Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder Paul O’Neill loved laser beams.
He also really dug pyrotechnics.
So, it’s a safe bet that O’Neill would’ve really adored Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s current Christmas Tour, which touched down on Wednesday (Nov. 27) in Sacramento with all the subtly of Godzilla visiting Tokyo.
It was loud, brash, bold, in-your-face and, yes, full of the type of pyro and laser light work that would’ve have absolutely thrilled O’Neill, the visionary composer-producer-lyricist who founded Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 1996 and guided the group up until his death in 2017.
These days, the Christmastime orchestral-rock outfit is very capably led by the three other founding members — Jon Oliva, Robert Kinkel and Al Pitrelli — the latter of whom captained the TSO production that played two shows (a 3 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. nightcap) on Thanksgiving eve at Golden 1 Center. (Besides being the musical director, Pitrelli is also a fantastic electric guitarist.)
Meanwhile, another TSO touring ensemble was delighting fans on that same night north of the border in Ottawa. Yes, TSO has multiple productions on the road simultaneously, which helps explain how the group was recently able to draw its 20 millionth ticketed concert attendee while only touring each year during the extended Christmas season.
The Pitrelli-led troupe was in fine form during the evening show in Sacramento, entertaining TSO’s incredibly faithful following with a two-set offering that is geared toward celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 album “The Lost Christmas Eve.”
Opening the 75-minute first set in appropriate fashion with “Welcome,” the band wasted little time before launching into a retelling of “The Lost Christmas Eve,” the band’s fourth studio effort and the last chapter in its famed Christmas Trilogy.
The result was like nothing else you will see or hear anywhere else, as TSO unleashed its fascinatingly completed and, at times, convoluted blend of classical, metal, pop, rock opera, Christmas carols and big Broadway-style show tunes, all underscored with massive light shows, bursts of flames and other special effects.
There was even a narrator, as per usual, moving the story along and tying the songs together in ways that were, at the very least, forced (but maybe not by Broadway standards). Yet, it didn’t matter, because the music was great and the visuals were arguably even better. And basically everyone in the house had already bought in and were ready to bang their heads to these Burl-Ives-meets-Yes Christmas offerings.
Amid all the dizzying production elements, however, some of the best moments came when TSO cooled down the jets and simply let their terrific cast of vocalists carry the weight. Notably, longtime TSO vocal fave Chloe Lowery brought the house down with her stunningly beautiful and powerful take on “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (included as part of “For the Sake of Our Brother”).
After finishing up “The Lost Christmas Eve,” Pitrelli took centerstage and thanked the hard-working crew behind the TSO tour.
“Sixty shows in 46 days,” the bandleader remarked in awe. “The math doesn’t work. The crew does.”
He then casually informed us that this Thanksgiving eve show wasn’t quite over yet.
“Wednesday night — nothing going on tomorrow but a bunch of food,” Pitrelli said. “Want to stick around and blow some stuff up?”
The audience was definitely game and — without the pressure of a storyline and narrative to contend with — the group was just able to rock through a number of the most memorable works of its nearly 30-year career.
That translated to such towering winners as “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” “Nutrocker” and “This Christmas Day,” the latter being the greatest song in the entire TSO library. The evening ended, of course, with the mega-popular “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” — accompanied by plenty of flames and lasers — which was just what these fans needed to send them home in the very merriest of Christmas moods.
Setlist (based on my notes and information from setlist.fm):
1. “Welcome”2. “Moonlight and Madness””The Lost Christmas Eve” performance3. “Faith Noel”4. “The Lost Christmas Eve”5. “Wizards in Winter”6. “Christmas Nights in Blue”7. “Christmas Jam”8. “Siberian Sleigh Ride”9. “Queen of the Winter Night”10. “What Is Christmas?”11. “Wish Liszt (Toy Shop Madness)”12. “For the Sake of Our Brother”13. “Back to a Reason, Part II”14. “What Child Is This?”15. “Christmas Canon Rock”16. “Different Wings”17. “Faith Noel (Reprise)”Set 2:18. “King Rurik”/”Mozart & Madness”19. “Tracers”20. “The Three Kings and I”21. “First Snow”22. “A Mad Russian’s Christmas”23. “Nutrocker”24. “When the Crowds Are Gone”25. “Requiem (The Fifth)”26. “This Christmas Day”27. “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”
Personnel:
Musical Director / Guitar: Al PitrelliGuitar: Angus ClarkBass: Johnny Lee MiddletonViolin: Asha MevlanaKeyboard: Jane ManginiKeyboard: Mark KlettDrums: Blas EliasNarrator: Philip BrandonVocalists:Chloe LoweryRosa LaricchiutaApril BerryMoriah FormicaLorea TurnerAndrew RossDustin BrayleyNate AmorDaniel EmmetJeff Scott Soto
