Joy to the world ? TSO is on tour.
For the uninitiated, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a rock opera of gargantuan proportions. The production, by 60 of the best musicians and singers in contemporary music, is a turbo-charged mix of classical and rock-fused arrangements, accompanied by lasers, a stage hyper-charged with hydraulics, multicolored lights and pyrotechnics. Bottom line ? this is not your parents? holiday concert.
“It?s a tsunami of sound,” said TSO founder and leader Paul O?Neill.
When O?Neill formed TSO in 1996, he and partners Robert Kinkel and Jon Oliva sought to blend classical, rock, Broadway, R&B and other genres in rock operas that featured a host of the best contemporary singers and musicians. Music veteran O?Neill, who has managed a host of top-flight bands including Aerosmith and AC/DC, “took everything I enjoyed in bands like Pink Floyd and Queen and put it together in one show.”
How successful is the formula? Two million ticket sales in two months, according to the Associated Press. Not bad for a rock opera that features such classics as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” to “The Young Nutcracker,” a takeoff on Tchaikovsky?s “The Nutcracker Suite.”
“According to the TicketsNow Entertainment Index, families are attending more holiday events together,” said Kenneth Dotson, Chief Marketing Officer for TicketsNow. “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Trans-Siberian Orchestra are perfect opportunities for families to create a holiday memory that will last a lifetime.”
Such corporate kudos aside, O?Neill insists TSO is about the music and enjoyment. That?s why he takes a page from Walt Disney?s book and keeps ticket and memorabilia prices low ($15, versus the standard $25-plus for a program) and never sells arena nosebleed seats. “It freaks my accountants out,” said O?Neill.
But whatever. As corny as it sounds, O?Neill formed TSO to get away from the corporate influences that dilute the art.
“I always wanted music to punch harder and cut deeper. Thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber (creator of ?Phantom?) the rock opera gives music a third dimension,” said O?Neill. “Making music has become like making widgets. It?s not supposed to be like that.”
IF YOU GO
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
» Venue: 1st Mariner Arena
» Time: 8 p.m. tonight
» Tickets: $36, $46; www.ticketmaster.com; 410-547-SEAT
