~Concert Review~ Trans Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour 2007, Sommet Center, Nashville TN

If you are among the multitude of fans who crave holiday entertainment, 'do I gotta show for you': the Trans Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour 2007, held in the Sommet Center in Nashville TN. TSO is a mind blowing rock orchestra exuding the use of sights, sounds, lights, lasers, guitar solos, and pyrotechnics. It is an action packed experience full of incredible musicianship, stock full of old fashioned Christmas cheer, inlayed with a heartfelt message of hope and peace for the holidays. The whole family will enjoy it. It is certainly not your 'average' rock concert.

Trans Siberian Orchestra does what every band does in a concert. However, TSO is unique in so many ways from conventional bands in the world today. The show that TSO puts on contains visual aspects in a way that no one has ever used before. They take lights and lasers and make them dance around the room in sync with the music that is being played. In addition to some of the biggest lights and laser shows in the world, TSO also expertly uses pyrotechnics. Using these three different elements of visual satisfaction, they knit together one of the most amazing shows that could be performed. The music that springs from TSO's orchestra is phenomenal, sounding every bit like it does on their cds (a hard feat to accomplish while playing live). TSO puts their own spin on Christmas, echoing the reason for the season; they convey the Christmas message in an unorthodox way that makes TSO so unique and their shows so enjoyable. Everything that has been talked about can be summed up in this simple equation: Lights + Lasers + Fire + Music + Christmas Cheer = Trans Siberian Orchestra

Trans Siberian Orchestra performs a Winter Tour of the US every year, and I happened to attend the one that happened in the Sommet Center in Nashville Tennessee last year in 2007 that hosted 18,500 fans. Being in a hockey stadium enhances the experience as the lights seem brighter and more powerful, the sounds resonate throughout the seats, and the lasers seem as if they are targeting people in the stands as they wiz by in a dazzling display. The musical aspect of the concert was phenomenal as each individual instrument played its part in making the songs perfect, coaxing sweet music from their instruments, playing the powerful Christmas music that TSO is renowned for. Pyrotechnics were also an amazing addition to the show, as flames danced all around the performers.

The only downside to a TSO concert is that you might be that unlucky person who gets one of those stadium light aimed right in your eye, making you cry. Beyond the blindness or the deafness you feel for a few hours after the show, there are no downsides to a TSO concert. Both the performance and the music were superb; there’s not much more you could ask from a concert experience.