Caught In The Whirlwind
Posts tagged trans-siberian orchestra
Beethoven’s Last Night – Live
Mar 30th 2010
So, I finally get a chance to actually write up my experiences with going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their first ever non-winter tour. My parents and I went out to Syracuse on Sunday to catch the show at the Landmark Theater.
After a quick pit stop at Tully’s for dinner, we headed to the venue and began the search for parking, which we found in this little tiny lot with a guy who was walking car to car as they parked getting their money and handing out parking stubs which we were informed were to be placed “on your dash. Or else…” We were a bit worried if our car would still be in one piece when we returned from the venue, but he was offering reasonable rates so we left the car in his care and headed in.
Our seats ended up being a little more to the left of the theater than I was anticipating when I bought them, but still pretty darn good.
As for the show itself, they performed the entire Beethoven’s Last Night album from start to finish, including newly written passages of narration between almost every song, helping to explain the story as it went. The performances of the vocalists and the band were top notch. When I was at the show it sounded like the same vocalists from the album, but as it turns out, they were all different people, but they did an incredible job. Particularly the guy who played Beethoven and Jeff Scott Soto who did Mephistopheles as evily as one possibly could. They also played 3-4 more songs off of their new album, Nightcastle which was fine with me, as they hit the songs I liked and skipped a lot of the ungood ones that were on that particular album.
The production was very cool. They had 3 arches set up that they could project various things on, along with transparent LED screens inside each arch that they had various videos playing on through the show. The stage was stuffed with as many lights as one could possibly fit on a theater stage, and there were lasers galore. Sadly, no pyro, however this was expected as smaller theaters rarely allow it.
This video wasn’t from the show we went to but it’s the best video/sound I could find so far:
All in all, a very fun evening. My parents enjoyed it, as did I. TSO doesn’t disappoint!
Roller Coaster Concert Ride
Dec 8th 2008
If you may recall, my last blog post mentioned the fact that Wassy and I were going to attempt to head out to Albany to catch a TSO concert on Sunday, but we were worried about a stomach bug that was going around. As it turns out, we were both fine to go to the show.
Then we (I) was worried about the weather as we were supposed to get some really nasty winter weather about when we were going to be driving out. So we ended up leaving at 11am (for a 3pm show, 1.5 hour drive in good weather giving us plenty of buffer time). The plan was to go eat lunch at place that we ate at before when we went to see Dream Theater in Albany (Jackbit and Joltz, an "australian" sandwich place), then head to the show, then to Chili's afterwords.
The title of this post contains the words roller coaster because that's exactly what yesterday was. The drive up was nice…no weather problems at all. We got to Jackbit and Joltz to find they had closed, but we weren't too worried about that as we has 2.5 hours thereabouts to find somewhere to eat. We ended up chosing a KFC that was of questionable quality (especially their Dr. Pepper), but at that point it was just adding to the experience.
We had an awful lot of time before the show, so we headed out to Crossgates Mall to wander a bit. Wassy stopped by the Apple store and played around with the new multi-touch touchpads on the MacBook Pros in Photoshop CS4. She was sufficiently wowed by it. It did look really neat. We also discovered that there's an IMAX theater in albany. Which made us wonder why we drive to Rochester for our IMAX movies (it takes about twice as long to get there than it does to get to Albany).
After wandering for a while, we headed back out to the show where we hit a really huge snag in the form of INSANE traffic. I-787 was a parking lot so we ducked out at an exit and tried to navigate the streets of Albany to get to the parking garage. This was extremely slow going. Tensions and frustrations were rising and it was starting to look like we wouldn't be able to make the show in time. I eventually navigated down some side streets with the use of the GPS to attempt to circumvent most of the gridlock and we ended up in sight of the venue just before 3pm, still stuck in traffic. I told Wassy that she should hop out and head in because it might be a while before I find a parking spot and she hadn't seen the show before, so she went in and I was left to get to the garage. we were there late enough where I had to park on the garage roof.
By the time I got there it was after 3pm. I didn't want to wait for the elevator down so I sprinted down 6 flights of stairs and all the way across the parking lot building and the length of the times union center to where I could get in. As it turned out there were having some issues with one of the lighting pieces and that delayed the start of the show, so we were able to catch the whole thing. After the horribleness that was the ride in, the show was totally awesome.
I've said before, and I'll say it again. If you have not gone to see TSO, you need to go. Because nobody does a show like these guys. Case in point:
See?? Wassy took some very aweome pictures during the show so that's where all these images are coming from. As per usual, the lighting was set up on movable trusses that reconfigured themselves as the show went along depending on the song. They added a lot more uses of laser and pyro through the entire show and it was really nice. The new string master (female violinist, first name is Anna…but I'm blanking on her last name) was running around the stage and really getting into it and rocking out. At points she slid across the floor on her knees and bent over backwards to play on her back, and one time she took center stage and bent over backwards while still playing. She's very very nimble.
The first half of the show was the normal Christmas Eve and Other Stories set, which is enjoyable enough. It kinda lulls in the middle due to the presence, chiefly, of the song Old City Bar. it grinds the momentum of the show to a halt. We were in the PERFECT seats for First Snow. We It was "snowing" all around us and the lasers flashing off the falling snow was awesome.
The second half of the show was much more high energy and they threw in a lot of songs that they don't normally do which is nice for people who have gone to the show year in and year out. I really prefer the second half of the show to the first every year and this year was no exception. The new songs from Night Castle were good too, and I'm looking forward to that album. 2009 is looking to be a good year for music.
Before I get off the topic of the show, I just wanted to add this final picture from the grand finale. THIS is how you end a show:
Now for the down slide of the roller coaster. The show ran late, due to the lighting issue, so as we were leaving the, next show people were coming in, which caused havoc with the parking garage. We got back to the car just in time to have everything stop moving. Since we were at the top of the parking garage, we basically had to wait for everyone else to get out before we could even start moving. I suspect there was some sort of gridlock situation that was encountered as well because nothing moved on the roof for at least an hour after the show. Eventually we decided to leave the car parked and see if we could find someplace to eat while we waited for the congestion to work out. We wandered around for about 30-40 minutes and couldn't find anything that was either open or any good. so we went back to the car to determine that nothing had moved . Period. Half hour of nothing moving at all. It was…horrible. Eventually they started directing traffic to get people out but it was about 2 hours after the show ended before we finally made it to Chili's.
This part of the roller coaster ride was where it finally started to go up again. We had a really nice dinner and Wassy really enjoyed her margaritas. Not so good waitress, but we got our food and it was good. The car ride home was fun as well except for the part where we got stuck behind a snow plow for about 4 miles. But after all the stop and go traffic of the day, I was happy to just be moving.
So overall not the major relaxing day that we had both hoped we'd have, but the concert was awesome, the stuff before and after was good. The traffic kinda canceled it all out though. Next year: Going to a show in a city that isn't playing 2 shows in 1 day. Going to a show with a parking lot instead of a parking garage. Not going to the Times Union Center again.
Looooooong….Weeeeeeek….
Dec 4th 2008
This week has been mostly boring so far, so I haven't been posting much. Been trying to scrape together stuff to talk about. It's basically just a long slog between Thanksgiving and the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert coming up on Sunday.
However, there's a couple things worth mentioning. I recieved Chrono Trigger DS through Gamefly on Monday which I've been playing. It's one of those classic games that I never got around to playing so I'm enjoying going through it for the first time. It's very neat. About 6 hours in at the moment and I don't think I've ever played anything quite like it before.
Speaking of TSO, my friend Jay has gotten sick with a stomach bug and Wassy is doing everything she can to pevent herself from getting it…because doing so will seriously endanger the trip out to albany for the concert Sunday. So far so good I think, but I don't want to say anything else for fear of jinxing it. (EDIT: It seems she is sick this morning 
)
Which leads me to the reason why she stopped by here briefly last night for a cup of green tea. She had been tormenting me with the thought of a little gift that she had gotten me for a couple days and I was originally going to go over to their place to hang out on Wednesday, but since Jay got sick I wanted to stay away just in case. So she dropped by last night to give my my gift, which was a little penguin soap dispenser that's very cool and cute…although I feel a little bad shoving the spout into it's brain to get at the soapy goodness inside. It goes perfect in my penguin themed bathroom. Very very nice.
So that's the week so far…couple more days of boring to go.
We Swear It's Better This Time!
Sep 5th 2008
I've been busy lately, so blog posting has been to a minimum. I'm starting to come out from under the load though, so I should be able to get going a little more than I have been.
Yesterday though, was the day the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets for this year's tour went on sale. This year I'm going with Wassy. Even though she's not into the whole holiday-themed aspects, she got a new found love of going to concerts and there's nothing out there on the scale of TSO, so we're going to a show this year.
Last year, the fan club presale tickets were a total mess. The site was buggy and crashed a lot, you had to wait in long lines and even that was bugged so you were just staring at a page with a little animated graphic and would never go anywhere else. Not to mention some of the seats weren't that great.
This year they were touting a new and improved presale ticket system, to lock out scalpers and get the fans the best seats in the house. They swore that they fixed the problems from last year and that everything would be better!
So…10am rolled around and the site promptly crashed and burned. It alternated from a black screen to telling me that they're unable to process my request at this time. Eventually, I got through and find that I'm waiting in exactly the same endless lines from last year. They even ported over the same animated image, although the trappings were different and cooler looking.
It was exactly the same system! Eventually, after about 30-40 minutes of trying to get through, I managed to snag some tickets. Second row, which I promptly threw back into the pool. If you're going to a TSO show, I would recommend sitting a little further back. That way you can get the full effect of the light show while still seeling the performers do their thing. If you're too close, then you can't really see any of the laser stuff. I decided to get a block of 8 seats to push us further back and discard all but 2. That worked out and now we're sitting around 17th row. Close enough to see the performers and far enough away to see the stage show.
Can't wait for december now!
Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2007
Dec 30th 2007
Last night was the long anticipated Trans-Siberian Orchestra show. This was my second time seeing them, but they managed to exceed my already high expectations for the show. It also helped that we got pretty good seats too. My parents and I ended up sitting on the floor, about 10 or so rows back. I was concerned that our seats were pushed off to the right a bit, but that ended up not being a problem for enjoying the light show (which we were basically sitting in because stretched out directly above us was a bunch more lights). They didn't seem to care about camera phone usage for taking pictures, so I managed to snag some. Crappy camera phone picture disclaimer applies, as usual.
If you've never been to a TSO show, you need to go. It doesn't matter what kind of music you like, if you like christmas or hate it…just go. TSO has the best stage show out there right now. Period. Their main lighting rig for this show consisted of 10 square frames suspended above the sage. with all sorts of lights on them, along with some towers in the back of the stage with additional lights as well as the lights that extended above the audience. The square frames were movable, so they reconfigured themselves during the songs or even danced around, performing waves and such during certain sections. And, as always, there were lasers and pyrotechnics.
They started out playing a song I didn't recognize but them moved into playing their first album Christmas Eve and Other Stories in its entirety, complete with a narrator and everything. During First Snow, we were sitting close enough where we got fake snowed on. That song is cool because they make it "snow" from the ceiling on the first few rows. And then…when the lasers come in, it makes all the snow in the air sparkle when the lasers hit it. During this song, I realized that our seats were going to actually end up being pretty cool because the lasers and everything were still very visible where we were at.
The other highlight was the rendition of Promises To Keep. Since they don't have a children's choir hanging around, they play a rocked out version an incredible woman on vocals. I just love her voice and I'm glad she's still on the tour since we saw it 2 years ago. That was one of the things that I was looking forward to hearing again. I'm having trouble remembering her name right now though. Bah…anyway, she's incredibly good and very powerful. I sorta wish that version of the song appeared on the album. Or was released at all.
During then during the second half of the show, they pulled out some of my favorite songs that I wasn't expecting to hear.. Christmas Nights In Blue was played (with the vocalist that appears on the CD which is always a plus). Christmas Cannon Rock was also played which was the big surprise for me. I wasn't expecting that one at all.
They also did a lot of non christmasy songs, including a couple from their new upcoming album ("Ok guys, what do you think will happen first? A McDonalds on Mars…or…the release of the long awaited new TSO album Nightcasle?") and a lot of classical inspired pieces from their Beethoven's Last Night CD. There was also a really cool version of
Flight of the Bumblebee with a franticly paced laser light show.All in all, it was an excellent show, lasting around 3 hours long.
We got home pretty late (around 1:30) so I basically just synced my phone to check out if my pictures turned out ok and then plop into bed. I'm definitely going to try to go next year. Maybe they'll have a new album out. Yeah right! They were promoting the new album coming out the last time I went 2 years ago. Hah!
The pictures really don't do this show justice. You need to be there, watching it. And since I couldn't find a place to throw a picture of the fireballs being thrown up, I'm going to just throw it at the end here. Hopefully. Vox is not liking my layout for this post…
Vox Hunt: Singing A Holiday Tune
Dec 23rd 2007
Share your favorite holiday song.
My favorite song of the season probably has to be First Snow by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It's not really "holiday" exactly, but it's got a winter theme to it. And it's got a killer light show
Of iPods And Rock Shows
Sep 7th 2007
Two years ago, I went to my first Trans Siberian Orchestra concert and I was blown away by the amazing presentation and light show those guys put together. Unfortunetly, last year, I skipped the show because I didn't want to spend the money on tickets.
I couldn't skip two years in a row though. Yesterday was the fan club pre-sale for this years show. The plan was for my Dad to buy the tickets, since he was paying for them anyway. Not to mention he got us really good seats for two shows in a row. But unfortunately, this wasn't going to happen. The presale website was all messed up yesterday, and he got stuck waiting in line. I decided to take matters into my own hands and try for tickets myself.
The website said to wait patiently while in line, but I took a peak at the line page to see what was going on and figured I had a better chance refreshing the page every few minutes. A couple of cycles through this I scored… I managed to grab 8th row to start with, but it was off to the side and up near the wall, so I tried again. Instantly more tickets showed up. A bit further back, but more centered than the last time. I told my dad and we jumped on those. Last I heard he was still waiting in line…
I can't wait until the end of December now.
I also mentioned the other day that i was worried about the new Apple announcement with the iPod refresh. Thankfully, Steve Jobs didn't release anything that I absolutely wanted to have. There were some nice products and I'll probably end up with a iPod Touch somewhere down the line, but it doesn't store nearly as much as I'd like. I'll look into it if my current iPod dies I suppose.
Random Dump O' Stuff
Sep 5th 2007
I'm still alive! Honest!
I just really haven't had much to talk about since the state fair. Or much that I'd like to throw up on the internet anyway. There have been a few things going on but nothing that I could make a full post out of, but now that there's enough collected random stuff…
- I got sunburned at the state fair, just below my eyes. That was annoying. I guess I forgot to put sunscreen there.
- I've determined my Dad should purchase all concert tickets for me from here on out. First 2nd row at the Porcupine Tree show, now we've got 4th row center seats to see the Blue Man Group in October, a week or two after seeing Porcupine Tree. Next up, Trans Siberian Orchestra tomorrow.
- Apple is going to be releasing new iPods today based on popular speculation. Several of my friends are on strict orders to knock me unconscious if I even imply that I'm putting my credit card into any web forms.
- My apartment has a new green screen door and will be receiving a brand new front door at some point in the future. Also green.
- My software engineering professor is really hard to understand, and he says "ummmm…ah….errrrrr…" every 2-5 words.
- I met up with a friend from my high school who was also taking software engineering. Which is handy because the course requires group work.
- I'm currently in the process of eBaying the more expensive cards in my Magic:The Gathering collection. I used to be big into it but they've sat in a closet for a couple years and I figure I should sell them before people stop playing the game. Looking back at my last 31 days of eBay history, I've sold $768.53 total worth of magic cards so far, bringing me to the realization that I spent wayyyy too much money on that hobby.
- My Belkin iPod car adapter (charger + line out) has been on it's last legs for a while after the casing got broken on the dock connector part, leaving just the bare connector and the wires. Yesterday wires started falling off, until finally, it killed the sound, so I need to get a replacement at some point.
- Another one of my Zebra Danio's vanished. This time it wasn't in the filter. I have no idea what happened to this one. Vanished like ol' one eye.
And there we go. Random facts related. Now to tag that mess…
4 Days!!!
Aug 16th 2007
As of the writing of this sentence, there's only 4 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes until the Dream Theater concert in Buffalo.
I'm starting to get within the excitement threshold of seeing possibly my favorite band play live again, even if it is with two openers this time. That's also combined with the fact that I got a 4 day weekend out of it. Well, really 4 and a half because of the fact that I have a company picnic to attend friday afternoon which, to me really doesn't count as "work" exactly. Hey, at least it's outdoors.
Another bit of concert news…I just realized that our second row seats at the Porcupine Tree show (63 days, 11 hrs, 59 mins…) are actually front row. Let me explain…we're sitting in the orchestra pit right below the stage which is oval shaped. We're sitting on the edge of the pit, which, due to the oval shape of the pit itself…we're like…right up next to the stage.
Oh, and other concert news! Trans-Siberian Orchestra just announced their tour dates. Hopefully I'll be able to go see them January 4th. It's a little after when I would normally like to see them perform, but…it's good enough for me to see that awesome stage show again.
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