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In
celebration of the 2004 Christmas season and their latest release The
Lost Christmas Eve, Trans-Siberian Orchestra visited Pittsburgh (to a
sold-out crowd) this past Thursday for an amplified evening packed with
symphonic metal orchestrations of holiday favorites like “Carol of the
Bells” and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.
The
east coast version of the tour’s core band featured Bob Kinkel
(keyboards), Chris Caffery and Alex Skolnick (guitars), Jeff Plate
(drums), Mark Wood (violin) and David Z (bass), who were joined by the
talents of numerous vocalists including Jennifer Cella, Pittsburgh
native James Lewis, and newcomer Jay Pierce.
Highlights from the show included crowd-pleasers like “Christmas
Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and “First Snow,” as well as the classic duet of
vocalist Steven Broderick and guitarist Alex Skolnick on the raspy
Christmas Eve album favorite “Old City Bar.” But sadly missing was the
strong soulful voice of the late Daryl Pediford, who was known for this
bluesy delivery of favorites like “The Three Kings and I” and “Music Box
Blues.” Though there is no doubt that Mr. Pierce would have made Daryl
proud.
Along with the the large ensemble of talented musicians, TSO also treat
their fans to a dazzling array of lights and lasers which is a wonderful
enhancement for people young and old alike.
Along
with selections from Beethoven’s Last Night like “Requiem” and
“Mozart/Figaro” came a spine-tingling version of "Carmina Burana" from
their upcoming album, another non-holiday release entitled Night Castle
left the audience on the edge of their seats salivating for the fifth
release from these epic performers. For true Savatage fans, the evening
also included a metal jam session (including snippets of Led Zeppelin),
an arena rock drum solo, and a few words from TSO and Savatage
mastermind Paul O’Neill.
Having seen this show yearly since TSO began touring, it is still a
magical experience. Over the years, the band has gone from playing
small theaters to large arenas and yet has not lost the ability to
connect with their fans on a personal level during the show and at their
now famous post-concert autograph / meet and greet sessions.
For
this year’s final tour dates and more information about their latest
release visit
http://www.trans-siberian.com
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