Trans-Siberian Orchestra
First of all, I probably should have checked out the TSO's web site before I went to the concert. It was very much not what I expected from the name. I expected, you know, an orchestra. From Siberia. Not guitar-heroes. From the Bronx. Silly me.
Second, I am going to be bitchy (well, bitchier) in this post. No likey bitchy, no clicky.
I'm glad I went, but in many ways it is despite the show rather than because of it. I appreciate that others thought it was "fucking awesome", I'm just at a loss to find it that way myself.
The show itself was in many ways everything I hate about pop concerts. The blinding epilepsy lights, cheesy lyrics, shrill guitar, mediocre voices, electric piano, stilted narration, and premature e-christmasation made much of it painful to see and hear.
They had a few million dollars worth of light, stage wizardry, and pyrotechnic hoopty. Normally, that would keep me entertained in and of itself... but I just didn't think they did much with it. There were different colors. They flashed on and off in rough time with the music (very rough). Big gantries flapped around (when they fixed them). Fire made us toasty. But put together it all seemed soulless and just a little random... lacking in artistic flare. It was like the light designer said, "let's make this one yellow and orange. So yellow lights flash, then orange ones, then yellow again. They look bored. Blind them with white strobes. Okay. Good. Done." Lights and sound can be very powerful, sadly these were just bright and loud.
Still, the company was excellent. I got to sit next to the lovely scottish_jessi whose new hair color is quite striking, lynthia was looking great with the sproglet just starting to show as a bump, shofixti and Andrew were good for a chat on the way out, and we ran into a number of friends on the way in. Finally, I have to admit that a few of the later songs had my foot tapping, and they had lasers and fire.
All this has me wondering if I've become a snob. Am I poisoned against good popular music? Maybe, maybe not. I've never liked large-production musical theater, and this had many of the hallmarks of that genre. But perhaps I'm not alone in my reservations. The crowd wasn't that into it. I've seen more audience participation and better applause at a Lyric Opera show than I saw in the crowd at TSO.
Again, I don't regret the evening... and I'm grateful for my friends who both arranged things and invited me along. But I'll pick something else next year. :-)
-G
Second, I am going to be bitchy (well, bitchier) in this post. No likey bitchy, no clicky.
I'm glad I went, but in many ways it is despite the show rather than because of it. I appreciate that others thought it was "fucking awesome", I'm just at a loss to find it that way myself.
The show itself was in many ways everything I hate about pop concerts. The blinding epilepsy lights, cheesy lyrics, shrill guitar, mediocre voices, electric piano, stilted narration, and premature e-christmasation made much of it painful to see and hear.
They had a few million dollars worth of light, stage wizardry, and pyrotechnic hoopty. Normally, that would keep me entertained in and of itself... but I just didn't think they did much with it. There were different colors. They flashed on and off in rough time with the music (very rough). Big gantries flapped around (when they fixed them). Fire made us toasty. But put together it all seemed soulless and just a little random... lacking in artistic flare. It was like the light designer said, "let's make this one yellow and orange. So yellow lights flash, then orange ones, then yellow again. They look bored. Blind them with white strobes. Okay. Good. Done." Lights and sound can be very powerful, sadly these were just bright and loud.
Still, the company was excellent. I got to sit next to the lovely scottish_jessi whose new hair color is quite striking, lynthia was looking great with the sproglet just starting to show as a bump, shofixti and Andrew were good for a chat on the way out, and we ran into a number of friends on the way in. Finally, I have to admit that a few of the later songs had my foot tapping, and they had lasers and fire.
All this has me wondering if I've become a snob. Am I poisoned against good popular music? Maybe, maybe not. I've never liked large-production musical theater, and this had many of the hallmarks of that genre. But perhaps I'm not alone in my reservations. The crowd wasn't that into it. I've seen more audience participation and better applause at a Lyric Opera show than I saw in the crowd at TSO.
Again, I don't regret the evening... and I'm grateful for my friends who both arranged things and invited me along. But I'll pick something else next year. :-)
-G