The Tony Hawk video game series introduced a whole generation of kids to skateboarding. Many of today's pro skaters have said that, were it not for these games, they wouldn't have taken up the board. And yet, the games also introduced us to the culture around skateboarding. I'm talking, specifically, about the music.
From punk to hip-hop to metal, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater introduced many of us to our favourite artists. I know I'm still listening to Faith No More and The Ramones over two decades later. The cultural impact of the soundtrack to these games is can't be overstated, and nothing proves it more than a UK-based band called The 900. Named after Tony Hawk's record breaking (for the time) 900 degree spin, they cover the songs that have featured in the games over the years. Understandably, they have a lot of fans from that generation. What they discovered last weekend, however, is that the Birdman himself is among the fanbase.
Check out our review of the remastered version of the first two Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games.
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The 900, who promote themselves as “the UK’s first and only Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater cover band,” are mid-tour at the moment, performing “all the bangers from THPS1 to American Wasteland.” This, to many gamers, is the classic period, from the first release way back in 1999 to the off-the-wall 2005 game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
On Saturday, July 30th, however, both the crowd and band got a beautiful surprise. Performing in East London's Signature Brew venue, Tony Hawk himself not only made an appearance, but joined the band on stage for two songs. Clearly chuffed that such a band exists, he said to the crowd: “Thank you for having such reverence... ...It’s really been my biggest honour to have these games carry on for so long and, hey, we’re keeping it going right? I had to join the party!”
I, for one, am gutted to have missed this gig. What a beautiful celebration of shared love for gaming, sports, and music.
Topics: Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Real Life