Any “Halloween” fans out there? And by “Halloween,” I’m not just referring to the holiday. I’m also referring to John Carpenter’s seminal horror film from 1978. As many fans are already well aware, Carpenter isn’t known only for his stunning, unforgettable movies but also for composing the majority of his own scores, which are every bit as effective as the films they have been designed to complement.
About a year and a half back, Carpenter took several of his most noteworthy compositions out on the road for the very first time and played them live alongside tracks from his moody “Lost Themes” compilations. He only did a handful of dates, and being the admirer I am, I decided to jump in the car with a few friends and drive over 400 miles to catch one of his shows at a great little venue in Phoenix, Arizona.
That epic drive was well worth it! The show was outstanding! You can read about it by clicking here.
And playing live clearly appealed to Mr. Carpenter, too, because “the master of horror” is all set to go back out on the road, and he’s kicking off his latest tour in Las Vegas, no less! On Oct. 29, to be precise. That’s right! Just two days before Halloween and one day after Horror-Fest here in St. George!
Carpenter is touring in support of his latest Sacred Bones Records release, “Anthology,” an epic collection of re-recordings of tracks from his greatest scores. The stellar track-listing is as follows:
—In the Mouth of Madness
—Assault on Precinct 13
—The Fog
—Prince of Darkness
—Santiago (Vampires)
—Escape from New York
—Halloween
—Porkchop Express (Big Trouble in Little China)
—They Live
—The Thing
—Starman
—Dark Star
—Christine
As you’ll notice, this stellar collection includes Ennio Morricone’s brilliant minimalist theme from “The Thing” and a selection from Jack Nitzsche’s wonderful (and sorely underappreciated) “Starman” score. The rest of the tracks were composed by Carpenter himself, and through the aid of a few outstanding backup musicians (including Carpenter’s son, Cody) they have been brought back to life.
Sacred Bones is also offering both a limited edition and a deluxe limited edition of “Anthology.” These special editions contain extra goodies including tracks from “Village of the Damned” and “Body Bags.” If you’re interested in these editions, though, you better order quickly, because they’re extremely limited.
“Anthology” is a must have for any diehard Carpenter fan or movie score enthusiast. This outstanding disc drops Oct. 20. You can pre-order it through Sacred Bones Records by clicking here.
As for the tour, if you’re a Carpenter fan, you owe it to yourself to catch his show in Las Vegas Oct. 29. You simply haven’t heard a Carpenter score until you’ve heard it live!
For a look at John Carpenter’s tour itinerary and to purchase tickets, click here.
Articles related to “John Carpenter opens tour in Las Vegas in October”
Famed filmmaker and composer John Carpenter takes his scores on the road
Legendary John Carpenter tours U.S. and Europe for very first time!
