Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Milwaukee, WI *Guest Entry*

With the holidays fast approaching, and with my family coming out to CA to visit me during them, and with the recent events, etc. etc. I have been, well, not doing anything new this weekend….for a couple weekends. BUT! Never to fear! My best friend, Beth, who I have sung her praises in the past, has agreed to do my something new this weekend for me and write about it here. I will, of course, have to interject occasionally within her post as that’s just the kind of thing I like to do….interrupt.

So without further ado, I present Beth’s experience at the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Milwaukee, WI.:

Oh What Mine Eyes Have Seen and Ears Have Heard!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra…

Words are not going to be able to give this concert due credit. I think if I even used a video recorder, it still couldn’t do it justice. This was the most PHENOMENAL show I have ever seen. Extremely loud sound system, heavy guitar riffs, the Milwaukee String Orchestra, guys with long black hair and girls with long black boots, crazy good vocals, piano duels, killer female violin player, lights, lasers, fireworks, pyrotechnics, I’m telling you, the show had it all…all except an on your feet, scream your head off, dance till you drop crowd. I think that is the first concert I ever sat through. One of the musicians even told us to sit back down after we gave a standing ovation for one of the songs. WAA?! I guess that is what they are used too. Cool for me because it saved my feet from hurting. We all did our fair share of clapping and WOO!ing to make up for it.

[That reminds me of the time I was told to sit down and be quiet at an Anaheim Ducks hockey game…damn Disney]

If you are not familiar with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, you probably celebrate Hanukkah. [But…I don’t celebrate Hanukkah and I’ve never heard of them] They are one of the more popular modern Christmas song composers today. [OH…Christmas songs…that’s why] They rock out songs like the Nutcracker Suite, Christmas Canon, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. If you heard some of their music, you would definitely recognize it. My mom (who came with my husband and I) aptly described it as “Christmas music for baseball players, you know, on steroids.” Try trans-siberian.com for some sample audio and video. [Or, you can watch that Miller Lite commercial with the house lights]



This particular concert was held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. [I saw Duran Duran there. See? I like to interrupt] It started with lights blazing and flashing everywhere and them playing one of their signature songs. Then a narrator with a voice to rival James Earl Jones came out to start a “Twas the Night Before Christmas” like poem. It had the same rhythm, but a completely different story. And so the musical story began. Narration, rock out, narration, ballad, narration, guitar duel [oOoo], narration, ballad, so on and so forth all the while with lights and lasers a flashing. It was a beautifully moving story about an angel trying to find the spirit of Christmas and his trials along the way. He eventually finds it in a bartender who helps a girl get back to her father by giving her all the cash from his register. It was a little more involved than that, but you get the picture.



After the story, it was time to ROCK out. Proud Mary, Charlie Brown, Opera, Classical, Jazz, Christmas music, all in rock star fashion as we were entertained by the best light and laser show EVER. It was absolutely fantastic. If you have never seen them before, I suggest you do. You will not be disappointed. Best show I have ever seen.



I think my favorite part was when they finished. [That is the funniest line in the whole entry] One of the guys came out and said “We’re not going to play the game where you cheer for 15 minutes and wait till we come back. We got another show in an hour. How about hearing a couple more?” Hallelujah! I hate the encore clapping. We all know that they are going to come back out. Why must we scream and clap? Some would say that they need a break…shut up. Try working with 10 three year olds for five hours straight before you get a break. I must be jealous. Any way, the encore was fabulous! Fireworks, pyrotechnics, lights, all flawlessly choreographed to music. Have I said best show I have ever seen enough yet?



Well, unlike a rock concert, I have no fabulous exit. I can only say I ended the evening at my favorite Indian restaurant, with my favorite dish, and 2 of my favorite people: my husband and my mom [Readers, I’d like to think that if she was listing her 10 favorite people, I would be included. I’m hoping anyhow…she has a lot of relatives]. Plus the Packers won yet another game [WOOO!] so it was an Awesome day all around.