Does bringing back GHOSTS really make sense to anyone?

[KISSAlien]

Be honest, I want to hear your opinions. The Lost Christmas Eve they had two years in a row. That made sense considering it was the first change the band had made in 13 years of touring for the winter tour (leaving aside BLN of course). It was epic, it looked great on stage, it was a very versatile story on stage as far as the music was concerned. And the story was emotional as heck. I have never come so close to crying watching a stage show as I did with TLCE. And that's a really hard thing to do.

The Christmas Attic they did for only one year and honestly, I would've gladly gone a second. Some consider it the "weakest" album but I really felt like the story was beautiful and even more beautifully told through the stage show. It encompassed the lives of several people through the letters and brought more characters into a humble story. The first half felt like it went on forever, which I really enjoyed. The longer the show the more bang for your buck.

NOW, onto the elephant in the room. I saw The Ghosts of Christmas Eve last year. Enjoyed how they brought the film to the stage (quite literally) and the song list which is a perfect combination of TSO songs and the stage was pretty awesome... but that's about it. Talk about weak. The story is so thin you could cut it with a spoon. No emotion, there's nothing overtly exciting about it and the first half of the concert felt like it was over even before it started. Heck the beginning narration is borrowed from The Christmas Attic! It really felt lame and this did feel like TSO was doing a tribute to themselves far before their time as a major band has gone out. Unfortunately I'm not able to go this year but the sad part is (and as big a TSO fan I am)... I don't feel like it's that big a loss.

We all know we were anxious for either CEAOS to come back or maybe some kind of other pleasant surprise as Paul O'Neill so graciously said they would offer for the 20th anniversary of the Orchestra. So... what is the deal here? Where is this so-called "demand" he speaks of to bring the weakest tour back for another go? I don't really see any demand for this one at all. Why in the world bring this one back? Yes I'm disappointed but I have to admit. I'll be furious if Ghosts is brought back a third time in a row. I think we'll all know what's really going on at that point.

Keep in mind when you read my post, that I rarely criticize the TSO powers that be.  I chalk most things up to good business decisions and the bottom line, however...  I don't agree with it.  I will be blunt, the stage adaptation and the first half just didn't flow well AT ALL for me.  Probably my 2nd to least favorite Winter Tour.  Also compounding matters last year was the fact that I REALLY enjoyed the Christmas Attic shows and would have liked another year of that.  Most people I talk to feel the same way and I think a lot of people were left scratching their heads and a bit disappointed.  Many of us were expecting a the 20th anniversary show this year.  Again though, it is what it is.

Another thing I don't get is the whole back by popular demand tag.  I'm calling bullsh** on that!

That said, I will still go to my handful of both east and west shows and enjoy the them.  Looking forward to our travels and seeing my TSO friends and family.  Hope to see some of you along the way that I have never met before!

I agree with the Christmas Attic part. I thought it was an excellent show. I liked the stage setup. I can't say I've been disappointed in any of them really. The one thing about this one is the first part seems shorter leaving more songs to feature in the second half. I obviously see why they brought it back again this year. They probably were a bit short on time to come up with anything new and now have to make decisions among themselves instead of having them made for them.

Ghosts was the planned production for this year before Paul died.