Chicago Video Game Music Fest Takes Over Beat Kitchen with Epic Lineup

If you’re a fan of video game music (or just music in general), you will not want to miss the Chicago Video Game Music Fest next month. This will be the third festival put on by Event Organizer Bobby Shields, and The Gaming Outsider will be in attendance for this incredible line-up. VGM offers a unique experience offering live music performed by curated musicians who perform their own unique versions of tunes from your favorite video games.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Saturday, August 17th | Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the show starts at 7:30 PM.

WHERE: Beat Kitchen | 2100 West Belmont  Chicago, Illinois

TICKETS: General Admission is $20.00, and you can purchase your tickets here.

Check out the lineup at this year’s Chicago Video Game Music Fest:

Headliners

Kingdom of Zeal

Fans of Chrono Trigger will be pleasantly surprised with what Kingdom of Zeal has to offer. This group takes a progressive jazz approach to the incredibly popular JRPG from 1995, making for a fantastic headliner for VGM. Check out their rendition of the Battle Theme music from the game:

Super Guitar Bros.

You know that feeling you get when you watch accomplished musicians perform, and you’re insanely envious of the raw natural talent? That’s exactly what you’ll experience seeing Super Guitar Bros. This classical guitar duo is absolutely something to behold. Their renditions of music from both classic and newer games are, in a word, breathtaking. Do not miss this opportunity to see these guys perform. Here’s an awesome compilation they did of music from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time:

Supporting Acts

Arc Impulse

This three-piece group from Chicago rearranges old songs into hot new synth rock tracks. Arc Impulse comes highly recommended from friend of The Gaming Outsider, Stemage, and we can’t wait to see these guys in person. Here’s a sample from 2023 where they covered music from Metroid:

Jer Roque + Natalie Clyne

Jer + Natalie combine stunning piano arrangements with gorgeous vocals to bring a very chill vibe to recognizable tracks from various video games. The Gaming Outsider is proud to host this duo at R2V2 in October, but this is a great opportunity to see them in person before that. Here’s their rendition of “Still Alive” from Portal, which always gets a great reaction from the crowd:

The Adventure Guild

If you love Stardew Valley, you absolutely need to check out The Adventure Guild. Their psychedelic renditions of songs from the insanely popular farming game make for a great way to kick off this music fest. Here’s a sample of what you can expect:

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see live performances of some of the most recognizable video game music through the ages. Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance. Both Kevin and Scott will be in attendance for this event, so if you’re there, keep an eye out for our Gaming Outsider bowling shirts and say hello. We hope to see you there!

For more information and updates, visit chicagovgmfest.com or follow them on @chicagovgmfest on Instagram.