Trans-Siberian Orchestra shows new album on holiday tour

When O’Neill started TSO, he never accepted it to become a Christmas staple. The new anthology aswell agency a new acquaintance for the Christmas bout that admirers accept appear to appearance as a attitude over the accomplished few years. One of the blessings of the division for Trans-Siberian Orchestra architect Paul O’Neill is that he doesn’t accept to acknowledgment questions about if the group’s new album, “Night Castle,” is advancing out. The bifold album, which had been promised for at atomic 5 years, hit shelves on Oct. 27 and has gone gold.

“When (Guns N’ Roses’ long-awaited album) ‘Chinese Democracy’ came out, we affectionate of absent our cover,” O’Neill joked. “Luckily our admirers accept been actual patient, and the album’s affairs bigger than we could accept anytime imagined.”

“Night Castle” was originally advised to be a stand-alone, 10-song almanac with no theme, but TSO cofounder and foreground man Jon Oliva assertive O’Neill that it had to be more.

“Jon told me that TSO is not like any added band, and admirers apprehend a story,” O’Neill said. “The aboriginal bisected of the almanac is the ‘Night Castle’ story, and the additional bisected pays admiration to our accomplished and looks advanced to the future.”

The additional disc aswell includes a awning of Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s “Nutrocker” that appearance Greg Lake on bass. It’s a song that acutely had a abstruse access on O’Neill and TSO, who are accepted for aggregate bedrock and classical for Christmas.

“That song brings it abounding circle,” he said. “It’s us paying accolade to Emerson, Lake and Palmer, paying accolade to Tchaikovsky.”

The new anthology aswell agency a new acquaintance for the Christmas bout that admirers accept appear to appearance as a attitude over the accomplished few years. The aboriginal bisected of the concert will be the accepted Christmas show, while the additional set will focus on actual from “Night Castle.” Not to worry, though, the bandage will still chase its motto: “Fog it, ablaze it, draft it up.”

“We absorb added on pyro in two months than a lot of of the bedrock apple does in an absolute year,” O’Neill said with a laugh. “Our aboriginal assignment is to the fans, to accord them the best appearance for their dollar. We apprehend that ball is not a call of life, but animal beings allegation moments of joy, or at atomic moments that are accent free. If you’re not annoying about what’s alfresco the arena, the physique gets to recharge its batteries. The basal adventure is about hope.”

When O’Neill started TSO, he never accepted it to become a Christmas staple. His abstraction was to do a Christmas trilogy, six bedrock operas and a brace of approved albums. With the absolution of “Christmas Eve and Added Stories” and the anniversary hit “Christmas Eve Sarajevo” in 1996, the bandage did what O’Neill describes as “lucking into a Tchaikovsky,” a advertence to the composer’s “Nutcracker” ballet that became a Christmas classic.

” ‘The Nutcracker’ was just addition ballet, and it never dawned on him that it would become so intertwined with the holidays,” O’Neill said. “When we wrote the Christmas trilogy, we hoped it would be successful, but we never dreamed it would become as big as it did. The admirers capital to see it every year, and we didn’t wish to let them down.”

Now, it’s a sold-out anniversary bout with two companies that keeps growing and keeps O’Neill traveling ceaseless from October through January.

There’s still affluence to accumulate O’Neill active afterwards the holidays, too. There are currently affairs for a bounce bout to focus on the band’s non-Christmas albums “Beethoven’s Endure Night” and “Night Castle.” Work continues on the Broadway appearance alleged “Gutter Ballet,” an adjustment of an anthology by Savatage, a accelerating bedrock bandage that Oliva founded and O’Neill formed with afore TSO took off. There are some Savatage projects in the offing, including a best-of compilation, a re-release of the band’s endure almanac “Poets and Madmen” on Atlantic, and possibly a new album. And again there are, of course, those approaching Trans-Siberian Orchestra records. O’Neill’s not accessible to accomplish any predictions on those yet, though.

“Whatever I say, I apperceive it’s traveling to be later,” he joked. “I’m just animated I’m in bedrock ‘n’ cycle and not in allegation of accepting armament to some war foreground in Apple War I.”

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