It was on the same exact date last year that a friend and I drove to Wichita, Kansas to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra perform their annual Christmas concert. This year, we were fortunate enough to have the show come to the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
If you have never heard the TSO or been to a TSO concert, you are missing one of the greatest holiday treats of our generation. Simply put, it is an evening of sensory overload filled with bombastic guitar riffs, a driving beat, a soaring string section, incredible voices, and stories in song which bring the spirit of Christmas to the heart and mind.
I had brought Mary to a concert in Dallas two years ago, so she knew what to expect. But we also brought two other couples with us who had never seen TSO before. Last night's show was exceptional and all of us had a wonderful time.
As they have done in previous years, the first portion of the show was a performance of their first CD, Christmas Eve and Other Stories. If this CD isn't in your collection, stop reading now, click the link above, and buy it. There is still plenty of time to enjoy it this holiday season.
Bringing the crowd to their feet at the end of the first act, the band loosened up and launched into songs from The Christmas Attic, The Lost Christmas Eve and Beethoven's Last Night. They also did a rousing version of A Little Help from My Friends, featuing a vocalist who would do Joe Cocker proud.
As icing on the cake, the pyrotechnics, lasers and light show would be first class for the very best of rock shows. Great stuff!
TSO is talking about launching out on a Spring/Summer tour to perform Beethoven's Last Night in its entirity. I will be there!
It's Del.icio.us!
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November 23, 2004 01:04 AM
Hey Joel, it looks like we finally found something that there can be NO debate whtsoever on. TSO is absolutely incredible, and perhaps one of my favorite bands ever. For anyone who might not know, TSO is actually the progressive metal band Savatage using different vocalists and added performers. One of the guitar players, Al Pitrelli, has played with the likes of Alice Cooper and Megadeth and is an absolutely PHENOMENAL guitarist. (Being a guitar player myself, I know how hard and how long he must have practiced to get that good). The rest of the band is incredible as well, and totally blows most of the rather talentless "music" on MTV these days out of the water completely. I have been a prog rock fan for years, and these guys are right up there with Dream Theater, Jethro Tull, Rush, and Genesis. This brand of symphonic metal is wonderful and is definitely an influence on newer bands such as Evanescence. Quite interesting to see so-called "devil music" like heavy metal used to perform a Christmas album, huh? These guys are extremely intelligent and extremely talented, and definitely a treat to see. My regards to you and your family on being able to enjoy this show - I hope I get the chance this year.