Latest reviews about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

OUR1PLACE says "It was great at first, but way to long." about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

OUR1PLACE — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:46:27 GMT

It was a good concert and the 6 of us had great seats/upper suites with a mixed group. We saw them on YouTube and what we saw on the website was better. Maybe it was the fact it was too long? It like after the first hour it became the same basic thing over and over.

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windwave16 says "Spinal Tap meets TSO" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

windwave16 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:26:52 GMT

Let me state I am a TSO fan, have been for years. I have seen them 3 times before this year's tour. With that said, I saw TSO in December 2009 on Long Island. They were HORRIBLE.

I was so disappointed. They have become a caraciture of themselves. I really thought I was at a Spinal Tap concert and was waiting for the Stonehenge props to come out on stage. They have lost the music. They care only for theatrics, which by the way were ridiculously over the top. It was an absolute farce.

I got tickets for 6 people to attend, 3 of us had seen TSO before. The 3 others were new to the TSO experience. For weeks I was so excited , I could not wait for the 3 newbies to see the concert. Well I was completely embarrassed. Never again I am sad to say. My advice, download the music and stay home, TSO has lost their way.

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JaneDoe123456 says "Kind of Cool, yet Awful" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

JaneDoe123456 — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:19:20 GMT

I received tickets as a brithday present, but had only really heard one of their Christmas songs on the radio before. The TV adds looked neat with the laser lights, and sounds of a large orchestra. I was prepared to have a good time (because this was a gift) but found myself in awe of the cheesy-ness and laughing at some of the performers. I will admit that I expected a full orchestra, and a handful of rock-n-roll players and singers. Turns out, it is 4-5 guitar players, a couple of electric violinist, a piainist and 8 members of the orchestra. With the exception of one gentleman, the singers were tacky and not very good, and it seemed more like an American Idol talent search. The guitar players and violinist were constantly "head banging" and dancing all over the stage. Which makes me wonder if they were really playing live. My overall impression was that a band stuck in the 80's decided to hire some lighting technicians, a couple of orchestra players, and some effects crews...

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ak7808 says "Don't pay money for this!!!!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

ak7808 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:57:17 GMT

My husband and I have been fans for years and were so disappointed by them. It felt like we were at a mix between a Michael Bolton concert and an 80s music video. We felt we heard more of a guy speaking and telling a story than the actual band. Every time this man got up to speak or someone started to sing a solo you would see tons of people grabing there stuff and leaving...if only we weren't stuck in the middle of the aisle we would have been with them. It was like paying for a college basketball game and when you got there the local highschool team was playing instead. It reminded us of a show that should be in Branson. The best songs were played at the very end and after sitting through three hours of awful music and being board outta my mind it was hard to appreciate those songs. The solos were frustrating I wanted to hear the orchestra and the band play together not someone sing. The skit with the homeless guy was torture to sit through and so confused as to what was even going on...

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GeneWoodard says "dreadful experience, the absolute worst" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

GeneWoodard — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:26:32 GMT

Different strokes for different folks. we attended the concert in Tulsa, OK on dec 11, 2009. i've heard TSO for years on the radio and always liked what i heard so was very excited to see them live. the first number they played told me i was in for a sad experience. the advertisements for the show are completely misleading. if i had known it was a heavy metal group i never would have purchased tickets. i realize that there are people who love this stuff and that's great. i think it was dreadful, boring, over-the-top excessive loudness, pointless light show, pointless, unentertaining, and just bad. i will never attend another TSO concert. they do great work for local charities in the communities in which they perform and that is fantastic. so like i said, different strokes for different folks. just not my cup of tea at all.

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TSOrocksHard says "The best concert you'll ever see!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

TSOrocksHard — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:48:52 GMT

TSO is simply the best concert experience you can have! They play for 2 1/2 hours and the stage production, light show, sound engineering and musicianship is second to none! This is a group of musicians who have so much passion and energy that it's nothing short of inspiring to watch. You'll feel exhausted and energized at the end of a TSO concert and feel more alive than you ever have before! I think it's the best thing going... I'd easily pay double the highest ticket price to see them every single year. I'll never miss another... in fact, I saw them TWICE this year (drove 2 1/2 hours from my home town to see the 2nd show). GO! You will only be disappointed if you're a music snob or your soul is dead!

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Boltnut says "Much better than I expected!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Boltnut — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:06:33 GMT

I had never really paid attention to TSO until my mother-in-law told us she was taking us.I wasn't really excited about it, especially after reading reviews that said it was way too loud, way too bright and way over the top. I actually brought ear plugs for everyone. Well, I ended up looking like an idiot. The one complaint i had about the show, was that it wasn't loud enough! It was the lowest volume rock show I have ever been to. Other than that, this was a fantastic show. The bright lights people have complained about, are no more than what I would expect. They are as bright as they need to be, to achieve their purpose. Sure, depending on where you sit, you may get a direct hit in the eyes, every know and then. BIG DEAL!

Are there parts of the show that could be considered "cheesy" or "over-the-top?" I suppose so. So does almost every show I have ever been to that was worth seeing. It's a "SHOW" not a book recital!

If you have heard and like the music or if you are just looking for...

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tomc432215 says "tso: over the top!!!! great for the whole family!!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

tomc432215 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:35:42 GMT

the TSO concert on 12/03/09 was fantastic !! everything was more than I expected!!!

it had a mix of everything !! the music and vocals were better than i've ever seen !!

i've seen alot of shows this ranks top 5 !!!

see them at least once if you have the chance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Reviewlady21 says "Amazingly Gifted Musicians" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Reviewlady21 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:40:56 GMT

Trans Siberian Orchestra was founded by composer, gutarist Paul O'Neil in 1996, he asked his friends John Oliva, Rober Kinkel, and Al Pitrelli if they were interested in forming a band together.

the idea was to re create christmas songs in more of a rock opera fashion at first the idea didn't sit well, but as it turned out alot of people both old and young really like the music.

TSO uses a 60 piece live orchestra and a choir in all their concerts and albums. I think while the band was touring in 04' their lineup inlcuded (aside from the band) 14 vocalists, 14 musicians and 2 narrators.

since 96' the band had released a total of five studio albums the latest realese is a non christmas album (night castles).

the band's musical styles seems to incorporate; heavy metal, progressive rock, symphonic metal, and classical music.

the band's music is usually considered part of the following genres: Symphonic Rock, Progressive Rock, Christmas Rock, Symphonic Metal, Progressive Metal, Classical and...

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Kelysian says "TSO - the most over-the-top show on earth." about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Kelysian — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:15:44 GMT

WARNING - spoilers!

Our family likes the classical/rock Christmas stuff we'd heard from TSO, so I got us tickets for their show in Portland. I had heard there would be lasers.

Oh. My. God. This was the cheesiest, overblown, self-aggrandizing, over-the-top show I have ever witnessed - it even topped PARODIES of overblown rock shows. From the big hair to the scantily clad singers/dancers to the LED screens, lasers, fog and pyrotechnics, it transported us back to the 1980s, and not in a good way.

The first half of the show, the Christmas parable about the angel and such, was schmaltzy, preachy and shallow. Thankfully, TSO's well-known Christmas rock pieces were interspersed with the rest of the story and songs.

Oh, granted, most of the musicianship was excellent. I did really enjoy the couple of times the band drifted into a more bluesy landscape. And the pianist was top-notch, whether playing classical, rock or boogie-woogie.

But distracting from the musical joy were the lead violinist,...

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MusicGuru says "Trans-Siberian "Awful"-- this was a bunch of 80s has beens!!!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

MusicGuru — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:30:04 GMT

I went with my mother in law and our thirteen year old nephew who wanted to go to this concert for his birthday. The concert was too long, too loud and had very bright lights that were blinding. The concert was interesting and entertaining for the first 30 minutes but by the end of hour 2 we were all ready to go home and still had another hour to go! The nephew was falling asleep even amidst the blaring music and explosions of flames! It was just so boring... The music was unoriginal and very repetitive. The Christian spiritual aspect lacked depth and was shallow. I was disappointed in how patriarchal and sexist the presentation of the story of Jesus and Christmas was. The narrative was really bad and sounded like a fifth grader had written it. "A glass of whiskey used as a moat" was imaginative but ridiculous. I tuned out most of the rest after that. The lyrics and songs were also juvenile and poorly composed. In addition, we got to watch a bunch of blond women...

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quietspirit70 says "Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert was a terrible experience!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

quietspirit70 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:07:18 GMT

My husband and I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra this past weekend. We are in our late 30s and appreciate a variety of music. However, we had a bad experience with the concert. We even left after 40 minutes. They started 20 minutes late. The music was incredibly loud (we even used ear plugs) and too much "heart-pounding" bass sound and electric guitar. The lighting effects were too overpowering and half the time the lights were shining directly in our eyes...I had to look down at the floor sometimes to avoid being blinded! I felt more like I was at a hard rock concert. It was not at all what we expected. The band blew a fuse on the sound system and had to stop for a brief period, so we figured that was our time to leave. We just did not enjoy the show at all. Would not recommend unless you like hard rock music, an overdone light show, and ok music. They do have a few good songs that they play on the radio, but that is about it.

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rs7971 says "Too much show and no substance." about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

rs7971 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:16:30 GMT

This the first time in my life I have walked out of a concert before it was half over. I knew the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert would be loud but I figured I could tolerate the volume if the music was good. Alas, the vocalists were fair at best and the "original" pieces lacked any musical quality. The piece sung by the down-and-out bum was ten minutes of the same three notes played over an over and over again. The high volume did nothing to improve the quality. The laser lights and the pyrotechnics were fun to watch but I'll watch them for free on the fourth of July from now on. Now I know why "Wizards of Winter" and "Carol of the Bells" are the only two songs you hear on the radio this time of year. Those are the only ones by this group that have any musical value.

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Bridgetino says "Trans-Siberian Orchestra is amazing!" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Bridgetino — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:16:09 GMT

This group is magnificent, especially live. I would pay to see them play again, anytime. Great talents. Anyone that considers listening to this band or seeing one of their amazing shows should seriously, definitely do it. They sound great live and on CD. They put on a great show, and the music is suitable for anyone....

Katrena says "I enjoy listening to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra music online" about Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Katrena — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:03:18 GMT

Mix a bit of rock with a touch of opera and you may be at the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's website. I visit this website frequently during the Christmas season to enjoy a fresh, emotional, and unusual approach to the music of the season. Upon entering the site, listeners are greeted with a great intro that gives a preview of what the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's style is all about.

Their website features:

video clips (my 7-year-old loves watching the little girl in Christmas Eve in Sarajevo)
audio clips (there are a couple of clips that I cannot get to load--I'm not sure if it is a problem with the site or with my computer)
lyrics and story
information about tours
biographies (some interesting information)
downloads (haven't tried any of these)
much more (but I'd love to see some interactive stuff like some trivia games)

My Viewpoint:

The website has a black background with white writing and the white font is a bit small and bright for my 20/20 eyes, but I don't get bogged down with the details of...

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