Sega Celebrates Sonic's 30th Birthday With a Kick-Butt Concert

Sonic the Hedgehogs 30th anniversary was the other day and while Sega didnt use this opportunity to show off a new game or show, one could argue they did something even better: they followed the examples laid by Nintendo, Toby Fox, and other developers and used this opportunity to stream a live concert of some of the most iconic Sonic the Hedgehog music. And considering how, even during his worst games, Sonic the Hedgehogs soundtracks have always slapped (with possibly the exception of Sonic Heroes), this concert was a real winner, with nearly two hours of jaw-dropping, heart-wrenching, nostalgia-tripping goodness.

If you have two hours to spare or the kind of job where you can listen to music while you work this is absolutely a must-listen for the day:

30 years ago, on June 23rd, 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog was released on the SEGA Genesis, beginning a new era of gaming. Since then, Sonic has been running through countless zones, beating badniks, and saving the world with the help of his friends. This performance is to thank you, all of you, for being there every step of the way, and to remind us all of the amazing journey we've been on.

During the middle of the concert, during the intermission, the composer of the first two Sonic the Hedgehog games, Masato Nakamura, went on-camera to thank fans for their love, support, and dedication, as well as reminisce about how excited he was to make the now-iconic soundtrack for the now-iconic first game.

Frankly, the fact that at present this video has less than a million views is criminal: Sega, and the musicians involved, went hard. Theres no low point. Theres no song you can skip. Its all so good and Sega deserves bigger props for setting this up.

Thank you, Sega. You can put out all the Sonic Forces you want if it means more of this goodness.