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December 29, 2019 ​

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra made their annual stop in Cleveland on Friday for two sold-out performances at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.   The band has been coming to Cleveland for the past twenty-one years, and each year the production gets bigger and better.

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The first half of the show consisted of their first album and tour titled Christmas Eve and Other Stories.   The songs are tied together by a narrator with an incredible voice, who appears on stage between songs to help tell the story. 

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Each vocalist gets their turn in the spotlight to sing a particular song.  However, it is the band and the production that everyone comes to see.  Lasers, pyro explosions and shooting flames are standard fare for any TSO show.

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Songs like "First Snow," "Old City Bar" and "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" all got the TSO treatment in the first set.

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The second set was more of a greatest hits, with more pyro, lasers and incredible lighting.  

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Two songs by Savatage (the precursor to TSO), "Handful Of Rain" and "Believe" made the set along with TSO classics "Wizards In Winter" and "Requiem (The 5th)."

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Closing out the two hour set was a reprise of "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" with a finale that would put most Fourth Of July fireworks displays to shame.

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Because the concert is in Cleveland, and keeping with tradition because the city has supported the band since day one, the band ended the show with a rockin' version of "Cleveland Rocks."

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It was a great way to end the holiday season and welcome a new year!

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Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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