Zelda and Clair Obscur Orchestral Tours Skip Most of Asia, Fans Push Back
Two 2027 orchestral tours built around major video game franchises announced their schedules on the same day, and both left most of Asia off the map. According to NME, reporting on September 10, 2026, Nintendo unveiled a concert series marking the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, while the French game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 confirmed a second leg of its orchestral tour "A Painted Symphony," including a stop at London's O2 Arena. Fans quickly began questioning what counts as a "world tour" when the routing skews so heavily toward Europe and North America.
What was announced
"A Painted Symphony" will play 11 shows in France plus 9 more across the rest of Europe. North America so far has just 4 dates — two in New York and two in Los Angeles — with no other regions currently on the schedule.
The "Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary" series opens with 6 shows in Japan, then moves to 4 cities in the United States, 2 in Australia, and 3 in the United Kingdom, with only a single stop on continental Europe.
Why fans are frustrated
Discussion on Reddit and X has centered on which markets got left out. Some Zelda fans pointed out that a leg labeled "North America" contains no Canadian cities at all, while others noted the only East Coast US date lands in Virginia. The European leg has been described as "just the UK and Sweden," and UK fans complained that a "world tour" amounts to a single London date for them.
On the Asia side, fans have publicly suggested organizers add Southeast and East Asian cities like Singapore and Bangkok, arguing those markets could sell out and would let nearby regional audiences fly in at lower cost than reaching Europe or North America.
What happens next
Organizers for both tours say more cities and countries will be announced later, but the staggered rollout is complicating ticket-buying decisions — some fans say they don't know whether to book a date six hours away by car or wait for a closer venue to be added. NME notes that neither organizer has explained why the announcements are being made in phases.
Orchestras and remaining details
The two productions differ in ensemble setup. The Zelda 40th anniversary tour will partner with a local orchestra at each stop, while "A Painted Symphony" continues with the Curieux Orchestra throughout, switching to local ensembles only for the US dates, performing alongside composer Lorien Testard and vocalist Alice Duport-Percier.
- Year: 2027
- "A Painted Symphony": 11 shows in France, 9 elsewhere in Europe, 2 in New York, 2 in Los Angeles, including London's O2 Arena
- "The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary": 6 shows in Japan, 4 US cities, 2 Australian cities, 3 UK cities, 1 stop on continental Europe
- Ticketing: both tours go on sale sometime in September 2026; further details not yet announced beyond official websites