When I was invited to go see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra I thought it was an actual orchestra. You know, the kind that has a nice white haired conductor, with a tux and tails, that stands in front of the orchestra waving his arms rhythmically while the oh so dignified orchestra plays beautiful music. I couldn't be more wrong! TSO (as they are known) is an orchestra in the very broadest sense of the word....but they are so much more! The show turned out to be more like a rock show with instruments from an orchestra on crack!
I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone in this 'orchestra' was young and had long hair. I have to admit I fell immediately in love with the guys with the long blond hair. I couldn't help myself. I was mesmerized by the way they tossed their heads in beat with the music...never missed a beat all night. And the backup singers were no slouches either. When they weren't singing they were dancing to the music, bodies swaying and gyrating just as perfectly as the rest of them. It was a thing of beauty and perfection to watch.
But it was the light show that topped it all off...that made it fantastic...that really wowed me. It's been some time since I've been to a real rock concert and my first thought were this reminds me of The Who from the 70's. (which I didn't really care for if truth be known). But this show was so far beyond anything that I've seen before that it felt reminiscent and yet completely different at the same time. They didn't just have a light show. They had a perfectly timed explosion of light, sound, sensation and emotions all at the same time. It was quite overwhelming and I'd gladly go see them again.
They used fog machines to the max...rolling out huge amounts of fog to encase the entire lower region of people sitting front and center. They had multiple video screens display images while lightening blasted through the air. They showed us waves of color changing with the tempo and beams of piercing lights throbbing with the drum beats. They had fire yes...fire, bursting so high I could feel the heat from my perch high up in my chair and rolling across the stage to encase the drummer. They even created snow gently filtering down upon the crowd below and then made it seem like a gift from heaven by piercing it with rapidly changing tiny beams of light to make it twinkle. Awesome to say the least! And this wasn't their grand finally..this was through out the entire performance, which lasted about 3 hrs.
But I can't neglect to mention the energy they all displayed throughout the concert. The lead guitarists and the lead violinist (who was also the conductor) continually raced from one side of the stage to the other so all sections of seating could get a good look at them. Then they had huge mechanical 'arms', which became part of the stage, extend out over the crowd and several members of the band walked or danced out on them to play their instruments as well. This was certainly NOT grandma's type of orchestra!
During a brief intermission of sorts the lead man introduced the band members and stated that the string section were all members of a Ct orchestra. They hire orchestra members locally wherever they play. I thought that was a nice touch and probably saves them money as they travel all over the world.
This was their Christmas show and I did vaguely recognize some Christmas melodies in the mix but it was so far above and beyond what we've come to expect of Christmas music. They were amazing and absorbing and so very precise at their craft that I fear I'll be ruined for any other concert from now on. Easily the best concert I've ever been to in my life.
