The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be in Pittsburgh Saturday.<\/p>\n
Creating holiday traditions is part of what makes the season so memorable. For many families, seeing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is a treasured tradition that kicks off the holiday season. This year, the multi-platinum group is returning to the PPG Paints Arena on Saturday with performances at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
TSO\u2019s winter tour includes a reimagined and expanded presentation of \u201cThe Ghosts of Christmas Eve,\u201d a product of the imagination of TSO\u2019s late founder Paul O\u2019 Neill. The show also includes a special second set featuring fan favorites and a 25th anniversary salute to \u201cBeethoven\u2019s Last Night,\u201d one of TSO\u2019s albums.<\/p>\n
Musical director and guitarist Al Pitrelli said that the quarter-century milestone is hard to believe. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I go back and listen to our songs, I am always amazed at how quickly the time has gone by,\u201d Pitrelli said. \u201cIt\u2019s been 25 years since we recorded \u2018Beethoven\u2019s Last Night\u2019 and it seems like yesterday.\u201d <\/p>\n
He also said that the band is excited to play pieces from the album and pay respects to O\u2019Neill\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n
Drumming from the beginning<\/p>\n
Jeff Plate has been with TSO from the very beginning-before they grew big enough to launch both East and West Coast tours.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked with Savatage and (O\u2019Neill) was managing and producing with them,\u201d he said of the veteran Florida hard rock band. \u201cHis aspirations came out in those Savatage albums, and if you listen, you\u2019ll hear early hints of TSO.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plate said that TSO has remained true to O\u2019Neill\u2019s vision of a supergroup blending rock, metal, blues and classical music. A drummer since age 13, Plate said that audiences return year after year because TSO has become a beloved way to kick off the holidays.<\/p>\n
Plate explains that each year the show changes, so those who return will always experience something new. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe creativity of the management and production team is exceptional, so that every year is different, from video content, to lighting and staging,\u201d he said, noting that this year is particularly special. \u201cThey\u2019ve taken an extra couple of steps forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not all instrumental music. Those who\u2019ve seen the show are familiar with the power of narrator Bryan Hicks, who commands attention. \u201cHe stands on that stage in arenas that are sometimes filled with 10,000 people and has them in the palm of his hand. You can practically hear a pin drop,\u201d Plate said.<\/p>\n
As a performer, Plate said that staying in top condition is key to the team effort. \u201cWe work with 10 vocalists, a narrator, an eight-piece band and we hire seven string players,\u201d he said, adding that they\u2019re just shy of 100 people on the tour and that it\u2019s important to not let each other down. \u201cEvery performance takes focus, concentration and discipline,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fans will also be happy to hear that the signing line-absent since 2019-has returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach fan who attends an evening performance will have the opportunity to have one item signed by members of the group, free of charge,\u201d Plate said.<\/p>\n
A fan speaks<\/p>\n
Sydney Durieux is a fan who has seen TSO in New York, New Jersey and Paris. \u201cRock, orchestra and holiday is a fun combination,\u201d she said, adding that the light show is spectacular. \u201cIt is really as much theater as it is music and it wouldn\u2019t be the holidays without them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A family tradition<\/p>\n
Plate said that he remembers the moment when he knew the show had staying power. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom our first performance in 1999, we knew it connected with people,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI remember walking out there and seeing entire families.\u201d<\/p>\n
What began as a holiday concert has since become a multi-generation tradition. \u201cPeople are bringing their kids now,\u201d Plate said, noting that TSO has become part of the holiday fabric of America.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see it as slowing down, or fading. If anything, it may get bigger and stronger as generation after generation makes it part of their holiday traditions,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
For information, go online to www.trans-siberian.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be in Pittsburgh Saturday. Creating holiday traditions is part of what makes the season…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65551,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74,29031],"class_list":["post-65550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-trans-siberian-orchestra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}