A magical experience -- perfect for renewing that holiday spirit!!
Dec 14 '01
The Bottom Line An unconventional approach to Christmas music that is bound to put even the meanest Scrooge into the Holiday spirit!
PROS: Wonderful music, great entertainers... a fantastic experience!
CONS: It's impossible to stay in a bad mood during this concert! (not a con for me, but that's the only thing I could think of!)
Last year, my boyfriend went to see TSO when they performed in Denver, and could not stop talking about it. I was insanely jealous that he went, while I was stuck out of town that weekend. So when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra came through this year, I was on Ticketmaster the minute it opened to buy tickets. Now that I have experienced TSO live, I will be watching for those ticket sales every year.
The music
If you haven't heard Trans-Siberian Orchestra at all, you may be pleasantly surprised. Two of their albums (Christmas Eve and Other Stories, and The Christmas Attic) are Christmas music, while the third (Beethoven's Last Night) is a compilation of Beethoven's music with a modern sound. TSO's fall tours generally focus on the Christmas theme, using strings, electric guitars, keyboards, drums, and vocals to modernize the songs that we all know, and teach us a few new ones.
That song sounds familiar...
Perhaps the most recognized TSO song, Christmas Eve / Sarajevo, was originally released by the band Savatage in 1995 as Sarajevo 12/24 on the album Dead Winter Dead. The song was so well received that it partly inspired creation of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Now, TSO has become so popular and has such a short tour season that it has branched off into two touring groups, each with a combination of original artists and new ones.
The concert
The most people that I counted on stage at one time, not including the stage hands and sound techs, was 19. This included an entire string section (mostly violins, from what I could tell), one electric violin, three electric guitars (one of them bass), two keyboard players, one drummer, and at least four vocalists. It was amazing how much emotion and talent poured out of those 19 people.
The majority of the concert was one continuous story, much like the Christmas Eve album. Each song continued the story of a girl who has been separated from her father and stumbles upon the blinking neon of a local bar. Inside the bar, one man tells another a story of family and Christmas, and a bartender learns about holiday spirit. The stage contained only lights and musicians, yet the scene was so beautifully painted that I clearly saw the snow falling on the street outside the bar, the bartender pouring drinks, and the lonely girl praying outside. And even if TSO never changes their concert, I would want to hear the story again and again.
When you buy tickets for this concert, I highly recommend getting the best seats you can. Although the sound is something that can be enjoyed from the nose-bleed seats, there is something to be said for being close enough to be able to watch the performers. They truly enjoy themselves on the stage, even after years of playing the same music.
Putting it into perspective
So you may be thinking, "wow, this person really knows a lot about TSO!" I'll take the credit, but the truth is, a month ago, I knew very little about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I had bought Christmas Eve and Other Stories and enjoyed it, but that was about the extent of my experience. In the two weeks since the concert, however, I have researched the history of TSO, bought the rest of the CDs, and even got Savatage's Dead Winter Dead.
Yes, the concert was that good.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
erinhenderson
|
|
Member: Erin Henderson
Location: Denver, CO
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Professional writer and Colorado native.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.