Paul O’Neill, was all ready one of the biggest names in rock music, having managed and produced Aerosmith, AC/DC, Scorpions and Joan Jett. He began writing progressive rock in a band called ‘Slowburn’ in the 1970s, but instead of recording an album, he put it to one side and continued to write, produce, manage and promote. It wasn’t until 1996 that he had an offer from Atlantic Records to start his own band. He invited Jon Oliva, Robert Kinkel and Al Pitrelli to work with him on this project, combining classical and rock music. This is what became Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which of course got it’s name from O’Neill’s visit to Russia in the 1980s. He described Siberia as being incredibly beautiful but incredibly harsh and unforgiving as well. He compared it with life, and appreciated the philosophy behind it.
Their genre is an eclectic mixture of classical, orchestral, symphonic and progressive features that are then blended into rock and heavy metal music. They are in a league of their own with the conceptual ideas that they bring to life, taking their first release “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” as an example which was released on October 15th 1996. It was the first instalment of an intended Christmas Trilogy and is still to this day one of their best selling albums. It is this album that features the hit “Christmas Canon” which is a rework of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major” but with lyrics added.
Touring is one of the things that this band is all about with their fantastically executed light shows that match the complexity of their music. There are in fact two touring groups colloquially referred to as TSO East and TSO West in America, made up of different line-ups. They have also embarked on a European tour, including a performance on New Year’s Eve in front of over 1,000,000 fans at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, which was also daring as the band played three shows across two continents in 27 hours.
If that wasn’t enough, TSO are philanthropists, having donated over $10 million dollars to local and national charities. They also donate at least one dollar per ticket to local charities in the cities that they perform.
It's a family tradition for my family and I to go see the ever amazing Trans-Siberian Orchestra every year. Their Christmas tour, which was about two and a half hours long this past year, was as good as it ever has been. My parents love the album and it was a staple here, but we were totally unprepared when we saw them live the first time. It blew us away how incredible they are!
The music was from their Christmas album, telling the story of a man who coldheartly abandoned his child as a newborn, but goes to find him, narrated by the awesome Phillip Brandon. There were about 25 musicians on stage, with incredible pryotechnics, lasers and lights! There was also an incredible solo performed by the ever talented Chloe Lowery called "For the Sake of Our Brother," which was quiet and didn't have anywhere near the amount of effects as any of the other songs before or after it. The big crowd pleaser is the giant hit "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo," which was played toward the end of the show. Everyone around us loved the show, and most of us are making the trip to see them again in December!
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