Band has Christmas off to rollicking start

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, EnergySolutions Arena, Nov. 25

You know it's the holidays when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra comes to town. The band always gets Salt Lake into the Christmas spirit with its symphonic rock show of "Christmas Eve and Other Stories."

Narrated by the soothing, gentle voice of Anthony Gaynor, the story is about an angel who comes down to Earth to find good in the world.

The band, led by guitarist Al Pitrelli and featuring guitarist Angus Clark, drummer John O. Reilly, bassist Chris Altenhoff and keyboardists Jane Mangini and Derek Wieland, kicked things off this year with a bigger show and a new song, "Night Enchanted," from the new CD "Night Castle." From there it was the soul-touching Christmas story that featured an array of male vocalists including Jeff Scott Soto, Andrew Ross, Tommy Farese and Bart Shatto.

The female vocalists included Kristin Gorman, Erin Henry, Katie Hicks, Abby Lynn Mulay and April Berry.

The two violin concert masters were Caitlin Moe and Roddy Chong, who led the Salt Lake City Strings.

The whole band worked like a well-oiled machine as it cranked out amped-up versions of various holiday offerings. "Mad Russian's Christmas," which is a rocking abbreviated version of "The Nutcracker," "Good King Joy" and "O Holy Night" were some of those familiar tunes. And the band's original "An Angel Returned," "Ornament" and the tear-jerking "Old City Bar" were performed with perfection.

The second half of the night was an all-out rock show featuring more classically inspired works.

"Requiem," a head-banging version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, from the CD "Beethoven's Last Night" was among the songs that included the soprano gymnastics of "Queen of the Winter Night" and the trademark jam of "Wizards in Winter."

More new "Night Castle" songs, which were received with enthusiasm, included the progressive "The Mountain," which features bits of Gustav Holst's "Mars: Bringer of War" and Edvard Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King."

Throughout the evening, Clark and Pitrelli would trade lead licks while Chong and Moe would saw their electric violins in frenzy.

At one point, Clark and Moe ran out into the audience and found themselves in the back of the EnergySolutions Arena on a rising UFO platform.

Highlighting each song was an acre-load of stage lights, strobe lights and lasers.

In addition, background images of choppers and the band's CD covers flashed in time with the music.

The audience couldn't help but stand, shout and scream for more.

e-mail: scott@desnews.com