Spring break is a time of fun and freedom. It’s a chance to vacation, explore new places and try new things. It’s an opportunity to forget about school while still dazzling your classmates with your super cool life via Instagram.

This is exactly what I did. Well, not really at all. I sat on the couch in Missouri for eight days, planning for life after graduation and getting really, really sad. But on the ninth day, I took myself out for an afternoon at the symphony as my fun, cool spring break adventure.

Brandon Wilburn | Student Life

I’d bought the tickets for “Indiana Jones in Concert” in September, when I saw how fast “Harry Potter in Concert” sold out. There was no way I was missing this chance. Those of you who read my article on film scores know I have a little tiny super huge obsession with them. So this concert—a showing of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with the St. Louis Symphony playing the score by John Williams live—was an honest to god dream come true.

I confess my feelings on Indiana Jones are only lukewarmly positive. I’d seen only one and a half of the movies which make up the original trilogy and the 2008 reboot in theaters, for reasons I can’t explain. I like it—I don’t love it. (It both delights and offends my anthropology major.) But man, with a live score, any movie can be rendered perfect.

I’d decided to make a day of it, since that’s how you make doing things by yourself fun. I dressed up. I bought fancy cheesecake during intermission. I asked a nice usher to take my photo. And damn, was it worth it.

Inside Powell Hall, a projection screen dangled from the proscenium. The orchestra sat on stage below it. The house was packed with kids and adults wearing everything from formal wear to Indy’s iconic fedora.

My eyes started watering the moment the lights dimmed and the orchestra played the first few bars. The title credits and the infamous temple robbing opening scene were arguably the greatest part. The orchestra swelled gradually, building up the drama until we were full into the iconic theme. (God bless Williams, master of themes.)

It was somewhat of a challenge to split my attention between the orchestra and the film, though one I happily accepted. I found myself slipping into the narrative on screen and forgetting that the music I was hearing was live, so I repeatedly grounded myself by watching the musicians.

They spent long chunks of the movie just sitting quietly, when no music was called for in a scene. I often wondered whether they were enjoying the experience. This was their third show, their third time sharing the stage with the same film. They do a few movies like this per year as part of their concert repertoire. I hope they enjoyed it, though, because it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had, and I’d like them to do it for pretty much every movie forever.

Beyond just the film score lovers out there, these types of concerts are a chance to experience film in a new way. We’re used to the music blaring from the speakers hidden behind the projection screen in movie theaters. Films in concert use a version of the film with the music removed, replaced by the live orchestra. This replacement foregrounds the score as a crucial part of the film, which it is. It’s also a great way to make the symphony accessible to those who may not be drawn in by a two-hour concert of Wolfgang Mozart’s Violin Concertos.

The audience seemed overjoyed at the experience. An elderly woman a few seats down from me kept clapping quietly at each of Jones’ successes. The house gave the orchestra a standing ovation. As for me, now that I’ve seen a movie with a live score, I can never go back. I’ve tasted heaven.