We attended a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert a bit before Christmas. I’ve had their Christmas Eve and Other Stories album in my Christmas music rotation for years. I’ve heard their shows were impressive so we bought tickets this year.
As I am the hard rock lover in the family, my wife wasn’t up on the this type of music. In a brief conversation the afternoon before the concert, we were talking about going out to dinner before hand and how a big dinner can be hard before the concert.
Wife: “Yeah, we don’t want to fall asleep during the concert.”
Me: “I don’t think that will be a problem with all the lasers and fire.”
W: “Huh?”
M:”This is a rock concert.”
W: “But their name has Orchestra in it. Strings and stuff.”
M: “No, no. This is a full blown rock concert with loud guitars, drums, and a light show. I don’t think they will have strings.*”
W: …
Folks, I undersold it. I chose the title to this post intentionally. The people who created TSO didn’t have a musical theater background as far as I know, but they sure understand the theater part. This was a SHOW. It was over the top. It was excessive. It was loud. It was great.
If you are not a fan of screaming guitars playing classical music, you might as well check out now. This is not for you.
The stage show was incredible. Dozens of lasers going off during most songs. A bazillion spotlights and strobes. Fire. Lots of fire. Fire balls, flame throwing spinners, rotating TSO logo on fire, fire all over the stage and the staircase in the middle. Large video screens in back that supported the stories.
The musicianship was also top notch. If you like 70s-80s strutting power chords played by long-hairs waving their heads around, every so often giving a guitar god pose for the audience, which I do, then the concert was perfect. They even had an electric violin player and she posed as much as the two guitarists. They all did this while playing extremely well. They replicated the songs from the albums very well, bringing a edge to them that only live concerts can do.
They had so many vocalists. At least a dozen with great concert voices. They would take vocal leads and do backup vocals with ease. One singer did a version of O Come All Ye Faithful that blew the roof off the place. With just her voice.
One note. They had a snow globe. Not a video snow globe. Not a snow globe display. But a real, human size globe with snow (lights) inside and a singer. It came out of a curtained area in the back of the concert hall and rose up about 30 feet in the air. The woman’s voice soared through the concert hall.
The sound mix was excellent so credit to the Xcel Energy Center and the group’s sound crew. In fact, the sheer complexity of the show is an indication that their entire backstage crew is first class. Props to them.
I love music and post about musical moments that are magical for me.
- she was right, they did have strings.