You might have heard their music on the radio. Or, maybe you’ve seen videos of their concerts on YouTube. Maybe you have seen them in concert. Either way, if you have heard about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, then you know how thrilling their concerts are.
This rock orchestra has been thrilling audiences since their first show in Philadelphia back in 1999. We had the opportunity to see them perform for the first time in Manchester, New Hampshire over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
The orchestra doesn’t waste time opening their shows. The lights go dark, the orchestra comes onto the stage, and the performance begins with a lot of lasers, smoke, light and sound.
The orchestra is quite impressive. There are multiple guitarists, at least eight singers, a pianist, a drummer, a violinist a narrator and more. Every single member of the orchestra has a job to perform and they all do it quite well. It is truly amazing to see so many people mesh seamlessly in such a large-scale performance.
This year’s tour is called The Ghosts of Christmas Eve. A narrator beautifully leads the audience through a wonderfully written story about Christmas Eves past. The story is intertwined with the music and it blends perfectly.
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo
One of the orchestra’s most popular songs is Christmas Eve/Sarajevo. It was originally released by Savatage, but was re-released by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as a few members of Savatage had joined the band.
The song is an instrumental that combines “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” and “Shchedryk” in a performance that is both soft and loud at times. It is easily one of the most recognizable songs that the orchestra performs.
See the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Live
You can watch hundreds of videos of the orchestra online, but until you see it in person, the videos just don’t do the band any justice. The orchestra will be coming to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on December 17 for two shows (3 pm and 7:30 pm).
Do yourself a favor and get tickets. Be prepared for a long show. The performance we saw in Manchester, New Hampshire, lasted close to three hours. It is worth every penny and every minute.
