Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA 12/22
By Jeffrey Easton
Its Christmas time and for the music world that means one thig, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is on the road once more. Billed the Best of TSO & More, they delivered on that promise. Turning in a three-hour performance that turned on a dime between the loud, Wizards In Winter to passive and heartfelt, Not What You See. This show encompassed the bulk of the TSO output plus a few Savatage, the roots of TSO, tracks. Opening the show were Fate and Prometheus, from their non-Christmas records Beethoven’s Last Night and Letters from The Labyrinth respectively. This gave new comers a taste of the power off this massive band. Al Pitrelli, the band leader, guitarist and show runner, took Sacramento on a ride through the history of TSO and a massive set list handled by some amazing musicians and singers. If you own all the albums, and why wouldn’t you, you know the tracks and hang onto every note as it’s rung out from the stage. The proceedings dished out First Snow, Promises to Keep, A Mad Russians Christmas, The Snow Came Down as Well as Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24). On a personal note, Buying Dead Winter Dead from Savatage in 1995 and hearing Christmas Eve and just being so moved by it only to see it living on through the release of the debut TSO album Christmas Eve And Other Stories a year later and 27 years later people are still on their feet hearing it live. That’s a testimony to the power of well-orchestrated music. Speaking Of, we lost TSO fonder Paul O’Neil a few years ago, so Al Pitrelli dedicated Not What You See, a Savatage cut from the Streets album, to his memory with the amazing Moriah Formica on vocals. It was incredibly moving, and she delivered perfectly. The music wasn’t the only entertainment, the staging, the use of the entire arena with smoke, fire, lasers, moving lighting trusses, video boards, snow from the top of the arena. The band constantly engaged with the audience from the front or back of the arena. From the first note to the last, the money you spent was worth it. Before the night was over, we were also gifted Christmas Carousels/Siberian Sleigh Ride, Christmas In The Air, Christmas Canon Rock and Christmas Dreams. Before it was done, The audience was well thanked for coming out yet again and as people filed out you could over hear people talk about the performers or the part of the show that meant the most to them, another colossal moment in the books for Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Official Trans-Siberian Orchestra Website
BUY The Christmas Trilogy
By Jeffrey Easton
Its Christmas time and for the music world that means one thig, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is on the road once more. Billed the Best of TSO & More, they delivered on that promise. Turning in a three-hour performance that turned on a dime between the loud, Wizards In Winter to passive and heartfelt, Not What You See. This show encompassed the bulk of the TSO output plus a few Savatage, the roots of TSO, tracks. Opening the show were Fate and Prometheus, from their non-Christmas records Beethoven’s Last Night and Letters from The Labyrinth respectively. This gave new comers a taste of the power off this massive band. Al Pitrelli, the band leader, guitarist and show runner, took Sacramento on a ride through the history of TSO and a massive set list handled by some amazing musicians and singers. If you own all the albums, and why wouldn’t you, you know the tracks and hang onto every note as it’s rung out from the stage. The proceedings dished out First Snow, Promises to Keep, A Mad Russians Christmas, The Snow Came Down as Well as Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24). On a personal note, Buying Dead Winter Dead from Savatage in 1995 and hearing Christmas Eve and just being so moved by it only to see it living on through the release of the debut TSO album Christmas Eve And Other Stories a year later and 27 years later people are still on their feet hearing it live. That’s a testimony to the power of well-orchestrated music. Speaking Of, we lost TSO fonder Paul O’Neil a few years ago, so Al Pitrelli dedicated Not What You See, a Savatage cut from the Streets album, to his memory with the amazing Moriah Formica on vocals. It was incredibly moving, and she delivered perfectly. The music wasn’t the only entertainment, the staging, the use of the entire arena with smoke, fire, lasers, moving lighting trusses, video boards, snow from the top of the arena. The band constantly engaged with the audience from the front or back of the arena. From the first note to the last, the money you spent was worth it. Before the night was over, we were also gifted Christmas Carousels/Siberian Sleigh Ride, Christmas In The Air, Christmas Canon Rock and Christmas Dreams. Before it was done, The audience was well thanked for coming out yet again and as people filed out you could over hear people talk about the performers or the part of the show that meant the most to them, another colossal moment in the books for Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Official Trans-Siberian Orchestra Website
BUY The Christmas Trilogy
