TSO rocks a revved-up Christmas show

Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought Christmas to Cape Girardeau on Wednesday, or at least the Christmas spirit, with its two-hour show of spectacular light displays, emotion-filled music and inspirational message.

It was a strange but effective mixture of holiday sentiment and rock spectacle that seemed to be a hit with the more than 4,300 audience members.

The show wasted no time in grabbing peoples' attention with an amazing light display that looked like green lasers shooting all the way to the back of the Show Me Center and elicited oohs and ahhs from the audience.

Then it was onto the music and pounding sounds of drums, guitars and keyboards, which were to be soon joined by a string section.

The display was quite a heady introduction to a simple holiday story that was at the heart of the first half of TSO's show. The story was about an angel's journey to find one thing on Earth that signifies Christmas.

The narration of the story alternated with musical numbers that were sometimes totally original material but often retakes on classic holiday tunes such as super revved-up instrumental versions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Joy to the World."

Vocal contributions

There were also great vocal performances by singers who belted out their songs with emotion and often with a bluesy and soulful sound.

Throughout the show, the light displays dazzled from the simple "stars" that appeared in the background during the story's narration to the elaborate beams and special effects.

And while the over-the-top lights and the ever-present, smoke-machine induced fog on stage were somewhat dated, it worked because TSO is not unaware of this.

Creator Paul O'Neill is a fan of 1970s rock extravaganzas and big productions and he brings that back to life for modern audiences, all the while presenting a really simple message about the real spirit behind Christmas.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182