Again, TSO delivers the goods

One of the most awesome sights, and rarest, in the world is a guy in a tuxedo with a long, metal-inspired headbanging haircut.

A whole band of those guys on the same stage is even better. And it's this sight that probably best sums up the Trans-Siberian Orchestra -- a large assortment of musicians schooled in heavy rock with a touch of high class.

When TSO made its return to the Show Me Center Wednesday night, the group's blend of rock intensity, classical flavor and visually spectacular light show dazzled a crowd of more than 5,000 people. TSO used these tricks to deliver one central and all-important theme -- love your fellow man.

From the band's generous gift of more than $4,000 to the local Boys and Girls Club to the Christmas story of peace and love that ran throughout TSO's rock opera, Cape Girardeau got an early dose of the holiday spirit through music and theatrics.

The TSO experience is unlike any other. As the lights went down and a blanket of lasers shot through the fog, the spectacular shows of Pink Floyd came to mind. Then came the blistering guitar leads, the chunk-chunk sound of metal riffs and a pounding bass drum. That display would soon fade into the soft lull of a quiet piano playing background to a narrator's story about one Christmas Eve, and the magic inherent in that night.

Those peaks and valleys would be repeated through the next few hours, illustrating the wonder of the Christmas season through roller-coaster dynamics and great visual spectacle.

At times the arena was filled with the soft sound of strings, then with a rousing gospel-influenced rock jam, then with classic Christmas themes like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "O Holy Night." Every now and then, a metal harmonic squeal was thrown in for good measure.

TSO's show was all about the magic of the season, and the band created magic on stage. At one point, fake snow fell from the ceiling, and I could see it light upon a man with white hair and beard, an image of Santa Claus before my very eyes in mid-November.

He wasn't in the band, but in the crowd -- a pleasant surprise for me, and an example of what a TSO show can do for the spirit.

Using all the tools at its disposal -- a rock band's bravado, an orchestra's musical sensibility and a storyteller's narrative prowess -- TSO once again delivered the goods.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182