KGON presents Trans-Siberian Orchestra November 22nd Rose Garden

 

 

Established in 1996 by producer/composer/lyricist Paul O’Neill, who immediately brought onboard long time friends Jon Oliva and Robert Kinkel, TSO’s unique brand of symphonic rock has been a true mega-success, both on record and the concert stage, with fans ages 7 to 70. The band’s four CD releases, including the holiday-themed Christmas Eve & Other Stories (1996), The Christmas Attic (1998), The Lost Christmas Eve (2004) and Beethoven’s Last Night (2000) have sold more than 5,000,000 units, over 900,000 in 2007 alone. Proving their longevity and growing appeal, three of TSO’s disc offerings placed in Billboard’s Top Ten Catalog Album Charts in 2007. TSO’s 2001 DVD release, The Ghost of Christmas Eve, also achieved platinum status.

Since its first tour in 1999, TSO has been one of the concert businesses’ most successful acts, consistently consistently rating in the Top 10 for both gross revenues and audience attendance. In that time, TSO's annual tours have become a must-see tradition for rock-centric holiday revelers, attracting a uniquely all-ages audience captivated by their cross-genre blending of metal and progressive rock, classical themes and great storytelling, with unequalled staging and pyrotechnics. TSO's 2008 Winter Tour was its most successful to date. In ten short weeks, it played to over 1.2 million fans, generating revenues in excess of $40 million and earning the most attendance on Billboard's Top 25 Tours chart. On November 1, 2009, TSO will head out on its most ambitious sojourn yet, journeying to 80+ cities in North America for more than 130+ concerts.

The true force and velocity of TSO may be best experienced on the concert stage, where they put on what has been called "the biggest and boldest rock show on the planet." The band is comprised of some of the most talented musicians and singers from around the world - artists of all ages, styles and points of origin who are seldom found sharing the same stage. "Most bands tend to be people from the same age group, same musical point of view and the same geographic area, which can produce a pretty static mindset and sound," continues O'Neill. "We have players and singers from all over the world and all across the music sphere. This makes for an exciting cross-pollination of ideas, one that gives the compositions a quality we couldn't have envisioned when we wrote them."

The other ingredient of TSO's live success is its remarkable staging, a cornucopia of lights, lasers, set pieces and pyrotechnics that is truly the most massive in arena rock today, one that moves further down the road pioneered by art rockers like Pink Floyd. "You're talking to a band that spends over $1,000,000 a month on pyro, but only when we're on tour" jokes O'Neill. "We were also the first band to have stages and pyro shows on both sides of the arena."

“We also work to make sure there’s no second class seat in the house,” adds O’Neill. “The impact is as powerful in the back of the house at a TSO show as it is in the orchestra section, due to the tremendous efforts we put into staying ahead of the pack with our staging and pyrotechnics, and, of course, the passion of our players.”

"The ultimate critic you can't fool is time," notes O'Neill. "In this way, we're especially gratified to be in the company of our heroes like the Who and AC/DC. We keep selling out arenas in more cities each year and gaining more fans across all age groups."