Multi-platinum rock group, Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO), have kicked-off its spectacular 2023 holiday tour, "The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve - The Best of TSO & More".

Lead guitarist and musical director for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s west coast shows, Al Pitrelli - who's previously played with Alice Cooper, Megadeth, and Savatage - recently spoke with Daisy Blake of Gephardt Daily about all things TSO, an excerpt follows:

“We perform a beautifully rich story,” begins Pitrelli. “The guy that founded this whole thing was Paul O’Neill, and it’s really an interesting story, you’ve got to understand that this man’s story started in 1995, 28 years ago, kind of an accident, right? The song was ‘Christmas Eve/Sarajevo’. We recorded it in ’95, the DJs played it, the rest is history, right? So I’m going to write a record around that song in ’96 and then we recorded that, and it sold 4 or 5 million records. Then a year later, or whatever it was, two years later, we recorded ‘The Christmas Attic’ and that sold a couple of million copies.”

“I used to joke with Paul and say, ‘We’re the Steely Dan of Christmas,’ where we just make records, and ain’t nothing wrong with that. But I think in ’98 or ’99, he wanted to film what would be called ‘Ghosts Of Christmas Eve’, so he took a bunch of songs from the original two records, and he wrote an incredible story, and we found this really old Art Deco theater somewhere in New Jersey, and he had this story about a teenage runaway, who makes her way into the theater, and meets the curator, whatever the job title would be of the person that stays there and takes care of it, and the story runs its course and she realizes she didn’t want to run away, she’s scared, she’s tired, she’s lonely, she only wants to get home. And she gets home and her family is reunited on Christmas Eve, and it’s a happy ending.”

“When I was a kid, it would have been ‘Miracle On 34th Street’ or ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ or whatever, and all of a sudden, that movie was becoming a holiday tradition, and I was so proud,” Pitrelli added. “I realized, once we started performing this piece live, I’d look out into the audience and people, sometimes they smile, sometimes they cry, and it’s like, everyone in this building misses somebody. And it was just this incredible epiphany. I read this wonderful biography not too long ago, by Leonard Bernstein, and he had this quote, I think it was referring to Beethoven, but it could apply to any art, he said, ‘It has to be accessible but never ordinary.’ So it’s like, this whole story is so accessible, but it’s anything but banal, or ordinary.”

To read the complete article, head here.

TSO have shared the video below, stating: "Check out a sneak peek of this year’s tour and get a glimpse of some of the surprises that we’re bringing to you this winter. This is one of the most impressive shows we’ve ever brought to the stage and we can’t wait for all of you to experience it for yourselves."

This year's TSO tour promises a new and larger presentation of the beloved holiday tradition, "The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve," which has captured the hearts of multiple generations. A product of the imagination of TSO’s late founder Paul O’Neill, and based on TSO’s multi-platinum CD and TV special, “The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve” follows the journey of a runaway who breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater on December 24. After the performance of the rock opera, 2023’s tour also boasts a rocking, blazing, and laser-lit second set containing more of TSO’s greatest hits, fan-favorites, and surprises. For more details on tour dates and ticket sales, visit trans-siberian.com.

Remaining TSO 2023 Tour Dates:

November
17 - Charleston, WV - Charleston Coliseum - 7:00 PM
18 - Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Wellness Arena - 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM
18 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
19 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
19 - Colorado Springs, CO - Broadmoor World Arena - 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
21 - Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center - 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
22 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center - 7:00 PM
24 - Manchester, NH - SNHU Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
24 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena - 7:00 PM
25 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center - 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
25 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
26 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena - 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
26 - Portland, OR - Moda Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
29 - Albany, NY - MVP Arena - 7:00 PM
29 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center - 7:00 PM
30 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena - 7:00 PM
30 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center - 7:00 PM

December
1 - Toledo, OH - Huntington Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
1 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
2 - Buffalo, NY - KeyBank Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
2 - Ontario, CA - Toyota Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
3 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
3 - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
6 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena - 7:00 PM
6 - Wichita, KS - INTRUST Bank Arena - 7:00 PM
7 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena - 7:00 PM
7 - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center - 7:00 PM
8 - Columbia, SC - Colonial Life Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
8 - Ft Worth, TX - Dickies Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
9 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
9 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
10 - Atlanta, GA - Gas South Arena - 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
10 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center - 2:30 PM & 7:00 PM
13 - Raleigh, NC - PNC Arena - 7:00 PM
13 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center - 7:00 PM
14 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena - 7:00 PM
14 - Memphis, TN - FedExForum - 7:00 PM
15 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
15 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center - 7:30 PM
16 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
16 - Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center - 2:30 PM 7:30 PM
17 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
17 - St Louis, MO - Enterprise Center - 2:30 PM & 7:00 PM
20 - Elmont, NY - UBS Arena - 7:00 PM
20 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC - 3:00 PM 7:30 PM
21 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
21 - Jacksonville, FL - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena - 7:00 PM
22 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
22 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
23 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
23 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena - 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM
26 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
26 - Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
27 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
28 - Dayton, OH - Nutter Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
28 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena - 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM
29 - Cincinnati, OH - Heritage Bank Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
30 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
30 - St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center - 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM

On November 10, TSO, which has sold more than 12 million albums and DVDs, digitally released of The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve in Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio and hi-fidelity stereo mixes, including both the songs and narration, titled The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve - The Complete Narrated Version (click here). The group previously released music in several formats this fall, including a 25th anniversary edition of The Christmas Attic as a deluxe pop-up galaxy blue vinyl 2LP edition and a standard black vinyl 2LP edition; plus, a clear vinyl pressing of Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

Since its touring debut, TSO has played more than 2,000 Winter Tour shows to more than 18 million fans. In just the past 10 years (encompassing nine tours), TSO has performed for more than 8 million fans. Keeping with O'Neill's vision, TSO remains one of rock’s most charitable bands. Once again, TSO will give at least $1 from every ticket sold to charity. To date, more than $18 million has been donated by the group.