With 8 tour buses and 20 semi’s, Trans-Siberian Orchestra literally lit up Rupp Arena December 1 in their annual stop here. The evening began with a TSO tradition. One dollar of each ticket sold is donated to a local charity. This year a check for $7891 was presented to Jim Richardson on behalf of the Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

There were a very large number of first-time audience members as the non-stop two-and-a-half hour performance kicked off about 7:45. Narrator Brian Hicks told the Christmas Eve story wrapped in music for the first half of the show. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Joy to the World”, “This Christmas Day”, “Ornament” and more were performed accompanied by the now-famous TSO lights, fire and fireworks. “First Snow” brought with it snow from above. TSO’s signature colored lights, lasers and strobes filled Rupp with the music. With speakers hung high in the rafters the music enveloped everyone but did not overpower.

When the Christmas Eve story came to an end, leader Chris Caffery replaced his guitar with a Kentucky shirt to the delight in the crowd and took a moment to introduce the members of the band. The string section was made up of local orchestra members. They were led by Roddy Chong who brought great energy with his electric violin and big smile. In the second half of the show Tim Hockenberrry sang “The Dream Child”, a new song now available as a free download on amazon.com.

Newcomer Kayla Reeves sang a medley from the upcoming TSO rock opera including the band’s rendition of “Help” by the Beatles. Of course “Christmas Canon”, a long-time favorite thrilled the crowd late in the show as did Beethoven’s Fifth. The curtain didn’t come down as much as the sparks and fireworks flew up to end the show. The crowd jumped to their feet in a standing ovation already looking forward to the 2011 return of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Blogged by: Bill Straus
Fan Photos by: Tucker Bulleit