When I first heard about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I simply assumed from the name that it was a Russian symphony doing a culture-exchange tour. I was surprised to find out that it was actually an American rock band. I'd heard their Christmas music on the radio from time to time and even confused them with another one of my seasonal favorites - Mannheim Steamroller. I should wear a sign saying "musically challenged". Then my wife and I had a chance to watch the TSO perform in person at the Mohegan Sun Arena. I had an evening of great music and even more surprises.

Trans Siberian Orchestra

If you are like I was, you've only heard TSO on the radio, so you have no idea just how intense the music is. There is absolutely no way I could possibly turn up my puny home sound system loud enough to even approximate the way the music rolled over us, filled the arena, and washed back over us again. Intense music is a hallmark of the TSO's blend of progressive rock and heavy metal.

I thought I knew heavy metal, at least the 60's version of it like the massive pounding music of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath but what the heck is "progressive rock"? I had to look it up -- it's a variety of rock music that tends toward long pieces of classical inspiration, typically including keyboard music. Blended together, that describes exactly what TSO presents -- heavy massive music inspired by classic Christmas music.

The band started in 1996 with Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli from the heavy metal band Savatage. Under the direction of Paul O'neil who had also worked with Aerosmith and other bands and passed away in 2017, they started immediately at large venues. It was their first album, "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" that set them on many people's holiday must-do lists.

Which leads to the next surprise -- I had only been exposed to their Christmas music, but the band has a lot more in their repertoire than "Carol of the Bells", "Christmas Canon" and their other amazing Christmas pieces. The first half of their show was focused on Christmas, but after a very brief pause for recognizing the band members, they launched into other pieces. Some of these were based on classics like Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, while others explored paths far enough afield from their inspirations that they were, to me at least, completely original compositions.

The lighting and effects crew did an amazing job, making the concert overwhelming to the eyes as well as the ears. Huge digital screens, flames, sparks, and snow, moving lighting gantries, raising and lowering portions of stages all came together into a whirlwind of sensory overload, At times, depending on where you are sitting, the musicians were right overhead. That was surprise number three.

For surprise number four, all of that intense sound came from a relatively small number of musicians. It might have been magic worked by the sound board mixer, but from listening to the recordings it seemed like they must have a full-fledged philharmonic orchestra at work. But instead of a 50-person string section, backed by just as many brass and percussion players, there were at any time only five or six primary musicians and about as many backup musicians.

Another surprise, five so far if you are counting, is that the show actually had a wide variety of music, not 100% progressive rock or heavy metal. Some of the pieces were distinctively blues, another sounded like top-40 pop, and one piece was a single singer accompanied by a solitary acoustic guitar. All of the different pieces were bought together by a narrator telling a Christmastime story of goodwill and humanity’s redemption.

And surprise number six is just how incredibly popular the band is. Even with the concerns of COVID they completely packed the Mohegan Sun Arena. And they held two shows that day, and a packed touring schedule, so they perform for hundreds of thousands of people every year – millions across their 25 years of performing.

Of course they are popular, but to see that many people in one place enjoying music at the same time was great. At times, the audience was encouraged to hold up their cell phone lights, to clap along, or to stand up and wave their arms.

The seventh surprise – well, it’s small but really really important. After listening to TSO, I’m not just ready for Christmas. After all-enveloping, pounding celebration of Christmas, I’m excited about Christmas.

If you have the chance to watch TSO in person, make sure to put it on your Christmas to-do list.