Trans-Siberian Orchestra returns for live holiday tour of 59 cities (usatoday.com)
For an entity that exists to celebrate the holidays with a combination of poignancy, finger-blistering electric guitars and enough smoke and lasers to rival a Kiss show, losing the 2020 touring season was especially disheartening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
But after going virtual last year as an only option due to the pandemic – a performance viewed by more than 200,000, according to the band – TSO will resume its in-person holiday blitz on Nov. 17 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Behind the scenes: How TSO creates its winter wonderland
Two sets of bands will storm across every time zone on the 59-city tour, bringing melodic, rock-infused compositions such as “Wizards in Winter” and “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” to arenas nationwide through Dec. 30 in Cleveland and St. Louis.
Presale tickets for TSO fan club members will be available starting Sept. 9. Tickets for the general public will go on sale Sept. 17. All sales begin at 10 a.m. local time.
“Not that anyone took this for granted, but (these shows) are something we planned our holidays around and that was taken away from us last year,” Al Pitrelli, lead guitarist and music director for TSO’s West shows, tells USA TODAY. “To be able to go out and do this again, we can’t wait. Every lyric will be sung and every note will be played with that much more importance.”
Playlist: TSO’s Al Pitrelli shares some of his favorite songs
For its live return, TSO will celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Christmas Eve and Other Stories,” which has sold more than 3 million copies and popularized instrumentals “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and “O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night,” as well as the stirring story song, “Old City Bar.”
While TSO also revisited the band’s 1996 debut for its 2019 outing, Pitrelli says the commemorative edition of the tour will be “a completely different-looking show” and likely require at least the 12 buses and 21 tractor-trailers used for the production in 2019.
The band will perform “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” in its entirety, followed by music from the other five albums in TSO’s oeuvre – all while retaining the spirit of founder Paul O’Neill, who died in 2017.
“I worked for the man for 26 years and he is part of every microcosm of my world,” Pitrelli says. “The blueprint is set and his family is still there. It’s the same with Walt Disney. He created the empire and when he passed everyone knew, this is how it was done, so why mess with it? Paul’s greatest wish was for (TSO) to live long past all of us. Every time I put that guitar around my neck, he’ll be on my shoulder. This is something he created, so to breathe life into it again will be amazing.”
The charity aspect of TSO is also intact, as the band will contribute $1 from every ticket sold to local and national organizations (last year’s online event raised funds for MusiCares). During its tenure, TSO has donated more than $16 million.
It’s that combination of goodwill, audience engagement and rousing music that Pitrelli is anticipating.
“If someone didn’t hit that pause button last year, I’d say just come on out and have a great night with us. But this will be like the greatest homecoming ever. Every one of these shows will be a homecoming for us,” Pitrelli says. “There’s going to be a lot of smiles and a lot of tears of joy to be back.”
Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s 2021 tour dates
* matinee & evening performances
^ evening performance
Nov. 17 Green Bay, Wisconsin: Resch Center *
Nov. 17 Council Bluffs, Iowa: Mid-America Center ^
Nov. 18 Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Denny Sanford Premier Center ^
Nov. 19 State College, Pennsylvania: Bryce Jordan Center ^
Nov. 20 Hershey, Pennsylvania: Giant Center *
Nov. 20 Denver: Ball Arena *
Nov. 21 Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza *
Nov. 21 Colorado Springs, Colorado: World Arena *
Nov. 23 Salt Lake City: Vivint Arena *
Nov. 24 Rochester, New York: Blue Cross Arena ^
Nov. 26 Manchester, New Hampshire: SNHU Arena *
Nov. 26 Spokane, Washington: Spokane Arena ^
Nov. 27 Worcester, Massachusetts: DCU Center *
Nov. 27 Seattle: Climate Pledge Arena *
Nov. 28 Uncasville, Connecticut: Mohegan Sun Arena *
Nov. 28 Portland, Oregon: Moda Center *
Dec. 1 Nashville, Tennessee: Bridgestone Arena ^
Dec. 1 San Jose, California: SAP Center ^
Dec. 2 Cincinnati: Heritage Bank Center ^
Dec. 2 Fresno, California: Save Mart Center ^
Dec. 3 Toledo, Ohio: Huntington Center *
Dec. 3 Sacramento, California: Golden 1 Center *
Dec. 4 Dayton, Ohio: Nutter Center *
Dec. 4 Ontario, California: Toyota Arena *
Dec. 5 Grand Rapids, Michigan: Van Andel Arena *
Dec. 5 Phoenix: Footprint Center *
Dec. 8 Columbia, South Carolina: Colonial Life Arena ^
Dec. 8 Oklahoma City: Chesapeake Energy Arena ^
Dec. 9 Greensboro, North Carolina: Greensboro Coliseum ^
Dec. 9 Austin, exas: Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center ^
Dec. 10 Greenville, South Carolina: Bon Secours Wellness Arena *
Dec. 10 San Antonio: AT&T Center *
Dec. 11 Charlotte, North Carolina: Spectrum Center *
Dec. 11 Dallas: American Airlines Center *
Dec. 12 Atlanta: Gas South Arena *
Dec. 12 Houston: Toyota Center *
Dec. 15 Raleigh, North Carolina: PNC Arena ^
Dec. 15 Birmingham, Alabama: The BJCC ^
Dec. 16 Charlottesville, Virginia: John Paul Jones Arena ^
Dec. 16 Jacksonville, Florida: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena ^
Dec. 17 Philadelphia: Wells Fargo Center *
Dec. 17 Sunrise, Florida: BB&T Center ^
Dec. 18 Belmont, New York: UBS Arena *
Dec. 18 Orlando, Florida: Amway Center *
Dec. 19 Allentown, Pennsylvania: PPL Center *
Dec. 19 Tampa, Florida: Amalie Arena *
Dec. 21 Buffalo, New York: KeyBank Center ^
Dec. 22 Newark, New Jersey: Prudential Center *
Dec. 22 Indianapolis: Banker’s Life Fieldhouse *
Dec. 23 Washington, D.C.: Capital One Arena *
Dec. 23 Chicago: Allstate Arena *
Dec. 26 Columbus, Ohio: Nationwide Arena *
Dec. 26 Milwaukee: Fiserv Forum *
Dec. 27 St. Paul, Minnesota: Xcel Energy Arena *
Dec. 28 Detroit: Little Caesars Arena *
Dec. 29 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena *
Dec. 29 Kansas City, Missouri: T-Mobile Center *
Dec. 30 Cleveland: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse *
Dec. 30 St. Louis: Enterprise Center *