I had the pleasure of editing Stage Tour's second trailer as well as filming some bits for it. If you watched the trailer you may have found yourself nodding along to the background track. That's Mimi's Delivery Service by Good Kid and it's not just in the trailer but also included in the Stage Tour setlist.
For those outside the rhythm game bubble, Good Kid's song Nomu found a home in YARG, the community-driven rhythm game, and became a fan favorite to play. One of the goals we've had from the start with Stage Tour's is to show love to the rhythm game community and to the artists who supported it, so as the team put the setlist together, including Good Kid was a no-brainer.
We learned the band was playing at the Fox Theater in Oakland, which is a short drive from the office, so we knew we had to reach out to see if the band was interested in being in the trailer. They were excited to be a part and gave us a ton of extra opportunities to get footage. So on the day of the concert we packed up our camera equipment and headed over to film. When I walked up to the box office and I got to say "my name is on the list" which made me feel way cooler than I actually am. This got me a backstage pass and full access to the venue before the show.
The band and their crew were warm, down to earth, and easy to talk to from the moment I got there. We filmed an interview, grabbed some footage during sound check, and got some great moments of them playing Clone Hero with the CRKD guitar controllers. Watching the lead guitarist play his part in game while the bassist played along on actual bass next to him was an awesome experience that'll stick with me for some time.
On a personal note, I actually hadn't listened to much Good Kid before I found out they were joining the setlist. That's one of the best things about rhythm games though. You discover music you never would have stumbled across otherwise. When I learned I was going to get the opportunity to interview the band and watch them live I knew I had to get up to speed before the show, but honestly I wish I had dug deeper into their catalog sooner, because the concert was something else.
One of the highlights of their set is that they pull someone from the crowd to play Clone Hero on stage along to one of their songs, the person they pick get to keep the CRKD guitar controller that they play on. Seeing the crowds excitement for this segment and our hardware handed off like that in the middle of a live show was a highlight for sure. If Good Kid comes through your city on tour, go see them.
