Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Sprint Center – Kansas City, Missouri
Three generations of family. Bucket List. If you have an amazing family like I do, that you like to share experiences with, this is it. It all started Wednesday. I was having the shittiest week, one that I will remember five years from now. I had dropped my son off at school when a feeling of utter hopelessness came over me. Complete, I cannot go on any longer despair. A major meltdown. I had to pull the car over. Before I knew it my baby brother’s voice was coming over the line saying “I was just getting ready to call you.” An hour later, a little hope was restored. Another hour later and he sent me a text, “Do you think mom will go to Trans-Siberian Orchestra Saturday? Just got the go to shoot the show!” I replied “Hell, yes!” Next thing I know he had purchased tickets for our mom, me and my daughter to attend with him and his wife. On. The. Floor.
Don’t just make getting to the show your main priority. Make it about the journey, with whomever you take. My fam is a little hard to take. We’re an eclectic mix of tatted up hard rockers, to Elvis, slow jamz, down home, very loud, obnoxious but kind and caring misfits. We all were stoked about being there together. When the lights finally went down, it was apparent after the first beat that this was not just about the show, or the music, or the lights, or the story, or the cast, or the graphics, or the effects, or the fire, or the lasers. It was about the whole damn package. A road trip for the mind and body. After the first song, I was completely hooked. It felt like this was an experience of the senses. The audience was pulsating just from the sheer energy vibrating off the stage. I was experiencing something so intense, it felt like it was pumping my heart for me.
The story teller, Bryan Hicks, had the ability to keep me transfixed not only on his words, but everything else going on with the apologue. He had this Louis Armstrong quality going on that reminded me dead on of Christmas time hope. While his voice was booming and vibrant, he managed to have a calming sense of storytelling that lulled me into the story of Christmas Eve. I knew the show was going to be unforgettable, but I wasn’t prepared for the emotion it emitted in me. I needed Kleenex and not one girly girl in my party had a hanky handy.
Every single amazing performer from the male lead vocalist with the Neal Diamondesque voice to the enchanting violinist that had everyone entranced put on one hell of an unforgettable show.
My daughter, Rylee, is only 19 and a first time, brand new mom. She’d had little to no sleep the night before, yet when I looked at her throughout the show, her eyes were bright, her hands were clinched and after she had wolfed down a couple of orders of bacon fries, she was on the edge of her seat. My mom, who is the exact definition of a recluse, was sitting beside my daughter with her hands demurely in her lap, her neck straining back and forth as to not miss a single sensory moment. My brother, who is cooler than yours, just to get that out there, is a hard rocking business executive that is constantly doing something exciting with his beautiful wife. Me? I’m kind of a home town goody goody! My point? ALL types of people will love the anticipation this experience brings them.
Christmas Eve, to me, is all about hope and anticipation. The restoral of faith that there is something inherently good going on in the world. Christmas Eve means that tomorrow is a new day, THE day. It is the idea that all people are generally decent and miracles happen every day if we just take the time to look around to see them. To me it meant that just a few days before, when all my hope was wavering, my brother gave me a gift to what I thought was going to be just another rock show (insert ashamed face emoji here). But, instead, it turned out to be a life altering experience that jolted all of my senses and restored my hope and hit me hard right in the ticker. Corny? Goody goody girl doesn’t care! In the future, if I have a shitty week melt down again, my bro is never going to be able to top this. But, note to him, that doesn’t mean he should stop trying!
Shelly Thornbrugh – RockRevolt Contributor
TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA performing at The Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.
(Photos by John Thornbrugh / RockRevolt Magazine)
Connect with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA:
TSO has cemented itself as one of the world’s biggest rock acts, by playing approximately 2,000 shows for nearly 13 million fans, with tour grosses of more than $580 million, and selling in excess of 10 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at No. 25 on its “Top Touring Artists of the Decade.”
As in all previous years, $1 to $2 of every ticket sold benefits select local charities. To date, in excess of $13 million has been distributed to worthy charities all across North America.
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | SHOW TIMES |
| Thursday, November 17 | Youngstown, OH | Covelli Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Thursday, November 17 | Council Bluffs, IA | Mid America Center | 7:30 PM |
| Friday, November 18 | Allentown, PA | PPL Center | 7:30 PM |
| Saturday, November 19 | Worcester, MA | DCU Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, November 19 | Denver, CO | Pepsi Center | 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Sunday, November 20 | Providence, RI | Dunkin Donuts Center | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Sunday, November 20 | Colorado Springs, CO | World Arena | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Tuesday, November 22 | Salt Lake City, UT | Vivint Smart Home Arena | 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday, November 23 | Toronto, ON | Air Canada Centre | 8:00 PM |
| Friday, November 25 | Wilkes Barre, PA | Mohegan Sun Arena | 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, November 25 | El Paso, TX | Don Haskins Center | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Saturday, November 26 | Manchester, NH | Verizon Wireless Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, November 26 | Lubbock, TX | United Spirit Arena | 7:00 PM |
| Sunday, November 27 | Albany, NY | Times Union Center | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Sunday, November 27 | Oklahoma City, OK | Chesapeake Energy Arena | 3:30PM & 7:30PM |
| Wednesday, November 30 | Charleston, WV | Charleston Civic Center | 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, November 30 | Little Rock, AR | Verizon | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 1 | Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 1 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center | 7:30 PM |
| Friday, December 2 | Toledo, OH | Huntington Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 2 | Wichita, KS | Intrust Bank Arena | 7:30 PM |
| Saturday, December 3 | Dayton, OH | Nutter Center | 3PM & 7:30PM |
| Saturday, December 3 | Kansas City, MO | Sprint Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Sunday, December 4 | Buffalo, NY | First Niagara Center | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Sunday, December 4 | St Louis, MO | Scottrade Center | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, December 7 | Richmond, VA | Richmond Coliseum | 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, December 7 | Indianapolis, IN | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 8 | Charlotte, NC | Time Warner Cable Arena | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 8 | Moline, IL | iWireless Arena | 7:30 PM |
| Friday, December 9 | Greenville, SC | Bon Secours Wellness | 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 9 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center | 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, December 10 | Columbia, SC | Colonial Life Arena | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, December 10 | St Paul, MN | Xcel Energy Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Sunday, December 11 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Sunday, December 11 | Milwaukee, WI | BMO Harris Bradley Center | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, December 14 | Raleigh, NC | PNC Arena | 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, December 14 | Atlanta, GA | Infinite Energy Arena | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 15 | Washington, D.C. | Verizon Center | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, December 15 | Jacksonville, FL | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 7:30 PM |
| Friday, December 16 | Hershey, PA | Giant Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 16 | Sunrise, FL | BB&T Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, December 17 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, December 17 | Orlando, FL | Amway Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Sunday, December 18 | Hartford, CT | XL Center | 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Sunday, December 18 | Tampa, FL | Amalie Arena | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, December 21 | Cincinnati, OH | US Bank Arena | 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday, December 21 | San Antonio, TX | AT&T Center | 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Thursday, December 22 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena | 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Thursday, December 22 | Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 23 | Chicago, IL | Allstate Arena | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 23 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Monday, December 26 | Newark, NJ | Prudential Center | 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Monday, December 26 | Phoenix, AZ | Gila River Arena | 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Tuesday, December 27 | Pittsburgh, PA | Consol Energy Center | 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Tuesday, December 27 | Ontario, CA | Citizens Business Bank Arena | 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday, December 28 | Sacramento, CA | Golden 1 Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Thursday, December 29 | Columbus, OH | Nationwide Arena | 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 30 | Detroit, MI | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Friday, December 30 | Portland, OR | Moda Center | 3:30 PM & 8:00 PM |
| Saturday, December 31 | Cleveland, OH | Quicken Loans Arena | 3:00 PM & 9:00 PM |
| Saturday, December 31 | Seattle, WA | Key Arena | 3:00 PM & 9:00 PM |
