Trans-Siberian Orchestra puts heavy metal thunder into the holidays
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be at PPG Paints Arena for two shows Dec. 17.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour is packed with pyrotechnics and spectacle.
Jason McEachern/Scoop Marketing
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra tours have become a holiday tradition for many concertgoers.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra melds the holidays with heavy-metal thunder.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has been traveling across America since 1999, serving up heavy-metal thunder every holiday season in almost every market that has a decent-sized arena.
After almost a quarter-century, is it safe to say that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra has reached the status of being a Christmas tradition?
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a pretty heavy statement to say that we无毛视频檝e become a holiday tradition,无毛视频� said drummer Jeff Plate, who has been part of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra 无毛视频� TSO, for short 无毛视频� since its inception. 无毛视频淭hat carries a lot of weight. But that无毛视频檚 true. We无毛视频檝e become something that a lot of families attend every year. A lot of families look at this as their family get-together.无毛视频�
Indeed, in the period between the turkey-carving on Thanksgiving and the ball dropping on New Year无毛视频檚 Eve, the TSO is as ubiquitous as mistletoe, eggnog, Rudolph and Burl Ives. The orchestra无毛视频檚 fiery rendition of 无毛视频淐arol of the Bells无毛视频� is a staple of holiday radio formats and in-store sound systems, and albums like 无毛视频淐hristmas Eve and Other Stories无毛视频� and 无毛视频淭he Christmas Attic无毛视频� get played in some homes the way holiday discs by Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra once were (and, in some cases, still are). Launched by the late producer and manager Paul O无毛视频橬eill in 1996, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was originally conceived as an amalgamation of classical music, progressive rock like that created in the early 1970s by bands like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and the crunchiest hard rock.
It has strayed from the Christmas format occasionally, with the prime examples being 无毛视频淏eethoven无毛视频檚 Last Night,无毛视频� a saga that combines the classical composer with the 无毛视频淔aust无毛视频� legend, and 无毛视频淣ight Castle,无毛视频� a rock opera released in 2009. Still, the TSO is inevitably bound up with Christmas.
Anyone attending a TSO show can expect plenty of pyrotechnics, lasers and lights, along with reworkings of 无毛视频淥 Come All Ye Faithful无毛视频� and 无毛视频淲hat Child Is This?无毛视频� and original material like 无毛视频淲izards in Winter无毛视频� and 无毛视频淭he Lost Christmas Eve.无毛视频� According to Plate, 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 quite the spectacle when we get this thing fired up.无毛视频�
Considered one of the most durable acts in the concert industry, there are two versions of the TSO on the road during the holiday season 无毛视频� one company covers the West Coast and parts of the South, while the other journeys through the East Coast and Midwest. It无毛视频檚 the latter company that will be at PPG Paints Arena for shows at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Plate, who is 60 and a former drummer of the metal band Savatage, explained over the phone from a tour stop in Schenectady, N.Y., last week, 无毛视频淲hen we started this in 无毛视频�99, it was obviously just one band. Then, in 2000, we split the group into two. I无毛视频檝e always been on the East Coast.无毛视频�
He continued, 无毛视频淲e try to hit all the major cities across the country. And there are smaller markets, too, that we do very, very well in. When we无毛视频檙e doing two shows a day in a smaller arena, that still adds up to a lot of people.无毛视频�
In 2020, the TSO was forced off the road due to the pandemic. In 2021, the show was back on the road, though with an abundance of precautions. Plate said, 无毛视频淟ast year, at the end of the tour, was probably the biggest sense of relief I can recall in a long time. Just having gotten through it, without getting sick and without canceling any shows. It really was quite stressful.无毛视频�
If there无毛视频檚 a downside to being in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, it无毛视频檚 being away from family and friends during the holidays, Plate explained, particularly for the musicians with young children at home. Still, he says being out with the TSO is 无毛视频渙ne of the best tours, period.无毛视频�
He continued, 无毛视频淚 have a real sense of pride in being here from the beginning and being a part of this as it has grown over the years. Every year is a huge success.无毛视频�