Video Games Live is pretty much the best video game concert event outside of the Dear Friends (Final Fantasy) concerts, and PBS is the station that brought us Yanni: Live at the Acropolis, which is easily the best live music event in recorded history, so it looks like there’s some kind of blood-tinged Faustian pact afoot. The February 5th, 2010 performance of Video Games Live at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans will be taped and aired on PBS during June of next year. Tickets to the event are going on sale this Friday (the 18th), so snap them up if you’re interested.

If you don’t want to make it down to N’awlins for the event, firstly, I don’t blame you. Last time I went, everything was coated in a thin layer of insanity gravy. But more importantly, a Blu-ray and CD of the event will be released next year for your mushy consumer brains to slurp up and toss into your PS3. However, the last performance I saw had Steve Vai playing the Halo theme on his guitar, which until then had been the stuff of maladjusted, failed musicians on youtube, so it might just be worth the trek.

Read the press release after the jump.

LOS ANGELES – DECEMBER 16, 2009 – Video Games Live and PBS are joining forces to create an exclusive nationwide PBS special based around the highly successful Video Games Live concert series.  The breakthrough performance will be taped on February 5th, 2010 at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and is slated to begin airing in June 2010 on PBS stations.  Tickets for the performance will be going on sale Friday, December 18 at 10am CST.

Reaching an average of over 58 million viewers a week, PBS is the most prominent provider of programming to U.S. public television stations. “We believe the concept of introducing young audiences to an orchestra through the music of video games fits perfectly with PBS’s mission in a very new and creative way,” said PBS Vice-President of Programming Joe Campbell.  “We are very optimistic that the program will be a big success!”

Recently described by the New York Times as “Captivating!” and “Bombastic!”, the record breaking and award winning Video Games Live has continued its mission to demonstrate to the world how artistic and culturally significant video games and their music have become.  Performing to sold-out crowds around the globe, Video Games Live has been thrilling gamers, families and mainstream audiences since its initial inception in 2002.  “This is an incredible opportunity for us to reach an audience that normally may not be familiar with how far video games have come and how amazing the music can be,” said prolific game composer and CEO of Video Games Live, Tommy Tallarico.  “It’s an honor for us to be a part of such a groundbreaking event with PBS and I’m really excited about the potential positive effects this will have on the entire game industry and its millions of fans.”

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is the only musician-owned and collaboratively managed professional symphony in the United States. The members of the LPO are dedicated to creating live symphonic music and maintaining a resident full-time orchestra that serves as an integral part of the cultural and educational life of New Orleans and the Gulf South region. “What could be more fun than to be part of this performance phenomenon,” says Babs Mollere, Managing Director of the LPO. “Our musicians are looking forward to being part of an interactive evening of music and video footage with fans of all ages.”

A companion DVD and Blu-Ray will be made available in 2010 which will showcase additional segments and many special extras including behind the scenes footage, making of Video Games Live, interactive angles, exclusive game developer and composer interviews, special never before seen game trailers and much more.  This will be the first time a video game concert DVD and Blu-Ray will be distributed worldwide.  Also being released will be the follow-up to the award winning Video Games Live: Volume One CD which debuted on the Billboard Charts at #10 in 2008.  Video Games Live: Volume Two will include many of the new segments included over the past two years as well as some of the most popular classics.  All products are scheduled to be released in the summer of 2010 following an exclusive window of availability through PBS.

Tickets for the performance start at $15 and can be purchased beginning at 10am CST on Friday, December 18 by visiting ticketmaster.com, calling 1-800-745-3000 or at the Lakefront Arena Box Office.