John Carpenter has a sticker on the back of his MacBook. It says SUBMIT.
One of the greatest directors in film history is on tour right now. John Carpenter has always made it a priority to be involved in the soundtracks of his movies, and now he is playing shows in front of live audiences like a rock star. The man is an electronic music maestro and seeing him perform live is an experience unlike any other.
John Carpenter’s Live Retrospective is a celebration of the director’s work throughout the years. Films from his incredible catalog are projected on a backdrop while John Carpenter and his rock band play movie themes in their entirety. The show is like a rock concert set to the soundtracks of the best genre films ever made.
Sitting in the audience for one of these shows is every John Carpenter fan’s dream come true. It is an awe-inspiring experience to see the Master of Horror play his music live. Having clips from The Thing projected while Ennio Morricone’s music is being performed is an experience unlike any other. Just the look on Carpenter’s face when the crowd roars after each song is worth the price of admission.
The Live Retrospective basically accounts for the years that diehard Carpenter fans geek out over the most. Themes from Halloween, They Live, Escape From New York, Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing are played live. Even the title songs from Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness are performed. This is the only show in the world that features music from the Apocalypse Trilogy live in person.
The band also breaks into recent music composed and arranged by John Carpenter with his son Cody and godson Daniel Davies. Cody Carpenter kills it on the keyboard during the theme from Halloween, but really finds his groove playing the songs featured on the albums Lost Themes and Lost Themes II. Daniel Davies is a cool and skilled guitarist when he is playing lead during Big Trouble in Little China, and he kicks into full rockstar mode when the band plays the intense and dark track Night.
The John Carpenter Live Retrospective tour is mandatory viewing for any fan of the director. The selection of films that are performed are some of the best of the maestro’s career. There is no excuse valid enough to warrant missing out on these shows, and Carpenter fans who skip the tour may never get another chance again.
This is the first time we have ever gotten to see Snake Plissken on screen while the Escape From New York theme is played live, and the way They Live honors Roddy Piper is the most powerful display you’ll see all year. Even the themes from Christine and The Fog are given time to shine in front of the crowd. John Carpenter on tour is a gift to the fans that every movie lover should attend as soon as possible. It’s the event of a lifetime.
