Trans-Siberian Orchestra – The Honda Center, Anaheim, Ca 11/24
By Jeffrey Easton
Its Christmas time once again and for some that means decorations, trees, gifts ect but to me it means Trans-Siberian Orchestra is hitting the road. Fans of live music and bombastic but at the same time sentimental shows flock to see TSO live. Considering their long history of touring they have built up a loyal fanbase that come back year after year, buy up the merch, continue to buy the reissues and stay riveted to the last note. The reissues being noted, all 3 of from the Christmas Trilogy: Christmas Eve And Other Stories, The Christmas Attic and The Lost Christmas Eve plus The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve, are all available on vinyl now.
The show opened in a flurry of lights and smoke as the band launched into Welcome which was originally featured on the Savatage album Wake Of Magellan, a bombastic and fitting intro to what would be a loud and visually stimulating show. Moonlight And Madness from the TSO album Night Castle followed up with Al Pitrelli coming front and center to lead his band through this spectacular track. Every year has a theme, a focus if you will and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of The Lost Christmas Eve, the last in the Christmas Trilogy. This album has a powerful and at times tear jerking story, a story set for a stage adaption and the story teller: the amazing Philip Brandon, the band and its amazing vocalists weaved the words and music to an attentive, captive and loud audience. The opening of the story was Faith Noel and the night was truly underway.
The title track was up next as vocalist Dustin Brayley stepped up to start the story as Angus Clark deftly solo’d behind his powerful voice. Wizards In Winter was one of the singles released from the album back when it first dropped, and it quickly became their calling card. You heard this track everywhere as it spread like wildfire and of course, TSO had another huge release on their hands. So when Phillip Stated that the Wizards In Winter invest in snow, The Honda Center came alive as the core of the band came front and center, led by violinist Asha Mevlana, and lit the house up. AS TSO weaved through the story, a blues bar emerged with Jeff Scott Soto fronting to take on Christmas Nights In Blue and the heart of the story for me emerged with Daniel Emmet taking on the role of the grinch like dad in What Is Christmas. That continued with the mournful Back To A Reason Part II, eloquently set up by Mr Brandon, witnessing the dad in the story seeing where he was in life. Again delivered very well with sadness in his vocals by Daniel. What Child Is This, possibly one of my favorite Christmas songs and perfectly electrified by TSO, put an exclamation point on this story. If you listen to the album, read the lyrics, it will take you down a hole that you will stay in with mixed emotions.
After the culmination of The Lost Christmas Eve, AL Pitrelli, the longtime music veteran and band leader for TSO west coast, came out, thanked the military, the road crew, the fans and introduced his singers. I have to take a moment and say that if you see TSO year after year you note that the band is an excellent machine. A production this big, there cannot be any mistakes and I have yet to witness one. You notice the singers, the instrumentalists, they bounce off of one another perfectly. I have seen a lot of these guys in other bands over the decades but it’s in TSO that they have really found their calling. The show continued with TSO standouts The Three Kings And I, First Snow and A Mad Russians Christmas, the last two coming from the debut TSO record, the monster album that started it all. Since TSO founder, writer and producer Paul O’Neil passed away, a tribute has been bestowed upon him every night of the tour. This year and for the west coast, the track Believe from the Streets: A Rock Opera release, a personal favorite of mine, was played. This is a brilliant album and track and to hear it live in this setting was surreal.
To Close out the show, it was turned up a notch with TSO launching into Requiem (The Fifth) from their Beethoven’s Last Night release before going back once again to 1996 for This Christmas Day and show closer…stopper.. Christmas Eve 12/24. I feel as though TSO has permanently etched their name into Christmas history with Christmas Eve, even if you do not know who TSO is, chances are 99% good you have heard this. Bing Crosby had Silver Bells, TSO has Christmas Eve 12/24. I must take this moment to thank TSO and their crew for the production they brought. As someone who has attended 100s of concerts for 3 plus decades, I can safely say that TSO has put on the best show I have yet to witness. The lighting rigs, the use of fire, the lasers, the backline, it culminates for a spectacular show, something you cannot take your eyes off of. The fact that this arena was packed, the fans were loud and TSO delivered is proof that live music is still a factor and with the musicians that make up TSO it will be for years to come.
Official Trans-Siberian Orchestra Site
BUY TSO releases!
By Jeffrey Easton
Its Christmas time once again and for some that means decorations, trees, gifts ect but to me it means Trans-Siberian Orchestra is hitting the road. Fans of live music and bombastic but at the same time sentimental shows flock to see TSO live. Considering their long history of touring they have built up a loyal fanbase that come back year after year, buy up the merch, continue to buy the reissues and stay riveted to the last note. The reissues being noted, all 3 of from the Christmas Trilogy: Christmas Eve And Other Stories, The Christmas Attic and The Lost Christmas Eve plus The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve, are all available on vinyl now.
The show opened in a flurry of lights and smoke as the band launched into Welcome which was originally featured on the Savatage album Wake Of Magellan, a bombastic and fitting intro to what would be a loud and visually stimulating show. Moonlight And Madness from the TSO album Night Castle followed up with Al Pitrelli coming front and center to lead his band through this spectacular track. Every year has a theme, a focus if you will and this year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of The Lost Christmas Eve, the last in the Christmas Trilogy. This album has a powerful and at times tear jerking story, a story set for a stage adaption and the story teller: the amazing Philip Brandon, the band and its amazing vocalists weaved the words and music to an attentive, captive and loud audience. The opening of the story was Faith Noel and the night was truly underway.
The title track was up next as vocalist Dustin Brayley stepped up to start the story as Angus Clark deftly solo’d behind his powerful voice. Wizards In Winter was one of the singles released from the album back when it first dropped, and it quickly became their calling card. You heard this track everywhere as it spread like wildfire and of course, TSO had another huge release on their hands. So when Phillip Stated that the Wizards In Winter invest in snow, The Honda Center came alive as the core of the band came front and center, led by violinist Asha Mevlana, and lit the house up. AS TSO weaved through the story, a blues bar emerged with Jeff Scott Soto fronting to take on Christmas Nights In Blue and the heart of the story for me emerged with Daniel Emmet taking on the role of the grinch like dad in What Is Christmas. That continued with the mournful Back To A Reason Part II, eloquently set up by Mr Brandon, witnessing the dad in the story seeing where he was in life. Again delivered very well with sadness in his vocals by Daniel. What Child Is This, possibly one of my favorite Christmas songs and perfectly electrified by TSO, put an exclamation point on this story. If you listen to the album, read the lyrics, it will take you down a hole that you will stay in with mixed emotions.
After the culmination of The Lost Christmas Eve, AL Pitrelli, the longtime music veteran and band leader for TSO west coast, came out, thanked the military, the road crew, the fans and introduced his singers. I have to take a moment and say that if you see TSO year after year you note that the band is an excellent machine. A production this big, there cannot be any mistakes and I have yet to witness one. You notice the singers, the instrumentalists, they bounce off of one another perfectly. I have seen a lot of these guys in other bands over the decades but it’s in TSO that they have really found their calling. The show continued with TSO standouts The Three Kings And I, First Snow and A Mad Russians Christmas, the last two coming from the debut TSO record, the monster album that started it all. Since TSO founder, writer and producer Paul O’Neil passed away, a tribute has been bestowed upon him every night of the tour. This year and for the west coast, the track Believe from the Streets: A Rock Opera release, a personal favorite of mine, was played. This is a brilliant album and track and to hear it live in this setting was surreal.
To Close out the show, it was turned up a notch with TSO launching into Requiem (The Fifth) from their Beethoven’s Last Night release before going back once again to 1996 for This Christmas Day and show closer…stopper.. Christmas Eve 12/24. I feel as though TSO has permanently etched their name into Christmas history with Christmas Eve, even if you do not know who TSO is, chances are 99% good you have heard this. Bing Crosby had Silver Bells, TSO has Christmas Eve 12/24. I must take this moment to thank TSO and their crew for the production they brought. As someone who has attended 100s of concerts for 3 plus decades, I can safely say that TSO has put on the best show I have yet to witness. The lighting rigs, the use of fire, the lasers, the backline, it culminates for a spectacular show, something you cannot take your eyes off of. The fact that this arena was packed, the fans were loud and TSO delivered is proof that live music is still a factor and with the musicians that make up TSO it will be for years to come.
Official Trans-Siberian Orchestra Site
BUY TSO releases!
