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Reading, PA - Ghosts of Christmas Eve 2015
#1
I saw my first show of this 2015 tour in the small-ish Santander Arena in Reading, PA. Wikipedia says the capacity for concerts ranges from 6,000-9,000, depending on setup. The check was for $4200, so that gives a pretty good indication of how many people were there for this Show. A friend went to the matinee and said they saw some entire empty sections in the bowl for that Show.

The rear stage didn't elevate, nor was there that weird pyramid that they are carrying around this year. I suspect it was due to the size of the arena. I did like the main stage alot - clean and open. Those video screens made it seem huge!

The audience did not seem that into the Show. No spontaneous standing ovations. And even when Chris does his usual signalling for folks to stand up, it was very sporadic. There are numerous "hold for applause" moments in the TSO Show - and for the most part they came across a little awkward as there wasn't the usual instant applause that usually accompanies those. That was different from past tours where fans seemed to readily spring to their feet often.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Show. I have lost count how many times I have seen them since 2006, but this was real enjoyable.

The pros:

• The setlist! I can always nitpick and pick out some songs that I would like to have replaced with other songs, but this is a real solid set with many of my favorites.

• More songs from their Christmas albums in the 2nd half than they have had in a while - I counted six plus the Sarajevo reprise.

• Russell Allen - I miss James Lewis a ton. And Michael Lanning and Tommy Farese owned these songs. However, Russell does a tremendous job with “Christmas Nights in Blue” and “This Christmas Day” - really just owns the stage during these.

• Just about all of the vocal performances were dynamite, as usual

• Bill Hudson! I was never a fan of the hammy, overdone stage presence of Joel Hoekstra. Bill harkens back to the days of Alex Skolnick - just lets the music do the talking for the most part.

• Less dancing than in years past!

The cons:

• Not a fan of Lisa Lavie's overwrought rendition of Music Box Blues. Chloe and Erika Jerry own this song since Daryl passed and Lavie's rendition just sounds like she is trying too hard. Just doesn't do it for me.

• As with most groups I see in concert frequently, there is always a song or two that I wish they would retire and switch out for something new and fresh. For TSO, it is “The Mountain”. Nothing about this performance interests me anymore. And the second part of the song where Kayla marches out with the signed guitar and the other ladies surround her in that odd "dance" is always a low point for me. So much is thrown into “The Mountain” that it's like a carnival for six minutes. And why does Kayla always look like she does not want to be on stage? Is she being told to be the "serious rocker" while performing? Smile once in a while!

• The spotlight on Roddy “playing” the violin during the opening cello part of Sarajevo. The cellist is just sitting there now not playing and the cello sound we hear is coming from the keys. All of that is fine – but don’t put the spotlight on a violinist and make believe that somehow those cello notes are coming out of it.

• Only one song for Rob Evan to sing? Boo!

• Only one song for Zak Stevens to sing? Zak is not your ordinary TSO vocalist – I thought for sure he was here to sing something special – maybe a Savatage song or something out of the box. I felt both he and Rob were way under-utilized in the Show.

• The Johnny Green remake – “Forget About the Blame” – sung fantastically by Robin Borneman. It just doesn’t sound like a TSO song to me.

• And the ultimate con: Photoshopping Tommy Farese’s photo out of that movie still. It was shown twice and it was disgusting each time. Things ended badly between Tommy and Paul – we get that, but Tommy is TSO royalty. He meant so much to TSO’s fans. And for him to photoshop another man’s face where Tommy’s face was is so low and petty. Bad, bad form and really disappointing.
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#2
even though im a westie that sounds to be overall a very fair review. the good and the bad.
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#3
Great review. Thanks for contributing.
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#4
I've watched the videos on YouTube a few times now since I won't see East. I'd pretty much agree with everything said. I don't like "Music Box Blues" under any circumstances but this chick's version is just way too much. Of everything.

I agree that it's time to let "The Mountain" disappear into the sunset. And take those damn dragons with it. What do they have to do with anything? Seriously.

I think it's a shame that Rob Evan and Zak Stevens (of all people) get one song.

I see West and this year will have to go to Oklahoma City this year as they have skipped Tulsa. I figure that's likely a permanent thing. The attendance in Tulsa has been dropping over the years and I suspect that and probably some scheduling difficulties has removed Tulsa from the list in the future. And that will cut into overall attendance since a lot of people will not bother to drive over. Of the usual 8 to 10 people I have taken in the past, this year there are none. I'm taking a couple of newbies but the old-timers who'd been going aren't bothering to go.
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#5
(12-01-2015, 02:34 PM)NancyL Wrote: I agree that it's time to let "The Mountain" disappear into the sunset. And take those damn dragons with it. What do they have to do with anything? Seriously.

I have not seen TSO this year and likely won't be making the trek, but in the past few years The Mountain has been a nod to a classic Savatage song called Prelude to Madness. Since the brass are afraid to do a full blown reunion or even mention the name Savatage on a TSO stage, I guess this is their backdoor way to try to get people to discover the roots of the band.

The few times I have seen it live, I thought it was very well done and the most metal moment of the night. Dare I say, it is even better than the original with the extended ending. Then again, I am a lifelong Savatage fan and that's really why I am there. The Christmas music is nice but I like the heavier stuff...
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#6
I saw them in L'ville KY a few nights ago and I've gotta agree with MOST of Dan's comments... :-)

Lisa Lavie is a great singer but not on Music Box Blues (and I think she did one other song as well). She's got the attitude & the talent but seems like she REALLY has to struggle for the big notes.

Rob Evan only doing one song was a surprise indeed but I had to wonder if he wasn't feeling well in L'ville? He's noted for his amazing STRENGTH as a vocalist & seemed like he was "out of breath" and having to cut some of the long phrases short. Not like him at all!!

Was disappointed that Zak didn't get to sing more. My husband wasn't familiar with him & after he sang, leaned over & said "that guy from Savatage is tiny but he's gotta helluva big voice!!!" I was like "NO DUH!!!!!!" LOL!

Russell Allen... Oh my gosh... My whole family loved James Lewis & were just broken-hearted when he stopped touring a few years ago but Russell Allen has filled those shoes nicely indeed! (Still prefer James on "This Christmas Day" but Russell owns "Christmas Nights in Blue"!)

Bill Hudson did a nice job but we honestly missed Joel & his over-the-top theatrics. Maybe he'll loosen up if he stays with TSO in future years but I missed a lot of the interaction & byplay between Chris, Joel, Dave Z. and Roddy.

Robin Borneman did a great job on Forget About the Blame and I really like the song but, as Dan said, it just doesn't sound like TSO... And my husband didn't like the song at all. Said that, for him, that was the weakest part of the show.

We all liked more Christmas music in the 2nd half but at the same time missed more or a story line with Bryan Hicks in the 1st half. Missed Carmina Burana as well. And Believe.

Time and Distance just doesn't cut it as the opener for me. Don't care for the song. Makes for a boring opener in my opinion.

Kayla Reeves' voice has finally matured. The little 17 year old we originally saw with TSO years ago is definitely all woman now, lol! And her voice and performance show it. The whole guitar thing on The Mountain was weird though.

As for the crowd, it was in the KFC Yum Center and it looked pretty full. The check was for $6000 something. I noticed a few empty seats in front of us but not many. The couple to our right left after only 3 or 4 songs after coming in late to the show. (And I was thankful to see them leave because the guy had a serious BO problem & was making my life MISERABLE as I tried to ignore it!) The crowd was more sedate than I've seen in the past but I've noticed that at shows in L'vile - we're used to a rough & rowdy crowd of all ages in Lexington. L'ville crowds tend towards the older, more sedate end of the spectrum...

Overall, it was a good show. Not their "best" but a good solid show overall. My whole family finds ourselves missing Christmas Eve and Other Stories though. It was, by far, our favorite since we began going to TSO concerts back in 2008 and we'd all love to hear those songs (An Angel Came Down, Prince of Peace, Mad Russian's Christmas, etc.) again.
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#7
(11-27-2015, 11:33 AM)danfromnj Wrote: I saw my first show of this 2015 tour in the small-ish Santander Arena in Reading, PA.  Wikipedia says the capacity for concerts ranges from 6,000-9,000, depending on setup.  The check was for $4200, so that gives a pretty good indication of how many people were there for this Show. A friend went to the matinee and said they saw some entire empty sections in the bowl for that Show.

The rear stage didn't elevate, nor was there that weird pyramid that they are carrying around this year.  I suspect it was due to the size of the arena. I did like the main stage alot - clean and open.  Those video screens made it seem huge!

The audience did not seem that into the Show.  No spontaneous standing ovations. And even when Chris does his usual signalling for folks to stand up, it was very sporadic.  There are numerous "hold for applause" moments in the TSO Show - and for the most part they came across a little awkward as there wasn't the usual instant applause that usually accompanies those. That was different from past tours where fans seemed to readily spring to their feet often.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Show.  I have lost count how many times I have seen them since 2006, but this was real enjoyable.

The pros:

• The setlist! I can always nitpick and pick out some songs that I would like to have replaced with other songs, but this is a real solid set with many of my favorites.

• More songs from their Christmas albums in the 2nd half than they have had in a while - I counted six plus the Sarajevo reprise.

• Russell Allen - I miss James Lewis a ton.  And Michael Lanning and Tommy Farese owned these songs.  However, Russell does a tremendous job with “Christmas Nights in Blue” and “This Christmas Day” - really just owns the stage during these.

• Just about all of the vocal performances were dynamite, as usual

• Bill Hudson!  I was never a fan of the hammy, overdone stage presence of Joel Hoekstra.  Bill harkens back to the days of Alex Skolnick - just lets the music do the talking for the most part.

• Less dancing than in years past!

The cons:

• Not a fan of Lisa Lavie's overwrought rendition of Music Box Blues.  Chloe and Erika Jerry own this song since Daryl passed and Lavie's rendition just sounds like she is trying too hard. Just doesn't do it for me.

• As with most groups I see in concert frequently, there is always a song or two that I wish they would retire and switch out for something new and fresh.  For TSO, it is “The Mountain”.  Nothing about this performance interests me anymore.  And the second part of the song where Kayla marches out with the signed guitar and the other ladies surround her in that odd "dance" is always a low point for me. So much is thrown into “The Mountain” that it's like a carnival for six minutes.  And why does Kayla always look like she does not want to be on stage? Is she being told to be the "serious rocker" while performing?  Smile once in a while!

• The spotlight on Roddy “playing” the violin during the opening cello part of Sarajevo. The cellist is just sitting there now not playing and the cello sound we hear is coming from the keys. All of that is fine – but don’t put the spotlight on a violinist and make believe that somehow those cello notes are coming out of it.

• Only one song for Rob Evan to sing? Boo!

• Only one song for Zak Stevens to sing?  Zak is not your ordinary TSO vocalist – I thought for sure he was here to sing something special – maybe a Savatage song or something out of the box.  I felt both he and Rob were way under-utilized in the Show.

• The Johnny Green remake – “Forget About the Blame” – sung fantastically by Robin Borneman. It just doesn’t sound like a TSO song to me.

• And the ultimate con: Photoshopping Tommy Farese’s photo out of that movie still. It was shown twice and it was disgusting each time. Things ended badly between Tommy and Paul – we get that, but Tommy is TSO royalty. He meant so much to TSO’s fans.  And for him to photoshop another man’s face where Tommy’s face was is so low and petty.  Bad, bad form and really disappointing.

Finally, I don't feel like I'm on an island, I agree - "...Bill Hudson! I was never a fan of the hammy, overdone stage presence of Joel Hoekstra. Bill harkens back to the days of Alex Skolnick - just lets the music do the talking for the most part..."
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#8
We saw our first TSO concert last year and my wife loved Chloe Lowery on Music Box Blues.

Just out of curiosity, what do some of you guys think about Joe Retta's version?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4LSo6TVPDA
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