“This isn’t what I expected,” said my wife, would later clarify that she thought that Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) would actually have an orchestra. She wouldn’t be disappointed as the show unfolded. Those who have heard “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)” understand that TSO blew apart the holiday music scene when they added a heavy metal punch to one of the loveliest holiday songs, “Carol of the Bells,” much like Disturbed would later transform Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” to a reimagined masterpiece.
TSO arrives in Atlanta pretty much every December, this particular the second performance of the day. As guitarist Chris Caffery would point out, the band is playing 18 shows over the next ten days. ‘Tis the season, indeed.
So what is the attraction that can all but sell-out two arena shows in Atlanta? Founder Paul O’Neill once said, “I wanted to take the very best of all the forms of music I grew up on and merge them into a new style,” O’Neill says. “Basically I was building on the work of everybody I worshipped: the rock opera parts from bands like the Who; the marriage of classical and rock from bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Queen; the over-the-top light show from bands like Pink Floyd… I always wanted to do a full rock opera with a full progressive band and at least 18 lead singers.”
In the first several songs, you get a 70’s laser light bonanza, cold soap-based artificial snow falling to the lyric of “The snow was falling Christmas Eve, melts on your skin, it never leaves,” and then a stage erupting with flames throughout “Wizards in Wintry,” a hard rocking instrumental that maintains a distinctively festive, wintry feel. Mission accomplished.
That said, the show is much broader than the sizzling guitars and violins. TSO has three thematic albums, “The Lost Christmas Eve” being the third chapter. Storyteller Bryan Hicks sets the scene for each song, building a loose narrative of struggles and reconciliation, appropriate for the season, despite a relatively dark plot point that sets up a heartwarming conclusion.
If you’re after heavy metal theatrics, you’ll get plenty of that. If you like slower songs, you’ll get that too, often accompanied primarily by acoustic guitar or piano. The band tours with a cadre of singers, and newcomer Kelsie Watts’ powerful rendition of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (sung within “What Child Is This?”) received as much or more crowd appreciation than all but TSO’s biggest hits.
This is definitely a show for all ages, a frequent visual spectacle, featuring a variety of musical styles sung by talented singers, and plenty of classic “rock star” poses designed to entertain everyone. TSO is a legitimate holiday event that everyone should catch at least once, and maybe even three times to cover all the chapters. This marked the 25th year of the band’s holiday touring, and it’s likely they’ll be back if you should miss this year’s edition.
Setlist:
The Lost Christmas Eve
Set II (no intermission)