Chickens! Concert Series #25: Trans Siberian Orchestra

What a spectacular concert and amazing stage show! The concert started a little late due to some technical difficulties, it apparently takes something crazy like 15hours to set up the stage. Also, they had to fog up the area so the lasers would show up. The stage was set up with large screens on either side that showed light displays and a large mobile rigging above with spot lights and lasers, and behind the performers area of the stage were the fireworks and fire shooters. And it was only $20! What's not to like?

For those of you who aren't familiar, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a New York based operation that was formed in 1996 by Paul O'Neill and his long time friends Robert Kinkel and Jon Oliva who are the groups core composers. They named it after the Trans-Siberian Railroad, because they say it draws people and countries together, which is what they wanted to do with their music. The band draws heavily from classical music and incorporates elements of progressive rock, symphonic and heavy metal. The orchestral format allows them the freedom to create music without the restrictions of having few band members with specific ranges. Here's their official webpage, here's their myspace, and here's their wiki.

As is TSO tradition (apparently) the show was broken into two halves. The first half was basically their concept album "Christmas eve and other stories" (which my Mom has on CD). Lovely Christmas-y fare. Among this they played one of their two most famous songs "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24", which is an instrumental medley of Carol of the Bells and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. During the first song people were lowered down on platforms on either side of the stage and then they ran around playing their guitars/violins. And when the played "First Snow" the released snow from the ceiling, which sparkled nicely under the lasers. I also really like the metal inspired version of Nutcracker (Mad Russian's Christmas).

These are the songs for the first half, interspersed with rambling narration:
NED/March of the Kings
An Angel Came Down
Oh Come Holy Night
Prince of Peace
First Snow
A Mad Russian's Christmas
Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)
Good King Joy
Ornament
Old City Bar
Promises to keep
This Christmas Day
An Angel Returned

Then there were introductions and the second half of the show, which included a grab bag of goodies and favorites like O Fortuna from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee". Then the keyboardists were highlighted in a piano duel that included some jazzy improv stuff, Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" and Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy" and then everyone played Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody". They also played "Queen of the Winter Night", a take on Mozart's opera The Magic Flute (specifically, the "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" aria). The vocalist sang it mostly while standing out in the centre of the area floor where they had a second little mini-stage. The little stage was also used when a violinist and guitarist went out there and were elevated up to the ceiling while sprays of vapour shot down underneath. That area also shot fire sometimes. In the second half they also played what is probably their most famous song "Wizards in Winter". You may remember it from that viral video of the house with the Christmas lights display set to it (or the Miller Light commercial).

Here's the set list for the second half after introductions:
Wizards in Winter
Queen of the Winter Night
Prelude to Madness
Believe
Last Illusion/9th
Siberian Sleigh Ride
Tracers>Mozart
Christmas Canon
Orff's Carmina Burana (O fortuna)
Keyboard Dual-Wish Liszt
Requiem/12-24 Encore

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has split up to run two concurrent tours allowing them to hit 90 cities in 2 months (and like 140 shows!). Though they introduced everyone I don't remember who everyone was and it's not easy to figure who was who so we'll just have to go with the ones I remember and have been able to gather were there. Al Pitrelli played guitar, he had recently mangled himself and had to sit down throughut the concert. Tommy Farese did vocals and introduced everyone (who's old buddies with Al). D totally called him being Italian. Tommy's wife Jane Mangini and Derek Wieland (I think?) and played keyboards. Jane Mangini and Al Pitrelli also have a band called O'2L (a mix of various eclectic styles, kind of jazzy stuff). Andrew Ross sings the Angel songs at the beginning and end of the Christmas half (they made fun of him for looking like Fabio, he and one of the vocalists did a pose, I laughed). They had some local strings playing with them too, which was nice. Bart Shatto came out dressed as a transient and sang "Old City Bar". That's all I know about that, I'm going to have to start writing things down when I go to stuff like this.

p.s. Cameras were restricted at the show so I haven't been able to find footage of our show but there some for the Winnipeg (the opening song and some other clips) and PA shows and a clip from O fortuna. Well you get the idea. Here's the advertisement for ours:

p.p.s. Here's a review of the sister show happening on the same day in Pennsylvannia (where I got the set list from). The set list and structure of our show was the same but with different people, which will have an effect on the show of course, but the gist is the same. There's also some more reviews on there now.

p.p.p.s. Oh! And to cap it off we found out that Obama won after the concert! Good times!