Trans Siberian Orchestra

December 30^th, 2008

Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland, Ohio

If you were to ask someone to attend a Christmas concert anytime after Christmas day, you’d be hard-pressed to find any takers, especially fifteen thousand of them, oh, and for 4 shows. That is until you tell them it’s the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, then step aside to avoid the stampede. Ten years they’ve been coming here and for ten years they’ve been putting on a jaw dropping performance.

The stage was grand as it was filled with local orchestra members, electrical instruments including a neon violin, dancers in all stages of dress, lights that came at you from every direction, cameras for the visually impaired and action like a superhero movie!

The show was your typical Trans-Siberian show, but then again, there is nothing typical about it. The show consisted of two halves. The first have was totally songs for the season. The second half was songs from the season along with other TSO music. As a matter of fact, during the second half of the show you could hear cuts from the bands non-holiday album ‘Night Castle’ which is due out sometime in 2009.

The best part of the night in my opinion was the performance of ‘Old City Bar’, but then again I’ve loved seeing and hearing that song for years. Most of the guys in the band and on stage were dressed in Tuxedo’s and the women were dressed as if they were going to attend the presidential ball. A narrator, who was there for the first half, did an outstanding job describing the shows story of Christmas past. Snow fell from the top of the stage and if you didn’t know any better, you would have thought you were watching something at a theatre.

The entire overhead truss was filled to the max with all sorts of lights, not to mention the tons of explosives TSO brings with them every year. This was truly a show for all ages. The band never disappoints their audience and it seems as though longevity is in their favor. They’ve been coming to town for 10 years now and here’s hoping for 10 more.

Mike

Partial Setlist:NED/March of the Kings
An Angel Came Down
Oh Come Holy Night
Prince of Peace
First Snow
A Mad Russian’s Christmas
Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)
Good King Joy
Ornament
Old City Bar
Promises to keep
This Christmas Day
An Angel Returned

Introductions

Wizards
Queen of the W Night
Prelude to Madness
Believe
Last Illusion/9th
Siberian Sleigh Ride
Tracers>Mozart
Christmas Canon
Carmina Burana
Key Dual-Wish Liszt
Requiem/12-24 Encore