Trans-Siberian Orchestra (or, Deck the Halls with a Laser Light Show)

Disclaimer: I have never been a heavy metal person; my tastes tend to run in the pop direction. But I am a hard hitting Christmas lover.


I went to see TSO last night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and the sound is still ringing in my head... Or is that my fillings?


Up until this year, I'd never even heard of TSO, which is rather surprising since they have been around since the 1990's.

Unfortunately, I found the concert to be a hard sell; tradition wrapped up with some original stuff that's somewhat gutter style -- lyrics about bartenders having a change of heart (P.S. How could he afford to give out free drinks all night when he'd emptied the cash drawer?), and a lot of flash. Lasers, glitter, smoke, flames. Woo hoo. Not to mention a gaggle of blondes with big boobs. There was also a 20 minute drum solo. Okay, maybe it only seemed like 20 minutes, but I thought drum solos were relegated to basement parties.

Admittedly, when it comes to Christmas, it probably is difficult to come up with original material. The group obviously exudes musical talent. I loved the "keyboard duel", especially when one of them launched into "Linus and Lucy".

But overall, I found that the songs all sounded the same, and the concert was waayyy too long -- nearly three hours. I came out feeling like I'd been beaten about the head and shoulders with a glow-in-the-dark fiddle.

However, I am probably not the one to ask. I have found Christmas while out walking in the woods.