Los Angeles Genshin Concert 2023 Review: Merch, Setlist, Music
The second American concert of the 2023 Genshin Concert tour concluded just a couple hours ago. I’m chilling in the Ritz-Carlton next door to Peacock Theatre as I write this. This will serve as a log of my experience which I hope someone someday might find helpful.
Lining up outside before the doors opened at Peacock Theatre.
Pre-show
You know how much of a bad rap Los Angeles gets in various media? It’s well deserved. Walk a couple blocks from Peacock and you’re already in the ghettos with a homeless dude ready to shank you. Downtown Los Angeles is a god-awful area, both for safety and parking. Heck, there was a game at the Crypto.com Arena just next door, making the latter even worse.
Rants about L.A. aside, I managed to get there a couple hours before, so I decided to hang out in the merch line to wait until they began selling at 4 PM; instead of, you know, something sensible like exploring (at risk of getting murdered by a homeless dude) or hunting down a power outlet to charge my phone.
Merch
A posterboard of the Genshin Concert merch outside.
On the site, they mentioned that merch outside would be limited stock and there would be more inside. I overheard some confusion among my fellow line-waiters who questioned whether the merch would be different inside versus outside. We wouldn’t know for the next couple hours, so we waited in line… until half-and-hour before the venue opened. I can’t believe my legs didn’t give out. If I wasn’t a Genshin Impact player, I would’ve forgone sunk cost and buggered off. And, if I wasn’t a Genshin Impact player, I would’t have whaled on merch which I could probably get cheaper off Amazon.
Here’s the merch prices reproduced below:
| Item | Price | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Concert Series Character Photo Card | 15 USD | Characters: Tartaglia, Diona, Ganyu, Zhongli, Xiao, Eula, Albedo |
| Concert Series Character Acrylic Stand | 20 USD | Characters: Tartaglia, Diona, Ganyu, Zhongli, Xiao, Eula, Albedo |
| Concert Series Character Badge Pin | 10 USD | Characters: Tartaglia, Diona, Ganyu, Zhongli, Xiao, Eula, Albedo |
| Concert Series Character CD-style Keychain | 20 USD | Characters: Tartaglia, Diona, Ganyu, Zhongli, Xiao, Eula, Albedo |
| Genshin Concert 2023 Tour T-shirt | 35 USD | Sizes: Univsex small, medium, large |
| Wings of the Wind Necklace | 60 USD | Colors: gold, silver |
| Metal Key Ring | 20 USD | Characters: Zhongli, Albedo, Tartaglia, Ganyu, Eula |
| Character Acrylic Stand | 20 USD | Characters: Zhongli, Albedo, Tartaglia, Ganyu, Eula |
| Badge Pin | 10 USD | Characters: Diona, Tartaglia |
| Emoji Key Chain | 15 USD | Characters: Eula, Ganyu |
| Zoo Plush Toy | 25 USD | Characters: Diona, Xiao, Zhongli |
| City of the Winds and Idylls CD Gift Box | 100 USD | |
| Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds CD Set | 80 USD | |
| Character CD Gift Box | 65 USD | Characters: Xinyan, Yunjin, Yaemiko[sic], Kadehara Kazuha |
Turns out that, yes, this exact same merch lineup was sold inside. Same, slow snake as outside, but I didn’t need to expose myself to the elements; just the cramped hallways of Peacock’s lobby.
Doors Open
Wouldn’t want to be in that line.
Peacock Theater opened their doors for the concert at roughly 6 PM as scheduled. In the hour prior, people already began lining up behind the nine entryways. Thank God that I found a short line in that mess. It was extremely difficult to tell where which line started and which ended when everyone’s just blobbed together. One line even snaked around the entire fence in that square.
Security wasn’t that bad for me, which I attribute to not having a bag to search. I worried that the merch might be a problem, but, thankfully, I was allowed in carrying all that.
The photo op with the concert artwork.
Right after the metal detectors was an employee handing out the glossy, commemorative Genshin Concert tickets, along with a separate square card holding the scratch-off redemption code for the in-game concert rewards. Past him was the hellscape of a lobby, packed with both types of Genshin players: the boring, normal people and cosplayers. In front of the concessions stand was a photo op with a full-size version of that Genshin Concert 2023 artwork, with another god-awful line already forming.
Side note: the Genshin Impact Main Theme was playing on loop in that area. I, admittedly, haven’t played for a long time, so that was a nice refresher of what to expect.
Lights Dim
Interior of the Peacock Theatre auditorium before the show.
Thankfully, the corridors leading out to the seating wasn’t as congested. Members of the orchestra started filing in around 6:45 PM. I could hear them tuning their instruments and, if my ears aren’t failing me, practicing some Genshin melodies. On the jumbotron, the Genshin Impact menu screen (the cloudy one with the continuously building bridge) had been looping through morning, afternoon, dusk, and night versions, of course, with their associated tracks.
When the night track turned to a grey screen at 7:10 PM (past the scheduled start time of 7 PM), I, along with many other people, thought the show would finally begin. I heard an very audible “aww” among the crowd when it simply continued onto the morning menu screen.
The show would actually start at 7:15 PM when the screens switched to a Genshin Concert logo, to the audience’s applause. The conductor, which Peacock’s description credits as Eric Roth, silently walked on stage while the orchestra collectively tuned their instruments.
The lights dimmed as the orchestra began the first track of the program.
Concert Setlist
The list of music played at Peacock Theater was the exact same as the one reported by ONE Esports for the Singapore leg of the Genshin Concert and lasted until roughly 9:50 PM (2 hours, 35 minutes, including the encore). I have reproduced it below. ONE Esports does not name the three Fontaine tracks in the encore (probably considering the Fountain of Belleau release date), so I have included them.
Of course, spoilers if you’re looking to surprised by the setlist.
Mondstadt
| Track | Album |
|---|---|
| Overture of Storms | The Shimmering Voyage |
| Acquaintance (Statue of the Seven) | City of Winds and Idylls |
| Dwelling in the Past | City of Winds and Idylls |
| Reunion in the Whispering Woods | City of Winds and Idylls |
| Bard’s Adventure | The Stellar Moments |
| A Day in Mondstadt | The Wind and The Star Traveler |
| Knights of Favonius | City of Winds and Idylls |
| Rite of Battle | The Wind and The Star Traveler |
| Dawn Winery Theme | The Wind and The Star Traveler / City of Winds and Idylls |
| Before Dawn, at the Winery | City of Winds and Idylls |
| Snow-Buried Tales | Vortex of Legends |
| Fragile Fantasy | Vortex of Legends |
| Moonlike Smile | Vortex of Legends |
| A Storm, A Spire, and A Sanctum (Dvalin’s Nest) | The Wind and The Star Traveler |
| Caelestinum Finale Termini | The Wind and The Star Traveler |
| A Yearning Breeze | The Shimmering Voyage |
Total time: approx. 31 minutes
[15-minute intermission]
Liyue
| Track | Album |
|---|---|
| Liyue | Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds |
| Treasury From the Northland | Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds |
| Foul Legacy | The Shimmering Voyage |
| Letter from Ajax | The Stellar Moments |
| Moon in One’s Cup | Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds |
| Cozy Leisure Time (Wangshu Daytime) | Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds |
| Peaceful Hike (Qingce Daytime) | Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds |
| Rapid as Wildfires | Jade Moon Upon a Sea of Clouds |
| Rex Incognito | The Stellar Moments |
| Qilin’s Prance | The Stellar Moments |
| Golden Dreams | The Shimmering Voyage |
| Rapture of the Chaos | The Shimmering Voyage |
| Wrath of Monoceros Caeli | The Shimmering Voyage |
| The Imminent Triumph | The Shimmering Voyage |
| Dance with the Great Vortex | The Shimmering Voyage |
| Lovers’ Oath | The Shimmering Voyage |
Total time: approx. 40 minutes
[15-minute intermission]
Inazuma
| Track | Album |
|---|---|
| Inazuma | Realm of Tranquil Eternity |
| Kitsune’s Mask | Realm of Tranquil Eternity |
| Shirasagi Princess | The Stellar Moments Vol. 2 |
| Against the Invisible Net | Realm of Tranquil Eternity |
| Fiery Pursuit | Realm of Tranquil Eternity |
| Awake From a Nightmare | The Stellar Moments Vol. 2 |
| Termination of Desires | The Stellar Moments Vol. 2 |
| Embrace of Sea Waves | Realm of Tranquil Eternity |
Total time: approx. 31 minutes
Sumeru
| Track | Album |
|---|---|
| Whirling of Leaves and Petals | Forest of Jnana and Vidya |
| Fresh Breezes of Dawn | Forest of Jnana and Vidya |
| Hustle and Bustle of Ormos | Forest of Jnana and Vidya |
Total time: approx. 7 minutes
[Encore]
Fontaine
| Track | Album |
|---|---|
| Cruising in the Balmy Breeze | Fountain of Belleau |
| Across the Meadows | Fountain of Belleau |
| Ballad of Many Waters | Fountain of Belleau |
Total time: approx. 6 minutes
My Opinion of the Concert
As I mentioned before, I’ve taken a long hiatus from the game. Hearing it once more takes me back (by three years). Plus, this is my first exposure to the Sumeru and Fontaine soundtracks, and I’ve gotten a taste for the bangers I’m missing out on. As a musical plebeian, cycling through all the short tutorial section music was ’ehh’ at the start, though, past that, almost all of the music was pretty decent. Among the tracks I was looking forward to was “Dance with the Great Vortex,” which I found they satisfying delivered on. Another was “Moonlike Smile,” which was beautiful as always. Almost made me emotional! On the other hand, the beat drop in “Rex Lapis” doesn’t hit the same in this orceshtrated version.
There was certainly glaring issues with some pieces, which are encapsulated by this Reddit thread. However, out of the many grievances aired in that thread, I really only noticed two while sitting there in my seat, primarily due to the performance of “Caelestinum Finale Termini.” Anyone who’s listened to the recorded version in The Wind and Star Traveler could easily tell how out of sync the beginning was. Luckily, they managed to get their act together about 30 seconds into the piece. But, as we get to the part where those haunting vocals kick in, there’s just no vocals… because this orchestra lacked any vocalists. I definitely took note of that, but I wasn’t particularly bothered by it there because I (subconsciously) added the vocals in my head, plus the oboe picked up the slack. For other tracks featuring vocals though, like “Wrath of Monoceros Caeli,” their absence becomes uncomfortably noticeable.
The biggest issue pertaining to the venue was that, throughout the entire Mondstadt set, people were still being seated. The shuffling and bright phone flashlights was incredibly distracting during the performances. Apparently, there wasn’t anyone to direct people to their seats. Though, when I was looking for my seat, a Peacock employee had prompted me for my seat number. The usefulness of the employees must’ve varied between corridors.
A little nitpick: the conductor only walked off stage once for the encore before coming back to do the three Fontaine. I was a bit disappointed he didn’t pull the same trick three times in a row like I had read on Reddit; it would’ve been fun. After he came back on stage with the soloist to bow, then left again, there was a brief moment where everyone held their breath, suspecting more. I could hear the disappointment when the orchestra started getting up. Interestingly, I noticed most people realized to stand for the ovation after the two began walking off the stage. I myself honestly forgot that was a thing.
Fun audience reactions
It was rather amusing to hear people voice their (dis)pleasure at various characters on the jumbotron. You might be able to pick it up on some of those unauthorized recordings floating around.
- “Letter from Ajax”: Audible groans when Childe came on screen.
- “Peaceful Hike”: Meanwhile, people celebrated when Zhongli came on.
- “Rex Incognito”: Ditto.
- “Qilin’s Prance”: People also loved Ganyu.
- “Dance with the Great Vortex”: When Xiao appeared on screen.
- “Shirasagi Princess”: Someone shouted out “That’s my wife!” as Ayaka came on-screen.
- “Whirling of Leaves and Petals”: Fangirling over Tighnari.
- “Cruising in the Balmy Breeze”: Gasps when the keyboardist accidentally (?) played a single, brief accordion note before the piece started.
Would I go again?
Hell yeah. I love Genshin Impact…’s music. And only that. I’d appreciate if more care was put into the quality of the performance in the next one, though To end on a social note, the numerous people cosplaying Genshin characters was super fun to see, especially in a formal setting like a theatre. I’d be totally down to cosplay Furina in the next concert. And no, I don’t intend on dropping my hat.
Changelog
2023-11-28: added images