*** ( out of four stars)
I didn't see the Eagles game Sunday afternoon, which is a good thing. I was having fun in Wilkes-Barre at the Trans-Siberia Orchestra concert.
I never saw TSO before, but knew of them from their techno- Christmas music and their elaborate light show.
Mohegan Sun Arena is a nice place, small, like the Spectrum was and intimate. Half of the venue was used, and even then not all seats were filled. Still, for a Sunday matinee show, it was lively, especially with families and kids.
The theme was "Ghosts of Christmas Eve" and the first hour -plus of the show was a truly visual and audio spectacular. TSO are excellent musicians, mostly guitar-orientated, electronic music. Blended with familiar Christmas carols and songs ( like "What Child Is This?"), and original TSO Christmas tunes, the story played out, even with an impressive, Morgan Freeman-like narrator.
Fire is used extensively thru-out the show, with laser beams and lights all across the arena in multiple colors. Musicians and singers hover over the crowd on movable platforms. Sometimes one wonders if they are really playing live or is some of the show pre-recorded? Regardless, the lights are perfectly in sync with the music.
It's obvious that TSO spares no expense in their tours. Yet they always donate $1 per ticket sold to a local charity. They also do two shows at a time ( as they did in Wilkes-Barre) which makes for a long day for the performers.
There is a TSO-East and West, so two different bands can hit as many cities as possible during the holiday season. In fact, as TSO-East played in Wilkes-Barre, TSO-West did a concert in Colorado Springs.
The second half of the show was a "greatest hits" theme, again with elaborate lasers and lights. All in all, the entire show ran a little under three hours...with another show to go 90 minutes later. I liked the first half better. Plus some of the music in the second half- teaming with the shooting wisps of fire, made me feel like it was some sort of crazy devil- worshipping.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be playing two more shows in the area near Christmas, doing the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa, on Friday, December 21st. Definitely worth checking out to get into the Christmas spirit!
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