Hans Zimmer
Bridgestone Arena; Nashville, TN
February 2, 2025
Review by Philip Obenschain. Photos by Suzanne Teresa, courtesy of the artist (taken from various performances).
The average person probably can’t name many film composers, aside from legends who transcended into the mainstream zeitgeist, like John Williams, Ennio Morricone, or Danny Elfman. But save for the great Williams, no one composer has been more prolific, lauded, popular, and influential than Germany’s Hans Zimmer. Known particularly for his contributions to massive hits like Dune, Gladiator, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Man of Steel, No Time to Die, and numerous Christopher Nolan films, among many, many others, Zimmer has, since the 1980s, been one of cinema’s most versatile, dependable, and important composers, and one who commands a following much more akin to a rockstar. In fact, Zimmer’s background is originally playing in bands, and that spirit carries forward to his live show today, which feels as much like a rock concert as a conventional symphonic endeavor (as a composer, Zimmer has never been particularly conventional anyway, pioneering the use of electronic sounds in film, and teaming up with rock and pop artists, as well as DJs, for his signature sound). With his prolific film output, it’s amazing that the 67-year-old legend has time to regularly tour, but Zimmer’s show is a spectacle to behold, and we were thrilled to catch him live at his latest (and largest) Nashville outing, recently at Bridgestone Arena! Read on for our full review, along with photos from artist photographer Suzanne Teresa (taken from prior performances in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles).
I’ve long been a fan of Hans Zimmer- almost certainly since well before I knew his name, thanks to his involvement in classics from my childhood like The Lion King. No other composer has had a more profound impact on film in my lifetime, and this many years in, he’s still crafting some of his best work ever, like Dune. I’ve seen plenty of classical performances of film scores, and some contemporary fusions of orchestral sets, but I’ve never quite seen anything like Hans Zimmer Live, which feels like a unique genre of performance in of itself, so singularly and perfectly situated around the brilliance of one artist (but brought to life by a massive, talented band). The fact that Zimmer can sell out an arena is stunning, and as I took my seat, everything about the vibe of the room felt more like a rock show than a celebrated composer about to take the stage.
I honestly wasn’t totally sure what to expect, but when Zimmer emerged, right on time and with no opener, the tone of the show was immediately clear: loud and epic! Mostly situated on guitar or piano, Hans was firmly a bandleader rather than a conductor, and the band he led was sprawling, from conventional strings and woodwinds to mountains of percussion, keyboards and electronics to electric cellos, rock instruments like guitar and bass to homemade flute-like conductions and world instruments, complete with vocalists and dancers, and everything in between. Elevated with lights, visuals, and multiple featured players, this was, without a doubt, one of the coolest and most unique live shows I’ve ever witnessed, and took compositions that were already incredible to new, thrilling heights.
The show began with an etherial, percussive bit of Dune and ramped up to a layered, propulsive cut from Inception, before really beginning to cook with a guitar-forward, multi-part suite from Wonder Woman right into Man of Steel (say what you want about Zack Snyder’s now defunct DCU, but Hans Zimmer’s scores are undoubtedly one of its most redeeming qualities). I was curious how, if at all, any film visuals would be incorporated into the show, and though Zimmer did use video screens at points, the visuals were more generically evocative of their particular films rather than straight up scenes from the movie (both probably to account for flexibility in arrangement and, likely, to avoid any issues of film copyright).
After showcasing some seriously shred-tastic chops from his electric guitarists, Hans and co. took it back with a dynamic, multi-part suite from Gladiator, welcoming soloist Pedro Eustache to the front to lead with what Zimmer explained is his own homemade woodwind instrument (Eustache would mark one of several long-time collaborators of the night, who not only tour with Zimmer, but actually took part in these original recording sessions; it feels like a rarity to have the actual sessions players tour the life show for a film score, but it made this experience extra cool). Operatic vocalist Lisa Gerrard, also from the original recording, emerged for epic third act “Now We Are Free,” which made for one of the most powerful and sweeping moments of the whole night (and served as a reminder as to why that score is so acclaimed). And finishing out the first act, the band dialed things down a little lighter with a jaunty Pirates of the Caribbean suite.
One of my most anticipated scores of the night, and one of Zimmer’s newest works, the second half of the set began with Dune: Part II. The otherworldly, aggressive double bass riff juxtaposed with Lisa Gerrard’s epic delivery of the film’s downright alien vocals was so cool to hear live, and I was really glad that the set was updated to give more space for Dune. The energy continued right along to Zimmer’s most iconic superhero contribution, The Dark Knight, which provided one of the night’s most insanely rock and roll moments, and Hans took an electric bass into the audience and rocked out in the middle of the crowd, bringing even more low end to a score that’s already absolutely thumping (this one had me feeling ready to punch The Joker in the face). One of the night’s comparatively more orchestral moments followed with The Last Samurai, which is not a film or soundtrack I have a ton of attachment to, but which sounded great live nonetheless. Throughout the night, Zimmer spent a lot of time speaking, from stories to band introductions to quips, and in introducing a cut from maligned X-Men film Dark Phoenix, he candidly said something to the effect of “sometimes the movie turns out bad, but you still like the music,” which he followed with an equally propulsive cut from a much better-received film, Dunkirk.
As a Dune mega fan, I was thrilled to hear even more Dune towards the end of the show, paired with another atmospheric, space-y suite from Interstellar (which was preceded by a story of how Zimmer helped shape the concept of the film with Nolan). The grand finale, such as it were, though, was most definitely the suite from The Lion King, arguably the score that shot Zimmer to superstardom, and the one that earned him both his first Oscar and Grammy. Certainly, many think of Elton John’s vocals in relation to The Lion King, but just as iconic are the vocals of Lebo M (he sings the iconic “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba” in Zulu), who not only recorded that original soundtrack with Zimmer, but still tours with him to this day, and sounded as incredible as ever taking the lead here (the moment was made all the more nostalgic as video clips of a young Hans and Lebo recording the original score played on the screen above them). I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to end the main set, and I honestly think just watching a Lion King performance alone would be a worthwhile show.
Have I ever seen a composer play an encore? Probably not, but this was definitely a night of firsts, and met with thunderous applause and more than two and a half hours in, Zimmer and the band returned for a couple more. First was “No Time to Die,” interpolated with the iconic, classic James Bond Theme but through Hans’ unique, layered arrangement. Then, mirroring the night’s slow build opening came a slow build close, with hypnotic Inception tune “Time.” I knew this would be cool, but I was seriously gobsmacked at how incredible it was; hearing songs from some of the best films of all time, and some of the most important from throughout my life, brought alive in this way. All hail Hans Zimmer.
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Setlist:
House Atreides (from Dune)
Mombasa (from Inception)
Wonder Woman Suite: Part 1
Wonder Woman Suite: Part 2
Wonder Woman Suite: Part 3
Man of Steel Suite: Part 1 (“What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?”)
Man of Steel Suite: Part 2
Gladiator Suite: Part 1
Gladiator Suite: Part 2
Gladiator Suite: Part 2 (“Now We Are Free”)
Gladiator Suite: Part 4
Pirates of the Caribbean Suite: Part 1 (“Jack Sparrow”)
Pirates of the Caribbean Suite: Part 2
Pirates of the CaribbeanSuite: Part 3
Dune: Part II Suite: Part 1 (“Intro”)
Dune: Part II Suite: Part 2 (“A Time of Quiet Between the Storms”)
The Dark Knight Suite: Part 1
The Dark Knight Suite: Part 2
The Last Samurai Suite: Part 1
The Last Samurai Suite: Part 2
The Last Samurai Suite: Part 3
Dark Phoenix Suite
Supermarine (from Dunkirk)
Paul’s Dream (from Dune)
Interstellar Suite: Part 1 (“Day One”)
Interstellar Suite: Part 1 (“No Time for Caution”)
The Lion King Suite: Part 1 (“He Lives in You”)
The Lion King Suite: Part 2
The Lion King Suite: Part 3
No Time to Die Suite: Part 1
Time (from Inception)