Trans-Siberian plans heartwarming holiday sequel

Last year when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought its Christmas concert to the E Center, it was a mixture of rock arrangements of classical tunes and holiday classics. The band also featured a string section and numerous lead singers — some from Broadway — who took the audience on a journey of a heartwarming holiday story in which an angel brings families and people together on Christmas Eve.

Now comes the sequel.

Guitarist Al Pitrelli says he's ready to bring it to Salt Lake City. "We had a great time in Utah last year," Pitrelli said by phone from LaCrosse, Wis. "The audience was wonderful, and the mountains were just outside your doorstep. It was fabulous.

"In fact, my wife and I are going to stay and celebrate New Year's in Salt Lake City."

TSO — the brainchild of songwriter Paul O'Neill, producer Robert Kinkel and guitarist Jon Oliva — has become a holiday tradition in some households. The band broke onto the scene in 1996 with the album "Christmas Eve and Other Stories." In 2002 came a follow-up CD, "The Christmas Attic."

This time around, however, the band didn't wait six years to release a new Christmas album. "The Lost Christmas Eve" came out in October, and as with the past two albums, it tells the story of an angel on a mission from God to find good in people and bring together lost loves and estranged family members.

Although each story can stand on its own, the band calls the collection the "Christmas Trilogy."

All the stories, which have been known to cause audiences to shed a tear or two, were written by O'Neill. "I wish I knew how Paul comes up with these stories," said Pitrelli. "He just has these ideas and writes them down. He is an amazing storyteller."

When the group was getting "The Lost Christmas Eve" together, Pitrelli joined up with O'Neill, Oliva and Kinkel to write the music. "We sat around Paul's kitchen table in Queens, New York, and began to sift through ideas," said Pitrelli. "Paul had his tape recorder out, and we did our thing."

This same method was used for each CD. "It was easier with the first album because we didn't have any expectations. We were just throwing out riffs and ideas. We didn't think the music would ever see the light of day."

The first album went gold, as did the second album. By the time the third album was released, the first had gone platinum, selling more than a million copies.