“You can’t hide behind the screen forever!”: How Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr inspired film legend Hans Zimmer to go on tour
It’s the iconic composer’s first North America tour for seven years.
![[L-R] Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr](https://musictech.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Hans-Zimmer-Pharrell-Williams-Johnny-Marr@2000x1500.jpg)
Credit: Getty Images
An unlikely duo convinced Hans Zimmer to go on tour: Johnny Marr and Pharrell Williams.
Per Associated Press, he describes the pair as “absolutely forcing” him to head out on tour in North America. He quotes them as saying, “‘You have to look your audience in the eye, you can’t hide behind the screen forever. You owe it to your audience.’”
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He calls the US “incredibly welcoming and kind and exciting for us,” adding, “Of course, the advantage America has now is that we’ve taken [the tour] across Europe a couple of times so, actually, we’re pretty good at it at the moment.”
The German composer announced a North American orchestral tour yesterday (14 March), his first for seven years and his first since he composed the scores for Dune 1 and 2. It’s set to feature Zimmer and his band with a full orchestra, with suites for movies including not only Dune but The Lion King, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, and The Last Samurai.
Zimmer says of the tour: “I’m thrilled to return to perform in North America with my wonderful band and excited to share this phenomenal show. I love this feeling of uniting my family of extraordinary musicians with you, the audience. Just an unbelievable group of talents, who in my opinion, are some of the best musicians in the world.
“But nothing would have meaning without the good grace and support of you, the other part of the family – the audience. Ultimately, the music connects us all, and I promise you this: we will always play our best, straight from the heart.”
It’ll begin on 6 September in Duluth, Georgia, and finish in Vancouver exactly a month later. He’s playing New York City’s Madison Square Garden on 12 September – his 67th birthday.
Tickets for the tour go on sale on 22 March at 10 am local time on Zimmer’s website.
