The Show Must Go On: Trans Siberian Orchestra in Greensboro

The Ghost of Christmas Eve Tour

Contributing writers: Kris Englehart, Dianna Augustine, David Zeck, and Sheila Walsh
Photographer: Luke Jamroz

Snow be damned, TSO came and rocked the Carolinas! Through the transformation of the progressive metal band Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra came to be. The brainchild of the late Paul O’Neill, a truly gifted composer, producer, and lyricist who dubbed the performance of the band as “Rock Theater” was born.

TSO combines the power of rock with the beauty of traditional classical music and holiday tunes to create something unique. After the release of their second album, The Christmas Attic, and subsequent tour, TSO’s popularity skyrocketed.

Fast forward to today and TSO is an arena rock machine consistently selling out venues year-after-year, twice a day! The band features a wild light and laser spectacular along with giant moving video screens, enough pyro to make an amazing and talented musicians in the world. Their exciting and elaborate holiday productions have become a holiday tradition for many including my own family.

Last night were lucky enough to attend. The band hit the Greensboro Coliseum Complex as part of their The Ghost Of Christmas Eve tour, presented by The Hallmark Channel. This was a rescheduled date as earlier in the week the entire Carolina’s was paralyzed with winter storms.

Now that the snow and ice have mainly thawed it was time to heat up the stage with that amazing pyro. Many bands dream to play packed arenas, much less pack an arena twice in one day, but for TSO thats a reality. Our show was the early set, to play a huge arena show for a band is a feat. I’m blown away they play two sets!

The stage set up tonight was several platforms, with moving pieces to put the band out into the crowd, with flames shooting out of platforms as well. The main huge screen showed a hundred tiny tv screens behind the band. A full orchestra, fun fact about the orchestra they are always a local orchestra in each city.

With more than 10 million albums sold, TSO has inspired generations of fans to rediscover the multi-dimensional art form of the rock opera. The small dance moves was entertaining, and while the music is a focus – fun to hear metal versions of Christmas themed music some fan favorites were played such as “Siberian Sleigh Ride,” “Madness of Men,” “Wizards in Winter,” and when we say laser show we are not kidding.

You know around this time of year you pay to go through Christmas themed light shows – well they have gathered all that up into road cases (like Wright Case builds) and packed trucks tight of lights and when they unpack they could possibly light up at least a small city in its entirety. The lights pulse and flash to the beats and rhythms and while the music alone is outstanding, combined with the lights is mind-blowing. You can’t help but smile and fall in love with the holidays all over again while attending.

It’s a holiday favorite for many now – and added to our yearly calendar. In fact, I have a spot on our calendar for a few more shows on this tour this year and already a thumbnail in December 2019 marked TSO with a huge heart next to it.