Trans-Siberian Orchestra is back and they haven’t missed a lick. After a forced break during the 2020/21 winter season due to COVID-19, the instru-metal troupe loved by all ages is back on the road and playing to packed houses. After 25 years, this aptly named “orchestra” still displays all the excellence, chemistry, and performance chutz-pa that audiences have come to expect. This is no small feat, due to TSO setting their own bar so high.
Besides the obvious rock and roll bells and whistles on display throughout the show, the first time I saw TSO live, I recall being impressed with how good the instrumentation was. The second or third times, I was most amazed at how perfectly the show’s dynamics were laid out. The ebbs and flows – quiet moments and bombastic bookends every so often – made for an eventful show that not even a minute of it could be missed. This time (I think it was my 5th), I was mostly taken aback by the incredible vocals heard all night.
Each vocalist controlled their own moment with grace and variable power. Most of these songs are carefully crafted to dynamically showcase an impressive vocal range. When it comes time to soar above the crowd, the voice is there already, like a clarion call that’s loud and clear.
This brings me to my next astute observation: the mix. Whoever is managing the sound for this travelling tour does one heck of a job making every note and every instrument sound strong. The mix is absolutely perfect, and each important element is heard in its place. Whether it’s something as simple as the bass guitar metering out a tempo with the drums or the string section adding a thick texture, it can all be heard. There’s no distorted rumbling or out of place woofs to be found. It’s as if you’re listening to this 18-plus part machine in a sound booth and wearing headphones. It’s that pristine.
Back to the vocals. Heavy metal veteran Jeff Scott Soto, who’s played with everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Talisman to Axel Rudi Pell and Journey, belted out his power vocals while making it look easy. Like each of the 10 singers, his voice just filled the room.
Each vocalist held their own – metalhead Andrew M. Ross, John Brink, Nate Amor, Ashley Hollister, April Berry, Rosa Larruchiata, Dino Jelusick, and Jodi Katz. In lieu of time and space, I’ll just point out the highlights. Chloe Lowery took center stage several times and showcased a bluesy, smooth, yet textured voice.
With all the tools and technological tricks available to entertainers these days, sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re actually hearing real music. Believe you me, this talented troupe of world class musicians are bringing it for real. I can’t imagine the pressure this puts on each of these people. This is the magic of live performance. If you don’t nail your part, it can stand out like a sore thumb.
Some musicians probably attend shows just so they can point out the mistakes that the performer has made. Perhaps this makes them feel better about their own flawed selves. I don’t know, but I do know that my own personal mistake and off-note count on this night came out to a big fat zero. This flawless excellence is beautiful.
It’s impressive when several individual parts each create its own sound that fits into the whole and creates a giant wall of sound. It’s so awesome when all of the voices and instruments stop on a dime together at the end of a song. This was on display throughout the night like a firm period that becomes a giant exclamation point with its instant silence.
One of the coolest moments was a story that band leader Al Pitrelli told about how Paul O’Neill first told him about his musical ideas that became TSO. It was cool to have that insight on what has become world renowned some 25 years later. Al, by the way, comes off as a super classy and respectful individual on stage. That and he has to be the coolest-looking guitarist this side of Joe Perry.
He went on to introduce “A Little Too Far,” which he said was his favorite musical creation moment that he shared with the late Mr. O’Neill. It’s a moving tune that showcases Rosa Larruchiata‘s vocal range. With a smooth, melodic performance that would make Bonnie Raitt proud, she quickly shifts between vocal lines that would take most artists two singers to accomplish in call/response fashion. She shifts from a passionate, “Gotta get back, gotta get back, gotta get back” to “I never meant to take it this far.” I can see why the song formed a soft spot in Pitrelli’s heart.
Dino Jelusick reminded me of Theocracy’s Matt Smith with his mix of vocal power, quality and stage-prowling prowess. He does a great job with “Three Kings.” He was fun to watch. Like all of his teammates, he is a great showman. What’s fun about the entire show is each performer keeps the energy going, working with the crowd’s energy and seemingly having fun trying to one-up each other on stage.
The biggest ham is probably guitarist Angus Clark. Like Pitrelli, he uses several different axes throughout the show. He sports the biggest smile of the bunch, strutting around looking like a kid whose rock and roll dream has come true – grinning from ear to ear. He an Pitrelli trade some killer blues licks at one point that always makes me think of Stevie Ray Vaughan (and how they must be thinking of him, too), as they play these melodic and fat-toned riffs.
And speaking of Austin, drummer Blas Elias is introduced as a former student of the University of Texas, where “he saw bands like Kiss and Metallica play right in this arena as a kid.” I was probably at most of those same shows back in the day.
The show started with “Welcome” and segued into “Beethoven.” Then they went right into several Christmas songs that quite intentionally set the tone. Absent were seasonal (and fictional) songs about snowmen and reindeer. Present were tunes about Jesus the Christ child – “An Angel Came Down,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Holy Night,” and “Prince of Peace.” That’s really cool and soulful to see – especially in such a celebratory context.
This winter tour is called Christmas Eve and Other Stories, so the informed fan knows he or she is going to be transported into an old city bar for now-familiar stories. The warm and deep voice of the narrator, Phillip Brandon, sets the tone for all the stories in song, where “An Angel Came Down,” “An Angel Returned” and makes trips into Sarajevo and across the globe.
By the time the show was reaching its climax, they had already wowed and delivered so powerfully that a chilling and epic tune like “Carmina Burana” was like both dessert and a knockout punch. It’s almost such a killer song that nothing else can follow it, yet the TSO signature tune “Wizards in Winter” came next and seemingly drained the audience of its last remaining ounce of energy. Like wringing a wet towel dry, it was a joyous and loud ending to a fantastic night.
But that was not all! “Requiem” segued into “Christmas Eve Reprise” to finally bring this two-hour experience to a complete end. A finale like that doesn’t really need or allow for an encore.
Bravo!
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