TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA bassist Dave Z (ZO2) has filed the following road report, recapping the east coast company's sixth week on tour in North America:

12/1/06: Show #30 Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH

"Well, we’re finally here: Cleveland, the town that broke TSO when WNCX FM began playing Sarajevo. Cleveland really does rock and they’ve always been one of TSO’s biggest markets. And all the bigwigs are here: Paul O’Neil, John Oliva, all of the TSO management, all the radio personalities and many other notables. Even the legendary Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople was there and we were thrilled when he agreed to join us on stage to play 'All The Young Dudes' and 'Cleveland Rocks'. The crowd went ballistic. The energy was unmatched as the entire arena stood pumping their fists in the air in time to the music. As if we weren’t already thrilled, Ian stayed on to play 'Sarajevo' with us.

After the show, as is the annual custom in Cleveland, the promoters of the TSO tour threw us a party. Overflowing with sushi, chocolate waterfalls and champagne, it was one hell of a time. And this year, we also had karaoke. I got up and did a couple of Rush songs. I’ve certainly had enough practice doing 'Tom Sawyer' with ZO2. I wound up winning the Best Use Of Hair award for my Geddy Z impersonation. I also got one of the greatest compliments I could get when Tim (Ripper) Owens from Judas Priest said that he was impressed by how I nailed the song. Maybe I can get him to come to the ZO2 show at the Hi-Fi on Jan. 6th to see us perform it live. Who knows, perhaps we can all break into a little 'Living After Midnight'…"

12/2/06: Show #31 & #32 Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH

"'OH…IO' is the chant that I heard throughout both shows today. Cleveland definitely takes their state seriously. I also found out an interesting little tidbit - it seems that Cleveland has some sort of rivalry with Pittsburgh. This was quite evident by all the boos in the crowd when it was mentioned that we were hitting Pittsburgh next. However, the rivalry served us well in getting urging the crowds on to greater - and louder - levels of excitement in both states.

As I said before, Ohio (Cleveland in particular) is a huge market for TSO. Happily, it seems to be a huge market for ZO2 as well. There were more people on the signing line with ZO2 memorabilia than I could count. I was handing out the ZO2 limited edition buttons faster than I could pull them out of the bag. I’m so excited to be back in Ohio on January 6th to see all the new people I’ve met at the last few shows. And, naturally, I was really impressed with the ZO2 fans that showed up - the girls in particular - that I decided to take one back to the hotel with me. I did this because last night I noticed that there was a major problem with my bathtub …I was the only one in it. Tonight I remedied that situation and in the process even got my plumbing checked… ;-)"

12/3/06: Show #33 & #34 Mellon Arena – Pittsburgh, PA

"I’m here in the rival state of Pittsburgh, PA and, just like in Cleveland, the Pittsburgh fans booed when Cleveland was mentioned. They decided to duke it out by yelling and screaming and making all the noise they could to be louder than Cleveland. We would have to go to the judge’s scorecards on this one because I can honestly say it’s a very close race. And speaking of races (what a segue), I felt like I was in a rat race tonight. There was no direct path through the floor seats from the back of the arena to the stage. On the 'big run' at the end of the show going from the back of the arena to the front of the stage, I felt like a rat stuck in a maze, zigging and zagging looking for a piece of cheese. But you should know by know that if I have to zig and zag like that, that cheese better be on top of a burger.

Something happened for the first time tonight that’s never happened to us before. I was on the side stage listening for my re-entrance to the stage cued by the end of the drum solo. The problem was, this time the drum solo just stopped in the middle. There was no ending. I looked on stage to see what happened and it turned out that the kick pedal to the drums came off. The thing just popped out. Luckily Jeff is not just professional, he’s smart and funny – he made a quick joke about it to the audience, put it back in and finished his solo."

12/4/06: DAY OFF

"This was a complete day of nothingness. From 7 a.m. when I checked in until 4 a.m. the next morning when I fell asleep, I stayed in the exact same spot on the hotel bed. The only time I moved, with the exception of the bathroom, was when I moved to the desk to eat the one room service meal I ordered that day. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly it is I did the rest of the time. I think I took it upon myself to unveil the true meaning of the word 'lazy' and pretty much succeeded."

12/5/06: DAY OFF

"Today, much like yesterday was chock full of nothing. At one point, however, I decided to give the mattress a chance to expand back to its normal shape after having left the crease of my body on it by trying to get back into my regular habit (which doesn’t seem to always work). I went to the hotel gym to workout. I really needed something to get me inspired to be active. And oh boy did I get some inspiration once I got to the gym. Nothing gives me more motivation than three old ladies on the treadmill next to me. Forget 'Eye Of The Tiger' and raw eggs, it’s all about 'eye of the bi-focal' and cream of wheat. Somehow I found myself back in my room quicker than I thought I would. It turned to be a blessing in disguise. I wound up finishing season 2 of Lost."

12/6/06: Show #35 Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH

"I think enthusiasm is contagious in Ohio. The fans in Columbus were just as good if not better than the folks in Cleveland. Ohio might just beat Pittsburgh by pure numbers. It also felt great to be playing again after having two days off. I felt re-energized. It turns out that we also have a huge ZO2 fan base in Columbus. And I met the youngest ZO2 fan of the tour so far. She was wearing a ZO2 shirt and I was glad to give her the commemorative ZO2 pin after giving her a big high five. You’re never too young (or too old, for that matter) to enjoy good rock music."

12/7/06: Show #36 US Bank Arena – Cincinnati, OH

"The Ohio craze continues. We heard the proud OH…IO chant before we ever even hit the first note. The Ohio fans definitely love their TSO music. And Cincinnati is the home of that house that appeared on the Internet with all the lights flashing to the TSO song 'Wizards In Winter'. Tonight was even more special for me because I was able to try out a new toy. We were sent over a Rickenbacher bass to test. I’ve always loved those basses but never played one. Christmas apparently came early for me. The first thing I did was play 'YYZ' on it. It was just like Geddy Lee’s sound. I gotta get me one of those when I come off tour. Until then I will keep playing this baby in the first half of the show and play my Spector bass in the second half."

To read Dave Z's previous reports click the following links: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5.