A FEW WEEKS AGO, my husband phoned from work. He’d just won two tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the Xcel Energy Center, compliments of Power 96, KQCL, a Faribault radio station. (Some of you may remember this from a previous post.)
Oh, my gosh, was I excited. I love classical music.
But as apparently everyone on this earth knows, except me, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a rock band. Who would have thought with a name like that?
So I figured I may as well confess my lack of musical knowledge, which I did in a December 12 post. For those of you who have not read that first amusing story, click here for a good laugh.
Secondly, you should know that I have not attended a rock concert in perhaps 30 years, the last one being a performance by The Moody Blues at the old St. Paul Civic Center.
Just sayin’ that I’m not exactly a music expert.
A view of the stage in the background and performers in the foreground elevated onto tiny platforms. I apologize for the horrible images, but DSLR cameras were not allowed into the concert venue and I don’t own a compact camera. This image and the second were taken with my cell phone. You can only imagine how many times I repeated, “I wish I had my camera.”
So what did I think of “The Lost Christmas Eve” concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra? In all honesty, I was more impressed by the light and pyrotechnics show than by the music or the storyline.
I know. I know. Those of you who really, really love the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will wonder, “What the heck? Did she attend the same concert as me?”
Apparently I prefer my music quiet, as in the outstanding “O Come, All Ye Faithful” solo by one of the band members versus the drum banging, steel guitar blazing mashed sound of a song I can’t even understand. I found it interesting that the reverent solo I most enjoyed received the loudest and longest audience applause of the concert.
Yes, there were a lot of gray hairs attending the show, along with a mix of other ages. Just sayin’, we may have favored Led Zepplin in our days (that would be you, Chuck, our concert neighbor), but now some of us wear ear plugs to rock concerts. My husband and I are raising our hands here. I bet the woman from Prior Lake sitting behind us wished she had brought hers, too.
Again, a bad photo, but at least it gives you some idea of the amazing light show and fabulous showmanship of this concert.
For awhile there, until my eyes and brain adjusted, I also wondered if I should have brought sunglasses. Those strobe lights were pretty intense. But, once I settled in, I was enamored by the light show and the fire. The flames were so high and intense that the heat wafted to the back of the auditorium where we were seated.
About those seats…we were directly facing the stage; the location could not have been better. But who planned the width of these seats and the leg room? Honestly, I felt wedged into my chair and worried about knocking our large-sized $9.25 shared beer from the cup holder.
I worried, too, a bit about the performers who were elevated onto tiny towering platforms both on-stage and near our end of the concert venue. I bet they really felt the heat when fiery jets flamed near them. That was pretty cool even if it was hot. Got that?
All in all, my husband and I reached this conclusion: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra presented a good concert. Our tickets were free. We were happy.
But would we pay to see this group perform again? Probably not.
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I have been wondering how you both fared at the concert (am still envious). Yes, it is very loud, very bright, very hot and irreverent(?) but had you been closer (and been in the better viewing range) you could have watched the keyboardists play melodies/strings of notes that, seemingly, could only be played by 4 hands (each) not 2! I am very picky about the seats I/we end up with (yes, I know that your tickets were a wonderful{?} win so you had no control of location) and purchase in very specific areas of viewing (hearing/sound is no problem…..is it!!!! Hehe!). The “story” is a bit long/even pathetic in some of their performances and the narrations can serve to be interminably long at times but, overall, their earlier performances have introduced young audiences to the likes of Beethoven in a setting that may(?) pique their interest for future exploration of more ‘pure’ presentations. Anyhow……I absolutely LOVE THAT GROUP!!!!!!! Love the lasers, pyrotechnics, etc! Thanks for your report…..hugs,D
I knew you were a huge fan, so I was waiting to hear what you would have to say about my reaction to the concert.
I do appreciate the talent of the musicians. I can’t even read a note, that’s how little I know about music. Their energy certainly impressed me.
It would have been fun to see what you saw of the musician playing the keyboard. But I was glad we weren’t any closer simply because of the volume.
All in all, it was a good show.
And a “show” it is!! DH enjoyed the ones he attended with me but was analyzing the set-up/staging and speakers, etc. while he was bombarded with the sound waves! Although, he did comment on the skill of the lead keyboardist, also. I listen to the 3 CD’s I have throughout the year, on my meager sound system, and enjoy them much…w/o having to deal with the fact that my eyebrows are being singed off!!! LOL! Happy New Year!!!!!
Randy and I were wondering how “warm” it got for audience members sitting close to the stage.
Well, if you would bend over and open your oven door in your face and the temp was maxed at 550F it would be close!!!!!
I’ll trust you on this one, Doreen.
Well i glad you made it through and were entertained just a bit by the light show. My head probably wouldnt have made it through the LOUD music, I”m not the young chick I used to be where “louder was better”, anyway… now you can say you’ve seen them, right 🙂
You summarized well how we felt, although I would say we were very much entertained by the light and pyrotechnics show. That was simply amazing and even beautiful. The skill and energy of the musicians also impressed us. And, yes, now we can say we’ve heard/seen the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Oh you young people!!!! I am 62 and enjoy nothing better than a Stones concert or Pink Floydd concert!! The louder the better, and the rowdier also the better. I will not go to a Hip Hop show, as at my age it may be a Hip Pop!! That was bad, but:::: I hope to see many more concerts with the “acid rock” I came to age with. By the way, I do not drink, never have, nor have I ever smoked Pot, or taken ACID. Although my Wife seems to think I may have eaten too many leaded paint chips when I was young. I must confess, I did eat lots of Paste when in grade school. Oh the minty type was so good. All of us guys would open a new jar of paste, dip the end of our ruler into the jar and get a good glob to eat. I admit it, how many of you ate it and won’t admit it?? HMMM?
Oh, Allan, once again you have me laughing out loud. I do love your sense of humor. Were you a comedian at one time?
As for the paste, nope, never ate that, although I watched classmates do so and wondered why anyone would eat paste. Ever. Can you explain that, Allan?
Mom always told us to eat something that would stick to our ribs! Paste would do it. I don’t know why we ate it to be honest. I think it was because guys are always hungry, and the minty aroma from the paste was too tempting. Or, it could be none of us wanted to be called chicken for not eating it. Guys are guys, and women are glad we are, I think? I did write comedy for a while when going to Brown Institute (Now Brown College). If you remember some of the jokes Boone and Erickson told on air, some were mine. Erickson loved my “sick” sense of humor. Hope my cover hasn’t been blown!!! IE. Ella Fitzgerald recently married Allen Funt. Her name is now Ella Funt. Tuesday Weld married Frederick March II. Her name is now Tuesday March the second. etc.
I am impressed. Not with the paste consumption, but by your jokes being aired on Boone and Erickson. So were you an on-air personality for a radio station? I feel like you know quite a bit about my life but I really am uniformed about yours. Care to enlighten?
I do not know you at all, only what you have written on your wonderful blog. I am not on the air, but do writing for personalities frequently. I plan on doing more writing in the near future. I have this”humor” mind that works 24/7 every second of the day. When people talk, I make little jokes in my head, and can make a group hysterical in no time flat. I hope I am not bragging, but I do enjoy laughter. Without it, life would be really dull! After one hundred years of marriage, my wonderful Wife still laughs at SOME of my humor. Johnny Carson was more than a comedian, he had the facial expressions that could send his audience over the edge with laughter. I admired that about him, and I have found Midwest raised comedians, are the funniest. Could be, the naive innocent lives we lead. However, I do not like off color, raunchy potty humor! That is for comedians who have no talent, and revert to raunch for a few laughs from a few sickies. Using obscene language is not funny. Another name for raunch comedy is, “The dumbing of American”.
Ah, but you do know me Allan, because my blog is a reflection of me. And thank you for using that adjective “wonderful.”
I am not surprised that you do writing for “personalities” frequently. Your humor is truly a gift. I agree 100 percent with you on the off color, raunchy potty humor. I can’t tolerate that either. In fact, one time I nearly walked out of a so-called comedy show at our local art center because of the offensive content. I should have. I did let the executive director know I was not at all pleased with the show.
Keep writing. And when you publish your first book, I’d like a copy.
Doubt I will write a book, but thank you for the encouragement. If I did, you would be the first to get a copy! If more people were like you Audrey, and would voice their opinion on “Obscene” comedy shows, the comedians and writers would get the message! “Four guys walk into a Bar, the fifth one ducked!” Not mine, but think it’s funny, and clean!!
Cheer to you, Allan. Happy New Year!
I had to smile that you worried about the performers’ safety. You’re such a mom — and I mean that in the nicest way. I would probably have been the same way. And earplugs? I take them to the movie theater!
Thank you for that “mom” comment. I never thought of it in that way, but I expect you are right. Ear plugs to the movie theater is an excellent idea, although if I see a movie once every two years, that’s about it. That last movie I saw was “The Help,” although I do want to see that “Lincoln” movie.
I love your candid evaluation! 🙂 We have friends who go every single year to that Christmas concert – but I think I’d be like you – happy to go for free…but not likely to ever pay for it!
Free is good. We enjoyed it enough, but not to go again.