Trans-Siberian Orchestra returns to Wilkes-Barre on Dec. 11 with ‘Ghosts of Christmas Eve’ and free album
From a press release:
Trans-Siberian Orchestra has announced the dates of its 2015 winter tour, once again featuring one of the group’s beloved stories performed in its own renowned audio visual manner. This year’s enchanted yuletide tale is “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve,” which TSO will take to 60 cities across North America to perform 100 shows.
Larry Magid Entertainment will present TSO when they return to the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre for two spectacular shows on Friday, Dec. 11 at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets start at $36 and go on sale this Friday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office, and charge by phone at 800-745-3000.
TSO is also pleased to announce that each concert ticket bought online will come with a digital copy of the group’s highly-anticipated upcoming studio album, “Letters from the Labyrinth” (Lava Records/Republic Records). “Letters from the Labyrinth,” which is set to be released on Nov. 13, is TSO’s first full-length album since 2009’s “Night Castle,” and fans who purchase tickets to the 2015 winter tour will be among the first to hear it. Visit trans-siberian.com for more details.
Based on TSO’s multi-platinum DVD and long-running PBS fundraiser, the story follows the journey of a young runaway who, on Christmas Eve, breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater seeking shelter from the cold, and the ghostly visions she experiences from that concert hall’s past. “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” features the best of TSO, such as “Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24,” “O’ Come All Ye Faithful,” “Good King Joy,” “Christmas Canon,” “Music Box Blues,” “Promises to Keep,” and “This Christmas Day.”
TSO creator, lyricist, and composer Paul O’Neill says, “‘The Ghosts of Christmas Eve’ brings me back to TSO’s beginnings. We recorded this TV show before TSO had ever toured, and it was almost like our first show. It was filmed in a majestic old theatre in Jersey City, and we got to work with the legendary Ossie Davis, Jewel, and Michael Crawford. There was a magic we captured, and I think that’s why it was so successful as a fundraiser for PBS. The special features some of the best songs from our catalog at the time. We want to keep the spirit of the story alive and weave it together to encompass the best of the ‘Christmas Trilogy’ that fans of all three stories can enjoy. The band always gets excited when they get to do something new, and now that we are finished up with ‘Letters from the Labyrinth,’ there is going to be lots of new music and twists for our fans on this tour.”
This year’s tour follows the massive success of the 2014 winter tour, which grossed more than $51 million in just 52 days, playing to nearly 1 million fans. In total, TSO has played in excess of 1,600 shows for more than 11 million fans, cementing itself as one of the world’s biggest arena rock acts. Trans-Siberian Orchestra has consistently ranked in the Top 10 for attendance and grosses, according to Pollstar, the touring industry trade publication, and was named among the “Top Touring Artists of the Decade” by Billboard in 2009.
This ongoing success is due to O’Neill’s vision, which has melded the sound and fury of rock with the storytelling of Broadway to create a unique amalgamation he calls “rock theater” that leaves crowds of all ages speechless. With new fans being introduced to the wonder presented on stage every year, and TSO constantly striving to provide a new experience, audiences can be assured the best is yet to come in 2015.
As in all previous years, a portion of all ticket sales will go to benefit select national and local charities. To date, TSO has donated approximately $12 million to worthy charities.
