World-renowned composer Hans Zimmer recently came to Texas with Hans Zimmer Live (or, simpler, HZL) and their stop in Ft. Worth rocked the house. Zimmer’s music is magical, soul touching and earthshaking. As one of the most powerful and influential figures in music, his band’s talent is eclipsed only by their diversity. It’s safe to say that their live show is like nothing else, and you can never truly capture the sound of the experience through headphones or a turntable.
It bears repeating, but HZL is a one-of-a-kind concert, and one which runs the gamut of crowd-pleasing favorites, notable pop culture hits, and themes/tunes which truly mean a lot to Zimmer & team. If they didn’t feel the music, they couldn’t put on a show like they do. His sound is so big it’s beyond words.
Zimmer affectionately call his outfit “The Disruptive Collective” which is quite a fitting name as the 60+ members (it’s tough to get an accurate account because they won’t stand still long enough to be sure) sharing the stage with him aren’t just world-class players, they feed off each other and make the music better. Hans is the mastermind, but he gets more than a little help from his friends. On stage he’s not just exceedingly proud of his children, he’s one of the kindest cheerleaders out there.
As hinted above, the set list for the show breezes through his incredible resume – mostly the greatest hits – but when you get to hear The Last Samurai or something that flew under the radar, Zimmer treats his experiences (good, bad or indifferent) with a smile. Equally good at taking the stage in a musical capacity or as emcee, he has a lot of fun on the microphone laughing with his pals and telling just a few stories about his many, many efforts to craft the music we love so dearly.
Even the already rousing score to Man of Steel (which is one of his more underrated efforts) is given a surprising and white-hot vibrancy thanks to Guthrie Govan and other live musicians at the top of their game. The string work and percussion literally rattle the stadium floor. They’re exceptional, and taking it all in like a kid too close to the TV is Zimmer as if he were watching his favorite television program.
The band features a Murderer’s Row of talent that thrusts violins and cellos to the front of the stage. Incomparable talent like Rusanda Panfili, Molly Rogers, and Tina Guo are spellbinding and they’re backed by twin titans Aicha Djidjelli and Holly Madge on drums as well as an orchestra from Ukraine. But wait, we’re not done yet. Those very familiar with the legendary vocalists Zimmer has enlisted over the years will absolutely lose it seeing/hearing the one-two punch of Lisa Gerrard and Lebo M. Yes, you read that right, they both are on hand to help make this a showstopping event. And fun fact, a featured vocalist in HZL is Refi, who is Lebo’s daughter, getting plenty of front-of-stage solos. She is just as incredible as her famous father.
Of all the tracks played, seeing Interstellar performed live is a life-changing experience, bar none. The combination of vocals and instruments are stunning on their own, but here they’re supplemented by a surprisingly simple yet professional-grade disco ball, one that is superbly calibrated and lit to transform the arena into a literal cosmos. That was a lot of fun to witness, and any pictures we could post just wouldn’t do it justice.
We can only hope that the love from the audience, cheers, and applause in someway thanks Zimmer for what he’s given us for decades. The crowd was a mix of film fans from all walks of life (and plenty of kids for a show that ended at 11PM). As an owner of the HZL album on vinyl, this concert was familiar but also feels breathtakingly new. And it’s surprising just how much content is covered in the suites to films like Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator.
To close out his remarkable show, a pair of encore numbers really brought everything home. First is a lively jaunt to Cuba as Nile Marr does wonders with John Barry’s immortal super spy guitar riff reused with love on No Time To Die. On the heels of that, things wound to a literal halt as “Time” from Inception ends on a single violin note from Panfili all while Lebo, Refi, Gerrard, Loire Cotler, and Zimmer look on in wonder (check out that pic if you can find it!). Its quaintness brought the crowd to its thunderous feet.
The band has less than ten stops left until they debut something all new for their European tour starting in 2025. One cannot choose but wonder what gems from Zimmer’s crown they’re polishing to put on display in what they are calling The Next Level. There are easily a dozen suggestions on our wish list, but we just hope they come back through Texas at some point. Y’all are welcome back anytime!
