When Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi announced details online about his upcoming concert tour on Wednesday, the website crashed as over a million people logged on to get the details. “It’s crazy, right?†Djawadi laughed when telling Vulture about it. “I couldn’t believe it. It’s so exciting.â€
A one-minute video gave us a tease of the elaborate and high-tech setup, which contains multiple stages and spans roughly “the length of a hockey rink,†according to Djawadi, who explained his plans for the show in more detail to Vulture. The main stage, which can be recognized by its spikes, is known as the King’s Landing stage, and will feature the orchestra, choir, and Djawadi as conductor. On the opposite side will be the Winterfell stage, which will feature the soloists and another choir. In between, and connected by a runway, are four smaller satellite stages, each named after different locations in Westeros and Essos: Pyke from the Iron Islands, Braavos, Meereen, and Dorne. And just as each stage is meant to represent a location, the runway in between the two main stages is a location in its own right — during parts of the show, it could be either the Kingsroad or the Wall. There, the middle screen can go up or down, which would separate the audience on each side to create an effect of being north of the Wall.
Via the various LED screens, the audience will be treated to imagery both from and inspired by Game of Thrones. On the King’s Landing and Winterfell stages — the so-called wedding-cake stages, because of the three layers of the screens — the lowest level screen has a translucent option. “That way, we can either cover up the orchestra, and only see the content on the screen, or we can see both, like if we’re making it snow on the screen, and it will look like the orchestra is in a snowstorm,†Djawadi said. “Or like the orchestra is sitting in a building, and you’re seeing them through the window or an archway or a door opening.†(The content itself is still being created in conjunction with the stage design).
Because of the different locations and runways connecting them, the musicians — especially soloists, percussionists, the choirs, and even Djawadi himself — can move around during the show. “I also want to play some instruments here and there, too,†he said. Djawadi is still determining what the size the orchestra should be to fit this design, but he’s planning for the repertoire to include both pieces that fans will recognize from big finale moments (such as the oh-so-popular “Light of the Sevenâ€) as well as some new arrangements. “I’m going through the music to adapt it more for a live performance, and I might have a vocalist on a piece that didn’t have one before, or lengthen another piece,†he explained. “I’m not bound to the picture anymore, so I can let the music tell its own story, and be creative about it.â€
Should any of the musicians who’ve contributed to the band’s soundtrack want to play at one of the tour’s 28 stops, Djawadi is open to guest appearances. “They could send me a raven!†he joked. “But I would absolutely welcome that. I think the audience would love it. And it doesn’t just have to be bands who’ve done Game of Thrones music in the past. We can go beyond that.†Coldplay, time to break out that musical.