan!
GLADIATOR
Suite included selections from:
– “Duduk of the North” from MORE MUSIC FROM GLADIATOR
– “The Might of Rome”
– “The Battle”
– “Earth”
– “Now We Are Free”
This was my favourite suite of the entire concert.
Opening with legendary woodwind player Pedro Eustache playing the duduk on – you guessed it – “Duduk of the North,” we were immediately transported to the world of GLADIATOR and the “Spaniard’s” quest for revenge. This piece featured some gorgeous acoustic guitar work that gave it a suitably Mediterranean feel.
Next up was a segment from “The Might of Rome,” a nightmarish piece that just kept building and building until it segued into the iconic “The Battle” (a.k.a. “The Gladiator Waltz”). The music here was brutal, exciting, and had tremendous size and scope. Then when the film transitions to the battle aftermath as Maximus is celebrating victory with his fellow soldiers, damn – vocalist Lisa Gerrard appeared on stage out of nowhere to deliver an instant emotional knockout with the most devastatingly raw and emotional lament ever. I had nothing but feels here, nothing but feels.
With only a few moments to recompose myself, a soaring and epic arrangement of the “Earth” theme was then performed with Gerrard again owning the piece with her haunting vocals.
The GLADIATOR suite was capped off with an uplifting performance of “Now We Are Free,” a song that has had me under its spell since I first heard it during the end credits of the film almost twenty-five years ago.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Suite included:
– “Jack Sparrow” from DEAD MAN’S CHEST
– “Davy Jones” from DEAD MAN’S CHEST
– “One Day” from AT WORLD’S END
– “Up is Down” from AT WORLD’S END
– “He’s a Pirate” from THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
How can anyone NOT love the music from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN?
Cello and accordion opened the suite with a fun and whimsical performance of “Jack Sparrow.” This was followed by a short but touching performance of the “Davy Jones” theme on a mini mallet instrument played by multi-talented percussionist Aleksandra Šuklar.
The piece then transitioned into the gorgeous and sweeping second half of “One Day.” It featured Mariko on cello and some stunningly beautiful violin solos by Rusanda Panfili.
As the emotions kept building on “One Day,” Govan stepped in to raise the bar a few notches with an achingly beautiful take on the theme on his electric guitar.
To change the mood and end the first half on a high, the suite ended with a riotous performance of the iconic “He’s a Pirate.”
PART 6: THE SECOND HALF
Bathed in deep red light, Juan Garcia-Herreros (a.k.a. Snow Owl) graced the stage with a unique upright bass instrument. He then started to make some growling noises with the strings, followed by what I can only describe as the sounds of a car engine revving.
DUNE: PART TWO
– “A Time of Quiet Between the Storms”
Pedro Eustache then appeared, woodwind instrument in hand, for a captivating performance of “A Time of Quiet Between the Storms,” which was basically a woodwind arrangement of the first part of “House Atreides.”
As with the Cotler vocal of the theme at the beginning of the show, Eustace’s performance was full of soul and beauty. As the piece progressed, more synth elements were added to the audio mix with the background screen showing imagery evoking spice and the cosmos – it felt like a transcendent trip through space with HZ’s music providing fuel for the ride.
THE LAST SAMURAI
Suite included selections from:
– “Idyll’s End”
– “Red Warrior”
– “The Way of the Sword”
– “A Small Measure of Peace”
HZ then took to the microphone to tell us a few interesting anecdotes. After humouring the audience with tales of how bad he is at woodwind instruments (“It’s like the sound of stepping on a dog’s tail!”), he told us that the “stick with holes” that Pedro Eustache was now holding was made of PVC piping that he’d gotten at a hardware store. Hard to believe, but true – photos of Eustache putting it together were projected on screen to prove it!
And with that HZ introduced a score that deeply resonates with the people of Japan: THE LAST SAMURAI.
Opening with the tranquil “Idyll’s End,” the piece featured Eustache on that PVC instrument mimicking the sound of a shakuhachi being softly played. Panfili then came in with a delicate and truly heartbreaking refrain on high strings, moving many of us in the audience to the verge of tears.
This was the peace and serenity before the storm of “Red Warrior” which immediately had our hearts racing with its powerful forward driving rhythm.
But this was soon replaced with the tremendous sense of loss and pain in “The Way of the Sword,” the music written for the scene in the film showing the samurai getting brutally and needlessly massacred on the field by modern weapons of war. Again, Panfili returned with a solo that was screaming with sorrow and loss.
In the aftermath, they played a heartbreaking lament with Refi Sings vocalizing with the band and orchestra. This was for me the most emotional moment of the whole concert.
But the suite wasn’t over yet.
Positioning herself centre stage and preparing her bow with delicate grace, Mariko began to play what she was destined to play in front of a huge home crowd: the main theme found in “A Small Measure of Peace.” Slow, longing, and aching with beauty, it was a stunning show of her elegant performing style and command of the cello.
THE DARK KNIGHT
Suite included selections from:
– “Like a dog chasing cars”
– “Why so serious?”
Striking changes in lighting and the gradual appearance of a huge Bat symbol on the screen marked the beginning of a tremendous suite of music from THE DARK KNIGHT.
As the sounds of electronic pulses filled the auditorium, Djidjelli and Madge came in on their drum kits to provide a catchy ticking beat to the track “Like a dog chasing cars.” This was followed by a fast-paced and heroic take on HZ’s Batman theme before the bone-breaking bass sounds of “Why so serious?” ripped through the audience – and believe me, this is no hyperbole.
All that have been to HZL in the past know the moment – HZ straps on a bass guitar and walks the arena area while people film with wide-eyed excitement.
After making a lap of the floor and returning to the stage, that is when it happens: along with bassists Snow Owl and Andy Pask – a trusted long-time collaborator who HZ described as looking “like a teenager” – they unleash a barrage of fast and cavernous bass sounds that defy standard volume limits.
When the piece concluded and we were left recovering from the assault on our senses, HZ picked up the mike and said, with the biggest twinkle in his eye, that you can “never have enough bass.” He finished by saying that having a crazy amount of bass created a “dangerous, but good feeling!” No complaints here – but I do worry about that very old lady I saw sitting not far from me. I do hope she made it out of the concert alive!
DARK PHOENIX
– “Suite”
Described by HZ as music he likes for a film that is not very good, the suite from DARK PHOENIX opened with Molly Roger’s innocently ominous vocals followed by some dark electronic soundscapes. Cotler then dazzled with a series of incredible and unique live vocal effects that had us questioning the boundaries of the human voice – you just had to be there.
DUNKIRK
– “Supermarine”
The pre-recorded sounds of fighter planes flying above us – and HZ pretending that something was coming at us from up above – was followed by the short but hypnotic “Supermarine” from DUNKIRK. This intense and pulsating work was steaming with energy – and with the screen showing a vortex-like shapes moving to the music, you couldn’t help but feel a bit nauseous.
DUNE
– “Paul’s Dream”
After singling out and praising tour sound designed/engineer Colin Pink, HZ mentioned that Pink does get a bit naughty at times. And sure enough, Pink and his team started to manipulate HZ’s voice into a monstrous groan that segued into those instantly recognizable tribal drums of “House Atreides.”
Cotler also returned, but this time screaming with unrestrained anger – it was almost as if a hornet’s nest had been disturbed and was about to unleash terrible pain and suffering.
The epic theme for DUNE then reappeared, this time with a killer electric guitar part played with rage by Nile Marr.
Cotler then finished the piece with another spell of vocal anger and suffering.
INTERSTELLAR
Suite included selections from:
– “Day One”
– “Detach”
– “Coward”
– “Stay”
“You heard some music before from a bad movie, but the next piece is from a movie I truly love.”
HZ was of course talking about his magnum opus, INTERSTELLAR.
Opening with HZ on piano and Mariko and Eliane Correa on keyboards for support, we were treated to a captivating performance of the iconic “Day One.” With rays of light beaming down the stage in synch with each piano stroke, you could not help but be totally transfixed by it all.
When the piece ended and the stage dimmed, it reawakened to a stunning visual backdrop of stars. By this point, HZ, violinist/vocalist Leah Zeger and Panfili had positioned themselves at the top of the stage in preparation for the stupendous latter part of the piece “Detach.”
Panfili started playing on her violin notes so high and other-worldly that it almost sounded like a theremin. Zeger, who had until this point in the concert had no solo opportunities to display her immense musical talents, then turned to Panfili and voiced the most angelic, pure and beautiful sounds I have heard in a very long time.
The piece continued to build as Zeger alternated between low and high notes. With the drummers also building to a huge moment of release, the piece soon reached its peak, exploding in pure ecstasy.
With zero time to breathe, it transitioned straight into a blistering performance of the organ-led “Coward” with its mad rush of notes.
When the piece came to an abrupt end, Govan was thrust into the spotlight with a rapturous electric guitar performance of the theme in the latter part of “Stay.”
As this was happening, aerial acrobat Nina Treiber appeared, was lifted into the air, and then gracefully moved her body to the music.
Refi Sings had now joined with a stunning lament as HZ, Djidjelli, Madge and Šuklar got together and furiously banged away at the timpani as the piece reached a jaw-dropping climax.
THE LION KING
Suite included selections from:
– “Circle of Life” (opening only)
– “He Lives in You” from RYHTHM OF THE PRIDELANDS
– “…To Die For”
– “This Land”
– “King of Pride Rock”
Starting immediately after “Stay” had ended, the sounds of that iconic chant from the opening of THE LION KING echoed throughout the auditorium – Lebo M, the original vocalist from the film’s soundtrack, was now in the house!
“He Lives in You,” a song inspired by THE LION KING and released many years ago on the album RYHTHM OF THE PRIDELANDS, came next. This catchy and upbeat song featured a small group of African performers who delighted with their joyous vocals and dancing on stage.
“…To Die For” came next with a blistering performance of the frantic music underscoring the scene that Mufasa is fighting for survival in the gorge. When Mufasa is close to meeting his untimely death, Refi wailed in pain, giving way to an impassioned performance of the main theme in “This Land.”
A heartbreaking performance of the music for Mufasa’s death then played, with the three violinists pulling at our heartstrings and bringing us back to the very first time we saw the film and this devastating scene at the cinemas. I’m certain I wasn’t the only one in the audience welling up with emotion.
Refi returned for another heartrending lament before Lebo M – who is in fact Refi’s father – joined for a gloriously uplifting performance of the “This Land” theme as Simba finally overcomes his enemies and fears to rightfully claim his position as king.
A deliriously joyous performance of “Circle of Life” then concluded the suite, leaving us with nothing but the warmest sense of appreciation for the musicians on stage – they really hit this one out of the park.
PART 7: THE ENCORES
NO TIME TO DIE
Suite included selections from:
– “James Bond Theme” (by John Barry… sorry Monty!)
– “Cuba Chase”
HZL wouldn’t be HZL without a showstopping encore and what a way to work up the audience with an incredible arrangement of John Barry’s James Bond Theme.
Opening with Snow Owl and Marr playing some truly killer guitar lines, we all knew we were in for a treat.
Eliane Correa, who had been in the shadows for most of the concert, finally had her chance to shine with some electrifying improv of the Bond theme on piano. While there may not have been any visible flames, she was most definitely on fire.
The piece of course ended with the iconic “James Bond Chord” played with an extra helping of cool by Marr.
So impressed was HZ with his performance of the chord that he asked Marr, who he affectionately called “the boy from Manchester,” to play it again… twice in fact!
INCEPTION
– “Time”
HZ and his band had one last ace up their sleeve: the iconic and oft-imitated masterpiece, “Time” from INCEPTION.
What can really be said about this timeless (pun intended) piece and its performance except it was utterly gorgeous and had the audience paralyzed into silence during its entire performance.
But I will say one more thing though, and that is that it marked a special but bittersweet moment of the HZL tour.
See, as HZ played the final notes of the piece on the piano, he was also being accompanied on violin by Rusanda Panfili who was in fact playing her final concert of the HZL tour. After many wonderful years touring with HZ and his band, she was moving on.
While it was deeply touching seeing them embrace on stage during the curtain call, it also the marked a new beginning: Panfili will now be going on tour with Andrea Bocelli.
So to the person filling her shoes in the HZL band: Good luck! You certainly have your work cut out for you 🙂
PART 8: CONCERT MERCH
Compared to HZL concerts I’ve been to abroad, a limited range of concert merch was sold at the show. And despite getting to the venue two hours early, some of the merch had already sold out:
For VIP ticket holders you received not only seats closer to the stage, but also special VIP goods which included a tote bag with a yellow “VIP” mark sewn into it, a VIP badge with HZL lanyard, and what was billed as a “surprise” VIP-only good: a HZL notebook.
For those that missed out on some of the goods (including the HZL notebook!), they can still be found at the HZL online merch store (US / Global). The “Asia Tour” t-shirts were sold at the venue only and unfortunately had sold out before the show had even begun…
PART 9: 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.
