LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 For generations, German composer Hans Zimmer 's film scores have soundtracked magic movie moments in 鈥淭he Lion King,鈥 鈥淕ladiator," the 鈥淒ark Knight鈥 trilogy, and most recently, 鈥淒une鈥 and 鈥淒une: Part Two.鈥 This fall, Zimmer will bring his award-winning scores to the live stage.
His 鈥淗ans Zimmer Live鈥 tour, which sold out in Europe, will make its way to the U.S. and Canada this fall, marking the first time Zimmer has performed in North America in seven years.
The last time, as some fans may recall, was a performance.
Over Zoom from New York, Zimmer said he was inspired after 鈥渞efusing to get onto a stage for 40 years鈥 because of something his friends, The Smiths' Johnny Marr and told him.
鈥淵ou have to look your audience in the eye. You can鈥檛 hide behind the screen forever. You know, you owe it to your, you know, audience,鈥 he says they told him. And after Coachella, he realized: 鈥淚 can do this,鈥 he said.
Having done the run in Europe, 鈥渨e're at the top of our game at the moment,鈥 he says of his orchestra.
Don't expect a traditional, classical music setting or a piano concerto 鈥 at 鈥淗ans Zimmer Live,鈥 there is no conductor, no sheet music in front of each musician, and not a single frame from any of the films he's referencing.
鈥淚 come from rock and roll and I believe in putting on a show,鈥 he says. 鈥淧eople stay with us because we give them an experience which they鈥檝e never had before... Life is hard. Life is tough these days. And people worked hard to go to pay for these tickets, so we better pull off a show that is absolutely worthy of them coming and seeing us."
鈥淗ans Zimmer Live鈥 kicks off at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga. on Sept. 6 and will hit 17 cities across the U.S. and Canada before concluding at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia on Oct. 6.
The tour includes stops in Hollywood, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; New York; Baltimore; Boston; Montreal and Toronto; Minneapolis; Chicago; Fort Worth, Texas; Denver; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Oakland, California, and Seattle.
Zimmer says attendees can expect a diverse audience. 鈥淚鈥檝e looked out at the audience and there鈥檚 a mom with her grandson sitting next to a guy with a mohawk, sitting next to a man in a business suit, sitting next to another bunch of, you know, bikers,鈥 Zimmer said. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 not just multi-generational, it鈥檚 multicultural.鈥
In more ways than one: Zimmer鈥檚 orchestra is from Ukraine; 鈥淭wo weeks , we managed to get about half of them out of Odessa,鈥 he says. Lebo M, who sings 鈥淭he Lion King鈥 theme, was a political refugee from South Africa when Zimmer first met him. Pedro Eustache, his woodwind player, is from , 鈥渁nd he thinks he can probably never go back home,鈥 says Zimmer.
鈥淚 have this very, very international group of players and ... part of what makes them such emotionally committed musicians is that they all have a story to tell you.鈥
鈥淗ans Zimmer Live,鈥 which has been recently rearranged, includes works from 鈥淕ladiator,鈥 鈥淧irates of the Caribbean,鈥 鈥淭he Dark Knight,鈥 鈥淚nterstellar,鈥 鈥淭he Lion King,鈥 鈥淭he Last Samurai,鈥 and 鈥淒une.鈥
鈥淓ach piece is connected with the adventure of actually creating it, the adventure of actually making that movie, the adventure of the collaboration, the adventure of, you know, 鈥楬ow did we get here?", he says. "Where did this journey start? And how can we make sure that it never ends?
鈥淓ach one of those movies is painted in color and affected by what is going on around us. And they have all been extraordinary journeys.鈥
All of these films and their scores are vastly different, but Zimmer's idiosyncratic approach and arrangements should be considered the connective tissue. That, and a certain je ne sais quoi that makes an effective 鈥 and affecting 鈥 score.
鈥淵ou need to be committed. You need to be honest. You can鈥檛 be sentimental,鈥 he says of a successful score. 鈥淭he other thing is, it鈥檚 the people who are performing it. Because if you think about it, the last actors that really get hired, the last actors that perform in a movie, are the musicians. So, I鈥檓 very careful about picking the people I work with.鈥
Tickets for 鈥淗ans Zimmer Live鈥 will become available for purchase at , starting at March 22 at 10 am local time.
