Where is the best place to sit for Trans-Siberian Orchestra?

We recommend getting floor level or lower level seats for Trans-Siberian Orchestra. While the upper level provides a great overall view of the concert, it's nice to have an up close view of each performer. Since there's no live video screens, you might want to bring binoculars if you're sitting further back. TSO performers utilize the whole stage and often interact with the crowd.

How long is the concert?

Trans-Siberian Orchestra concerts last slightly over two hours, with a short intermission included after the performance of Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

Is there an opener?

No, Trans-Siberian Orchestra does not include an opener on their tour. Be sure to get there shortly after gates open and get settled in before the start time.

Is Trans-Siberian Orchestra a Christmas show?

Yes, but at times, it can feel more like a rock concert. You'll hear recognizable Christmas tunes all night long. The first half of the show tells a detailed Christmas story, while the second half of the concert has more live performance elements and entertaining stage production.

Is Trans-Siberian Orchestra appropriate for all ages?

Yes, Trans-Siberian Orchestra concerts are Christmas oriented events that people of all ages can enjoy. TSO will be especially appreciated by fans of rock and metal music, but everyone can find the concert entertaining. The concert will get more lively throughout the night, so expect loud guitar solos, epic stage production, pyrotechnics, and more.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra's tour setlist consists of both their album Christmas Eve and Other Stories and several other tracks from throughout their history.

Below is Trans-Siberian Orchestra's setlist from PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 20, 2019.

1. Who I Am
2. An Angel Came Down
3. O Come All Ye Faithful / O Holy Night
4. The Prince of Peace
5. First Snow
6. A Mad Russian's Christmas
7. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)
8. Good King Joy
9. Ornament 
10. Old City Bar
11. Promises to Keep
12. This Christmas Day
13. An Angel Returned 
14. Epilogue
15. The Storm / The Mountain
16. Handful of Rain
17. Mozart/Figaro
18. Christmas Canon Rock
19. Wizards In Winter
20. Can You Hear Me Now
21. Beethoven
22. Believe
23. Wish Liszt (Toy Shop Madness)
24. Requiem (The Fifth)
25. Christmas Eve (Sarjevo 12/24)

With CDs, vinyl, t-shirts, and more, Trans-Siberian merchandise will be available at tour stops during the Christmas Eve and Other Stories tour. 

Take a look below at some of the merchandise options at Trans-Siberian Orchestra's concert at PNC Arena on November 20:

For a closer look at the items for sale, see below. Merchandise is also available for purchase on on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's website.

We attended TSO’s Christmas Eve and Other Stories tour on November 20, 2019 at PNC Arena, and we can’t wait to come back for more.

The concert in Raleigh, North Carolina brought together several generations of families for one of the most unique Christmas shows in the world.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Review

While Trans-Siberian Orchestra is commonly known for their energetic rock operas and epic production, the concert actually starts off quite slowly. Don’t expect a grand opening with bright lights and loud sounds - the first half of the concert is mostly the opposite.

The show consists of two acts, and the first half of the concert is the presentation of Christmas Eve and Other Stories. The story is told song-by-song, complete with monologues and video content to go along with the plot. 

The first half of TSO’s concert was much more like a Broadway production rather than a concert. While we were eventually introduced to lasers, smoke machines, and strobe lights, the overall feeling of the first half of the show was very calm. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I did appreciate the Holiday storytelling done by TSO as a whole.

The performance was impressive, as they use the entire stage with several guitars, a strings section, drums, an electric violin, and more. If you’re sitting on the floor level or within the first few rows of the side sections, you’ll sometimes be close enough to interact with the performers. 

TSO’s production doesn’t feature large screens to give fans a live feed of the band - rather, the focus is on the entire stage and the production. I would recommend sitting close, as being able to see each individual performer was breathtaking. 

After over an hour of Christmas Eve and Other Stories, TSO takes a short intermission and thanks fans for attending. Although it seems like the show might be over at that point, it’s actually just getting started. 

The second half of the show is when the crazy lights and “rock opera” aspect start to happen, so expect the energy to turn up significantly towards the end of the night. 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra tears through some of their biggest and most popular songs like “Wizards in Winter” before closing with an epic version of “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)”. They also played “Can You Hear Me Now” for the first time, a tribute to their late founder, Paul O’Neill. The track is an unreleased song that band members found after O’Neill’s death.

With amazing pyrotechnics and stage production, Trans-Siberian Orchestra shows off what’s kept them around for several decades and why they’re so unique. I was completely mesmerized by their performance, and it’s clear that there’s no other show out there that’s quite like it.

Final Thoughts on Trans-Siberian Orchestra

I would recommend seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their current tour. Expect the show to start off slowly, and go in with an open mind and read our summary of the storyline beforehand. Appreciate the beauty and embrace the Christmas Spirit.

Once the second half comes around, you’ll be amazed. It’ll all make sense to you why TSO can consistently sell so many tickets on their annual Christmas tour. In fact, a portion of every ticket sold goes to charity, and the band presented a local organization with a check before the show. Additionally, TSO invites several local musicians to perform with them at each tour stop.

Before their tour wraps up at the end of December at Allstate Arena in Chicago, take a look at our available Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets and experience the Christmas show of a lifetime.

What makes Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s 2019 Tour special?

“Christmas Eve and Other Stories” is something that even diehard Trans Siberian Orchestra fans may be surprised to see. It dates back to the band’s beginnings and is the title of their debut album from 1996. 

From 2015-2018, TSO had been performing "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve". For 2019, however, they're once again performing "Christmas Eve and Other Stories", which was last done in 2011. 

In anticipation of the concert, read through our summary of the Christmas Eve storyline and be ready to follow along with an epic performance from Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

"Christmas Eve and Other Stories" 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra was founded by the late Paul O’Neill and lives on in his name with the annual Christmas concert tour. O’Neill’s first concept for TSO was “Christmas Eve and Other Stories”, and the story begins in a run down bar on Christmas Eve when an older man calls over a young man to his table to tell a story. 

The Lord sent an Angel to Earth and said, “go down to the Earth to bring back the one thing that best represents everything good that has been done in the name of Christmas.”

While travelling across Earth, the Angel notices beautiful melodies coming from churches, cities, and villages across the planet. Could these beautiful Christmas songs be the one thing that best represents Christmas? The Angel noticed that music is the one thing that gives voice to man’s greatest joys as well as his greatest despairs.

However, the Angel knew that the music was not enough to bring back to the Lord.

After several other stops, including the war torn Sarajevo, the Angel soon discovers a man praying for his child. The man had not seen his daughter in a long time, and was praying for her safe return home for Christmas.

The Angel found the girl on a quiet street corner across from a bar on a snowy night in New York City. Soon, a child mysteriously appears at the front door of the bar and asks the bartender if he’s aware of the stranded child outside. This bartender was not known for his compassion; he never showed much personality and never left his bar. He wasn’t one to be generous with his money, either.

However, the bartender thought about what the child had said. Soon, he emptied out his cash register and brought all of his money to the girl across the street. He hailed the young girl a cab and sent her to JFK airport to return home for Christmas.

The bartender turned around, and the young boy who informed him of the stranded girl had disappeared. In fact, his footprints were gone, too. However, the Christmas Spirit seemed to change something in the bartender that day. For the rest of the night, he treated all of his customers to drinks. 

Now, the Angel had something to present to the Lord: the wish of a soul for the happiness of another.

The story concludes back in the first bar, where an old man was telling his story of Christmas Eve. After leaving the bar, the young man had tried to follow after him to get his name. However, he was gone as well, along with all of his footprints. The young man, perplexed, suddenly felt a quiet peace flow through his body, as he once again felt like a child and dreamed a Christmas Dream.

For a full description of the story from an official Trans-Siberian Orchestra source, TSO's website features O'Neill's original manuscript from October 1996.

A Christmas themed, wildly successful rock opera is sure to raise some questions. So, how did Trans-Siberian Orchestra get started and what is their story?

Paul O'Neill and Savatage

The founder of Trans-Siberian Orchestra is the late Paul O’Neill. Throughout the 70s and 80s, O’Neill worked as a record producer for bands like Aerosmith and AC/DC. Eventually, he began working closely with progressive metal band Savatage, a band which includes several TSO members like Al Pitrelli and Jon Oliva. 

After Savatage’s 1995 album Dead Winter Dead performed poorly, Atlantic Records made an offer directly to O’Neill to start his own band. He accepted, but he had some special requests: “I said I want to do a progressive metal band that does mostly rock operas...I want four guitar players, two drummers, four keyboardists, a full symphony in the studio, but not a symphony on the road...and 24 lead singers.” O’Neill wanted to combine all of his favorite forms of music and create a fresh new style. Oh yeah - and the rock operas would be about Christmas. 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Beginnings and Name

The idea first started when a pop radio station in New York picked up Savatage’s tune “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)” in December of the same year. More stations showed interest, and by October 1996, Trans Siberian Orchestra became a reality with their debut album Christmas Eve and Other Stories. 

O’Neill named the band after the Trans Siberian Railroad. The Siberian railroad connects Russians and protects them from the harsh and unforgiving outside world, and he saw beauty in this concept. The one thing we all share in relative safety is music, and he wanted to create a band that everyone can enjoy and relate to. 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Rise and Achievements

Christmas Eve and Other Stories remains one of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s best selling albums. “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)”, the track that started it all, was included on the album and is still one of their most popular songs. Their second album The Christmas Attic came in 1998 and produced the hit “Christmas Canon”.

By 1999, Trans-Siberian Orchestra embarked on their first concert tour, selling a total of 12,000 tickets in five cities. Since the turn of the millennium, their rise has been nothing short of meteoric. They’ve now released a total of six albums, an EP, and a greatest hits compilation, resulting in over 10 million record sales. However, the real magic comes in their live concerts.

Performing what is now a $20 million-plus production, Trans Siberian Orchestra has accumulated $280 million in tickets, resulting in over $11 million donated to charities. O’Neill’s vision always included giving back to the community, and at least $1 from each ticket sale goes to charity, many of which protect and help children.

Death of Paul O'Neill and What Lies Ahead

Paul O’Neill tragically died in April 2017 from a toxic mix of prescription drugs including Valium and codeine. David Z, a long tenured bassist for the group, also passed away in 2017 in an automobile accident. However, the concert tour went on, just as O’Neill would have wanted. Since Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s inaugural 1999 tour, the band has never missed a year, and celebrated their 20th tour anniversary in 2018.

From 2015-2018, the band performed the story of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve. However, 2019 is special: TSO is returning to the Christmas Eve and Other Stories performance, which they had previously performed from 1999-2011. 

TSO has a long and decorated history and is easily one of the most unique performances you can attend today. It will be incredibly special to witness them once again performing their first album, and this tour is not to be missed. If you’re ready for the Christmas show of a lifetime, buy your Trans Siberian Orchestra tickets at RateYourSeats.com today.