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2021 Reviews?
#1
Anyone been to a show yet? Mine hasn’t come up yet and I saw one got cancelled and have been hearing lots of complaints about the light panels that hang low in front of the stage. On the plus side, the opener seems to be a lot better than those choral things they were going with for a while. And have heard mixed reactions on the Streets song that Rosa and Kayla do. Overall the setlist looks pretty great. Anyone have any opinions on this year’s show?
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#2
(12-05-2021, 09:37 AM)MikeNY Wrote: Anyone been to a show yet?  Mine hasn’t come up yet  and I saw one got cancelled and have been hearing lots of complaints about the light panels that hang low in front of the stage.  On the plus side, the opener seems to be a lot better than those choral things they were going with for a while.  And have heard mixed reactions on the Streets song that Rosa and Kayla do.  Overall the setlist looks pretty great. Anyone have any opinions on this year’s show?

I have seen 4 East shows. Overall I thought the show was great as usual. I thought the new light balls were really well integrated. So since I loved the shows I will point out a few things that I don't like, ignoring any concessions made due to Covid.

1) Those damn panels have got to go. They start the show with Chris, Joel and Zak behind them so they are singing and playing and you see nothing but the stupid panels. I know they use them to switch over from Zak to Roddy, but it's just a bad idea.

2) I did not think the male singers were matched well to the songs. Russell could sing the whole damn show, and I know they can't have that, but I think some of the choices for who did what were just off.

3) Will they please stop with the damn blue white spotlights during OCB and the Streets song. I heard many people in the audience say "You can barely see the singer". I have complained about this for years.

4) Of all the Savatage songs they could have picked they chose that? I know it is the PON tribute song and they pick a rock ballad, but seems out of place for this show.
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#3
Saw 2 shows (east) last weekend. Overall, I thought the show was great. Saw first show from the floor and second from the back.
  • I also heard complaints about the light panels. I think it is more of an issue if you are sitting close to the stage. From the back it is an affect that makes them appear and disappear. 
  • The opener was a refreshing change from what they have done in the past.
  • "A Little Too Far" was OK, not great. Personally, I would like Kayla to sing more up beat songs like Night Concieves. 
Other than that, I thought the production was great. Hartley never disappoints. The only shortfall was the back of the arena staging. Just a video cube that raised up and spun around with smoke and fire. Big let down after the Tesla ball.
The overall set list was kinda small. They did a few meledies, (Welcome/Beethoven, Mozart/Mountain, Three Kings/Christmas Jam) but would have liked another song or two added. Also disappointed that Zak only sang the opening song. Also getting tired of Carmina, great song but it has been in the set list for like 5 years now. Waiting for them to replace it with Toccata.
Next show for me is in 2 weeks.
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#4
We don't have the luxury of seeing them as often as some of you guys do. Doing good just to see them once. This year was our first show since 2013. Loved it! Was not a fan of those panels either. But we were sitting in row 4 of front left section. Other than that, no complaints here! Just thrilled to see them again!

Still wish they would release a concert DVD so we could watch year round. The bootleg/youtube videos are crap! Last year's streaming show was a production, so would be easy for them to just transfer that to disc.
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#5
I saw TSO East @ Mohegan Sun (CT) and definitely had thoughts.

I know Christmas Eve & Other Stories is TSO's "CLASSIC" show, but it's honestly my least favorite (Lost Christmas Eve is #1 and Ghosts & Christmas Attic closely tied for #2). There are so many parts of the show that just feel very boring and slow (Old City Bar feels never ending live)
I also feel like this was the shortest show they've done in YEARS, the set after Christmas Eve... felt very short and like it was missing something.
I was on the side of the stage in the upper level so the screens in the front really didn't affect my view (except for saying "what's on those screens?" lol).

I WILL say that "Welcome" was such an awesome opening song for the show, I LOVED that.

Above all else though, I miss Rob Evan SO much.
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#6
Is it true that they aren't doing the signing line this year? That's a bummer.
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#7
(12-13-2021, 05:33 AM)Hawkeye Wrote: Is it true that they aren't doing the signing line this year?  That's a bummer.

Yes
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#8
Quick Raleigh review:

- I loved Welcome to the Show as an opener. Zack needs to sing more songs though.
- Not a fan of the light balls or moving screens. Just distractions.
- Criss Oliva's white guitar is very prominent on most of their merchandise but they don't show it on the projections anymore. They also did not do the first part of The Mountain which I always thought of as a tribute to him.
- Savatage and Jon Oliva were mentioned during the introductions. Sometimes they seem like "bad words" so it was lovely to get a nod.
- "A Little too Far" was pretty good and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it.
- Oh Holy Night is usually the highlight for me but it was nothing special this round.
- T-shirts were $40, pretty typical concert prices.
- The spinning cube at the back of the floor was weak compared to the Tesla ball. I was expecting it to do more.
- Caffery did not run to the back of the arena for the final song like he usually does.
- Great use of lifts throughout the show.
- The sound is just TOO low and there is no punch at all. I had the same complaint when I last saw them 2 years ago. Is this just a Raleigh thing?
- All in all an entertaining show but it all feels so Disnified and corporate. I am starving for new material and really just want a 10 hour Savatage show.
- I kept reading about all these projects Paul was working on. Where are they? Nobody is getting any younger. I don't know who is in charge of bringing them to life but Jon Oliva is a mess and I am not sure if he has the discipline to get things done. Who is steering the ship?
- The Christmas thing has become a tradition but they always leave me wanting more...

Signed,

A spoiled fan
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#9
(12-17-2021, 01:33 PM)admin Wrote: Quick Raleigh review:

- I loved Welcome to the Show as an opener.  Zack needs to sing more songs though. 
- Not a fan of the light balls or moving screens.  Just distractions. 
- Criss Oliva's white guitar is very prominent on most of their merchandise but they don't show it on the projections anymore.  They also did not do the first part of The Mountain which I always thought of as a tribute to him.
- Savatage and Jon Oliva were mentioned during the introductions.  Sometimes they seem like "bad words" so it was lovely to get a nod.
- "A Little too Far" was pretty good and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it.
- Oh Holy Night is usually the highlight for me but it was nothing special this round.
- T-shirts were $40, pretty typical concert prices.
- The spinning cube at the back of the floor was weak compared to the Tesla ball.  I was expecting it to do more.
- Caffery did not run to the back of the arena for the final song like he usually does. 
- Great use of lifts throughout the show.
- The sound is just TOO low and there is no punch at all.  I had the same complaint when I last saw them 2 years ago.  Is this just a Raleigh thing? 
- All in all an entertaining show but it all feels so Disnified and corporate.  I am starving for new material and really just want a 10 hour Savatage show. 
- I kept reading about all these projects Paul was working on.  Where are they?  Nobody is getting any younger.  I don't know who is in charge of bringing them to life but Jon Oliva is a mess and I am not sure if he has the discipline to get things done.  Who is steering the ship?
- The Christmas thing has become a tradition but they always leave me wanting more...

Signed,

A spoiled fan

They are not allowed to go into the crowd or to throw out guitar picks or drum sticks.
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#10
I saw the show at the new UBS Arena in Elwood NY and I think this is definitley one of their better shows. I'd say its way better than CEAOS 2019

- Welcome as a show opener was fu'cking amazing. I LOVE the fact that TSO is beginning to do more Savatage seeing as how the two bands have pretty much merged at this point. TSO IS Savatage these days. Also this was probably the best version of Beethoven they've done in years.

-I actually found the balls (tee hee lol yes I'm 12) to be a pretty cool effect, much better than the icicle lights as they created this amazing 3D illusion during Bryan Hicks' storytelling which was top notch as always.


-The stage itself was REALLY cool looking this year. I love how TSO is finally going away from the big elaborate CGI intros and giant jumbotrons and letting the lights and the rigs do all the magic, kinda like how they did it back around 2008-2011. 

-CEAOS itself was just as magical as it always is, NOBODY does Prince of Peace like Erika Jerry  Heart Heart 

-The second set was unfortunately a lot like 2014 Christmas Attic, it was extremely short and was definitley missing something. I absolutley LOVE the fact that they brought back Mozart and Memories as that is literally one of my all time favorite TSO instrumentals (and also a carryover Savatage song) However, only doing the second half of The Mountain was really dissapointing. They should have done both songs in their entirety like in 2011. I also LOVE the new heavier version of Joy Of Man's Desiring/Angels We Have Heard On High. Seeing as how we already had Old City Bar as the bathroom break song (I'm sorry to those who love that song) I wish they did another heavy song instead of a ballad like A Little Too Far. The second set really needed two or three more songs to make it seem complete, Like Siberian Sleigh Ride or Wish Liszt or something like Madness of Men or Toccata.

-The back of the arena element was cool, but definitley pretty lackluster compared to a singing tesla coil or cherry picker lifts. It's almost like they designed it for two players to stand on top of it, but because of the rise in covid cases nationwide, they decided to just turn it into a flamethrower thing.
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