VOLuntarilyConservative

Readers may remember how much I praised the Trans-Siberian Orchestra last year (here and here). The VOLConWife and I first attended a TSO concert in November of 2004. At that point, my Christmas family tradition of attending "The Nutcracker" went out the window and was replaced by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2005, we took the VOLConMom and The Undecided Philosopher to the Johnson City show.

There is no Johnson City show this year. Instead, TSO is playing to the much bigger venue of Thompson-Boling Arena in KnoxVegas. This will certainly be an interesting show, as the quaint nature of Johnson City's Freedom Hall made the show quite intimate, but you have to wonder how much more that TSO might be able to accomplish in an arena the size of Thompson-Boling with their pyrotechnics.

For those unfamiliar with TSO, they are the group responsible for the music behind the Christmas light show that made the rounds last year and was featured in a beer company's ad. That show is below:



Here is some of what you can expect, as someone has posted a professional edit of TSO's "Christmas Eve in Sarajevo":



The best thing about TSO is that it isn't just a concert like you normally see. There's a story that goes along with it. Perhaps I am a bit biased, but it is almost inescapable to categorize the story as quite Christian in nature, and that is why Angela and I have made it the kick-off of our holiday season as long as TSO is touring in the United States. Although it is a bit too choreographed, here is a sample of the story element in the TSO show from the TSO DVD (which I own):



(By the way, for those who will be attending the show, the kids sing this song, "Christmas Cannon," on one of the CDs and on the DVD, but it has been extremely hot rocker babes that have sung it at the concerts. Just be forewarned...)

Trans-Siberian Orchestra is the perfect melding of classical orchestra with hard rock guitar and electric instrumentals. The musicians cannot be nicer folks, and they routinely hang around after the show and sign autographs for their fans.

I'll be at the Knoxville show on November 7th. (Yep, that's Election Night, so don't even bother asking me to attend any election parties or celebrations, because I have plans with the VOLConWife.) My tickets are in Row 3 in the Center Floor section, which are pretty much the same seats I got through the ticket pre-sale in Johnson City. You can buy tickets for the Knoxville show here and for the Nashville show on November 10th at Gaylord here. As of the time of this post, there were still a few seats left in the lower level for each show.

I can't recommend the Trans-Siberian Orchestra enough. After you cast your ballot on November 7th, cap off the day with a fantastic concert that you will never forget.