It's safe to say that most video-game geeks would rather eat their controller than spend an evening at the orchestra.
At the same time, if someone had told conductor Arnie Roth long ago that he would one day produce symphony orchestra concerts based on video-game music, he would have called them crazy.
But on Saturday, gamers will fill the Orpheum Theatre and Roth will once again lead a full-sized orchestra as it performs music from the bestselling video game series "Final Fantasy."
The Chicago-based conductor has toured this show, called "Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy," in Asia and the United States since 2004. Tickets -- some as high as $128.50 -- go fast.
It's been 20 years since the "Final Fantasy" franchise helped pioneer role-playing video games. The series' longtime composer, Nobuo Uematsu, is worshiped in video-game circles for matching the game's sword and spell sagas with epic, almost cinematic musical scores.
Roth has worked closely with the Japanese composer in bringing the music to life in concert. During Saturday's performance, a giant video screen will hang above the orchestra, displaying sequences from the games. Because the show doesn't travel with an orchestra, the 100-piece unit will be assembled from Minnesota Orchestra players and the Macalester Concert Choir.
Roth said there is a different kind of pressure when performing in front of video-game junkies who have heard these songs thousands of times. They tend to be very vocal when they disapprove.
"I've seen what they say on the Internet," he said.
