Final Fantasy Distant Worlds London 2025 Review

For my first concert in years, I was able to see Final Fantasy Distant Worlds – the travelling orchestral and choir arrangements of music from the series. Conductor Arnie Roth has been at the helm of this for almost two decades. He has become something of a focal point for the concert nowadays. With more of a narrator’s role than I remember from the last Distant Worlds concert I attended in 2017, Arnie guided the audience through what was billed as a Final Fantasy XIV and XVI special. With Masayoshi Soken in attendance (and providing tons of energy as he ran up and down the aisles and translated a speech from his phone with comedic gusto), it was a concert that aimed to please the newer fans as much as the old.

The Royal Philaharmonic Orchestra and London Voices choir took charge for most the concert. The 22 song setlist had plenty of Final Fantasy staples. After the elegant ‘Prelude’, we bombastically dove into ‘Liberi Fatali’ with the original ‘Aerith’s Theme’ following on to please the 90’s crowd. The big surprises both came from Final Fantasy IX. We were treated to a ravishing rendition of ‘Vamo’ Alla Flamenco’ with a guest guitarist up front keeping the Latino flair in the orchestration. Later, a calmer arrangement of ‘Not Alone’ felt more solemn and a fair departure from the original. I was expecting the guitarist to return for it but instead, the strings carried the lead melody. Other fan favourites like ‘Zanarkand’, ‘Blinded By Light’, and ‘Battle At The Big Bridge’ were welcome additions, as always.

For the Final Fantasy XIV segment, we were graced with Amanda Achen, who reprised her vocals for ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ and ‘Flow’. Her dynamic range and genuine emotion shone through on stage. Booking either side of those was two other standouts. ‘Songs of Salt and Suffering’ felt heavy and oppressive, like a caravan troupe dragging itself over the finish line in style. I’ve always enjoyed the track but this arrangement gave me a new appreciation for it. ‘The Final Day’ from ENDWALKER was spectacular too and the London Voices excelled here. Final Fantasy XVI saw Amanda Achen return for ‘My Star’, with ‘Away’ and ‘Ascension’ sounding huge and booming. With Masayoshi Soken then invited up to give a thank you speech, Ben Starr crept onto the stage to tell us all with his best Clive voice to ‘Find The Flame’ before we shot head first into the grandstand battle track. Ben Starr continues to be a gift that gives, and there is a podcast waiting for Soken and Starr for comedic japes I’m sure of it…

‘Swing de Chocobo’ was chosen for the chocobo theme and had the best synchronisation of gameplay footage to music of the concert. Perhaps I’ve watched too many AMV’s in the early 2000s, but while having the big screen full of gameplay footage is an excellent idea, having it feel more in sync would be better still. ‘One-Winged Angel’ must be the encore staple now, with Arnie encouraging the audience to shout Sephiroth every time it occurs. It’s good fun and a crowd-pleasing finale.

I couldn’t fault the performances or the arrangements – they were spotless and timeless. I did find the lower volume and reduced bass at the Eventim Apollo meant the orchestra didn’t bellow or vibrate your insides as much as previous concerts at the Royal Albert Hall did. A couple of friends I went with mentioned the same thing, although I appreciate that not everyone wants a booming orchestra. The merch stores were oddly light on larger-sized clothing. I got there early, and most things had already gone in anything XL upwards. When the merch person said “only small left”, most of the queue walked away! I’d also like to shout-out that the disabled access into the Eventim Apollo was simple and easy to navigate. The bays were tiered in a way that meant wheelchair users could park and see over the tier below with ease. Just be aware that you can only have one carer with you due to space limitations.

Final Fantasy Distant Worlds has been going for nearly 20 years, and it shows. The slick delivery, bombastic arrangements, and crowd-pleasing moments are carefully scattered to please crowds hoping for different things. With a third of a concert openly dedicated to two games, that did leave limited room for any surprises. I expected that would be the case going in and it didn’t hamper my enjoyment. If you want to experience orchestral game music at its finest, Final Fantasy Distant Worlds is still the pinnacle of live musicianship.

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