Have you ever watched your childhood memories come to reality right in front of your eyes? Something you always dreamed of, and now, in this moment, it’s happening, and you’re witnessing it? That’s what happened to me last night at the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary Celebration of Life Concert.
After a truly outrageous opening set by Britta Phillips, the original singing voice of Jem from Jem and the Holograms, followed by a kick-ass, hilariously meta metal set by the G.I. Joe (or, more specifically, Dreadnoks)-themed band Cold Slither, a band called Knights of Unicron took the stage. They assembled to cover songs from the iconic 1986 animated film, which, if you are unfamiliar, is chock-full of needle drops from the era. And so, the Knights and some special guests hit us with rocking renditions of “The Transformers Theme,” “Instruments of Destruction,” and even Weird Al Yankovic’s “Dare to Be Stupid.” All bangers. Original composer Vince DiCola even came out to play some of the score from the movie, specifically, the music when Optimus Prime died. 40 years later and I still thought, “Too soon.” Then they brought out Stan Bush. You might not “know” Stan Bush, but you know Stan Bush. Bush is probably most famous for his song “The Touch,” which was famously used in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 film Boogie Nights, but originated in Transformers: The Movie. We’re sure you’ve heard it before. Click here to double-check. Stan Bush and the Knights of Unicron at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 – io9 This was the moment I was waiting for. Having watched Transformers: The Movie a lot as a kid, songs like “The Touch” just instantly bring me back to that time. I’m on the couch, in my parents’ house, watching Optimus Prime die, Hot Rod open the Matrix of Leadership, and Unicron devour planet after planet.
