TSO - Climate Pledge Arena - Seattle, WA 11.25.23 3:00pm Show
Blog/Photos: Iron Mike Savoia Photo Gallery: Click Here
WOW! Just WOW! The Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought everything out on this 2023 Winter Tour: "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO and More!" Definitely my favorite show of the past 23 years seeing TSO live in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Well really 22 years of shows minus the year of covid when no one was on tour.
This years TSO stage show was completely revamped and amazing! Without giving too much away one of the coolest additions was the 2nd stage snow globe with singer April Berry-Wooten inside singing the metal operatic "Queen of the Winter Night" off the "The Lost Christmas Eve" (2004) album. So rad!
The stage included a few new gigantic Nutcrackers, enough stage lights and lasers to be seen from the moon, snow (aka foam) from the lighting rig and even more fire than years past. That photo at the top of this blog was the grand finale. Looked like a fire storm in a war! Insane!
The near 2.5hr set included a ton of holiday songs, but as a lifelong Savatage fan it was the 5 Savatage covers that I enjoyed the most. One of those highlights included Plush singer Moriah Formica singing solo doing
Savatage's "This Isn't What We Meant" off the "Dead Winter Dead" album. She was masterful! One of the greatest new female rock voices today!
Then there's Chloe Lowery! Always a highlight of the show when she steps out to sing. Commanding, rocking and of course some flying hair ha!
The full setlist included: The Hourglass (Savatage cover) / Mozart/Figaro / The Lost Christmas Eve / Christmas Bells, Carousels & Time / O Come All Ye Faithful / O Holy Night / Good King Joy / Christmas Dreams (Savatage cover) / Christmas Canon Rock / What Child Is This? (William Chatterton Dix cover) / Music Box Blues / First Snow / Promises to Keep / This Christmas Day / Temptation Revelation (Savatage cover) / The Mountain/ Christmas Jam / Joy of Man's Desire / An Angel's Share / Christmas Nights in Blue / The March of the Kings / Hark the Herald Angels Sing / A Mad Russian's Christmas / Queen of the Winter Night / This Isn't What We Meant (Savatage cover) / Wizards in Winter / Carmina Burana / The Snow Came Down / Requiem (The Fifth) / Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) (Reprise) (Savatage cover)
So much talent reigns from this West Coast TSO band (yes there's a separate East Coast band touring at the same time). Angus Clark and Al Petrelli guitar swaggering to Savatage bassist Johnny Lee Middleton's thundering bass lines to the masterful timekeeper of former Slaughter drummer Blas Elias.
Full West Coast 2023 TSO band/Singers:
Al Pitrelli - Guitar, music director
Angus Clark - Guitar
Vitalij Kuprij - Keyboards
Jane Mangini - Keyboards
Johnny Lee Middleton - Bass
Blas Elias - Drums
Phillip Brandon - Narrator
Asha Mevlana - Violin
Andrew Ross - Vocals
Dustin Brayley - Vocals
Jeff Scott Soto - Vocals
Matt Laurent - Vocals
Nate Amor- Vocals
April Berry - Vocals
Chloe Lowery - Vocals
Jodi Katz - Vocals
Moriah Formica - Vocals
Rosa Laricchiuta - Vocals
Always makes me happy during the show to look and find the hidden respects to former Savatage guitar God Criss Oliva who was killed by a drunk driver 30 years ago in Florida. That white guitar with the roses...that's it so if ya see it on TSO merchandise or in random windows during the show that's the paid respect too much of the music ya hear in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra set.
Here's a shot from my archives of Savatage October 17, 1992 in Seattle. Criss Oliva RIP) on the right and East Coast TSO touring guitarist Chris Caffery on left.
Another show highlight was when power singer Jeff Scott Soto came out and sang "Christmas Nights in Blue" and "This Christmas Day". His vocal pipes and energy really life this whole show when he's onstage.
Do yourself a favor and get out and see this crazy holiday metal meets Mozart spectacle! Take the family, it'll blow your minds!! Remember there's 2 shows each night to choose from! Here's the remaining West and East Coast tour dates. https://www.trans-siberian.com
Nov. 29 - Albany, N.Y. @ MVP Arena - 7:30 PM
Nov. 29 - San Jose, Calif. @ SAP Center - 7:30 PM
Nov. 30 - Rochester, N.Y. @ Blue Cross Arena - 7:30 PM
Nov. 30 - Fresno, Calif. @ Save Mart Center - 7:30 PM
Dec. 1 - Toledo, Ohio @ Huntington Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 1 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 2 - Buffalo, N.Y. @ KeyBank Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 2 - Ontario, Calif. @ Toyota Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 3 - Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 3 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Footprint Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 6 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 6 - Wichita, Kan. @ INTRUST Bank Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 7 - Knoxville, Tenn. @ Thompson-Boling Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 7 - Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Paycom Center - 7:30 PM
Dec. 8 - Columbia, S.C. @ Colonial Life Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 8 - Ft Worth, Texas @ Dickies Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 9 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Spectrum Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 9 - San Antonio, Texas @ AT&T Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 10 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Gas South Arena - 2:00 PM 7:30 PM
Dec. 10 - Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 13 - Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 13 - New Orleans, La. @ Smoothie King Center - 7:30 PM
Dec. 14 - Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 14 - Memphis, Tenn. @ FedExForum - 7:30 PM
Dec. 15 - Hershey, Pa. @ Giant Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 15 - Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center - 7:30 PM
Dec. 16 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PPG Paints Arena - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 16 - Kansas City, Mo. @ T-Mobile Center - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 17 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Wells Fargo Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 17 - St Louis, Mo. @ Enterprise Center - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 20 - Elmont, N.Y. @ UBS Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 20 - Birmingham, Ala. @ BJCC - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 21 - Wilkes-Barre, Pa. @ Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 21 - Jacksonville, Fla. @ VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena - 7:30 PM
Dec. 22 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 22 - Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 23 - Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 23 - Tampa, Fla. @ Amalie Arena - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 26 - Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Van Andel Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 26 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 27 - Milwaukee, Wis. @ Fiserv Forum - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 28 - Dayton, Ohio @ Nutter Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 28 - Chicago, Ill. @ Allstate Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 29 - Cincinnati, Ohio @ Heritage Bank Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 30 - Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 30 - St. Paul, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Center - 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM
