TSO Proves the Show Must Go On

When Trans-Siberian Orchestra was conceived in 1996, producer/lyricist Paul O'Neill envisioned the group as a studio-based band with a revolving cast of musicians. That changed dramatically in 1999, when TSO performed its inaugural Christmas tour. It lasted just seven shows, but for the first time - TV performances aside - fans had the opportunity to put faces to the music.

Three years later, what was initially a week-long experiment has blossomed beyond all expectations. In fact, touring is now the sun of TSO's galaxy, the element around which everything else revolves. Again this holiday season, the organization will splinter into two touring companies to bring its music to as many people as possible ("TSO East" hits Toronto's Massey Hall on December 17th)

O'Neill believes this year's tour will be bigger and better than ever. "We're adding a tractor-trailer-full of lights to each tour, and we're going to increase the size every year," he says. "I remember last year when we played Green Bay, we were in a theater, but we were bringing in a coliseum's worth of lights. The promoter walked up to me and goes, 'Not making a dime on this show, are we?' But I didn't care, because the show looks like a million bucks. I can't wait until this year, because we're bringing in pyro and lasers."

In many cities, ticket demand has forced TSO to upgrade from theaters into arenas. "I love theaters because you're so close, but when you're in theaters, you can't use pyro and you can only get X number of lights in the air before the ceiling will collapse," O'Neill says. "We want the show to be mind-blowing, so there's an attraction to the arenas, because I can use more production. I think we have a responsibility to make sure that the person furthest back in the arena has a magical show. If you're in the front row, there's a rush because you're so close, and if you're in the last row, there's a rush because you get to take in the full cinemascope."

O'Neill's current itinerary has him producing two records in 2003: Savatage's thirteenth studio album - the first to feature new vocalist Damond Jiniya singing alongside Jon Oliva - along with the final chapter of the TSO Christmas trilogy. The following year, when TSO finally launches its tour in support of Beethoven's Last Night (its sole rock opera without a holiday theme), O'Neill says there will be just one touring company.

"We do it for Christmas only because it's a limited touring season," he says. "It's so hard to maintain the quality. One of the things I never liked about Broadway is that a lot of times, the touring companies tend to be second-rate. I never wanted that to be true with TSO. We want it to be perfect, and if we can't get the right people, it doesn't go out. That's why we haven't done Beethoven yet - I want it to blow people away, and we refuse to let it go out until it's drop-dead perfect."

That mindset led O'Neill to cast what is essentially a third TSO, albeit an invisible one. "Because it's such a big production, we've adopted something from Broadway: We have an understudy ready at any moment," he says. "If there's two touring companies, there's really three - east, west and a full band that stays in rehearsal in New York. They'll never perform live, but the understudy band has to be just as good, because any guy in that band has to be able to take the place of someone else. How many times have you heard about tours canceled in the middle of the tour because somebody gets sick? I never want to have to cancel. The show goes on no matter what."

Source: BW&BK