Trans – Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour 2009 Review

By: Nick Habisch

 

So it was early November and I found myself at the Target Center, standing in line with thousands of other folks waiting to get into the first show of the day for the Trans – Siberian Orchestra. For those of you who don’t know, Trans – Siberian Orchestra, or TSO for short, is a rock opera/orchestra group that formed out of the metal band Savatage. They play a combination of re-done Christmas classics intermixed with original tunes. They’re not so much a band as an assembly. With everything from 3 guitarists, 2 violinists, multiple pianists and a full string section, they are a unique part of the music world.

If you have never been to a TSO concert, then let me say outright that no matter how descriptive my words, or how eloquently put they are, I cannot accurately describe a concert like this. With the full band, a light show that takes the crew twelve hours to set up, pyrotechnics, as well as many video screens, a TSO show is one of the grandest concerts one can attend. Now, lets move onto the show itself.

A typical Trans – Siberian show is split into two sections, each an hour and a half long. The first section is a narrated story, taken mostly from their album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories. This is where we will begin. The first song was actually not off that album but off their newly released double album, Nightcastle. The song Night Enchanted officially opened the show, and it was off with a bang.  The lights go dim, and then lights upon lights, a choir of vocalists and the typical TSO instrumentation assaulted us. Oh, and did I mention that the lights are synchronized with each and every song? That’s right.  After this song, TSO continued with their normal narrated story, with a narrator coming in between every few songs to keep the storyline flowing. This section had a good mix of slow, vocal ballads and faster instrumental numbers, such as Angel Came Down, First Snow and the popular Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24). This section of the show was very good, but dragged a bit as some parts had two or three slower songs in a row.

Now after a introduction of the band and the supporting cast, TSO moved onto the second half of their show. This is the section where they play individual songs; everything from Wizards in Winter and Christmas Canon Rock off The Lost Christmas Eve to Mozart Figaro and Requiem (The Fifth) off Beethoven’s Last Night, and everything in-between.  Personally this was the more interesting set as it featured more up-tempo songs with wicked fast guitar and keyboard work.

Visually this is one of the greatest shows you will ever see. It is hard to describe just how ridiculous it is when your trying to watch the band play and you have hundreds of synchronized lights and flames bearing down on you from all angles. The band itself is very active, and TSO does a good job of getting the crowd involved in things.

Overall this is a can’t miss show. Although the ticket prices may be a little high for some (ranging form $40-70 about) it is well-spent money as you will have one of the most enjoyable three hours of your life.  This show also has good variety. It is an apt show for the metalhead and also the grandma who enjoys Christmas music.  Just go see it and then try and tell me I’m wrong

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