Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Yesterday afternoon I treated Nathan to an early Christmas present:  a Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) concert here in Raleigh.  It was quite a show!  He discovered them a couple years ago when the video of a house with a super Christmas Light display was circulating.  He liked the song so much, he immediately bought all four of the group's (Christmas) albums, and listened to them year-round for the first year.  

TSO toured in Seattle two years ago when we still lived there, and I considered buying tickets but didn't.  I was kicking myself all year for not jumping on something I knew Nathan would love.  Then last year they were in Raleigh, but we were visiting Seattle (d'oh!), so when I heard they were coming to town again this year, I was buying tickets on Ticketmaster within minutes after they went on sale.  I did NOT want a third year of guilt!!

I really liked their song "Wizards of Winter" right off the bat (that was the soundtrack for the aforementioned video). The rest of their albums took a couple years for me to get used to. A TV show host (sorry, don't know who) described them as "Pink Floyd meets A White Christmas." I normally am not crazy about screaming electric guitars, but they very creatively integrate a small string orchestra (members of local symphonies. How cool is that?!) with electric guitars and have a rockin' good time playing classical music and traditional carols. I was very amused watching long-haired guys headbanging in tuxes with tails.

One thing I was not prepared for was the amazing lighting effects of their performance. I should have brought sunglasses into the arena! Here are some videos I gleaned from YouTube to give you a taste of the concert last night:

"Christmas Eve in Sarajevo" (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen):


Wizards of Winter:

Flight of the Bumblebee:  I hadn't heard this one before last night.  I really liked it!  The lighting is pretty close to what our concert was like...