If you are a fan of Spider-Man and incredible soundtracks, the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Live in Concert event is perfect for you. On Friday, October 20th, at the Brown Theatre in Downtown Louisville, we – Sophy Zhao and Addison Lowry – had the opportunity to attend this unique screening of the award-winning film. Seeing as this was our first time seeing the movie, this was an extraordinary experience. Although neither of us had seen the film, we had heard about the impressive animations. In addition to the visuals, we recognized some songs from the soundtrack, like “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee. There was something special about actually experiencing the film alongside a live soundtrack.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a movie that follows the story of teenager Miles Morales and his journey as a new-born Spider-Man. Along the way, he encounters other people “like him” from alternate universes, and they must work together to conquer various conflicts and find their way home. For this particular event, the film was played alongside a live orchestra and scratch DJ performing the soundtrack, which offered an interactive and immersive experience for the audience. The live soundtrack allowed the audience to connect with Miles throughout his journey of self-discovery and redemption.
The original score of the film is composed by Daniel Pemberton and is full of hip-hop elements that feature artists such as Post Malone, Swae Lee, Coi Leray, and Duckwrth. Pemberton has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture. The composer himself even said that this film is “one of his favorite scores he’s ever written.”
A significant aspect of the orchestra – called The Broadway Sinfonietta – is that it is composed of all women and a majority of women-of-color. The orchestra was led by conductor Emily Marshall and accompanied by DJ Damage, who created a mix of hip-hop and dramatic symphonic orchestral music. The music aligned with the scenes seamlessly, blending with the movie’s original sounds and greatly intensifying the film’s suspenseful elements. As a member of the audience, the live music truly brought the movie to life, granting us an immersive experience. In addition, the setup of the stage where the orchestra performed further factored into the unique event. There were lights on either side of the performers that would flicker and change color depending on the scene, especially during intense action scenes. A fog machine also added to the mysterious and dramatic atmosphere that paralleled the film.
As soon as the film and orchestra had finished, the audience erupted into applause, jumping up and clapping for what felt like an hour (my arms were burning and sore after a minute). It was as loud as a pep rally and full of amazed faces. Wondering what other people thought of the show, we found two friends, Nukes and Grace, who were happy to respond. For both of them, this was not their first time seeing the film, but for sure a memorable experience. “It really made me appreciate what goes into the making of the film in general,” Grace said, referring to the creation of the music score, “It brought a whole new life to it.”
Nukes agreed, adding that when people watch movies, they mostly focus on the acting, directing, and other aspects of the film, but not always the music. “Music brings the whole ambiance and vibe and directs the storyline – how your emotions are supposed to feel.”
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Live in Concert showed just how important a film’s soundtrack and score are to the film as a whole, and we are hoping that you will be able to appreciate the music that goes into a movie the next time you watch one.
