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| Trans-Siberian Orchestra Portland, Oregon 2009 |  |
without being charmed, entertained and/or rocked. They’re just that good and even after four times of making the annual eight-hour round trip from my home in Central Oregon to see them in Portland; the magic doesn’t seem to fade. This year they started with one off their new album Night Castle. A portion of Night Enchanted, the TSO version of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik thundered the Rose Garden as three platforms with bassist Chris Altenhoff, guitarist Angus Clark and co-concertmaster Roddy Chong rode down to the stage to meld into March of the Kings. An Angel Came Down. O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night, The Prince of Peace, First Snow and A Mad Russian’s Christmas quickly followed in expert, head-banging form. Andrew Ross and Jeff Scott Soto provided exceptional vocals. As usual, Anthony Gaynor, The Voice, narrated the Christmas tale and, as I have said before, the man can sing without notes. Yes, it was the same story of the magic of Christmas Eve with the angel searching the Earth. The only thing that seems to change from year to year is the number of war-torn areas he passes over. That list keeps getting longer and more heart-breaking. Yet, he always manages to stop by Sarajevo for the signature Trans-Siberian Orchestra song Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24. Mr. Gaynor told us of the angel’s puzzlement of the scars upon the land, the people and the dreams. But “where the music was played, you could always find hope.” Then the arena exploded. As the back screens flashed with photos and news clips interspersed with the flags of the world’s countries, the dramatic, throat-grabbing, heart-pounding Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 brought the house down and was capped off with fireworks and flames felt well into the back rows. But before you could catch your breath, Jeff Scott Soto returned to jazz Christmas with Good King Joy. Ornament was next and then Old City Bar with Bart Shatto reprising his annual role of the bottle-nipping bum with the sad face and the song of the mysterious miracle of Christmas Eve followed into the emotional finale of Promises to Keep, This Christmas Day and An Angel Returned. Then, because it just wouldn’t be the holidays without it, Anthony Gaynor wished us all a Merry Christmas three times with a kiss. Sure, it was the same ol’ show but that’s what why we were there. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra tours both coasts every holiday season with split casts. The West coast crew included those previously mentioned as well as John O. Reilly on drums, keyboards by Jane Mangini and Derek Wieland, co-concertmaster Caitlin Moe, a local string section, a women’s chorus including Erin Henry and Kristin Gorman, Tommy Farese on vocals and, of course, conducted all by guitarist Al Pitrelli. The second half of the show was used primarily to promote the band’s new album Night Castle, an album to be the focus of their announced first-time-ever spring tour. Toccata, their guitar-screaming, drum-pounding, long-hair flipping version of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor was preceded by fanciful images of clock gears, helicopter sound effects, flames and Angus Clark on a platform with lightening and more flames. You know; Bach. The popular Queen of the Winter Night sung by Erin Henry rocked Mozart’s The Magic Flute in the proper fashion and The Mountain, the TSO version of Edvard Grieg In the Hall of the Mountain King followed. Mozart returned with the full version of Night Enchanted with co-concertmaster Roddy Chong shredding his bow while performing leaps and jumps David Lee Roth could only imagine when he was much younger. Christmas Canon, their variation of Pachalbel’s Canon in D Major was next and then The Nutrocker, TSO’s cover of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer take on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Marche was well received. The concert’s grand finale was their Requiem based of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony that bled into Christmas Jam with Angus Clark and Caitlin Moe running through the audience to their waiting hovercraft platform which rose above the crowd. They ran back to the stage to be joined by every musician who had previously played in the concert including Tommy Farese and Anthony Gaynor on guitars. What a rush.
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