
The music of HBO’s Game of Thrones will bring the world of Westeros to 28 cities throughout the U.S. starting in February.
The arena tour, which starts Feb. 15, 2017, at Kansas City’s Spring Center, will feature the show’s composer, Ramin Djawadi, conducting an 80-piece orchestra and choir through some of the series’ best-loved themes on a 360-degree stage. Elements of the fantasy epic will come alive during the concert through LED telescoping and wall screens and special 3D designs that will rise from the stage floor.
“It’s been a couple of years in the planning,” Djawadi told Billboard. “We really wanted to make it a special event. We wanted it to be an immersive experience so that when you’re walking into the [arena], you are in Westeros.”
The show broke the news at a fan event at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Monday (Aug. 8) with several hundred fans in attendance, some of them dressed as characters from the Emmy Award-winning show.
Kicked off by the University of Southern California’s marching band performing the Game of Thrones theme, the event included a replica of the famous Iron Throne, which fans could sit on for a photo opportunity, as well as a Hall of Faces exhibit and several costumes from characters such as Jaqen and Ayra.
Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran Stark on the series, conducted a Q&A with Djawadi, followed by a 32-piece orchestra playing a 12-minute selection of music from Game of Thrones before an appreciative audience. Djawadi told Wright the idea for the tour came after the show’s producers brought up how much they would love to see the music performed live. “It’s a big, emotional, dramatic show,” Djawadi said. “It will be nice to see real musicians play those themes and remind us of some of the characters that we’ve lost throughout the season,” he said, referring to the show’s high body count.
Live Nation will promote the outing in partnership with HBO Global licensing. With six months to go, a number of decisions are still being made, including how many musicians will travel with the show and how many will be hired in each town. “The soloists will definitely travel with me,” Djawadi says. “We’ll see if all [the musicians] travel with me or we pick them up in different cities.”
Wright is thrilled that the music is getting its own spotlight. “It speaks volumes about the quality of the music and the show that it moves people,” he told Billboard. “The fact that the music is reaching its own kind of level is fantastic.” Djawadi added that Wright is “a fantastic pianist, so I’ve been working on him joining the band.”
Tickets for the tour go on sale Saturday via LiveNation.com.
Before the fans can see Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, they will be able to buy a special three-disc gatefold vinyl edition of the music from the recently completed season 6, which includes a custom laser etching on the vinyl. Out Sept. 30 via WaterTower Music, the set will sell for $34.98 and includes “Light of the Seven,” a memorable theme that introduced the piano to the Game of Thrones musical world and became such a fan favorite that it charted on both iTunes and Spotify around the world. The music has already come out digitally and on CD.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
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Kansas City, MO
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Sprint Center
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Friday, February 17, 2017
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St. Paul, MN
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Xcel Energy Center
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Sunday, February 19, 2017
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Chicago, IL
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United Center
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Monday, February 20, 2017
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Detroit, MI
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Palace of Auburn Hills
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Wednesday, February 22, 2017
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Columbus, OH
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Nationwide Arena
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Thursday, February 23, 2017
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Buffalo, NY
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First Niagara Center
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Saturday, February 25, 2017
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Uncasville, CT
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Mohegan Sun
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Sunday, February 26, 2017
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Philadelphia, PA
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Wells Fargo Center
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Wednesday, March 1, 2017
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Washington, DC
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Verizon Center
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Friday, March 3, 2017
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Montreal, QC
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Bell Centre
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Saturday, March 4, 2017
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Toronto, ON
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Air Canada Centre
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Monday, March 6, 2017
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Boston, MA
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TD Bank Garden
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Tuesday, March 7, 2017
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New York, NY
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Madison Square Garden
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Thursday, March 9, 2017
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Charlotte, NC
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Time Warner Cable Arena
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Saturday, March 11, 2017
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Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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BB&T Center
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Sunday, March 12, 2017
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Tampa, FL
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Amalie Arena
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
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Atlanta, GA
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Philips Arena
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Thursday, March 16, 2017
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San Antonio, TX
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AT&T Center
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Friday, March 17, 2017
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Houston, TX
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Toyota Center
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Sunday, March 19, 2017
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Denver, CO
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Pepsi Center
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Tuesday, March 21, 2017
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Salt Lake City, UT
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Maverik Center
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Thursday, March 23, 2017
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Los Angeles, CA
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The Forum
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Saturday, March 25, 2017
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Las Vegas, NV
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MGM Grand Garden Arena
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Sunday, March 26, 2017
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Phoenix, AZ
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TalkingStick Resort Arena
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Wednesday, March 29, 2017
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San Jose, CA
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SAP Center
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Friday, March 31, 2017
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Seattle, WA
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Key Arena
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Saturday, April 1, 2017
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Vancouver, BC
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Rogers Arena
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Sunday, April 2, 2017
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Portland, OR
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Moda Center
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