‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ to get 20th anniversary concert tour

A live concert tour has been announced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

• READ MORE: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ review: crazed fantasy that banishes memories of the flop movie

The live experience will feature an orchestra performing the show’s original score, as composed by Jeremy Zuckerman, with the music set to sync with scenes from all three seasons of the show as they are projected on a movie screen behind the musicians.

There was a concert series based on the score in 2024, but this new tour will be “elevated with a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience”, according to the show’s original network Nickelodeon and the tour’s producers.

The tour will kick off in Fayetteville, Arizona on September 13 and will take in more than 80 cities around the world. The final leg of the announced shows will include Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on October 5, Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on October 6, York’s Barbican on October 8 and Sheffield’s City Hall on October 9. Find the full list of dates here and buy your tickets here.

“This special anniversary edition features a two-hour visual journey through all three seasons of the iconic animated series, projected on a full-size cinema screen with new elements and artistic surprises crafted for this special anniversary edition that offers fresh perspectives on the show’s legacy,” Nickelodeon owners Paramount Global have said.

The original series premiered in 2005 and has grown into a major franchise, spawning sequels (The Legend Of Korra), a book series, a 2010 M. Night Shyamalan film, a Netflix live-action adaptation, an upcoming animated series Avatar: Seven Havens and an upcoming theatrical film, The Legend Of Aang: The Last Airbender.

Zuckerman has said about the show: “When I started work on Avatar: The Last Airbender, it was a dream to have the music performed by an orchestra. Now, over 20 years later, with the concert tour, that dream has come true in a way I never could have imagined. It’s profound for me to see the Avatar community of fans – so wonderfully diverse – come together to celebrate the show through its music. The atmosphere of joy at the concerts is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Last year, Netflix announced that its live-action version of the show had been renewed for a second and third season. The first season scored a three-star review from James Mottram, who wrote for NME: “Admittedly, it’s quite simple, emotionally-speaking – those expecting anything deep and meaningful will probably feel short-changed. The characters are broad, notably Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), the exiled 17-year-old crown prince of the Fire Nation who is gunning for Aang.”

“Fortunately, among the adult cast are fine actors including ex-Lost star Daniel Dae Kim, who plays the tyrannical and sadistic ruler of the Fire Nation. And such is the exuberant nature of The Last Airbender, it’s hard not to get swept up in this crazed fantasy. If nothing else, it sure banishes memory of the Shyamalan travesty.”

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