Pop Break Live: Trans-Siberian Orchestra ‘Christmas Eve & Other Stories’ Tour at The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Trans-Siberian Orchestra revisited their 1996 triple platinum debut album Christmas Eve and Other Stories at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on December 15. TSO is currently on a 66 city tour which ends on December 30th. Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s first concert was back in 1999 at the legendary Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA — little did they know at the time that it would turn into a two decade tradition, not only for themselves but for their many generations of fans in the tri-state area.
Since the album hasn’t been performed in over a decade, this is an all new production which includes different staging and effects and of course lasers, pyrotechnics, fog and screaming guitar solos. The band was backed by a group of singers/dancers. They were also joined onstage by local orchestra members. With more video screens this time around the visuals on this tour were just out of this world! Jaw dropping to be honest.
After playing the album they took a break and returned for a second set and played fan favorites such as “Wizards of Winter”, “Overture” and “Christmas Canon”. Besides hearing their monster hit “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” another highlight was a stunning version of the Savatage song “Believe.” Another song that really stood out was a new number called “Hey Can You Hear Me know,” sung by one of their female singers. It was dedicated to the founder of TSO, Paul O’Neill, who passed away suddenly in 2017.
Overall the show had everything you’d come to expect from a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show. After 23 years their classic album Christmas Eve and Other Stories can still produce chills, especially on songs like “Old City Bar.” The message from that album still rings out loud and clear. There is nothing like a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show to get you into the Christmas spirit!
