Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Pittsburgh, PA 12/23/2003

Trans-Siberian Orchestra has come a long way from playing the small theaters and select (but sold out) dates that started things off just five years ago. With three stellar albums to date and more to come, the unprecedented blend of hard rock and orchestrated Christmas favorites can now be found in live performances from two touring companies packing arena-sized houses across the United States from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

While the majority of the band’s set has remained the same during the past five years, it has grown to include even more, bringing it to almost two and a half hours in duration. During their performance at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh on the “Eve” of Christmas Eve, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra delighted the large audience with an enhanced production, including an arena-sized light, fog, and pyro show, as well as fake snow, and what seemed like a flawless sound system.

While the shows in the east may be built around the strong blues-influence of vocalist Daryl Pediford, who belts out favorites like “The Three Kings and I” and “Music Box Blues” from the Christmas Attic album, the variety of vocal talents like Steven Broderick and Joe Cerisano was a treat in itself as always.

It was also refreshing to find that the core band’s hard rock roots were not forgotten as the band added a tiny bit of Led Zeppelin’s “Kasmir” into the set (with the absence of Alex Skolnick and his traditional scat and jazz jam), as well as a tribute to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s version of Tchaikovsky's “Nutcracker Suite,” which was much different than the band’s own “Silent Nutcracker.”

As always, highlights of the set can simply be found in the band’s intense and meticulously orchestrated instrumental performances like “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” the light-hearted “Boughs of Holly” from Christmas Attic, and their unanticipated radio hit “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” which offers an intense interpretation of the classics “Carol of the Bells” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” But, the somewhat freeform latter portion of the show, also offered a breathtaking rendition of "Carmina Burana" as well as show-stopping performances by electric violinist Mark Wood and guitarist Chris Caffery and Tristan Avakianlike “Mozart/Figaro” and a traditional arena rock drum solo from Jeff Plate.