PlayStation | The Concert at Dublin’s 3Arena: Memories of Electronic Exhilaration for All Generations
If ever a moment of pure perfection existed, it would be PlayStation: The Concert at Dublin’s 3Arena on 19 April 2025. Created to commemorate Sony’s eponymous video game company’s 30th anniversary (excluding Japan, which celebrated last year), this historic event mixes great gaming, marvelous music and vivid visuals to produce a moment for the ages. That Dublin is the first stop of this concert intended to play worldwide into next year only accentuates the experience — which, along with other momentous occasions, UL students with Transport for Ireland (TFI) Leap Cards can enjoy easily due to the discounted bus tickets from campus to Dublin and back.
PlayStation | The Concert at Dublin’s 3Arena: An Unparalleled Intersection of Gaming, Music and Culture Requiring No Power-Ups
With all the fun to be had playing video games, the power of the music which supports each experience can be elusive. After all, a common belief is a solid soundtrack is one in which the songs play so precisely as to emphasise the experience at hand, turning all thoughts to the action rather than the music. PlayStation: The Concert, however, places the music on centre stage, honouring some of the most stellar sounds which have graced Sony’s games for the last 30 years.
This concert is not the first time Sony has organised a full-scale orchestral-visual feast for fans and followers alike. It held its first PlayStation: The Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2018. As a one-off event, it highlighted the greatness of PlayStation games with a professional orchestra and choir and through some of the most moving tracks spread across four sections based on each console generation (then PS1 to PS4), with each one demarcated by the official generational start-up sound which plays when each machine is started. That night marked a momentous occasion for PlayStation, featuring fan favourites, cult followings, sleeper hits and everything in the middle for everyone in attendance to have fun. Though this event has long since passed, the official setlist is still available.
With all this excitement in mind, I booked a return ticket via Dublin Coach from UL to Ireland’s capital city using my TFI Leap Card — which also provides discounted student rates to various destinations on most TFI services and bus operators across the country. Then, within 30 minutes from the destination bus stop, I was at 3Arena — since 1988 one of the city’s premier live entertainment destinations and the location where Bono and The Edge performed the songs ‘Van Diemen’s Land’ and ‘Desire’ to a private audience after obtaining the honour of being the first band to play there, replete with music, comedy, sport and other occasions for up to 13,000 attendees to enjoy at once in its amphitheatre-style auditorium — where a kind staff member showed me where to for the doors to open. After queuing briefly, I entered the venue, scouted the merchandise stand and found my seat, all whist enjoying the staff’s affability and expeditiousness.
This celebration boasts works from the four concert pillars — and titanic games — of The Last of Us, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon as well as pieces from landmark productions Bloodborne, Astro Bot, Journey, Uncharted and Helldivers 2. Split into two acts, both of which were incredible, the first opened with the iconic PS1 start-up sound, then went straight into a suite from the 31st century through the idiosyncratic futuristic yet primitive Horizon series. Next was a visit to amongst the darkest reaches of the mind, personified by the gothic city of Yharnam, via a Bloodborne track, followed by a look at the way of the samurai in feudal Japan in a selection from Ghost of Tsushima. This section of the show then finished with a tribute to Super Earth from Helldivers 2, with intermission ensuing. I remained planted in my seat, however, so as not to risk missing even one second of the action.
The first act was scintillating. The second, though, surpassed the first in terms of selected songs, performance order and fan nods — a feat which, given the climate of peerlessness, seemed intriguingly impossible. The concert continued in full force with another start-up sound and Naughty Dog Game’s long cherished treasure-hunting adventure Uncharted before transitioning into the subsequent, hauntingly dystopian The Last of Us. The gravity of a world decimated by disease then became one of vast possibilities with Journey. This musical voyage through worlds next transported the audience to a time of deities, humans and monsters via game juggernaut God of War. Although I did not want the end to come, I was excited for what would follow these beloved pieces.
The last — and arguably most ironically nostalgic — track came from Astro Bot, one of PlayStation’s newest mascots, during which the lovable robot and his friends were shown travelling through the various worlds of the myriad PlayStation characters from throughout the past three decades, paying homage to all the generations of gaming gold and splendid situations found within each milestone moment. It was here all those titles absent from the setlist were recognised in full Astro Bot form with all associated attire, spanning all generations, before the encore of Marvel’s Spider-Man, and with it, an honourable salute to everyone’s favourite neighbourhood web-heads, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, concluded this effervescent event. By this point, I was euphoric as well as impressed by — just as I now am — the excellence I had the privilege of both hearing and watching.
With this exuberance, I left 3Arena for the bus back to UL. The 30-minute walk back was blissful, providing me not only with a period for reflection and appreciation but also listening to other attendees’ reactions to what they had just witnessed. Being amongst this convivial conglomerate of PlayStation, gaming and music aficionados in Dublin on the first night of what has become my favourite concert to date was surreal, and I cherished the sublime sensation of this fantastic feature event the entire bus ride back to UL, just as I will continue doing indefinitely.
Final Verdict: 30 Years of Greatness Encapsulated into Two Hours
Everything considered, this concert was a masterpiece. Every note played, pixel displayed on the screen and roar from the crowd, this event was nothing short of exceptional. The venue itself was equally outstanding as each component, from 3Arena’s helpful staff to inviting atmosphere, scrumptious snacks and superb seating, coalesced to produce a work of art for all. The fans appeared to have agreed because their energy was palpable, matching the strings, synthesisers and vocals’ collective resonance with their own enthusiasm. Truly, PlayStation: The Concert was a magnificent moment. That I could avail of discounted bus tickets as a UL student through Dublin Coach — and consequently put the money I had saved towards purchasing a souvenir — was fantastic. Ultimately, I have one piece of advice for anyone and everyone considering attending a live event at 3Arena in Dublin as a student via Dublin Coach: Take the leap (card), and enjoy the experience!
Score: 10/10
For more information on PlayStation: The Concert, including links to dates, tickets and the official playlist, please visit the official web page. To learn more about 3Arena, view upcoming events and purchase tickets, please view its official website. TFI Leap Card application instructions are available here, and details concerning Dublin Coach can be found here.
Author’s note: The views, recommendations and ideas expressed in this blog post are entirely my own. As such, they reflect neither the opinions of UL Global nor any other Global Ambassador, but rather my own personal perspectives. Moreover, I was in no way compensated for my review of PlayStation: The Concert or 3Arena. Instead, this piece serves to underscore for UL students what I consider the excellence of this listening and viewing experience.