JOE HISAISHI (London Wembley Arena, 22/09/23)

Waited almost ten percent of my life for this to take place (tickets were bought in February 2020!), but getting to experience an actual Joe Hisaishi concert exceeded even my Castle-In-The-Sky-high expectations. So many heart-stirring Ghibli moments, but Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo and Princess Mononoke elicited honest-to-God feelings, and there’s something about a full scale orchestral/choral rendition of the Totoro theme that could dispel the darkest gloom.