Orchestra gigs are great notches on the cultural bedpost, but the only reason you even stuck out the full show last time was in hopes of a "Mr. Blue Sky" encore. Bringing something you actually like to the symphony, Video Games Live.

Created by a duo of trailblazing video game score composers, VGL's doing a pair of gigs at the Kimmel Center Sunday, showcasing musical segments from games past and present performed by classically trained musicians, accompanied by a synchronized laser light show and large-screen projections of each featured game...so, Bach Band? A full orchestra'll be accompanied by a choir section as they tear through a slew of theme songs from popular franchises of differing bit-counts, from Mario, to Zelda, to Earthworm Jim, before plunging into a Classic Arcade Medley stringing together musical interludes from 20+ old-school games, like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, and Tetris, which you'll wait nervously through, desperate for a four-block straight line...seriously, where the hell is that thing? It's like they know you need it! Throughout the evening, a huge backdrop screen'll display real-time action segments that correspond with each score, with members of the audience occasionally hopping on stage to control the action as the orchestra and conductor keep pace, synchronizing their notes with the programmed music for each scene -- so it's on you to see if they know "warp zone".

Prior to each performance, the Kimmel's plaza plays host to a Guitar Hero competition, and pre-registration for a character costume competition to be judged onstage by the audience -- cinch the grand prize by paying off the orchestra to score your walk-on as Chun-Li with "Evil Woman".

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This may be your best chance to hear the Legend of Zelda Victory Theme -- get your tix at KimmelCenter.org