Have you ever watched your childhood memories come to reality right in front of your eyes? Something you always dreamed of, and now, in this moment, it’s happening, and you’re witnessing it? That’s what happened to me last night at the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary Celebration of Life Concert.
After a truly outrageous opening set by Britta Phillips, the original singing voice of Jem from Jem and the Holograms, followed by a kick-ass, hilariously meta metal set by the G.I. Joe (or, more specifically, Dreadnoks)-themed band Cold Slither, a band called Knights of Unicron took the stage. They assembled to cover songs from the iconic 1986 animated film, which, if you are unfamiliar, is chock-full of needle drops from the era. And so, the Knights and some special guests hit us with rocking renditions of “The Transformers Theme,” “Instruments of Destruction,” and even Weird Al Yankovic’s “Dare to Be Stupid.” All bangers. Original composer Vince DiCola even came out to play some of the score from the movie, specifically, the music when Optimus Prime died. 40 years later and I still thought, “Too soon.”
Then they brought out Stan Bush. You might not “know” Stan Bush, but you know Stan Bush. Bush is probably most famous for his song “The Touch,” which was famously used in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 film Boogie Nights, but originated in Transformers: The Movie. We’re sure you’ve heard it before. Click here to double-check.
This was the moment I was waiting for. Having watched Transformers: The Movie a lot as a kid, songs like “The Touch” just instantly bring me back to that time. I’m on the couch, in my parents’ house, watching Optimus Prime die, Hot Rod open the Matrix of Leadership, and Unicron devour planet after planet.
Bush may be 73 years old, but he still rocks like he’s 33 years old. He and the Knights went right into “The Touch,” and the entire venue just exploded. People singing, cheering, dancing. All the while, clips from Transformers: The Movie were playing on a screen in the background. It was perfect.
Then, somehow, things got taken up a notch. Some people (not me, but some people) forget that Bush has a second song in Transformers: The Movie. It’s called “Dare,” and if you can believe it, it’s even more upbeat and exciting than “The Touch.” You just don’t hear it as often. I would argue it’s actually a better song, especially since it’s tied to a very uplifting scene from earlier in the film. So, as Bush and the Knights dove into it, almost out of nowhere I felt tears rolling down my eyes. It was all happening. I was watching Transformers: The Movie, in reality, minus the robots, of course. I was six years old all over again, and I loved every minute of it.
Now, at that point, the concert got a little weird. Sebastian Bach, best known by most as the lead singer of Skid Row and best known to me as Gil on Gilmore Girls, came on stage. Bach, who appears on the 40th anniversary album the show was promoting, sang an incredible rendition of “Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way.” It’s another great song from Transformers: The Movie, but nowhere near as good as Bush’s songs. Then, being the rock star he is, Bach dazzled the crowd with a few of his own songs from the past. Which, admittedly, are freaking awesome and definitely from the time period of the movie. But I didn’t come to Comic-Con for a Skid Row show. I came to a Transformers show. So as much fun as these last few songs were, it paled in comparison to what came before.
Nevertheless, the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary Celebration of Life Concert was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I will truly never forget. Never in a million years did I think I’d get to attend a concert where the band played basically the entire soundtrack to Transformers: The Movie, but I did. And it was epic.
And while it doesn’t seem likely the Knights of Unicron, Jem, and Cold Slither will be coming to a theater near you anytime soon, Transformers: The Movie is. It’s getting a special 40th anniversary screening later this year, and you can get more info here. Plus, you can buy or stream the Knights of Unicron covers of the original songs on The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, now available at this link right here.
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