Finally, 2024 May 25th has arrived! This day was a milestone for me in a few ways! But to explain you why, I'll give some context first. If you've been reading my blog, you might already have some idea, but if this is your first post, then yes... some explanation is needed.
If you're interested in the details, click on "read more."
A good friend of mine (hereafter referred to as *Toothless*) told me about the upcoming concert on the 7th of January. That was all I needed to hear; I immediately told him that it was clear we couldn't miss this event! He felt the same way, and we promptly booked the tickets as close to the stage as possible. (By then, the closest seats we could get next to each other were from the third row). Unfortunately, I don't know when the ticket sales started because if he hadn't mentioned it, I would have learned about the concert a little later. But of course, I would have gone anyway, and so would he. If we hadn't met on Facebook, it's quite likely we would have met there. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. However, meeting the country's probably biggest enthusiast beside me before the concert, I couldn't have asked for better company!
Naturally, we could hardly wait for the big day to arrive, and after nearly five months of waiting, the day finally came! However, there was another great opportunity: finding fellow fans/enthusiasts as dedicated as we are. We expected mostly casuals, but you never know... We did everything we could to stand out. I showed up in an Ink Fury shirt with a Toothless plushie, and I also wore a Toothless necklace, ring, and bracelet. *Toothless* wore a custom-made Toothless and Hiccup shirt and carried a Mega Toothless, also wearing the same necklace as I had. Oh... and he had a total of 14 HTTYD-themed tattoos on his arms and legs(!) If this didn't attract other fans' attention, nothing would! However, there was one condition. We didn't approach anyone. Unfortunately, over the years, we've both encountered impostors and learned our lesson for life... So if someone really wanted to meet true enthusiasts, they had to come to us. We thoroughly scouted the area and found more people than I expected! At least ten times as many. When ordering the tickets, it didn't seem like a lot, but I seriously underestimated it. I knew that those who were there must have some level of connection to HTTYD. I have to say, though, I was a bit disappointed in this regard. Only a few people wore HTTYD-themed shirts... maybe around 20 out of approximately 1,000. Not a good ratio... However, time was flying, so we changed our strategy, and I told *Toothless* we should check out the front row, because any true die-hard fan would be there. Ten minutes before the concert started, we did just that. But even there, no one really caught our attention. Apart from a few Toothless/Light Fury plushies, we didn't see anything extraordinary. :/ Finally, we found our seats, and the concert began.
Of course, I wanted to capture the concert, so I brought my GoPro and recorded quite a few scenes! However, I made one mistake: I didn't realize that the stabilizer was turned off, so I only saw afterwards that the footage was so shaky it was almost unwatchable. It took quite a bit of time, but I finally managed to stabilize it somewhat in Premiere, though this caused the image to blur at times, so I apologize in advance! Nevertheless, if anyone wants to watch it, here it is.
For the video click this link
(Only Vimeo allowed me to upload it; YouTube completely blocked it due to copyright infringement...)
The concert itself was indescribably awesome!!! I had been dreaming for years about a big orchestra performing even just one HTTYD piece, but the whole soundtrack!!! Oh My Thor! The music was impeccable, it couldn't have been better! Not to mention the immersion! Compared to this, Dolby Atmos is yak dung! The songs were performed quite accurately, which... well, yes... I'm at a loss for words here... It was an otherworldly experience, that's for sure!!! Of course, they also screened the film, and not just in any way! It was shown on a giant LED wall, which had even better quality than in the cinema! (No joke!) Every little detail was there, and the colors were stunning! The weather was kind as well, not disturbed by even a stray breeze. (Though there was a larger storm cell in the distance, luckily it avoided Budapest). And this is the other reason why it was a milestone! Neither *Toothless* nor I had seen the first movie in the cinema! That's right! And now that piece of shame is scratched out too! In fact, this surpassed the cinema experience by tenfold! (I don't know of any cinema that plays the film's soundtrack with a full orchestra...).
They held a 20-minute intermission in the middle of the film, but that wasn't a problem at all, in fact! It was a great opportunity to look around again and perhaps attract someone's attention and forge new friendships, but no... *sigh*. However, we did have a pleasant surprise before the second act. Some people sitting right behind us really liked *Toothless's* necklace and asked about it. That was all it took; we immediately started showing off the various kinds of HTTYD relics we had, and after some amazement, they said that we were probably the biggest enthusiasts in the whole country. (Well, without any cockiness, but (unfortunately) we have noticed this ourselves so far, but if anyone can outdo us, don't hesitate to get in touch with us! ;) However, impostors beware!!! Grrrr....)
After the intermission, they played "Test Drive" again! (Yaaaay!) Well, yes... It's no wonder why it's one of the most iconic pieces! (And *Toothless* and I have had it as our ringtone for years). John Powell is a true genius! After the concert, there was a five-minute standing ovation (I cut this part out in the video) and I wish it had been like a rock concert with the usual "Get back! Get back!" But unfortunately, this wasn't that kind of concert... *Toothless* and I quickly positioned ourselves in front of the departing crowd, hoping that if anyone wanted to approach us, now would be the time, and a few actually did! We showed them how much HTTYD means to us, and they were amazed! Of course, after the concert, we chatted and shared stories, but unfortunately, our paths with our newfound friends diverged on the way home, though we did add each other on Facebook. They suggested that we should hold a HTTYD meet-up sometime, which is indeed a great idea! If it happens, we will definitely invite them! ;) Anyway, for *Toothless* and me, it will remain an eternal experience and memory, and if there's a similar opportunity in a few years, the two of us will definitely be there! ;)
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