TSO Live!
Folks, the show was amazing. I dunno if I can put half of the great things about the show into words without feeling like I'm somehow doing it an injustice, but I'll give it a shot.
The show started at 7:30 p.m., but I got there early so I had time to find my seat and listen to the opening music while surveying the stage setup. Before anyone from the band took the stage, a representative from one of the Nashville radio stations (The Rock, 105.9...awesome classic rock) came out with lead guitarist Al Pitrelli. Although we didn't know it, one dollar of every ticket that was bought for the show was donated to a Children's Advocacy organization in Nashville. Altogether, over $1600 was collected just from people coming to the show. It was great.
After the message, the band took the stage with an intro song and began the Christmas Eve and Other Stories part of the show. I don't actually own any TSO albums (no one around here carries them), so it was my first time to hear a lot of the songs from that particular one. Their performance was awesome. What's so very cool about TSO is that the members of Savatage carried on their tradition of weaving the lyrics of every song into a larger story that was told throughout the course of the concert. In between each song, a guy would come to the microphone and recite a sort of litany that would serve as a prelude to the next song.
The band itself consisted of many members. Three guitarists (Al Pitrelli and Johhny Lee Middleton from Savatage and some young blonde guy named Angus) took center stage for most of the show, and some other guy from New York that reminded me of Henry Winkler also played guitar during two songs. Two keyboardists resided on the far right of the stage (one of them was Al Pitrelli's wife), and the drummer was in back center. The traditional orchestra part consisted of around eight people, but only one was a permanent member of TSO. The rest were, to my surprise, members of a local group called the Nashville Strings or something. There were also six backup singers who each had at least one song to themselves. They were all awesome.
So, like I said, the show began with every song from Christmas Eve and Other Stories in chronological order with interludes for the guy at the microphone to tell other parts of the story. I especially enjoyed seeing their originals live, such as First Snow and Christmas Even in Sarajevo. Traditional Christmas songs, however, were also a big part of the show in the beginning. It all easily kept my attention, though, because they do such a great job of adapting the same old tired melodies to different instruments while adding their own spice into the mix. Sure, the Prince of Peace is obviously about Jesus and I've heard O Holy Night so much that I'd prolly get more enjoyment out of stabbing myself, but it was such a spectacle to see them all on stage live and doing their jobs perfectly. They've obviously put so much work into what they do, and even when played something old and beat up (like the First Noel), it was still great to sit back and watch how perfectly everything was pieced together.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the whole show was what happened after they finished the last song from Christmas Eve. The show had already run for around two hours, but we were obviously expecting one or two encore songs. They thanked us for the applause, took a bow, left the stage for about a minute and a half, then came back and played almost ten more songs! Not only did I see every song from Christmas Eve live, but I also saw assorted goodies from other records they have released (all but one of which I recognized), two brand new songs that'll be featured on the next record, and a second playing of Christmas Eve in Sarajevo! On top of all of this, there was also an ongoing comedy routine played out by all members of the band that started as soon as the serious stuff from Christmas Eve was over with. I can't explain all of it in detail, but there was great band-crowd interaction. At one point, Al Pitrelli stood underneath a spotlight and said something to the effect of "Sorry we missed you last year, Nashville.", to which someone from behind me replied "Don't let it happen again!". He laughed, said "Yes sir", and commented on how he hoped that this state has a law against carrying conceiled firearms. On another occasion, the Henry Winkler guy took center stage after the last song of Christmas Eve and introduced each member of the band separately, starting with the female background singers (three of them). When he introduced the female members, everyone applauded and cheered enthusiastically. However, the house was oddly silent when he announced his introduction of the male backup singers. He gave a funny little look, laughed, then someone from the audience yelled "Let's see the girls again!". Funny stuff like this went on throughout the rest of the show, which lasted for another hour once the Christmas Eve portion of the show was finished.
All in all, the concert was something I'm gonna remember for a long time. The members of this group are obviously masters at what they do individually, and seeing them unite under one stage was just the sort of entertainment I was hoping for. Everyone laughed and cried in just the right places, and afterwards everyone seemed to share the same feeling that rather than coming to see a show and simply watch these people do what they do and have fun, we had come to something that we were allowed and expected to be a part of as well. It was one of the best shows I've personally ever been to, it was a great experience for everyone who attended, and in doing so we also provided extra funds for a great children's organization in our city. It was spectacular, but don't take my word for it. If you EVER get a chance to see these people, do it and see for yourself. It'll prolly rank up there with some of the best money you've spent for entertainment, ever.
The show started at 7:30 p.m., but I got there early so I had time to find my seat and listen to the opening music while surveying the stage setup. Before anyone from the band took the stage, a representative from one of the Nashville radio stations (The Rock, 105.9...awesome classic rock) came out with lead guitarist Al Pitrelli. Although we didn't know it, one dollar of every ticket that was bought for the show was donated to a Children's Advocacy organization in Nashville. Altogether, over $1600 was collected just from people coming to the show. It was great.
After the message, the band took the stage with an intro song and began the Christmas Eve and Other Stories part of the show. I don't actually own any TSO albums (no one around here carries them), so it was my first time to hear a lot of the songs from that particular one. Their performance was awesome. What's so very cool about TSO is that the members of Savatage carried on their tradition of weaving the lyrics of every song into a larger story that was told throughout the course of the concert. In between each song, a guy would come to the microphone and recite a sort of litany that would serve as a prelude to the next song.
The band itself consisted of many members. Three guitarists (Al Pitrelli and Johhny Lee Middleton from Savatage and some young blonde guy named Angus) took center stage for most of the show, and some other guy from New York that reminded me of Henry Winkler also played guitar during two songs. Two keyboardists resided on the far right of the stage (one of them was Al Pitrelli's wife), and the drummer was in back center. The traditional orchestra part consisted of around eight people, but only one was a permanent member of TSO. The rest were, to my surprise, members of a local group called the Nashville Strings or something. There were also six backup singers who each had at least one song to themselves. They were all awesome.
So, like I said, the show began with every song from Christmas Eve and Other Stories in chronological order with interludes for the guy at the microphone to tell other parts of the story. I especially enjoyed seeing their originals live, such as First Snow and Christmas Even in Sarajevo. Traditional Christmas songs, however, were also a big part of the show in the beginning. It all easily kept my attention, though, because they do such a great job of adapting the same old tired melodies to different instruments while adding their own spice into the mix. Sure, the Prince of Peace is obviously about Jesus and I've heard O Holy Night so much that I'd prolly get more enjoyment out of stabbing myself, but it was such a spectacle to see them all on stage live and doing their jobs perfectly. They've obviously put so much work into what they do, and even when played something old and beat up (like the First Noel), it was still great to sit back and watch how perfectly everything was pieced together.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the whole show was what happened after they finished the last song from Christmas Eve. The show had already run for around two hours, but we were obviously expecting one or two encore songs. They thanked us for the applause, took a bow, left the stage for about a minute and a half, then came back and played almost ten more songs! Not only did I see every song from Christmas Eve live, but I also saw assorted goodies from other records they have released (all but one of which I recognized), two brand new songs that'll be featured on the next record, and a second playing of Christmas Eve in Sarajevo! On top of all of this, there was also an ongoing comedy routine played out by all members of the band that started as soon as the serious stuff from Christmas Eve was over with. I can't explain all of it in detail, but there was great band-crowd interaction. At one point, Al Pitrelli stood underneath a spotlight and said something to the effect of "Sorry we missed you last year, Nashville.", to which someone from behind me replied "Don't let it happen again!". He laughed, said "Yes sir", and commented on how he hoped that this state has a law against carrying conceiled firearms. On another occasion, the Henry Winkler guy took center stage after the last song of Christmas Eve and introduced each member of the band separately, starting with the female background singers (three of them). When he introduced the female members, everyone applauded and cheered enthusiastically. However, the house was oddly silent when he announced his introduction of the male backup singers. He gave a funny little look, laughed, then someone from the audience yelled "Let's see the girls again!". Funny stuff like this went on throughout the rest of the show, which lasted for another hour once the Christmas Eve portion of the show was finished.
All in all, the concert was something I'm gonna remember for a long time. The members of this group are obviously masters at what they do individually, and seeing them unite under one stage was just the sort of entertainment I was hoping for. Everyone laughed and cried in just the right places, and afterwards everyone seemed to share the same feeling that rather than coming to see a show and simply watch these people do what they do and have fun, we had come to something that we were allowed and expected to be a part of as well. It was one of the best shows I've personally ever been to, it was a great experience for everyone who attended, and in doing so we also provided extra funds for a great children's organization in our city. It was spectacular, but don't take my word for it. If you EVER get a chance to see these people, do it and see for yourself. It'll prolly rank up there with some of the best money you've spent for entertainment, ever.