An unforgettable E.T. adventure at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California recently held a movie screening of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic playing the score live to film. It was a magical evening featuring a classic movie, an unforgettable movie score, and an unexpected special guest.

I’ll begin by saying I walked into this concert event a bit biased and overly excited. This Steven Spielberg masterpiece is one of my favorite movies of all time. Unlike so many films, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” never feels dated and always feels relevant. The now archaic special effects in the film still hold up to this day, and I would argue are better than what we often get now.

As far as the music score is concerned, I personally don’t believe there’s a better film score beginning to end. As a kid (and even today), most of my music collection consists of movie scores. The first cassette I ever purchased with my own money was of a John Williams “Star Wars” score. Even when you’re a fan of movie scores, there are often tracks you might want to skip. Some music needs the visual of the movie for it to do its job properly. Alternatively, every moment of the score to “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is like a symphonic masterpiece. Nothing else is needed to make this music beautiful. The film visuals are simply a bonus for this score.

As I took the escalators from the parking garage up into the Walt Disney Concert Hall, I was delighted to see how many parents brought their children to this concert. I couldn’t help but think how lucky these kids were to perhaps be seeing “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” for the first time. To see it with a live orchestra for the first time had to have made quite an impression on them. Perhaps it was even their first time seeing a live orchestra. What a fantastic way to be introduced to classical music.

This evenings concert was conducted by LA Phil Music & Artistic Director, Gustavo Dudamel. As he walked onto the stage the crowd broke into applause for the celebrated, passionate and energetic conductor. If you ever have the opportunity to watch Dudamel conduct, I highly recommend checking it out. You can see the music coursing through his body as he conducts. I was impressed by how he stood for the entirety of the film, even when there was no score playing. He seems to be filled with boundless energy.

The audience in attendance savored the moment as the film began being projected on screen. Respectful applause occurred when director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams’ names appeared. This was an audience full of E.T. lovers.

I’ve seen “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” many times, but it’s often in the comfort of my own home. It’s easy to forget the comedic moments in the film when watching alone. The communal experience of watching with an audience reminded me just how funny it is when E.T. bites into a Reese’s Pieces for the first time, when Michael and Gertie meet E.T., or when “Yoda” is seen trick-or-treating. It warmed my heart to literally hear so many people enjoying this movie I love so much.

Watching a live orchestra play a film score while also watching a movie can be a bit of a challenge. Your attention bounces between the two, but its fun to see how lost you can get in the two separate activities.

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is full of musical moments that will send chills through your body. Multiple times I felt a full on rush through my body. One of the grandest moments was when E.T. took flight for the first time as Elliot peddled his bicycle through the air. That piece of music will give me chills just listening to it in my car. Hearing the highly skilled LA Phil play it live accompanied by the film made me feel like I was floating on my own bicycle. I believe Dudamel might have felt the same way as both of his feet literally leapt off the ground while conducting.

After this iconic moment in the film there was an intermission. I was already having an absolutely wonderful evening. But what happened next would make it entirely unforgettable.

During intermission I noticed a Walt Disney Concert Hall staff member eyeing the seats directly in front of me. I assumed he and several of his coworkers were simply finding a place to sit for the second half of the evening. But I was quite mistaken.

Just seconds before Dudamel stepped back on stage and the film continued, composer John Williams was escorted to the seat directly in front of me. I immediately recognized him, but also couldn’t quite believe what was actually happening. Was John Williams, a man I’ve idolized from a very young age, really going to watch E.T. and hear his music performed in such close proximity that I could simply reach and tap him on the shoulder? The answer is, yes.

The way most people would react if Taylor Swift were to walk up and say “hello” is how the insides of my body were feeling at this moment. I knew in this moment that I wouldn’t see another second of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” on the big screen as my full attention would impulsively be on the man sitting in front of me, watching his reactions.

It was an absolute joy watching him enjoy the movie and music. To think that this film and music gifted to the world 41 years ago not only still makes an impression on today’s jaded audiences, but also on the man who wrote the music, is quite an impressive feat. John Williams didn’t need to spend his Friday night there listening to his music and watching this film. It genuinely seemed like he was there by choice.

As we all do in our cars or homes when listening to moving music, John Williams’ head would involuntarily bob and conduct the music as it played. He seemed to especially get a kick out of it any time there was a bang of the timpani drum. Watching him enjoy his score was a surreal experience.

The second half of the film is full of iconic musical moments. The energy in the room was tangible, whether it was the kids racing their bikes through town to get E.T. back to his spaceship or the final goodbye between E.T. and Elliot. The energetic live score was felt by everyone in the room.