There are many reasons why Hoyoverse games are popular, but one thing you can be sure of is that the soundtrack is always spot-on. No matter whether you're facing a deity or plucking flowers, HOYO-MiX always manages to accurately capture the atmosphere.
However, it extends beyond only feelings since music is an excellent means of preserving memories. Consider your trek across the Teyvat. The soundtrack to your journey will always transport you back to that time and serve as a constant reminder of how far you've come, from the airy, light sounds of the flutes as you first approached Mondstadt to the melancholy strings and powerful, clashing symbols that saw you through the height of tragedy and battle in Inazuma.
As a result, "Melodies of an Endless Journey", the title of the current Genshin Concert, is spot-on. I had the good fortune to attend the London performance of the Genshin Concert, which took place in the Royal Festival Hall of the Southbank Center, at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.It sold out minutes after public sales began; being the sole performance in the UK and one of just two in all of Europe, it was a very competitive struggle. If it weren't for the beautiful Hoyoverse reserving us tickets, I doubt I could have attended. And it's understandable why, having at last had the chance to attend the performance in person.
The Royal Festival Hall is located on the brink of the Thames, only a short distance from the London Eye and Trafalgar Square, and is tucked away amongst many famous monuments and tourist destinations. With glass walls overlooking Southbank, sophisticated spot lighting, and several stairs leading to distinct doors, it's a stunning site. I didn't visit any of the tiny bars or concession stalls where you could purchase food or beverages, so I can't speak to the quality or price of any of them.However, I was quite aback by how little the auditorium is. With a maximum capacity of only 2,700, it seems very small, and as my seats were just four rows in front, I could almost smell the resin on the bows. Naturally, there are benefits and drawbacks to this. On the one hand, a small theater like this one seems quite homey by nature, and everyone can see the stage well thanks to the tiered seating.It does seem strange, however, to have the only UK date at a place this little. Additionally, Southbank Center offers a membership that enables you to buy tickets before they go on sale. A combined membership for two persons costs £130–140, while a solo membership costs £69–79. I've heard online that there were only about 400 tickets available for general sale, so it appears that many people bought memberships merely to increase their chances of getting tickets. As a result, some people may have paid as much as £170 for a single ticket, leaving them with a membership that they may not use for the remainder of the year.The fact that there were so few tickets available means that many people missed out, even though the venue fortunately implemented limitations to stop scalpers from buying up all the tickets and selling them for a premium.Considering how very well-liked the concert is, I really hope that Hoyoverse would collaborate with venues to set up more dates in the future so that more people may experience this wonderful event. Since Genshin Impact is a really popular game, I'm sure they wouldn't have any trouble selling out a whole week's worth of shows, particularly in light of how many people expressed regret that they were unable to get tickets in advance.Let's go over complaining about the tickets and discuss the actual show. The location was quickly crowded, with many people dressed as various
Genshin Impact characters in cosplay. As the animation of the celestial journey from the game's login screen played on a giant projection above, we had the opportunity to observe the symphony warm up their instruments before the performance began.Subsequently, the whole Genshin Concert Orchestra made their way inside and took their places. The renowned conductor Roth was greeted with thunderous ovation after entering. As the music director and conductor of many Final Fantasy orchestral performances, Roth collaborated with Nobuo Uematsu and Square Enix, earning him a Grammy Award and recognition on a global scale in the video game music industry.The main theme from Genshin Impact opened the show, and I instantly got chills down my arms. It was the ideal way to start things off and was quite magnificent. The orchestra then proceeded to play music for each of the countries we had yet to visit: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine.A collage of video from the game's cutscenes and character showcase trailers, interspersed with live footage of the orchestra, was shown on the screen above throughout the performance.The audio and visuals work so well together to transport you back to the most memorable moments of your voyage through Teyvat. It reminded me of so many amazing moments in my past, the bright, upbeat battle music reminding me of all those fierce fights and bosses we've long ago beaten, and the gentle melodies bringing back feelings of familiarity and comfort. And to be honest, when the turmoil finally ended and
Genshin Impact's Kazuha placed the shattered vision on his friend's grave at the conclusion of the Inazuma arc, I did cry.Throughout the concert, there were brief pauses every fifteen minutes, one between Mondstadt and Liyue and another between Liyue and Inazuma. The first three countries undoubtedly occupied the most of the runtime; Sumeru and Fontaine seemed to fly past. Nevertheless, I was happy that they were given a chance to shine, because Sumeru has some of my favorite songs in the game.Having some special guests play on stage with classical instruments from other countries was also really enthralling and enhanced the distinctive atmosphere of every place we've been. The performance lasted two and a half to three hours, including intervals, but since it was so captivating and lovely, it seemed to go very quickly.Though it was a bit of a low-light, I do have to highlight the
Genshin Impact merch problem at the venue. As in past years, merchandise for each of the characters featured on this year's Genshin Concert key art was available for purchase, along with Genshin Concert t-shirts, a gift box, and a few other goodies. This refers to keychains, badges, and standees for the subsequent:
I was prepared for some chaos at the merchandise booth since this cast naturally contains some very well-known characters, but I was still hoping to find anything with my favorite characters, Xiao, Zhongli, or Childe. I didn't anticipate it to be quite that horrible, however.At first, it was a little difficult to find the merchandise stand since it was hidden behind some steps and had barricades in place for lines. The majority of the merchandise must have been sold out before to the performance since the stand was completely out of commemorative necklaces and most of the character merchandise by the time the first intermission began. Furthermore, most guests weren't seated by the conclusion of the fifteen-minute break due to the length of the line. The workers were trying to reorganize everyone into any kind of order while people were pushing, racing to the front, dodging under barriers, and overall going crazy.I gave up and gave it another go at the second interval. Naturally, however, there wasn't much left when I did get it to the counter. Additionally, none of the things had pricing on them; potential buyers had to ask to see an item before finding out how much it would cost.It was then that I discovered two things. First of all, the acrylic standees are an outrageous £25 (about $31.69 in direct translation), even though they can be purchased for $19.99 on
Genshin Global and for as low as $11–15 on eBay, depending on the character. The merchandise was more expensive than I had anticipated, even though I had seen it selling for less online.Second, I overheard a staff member indicate that they had very little stock—I think they mentioned approximately 25–28 copies of each standee, but I can't be certain of the precise numbers. This is very perplexing to me since, at £25 each, they would have earned a fortune and I'm sure they would have sold out even with three times the quantity.To make the line go more quickly, I believe they could have done with a little more inventory, more signage, and maybe a catalog of things with pricing accessible to those in line. That way, we would have known what to anticipate and ask for when we got to the head of the line. If they had had two merchandise booths available to shorten lines, it would have been even better. However, all of this is a little complaint among an amazing experience.Of course, I didn't go empty-handed, even though I was unable to purchase any of the merchandise I had my eye on online. After the show, each guest was given a present as they were leaving the theater, which is a really kind gesture. It arrived as a brown and gold wax-sealed envelope with a holographic ticket featuring the key art for the performance. A card with a redemption code inside was also given to us; when you use it, you can get some in-game goodies including primogems and a new wing glider. Once again, however, don't worry if you didn't make it. I've heard that the in-game shop will eventually offer the Genshin Concert combo.All in all, I had an absolutely wonderful time at the Genshin performance and heartily endorse it to anybody thinking about purchasing a ticket in the future. We were all taken on a trip through our recollections of this legendary game by the amazing performance, and I can't wait to create even more memories and hear even more songs as we go to other countries. All I can ask is that in the future, additional dates (and a little more merchandise) be added so that even more tourists may experience the magic of HOYO-MiX and the Genshin Impact Orchestra.Keep an eye on our
Genshin Impact update and
Genshin Impact events guides if you wish to go on with your travels over Teyvat. We also have a list of all the new
Genshin Impact codes to keep your primo-fund healthy, as well as a
Genshin Impact tier list so you can see which characters are worth pulling on the next
Genshin Impact banner.
