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The Great Debate: Savatage=TSO or Savatage=/=TSO?
#1
As a big fan of both bands, I can see both sides of this argument.

On the Savatage=TSO side, if you look at the musicians that play on the TSO albums as well as the very first iteration of TSO to perform live, it consists of pretty much all the former members of Savatage. Chris Caffery, Al Pitrelli, and Paul O'Neill on guitars, Johnny Lee Middleton on Bass, Jon Olivia and Robert Kinkle on Keyboards, and Jeff Plate on drums. In that, one could make the argument that they're the same band, albeit with a different name and a different goal in mind. Of course, on the other side of the argument, because the musical goals of TSO are just so different as opposed to Savatage...TSO being a Christmas orientated neo-classical prog rock band and Savatage being what is essentially a progressive thrash band with some classical influences, diehard fans of Savatage either outright dislike TSO or would rather keep the two bands separate.

However from what I've gathered from Damond Jiniya's facebook rant, it does appear that Night Castle Management essentially considers both bands to be one in the same and basically wants to force everybody to be okay with it, which is why the proposed Savatage reunion and 2018 summer tour was effectively cancelled before it was even announced. 

If that's really the case, then I think NC Management really should consider doing more than just the winter tours. Sure, the winter tours are the "main event" and something that Americans look forward to every holiday season, however if they really want to make Savatage fans happy, and be taken a little bit more seriously by metalheads, maybe consider doing some more summer tours for Beethoven's Last Night or Night Castle, or maybe do a show that doesn't have a narration, but consists of nothing but TSO and Savatage hits.....
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#2
(01-09-2020, 02:02 AM)fraroc Wrote: As a big fan of both bands, I can see both sides of this argument.

On the Savatage=TSO side, if you look at the musicians that play on the TSO albums as well as the very first iteration of TSO to perform live, it consists of pretty much all the former members of Savatage. Chris Caffery, Al Pitrelli, and Paul O'Neill on guitars, Johnny Lee Middleton on Bass, Jon Olivia and Robert Kinkle on Keyboards, and Jeff Plate on drums. In that, one could make the argument that they're the same band, albeit with a different name and a different goal in mind. Of course, on the other side of the argument, because the musical goals of TSO are just so different as opposed to Savatage...TSO being a Christmas orientated neo-classical prog rock band and Savatage being what is essentially a progressive thrash band with some classical influences, diehard fans of Savatage either outright dislike TSO or would rather keep the two bands separate.

However from what I've gathered from Damond Jiniya's facebook rant, it does appear that Night Castle Management essentially considers both bands to be one in the same and basically wants to force everybody to be okay with it, which is why the proposed Savatage reunion and 2018 summer tour was effectively cancelled before it was even announced. 

If that's really the case, then I think NC Management really should consider doing more than just the winter tours. Sure, the winter tours are the "main event" and something that Americans look forward to every holiday season, however if they really want to make Savatage fans happy, and be taken a little bit more seriously by metalheads, maybe consider doing some more summer tours for Beethoven's Last Night or Night Castle, or maybe do a show that doesn't have a narration, but consists of nothing but TSO and Savatage hits.....

From this year's Winter Tour program ...


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#3
(01-09-2020, 02:02 AM)fraroc Wrote: ...if they really want to make Savatage fans happy, and be taken a little bit more seriously by metalheads...

That is where you are tripped up. Making Savatage fans happy and being taken seriously by metalheads are not part of the core discussion when planning out TSO's future. Maintaining and growing the TSO brand is. Also, I think their idea of making Savatage fans happy would differ from yours.


(01-09-2020, 02:02 AM)fraroc Wrote: consider doing some more summer tours for Beethoven's Last Night or Night Castle, or maybe do a show that doesn't have a narration, but consists of nothing but TSO and Savatage hits.....

If they thought that was a profitable venture, I am sure they would consider this. As good as those BLN tours were - and they were fantastic imho - they did not draw well. Mounting a non-Christmas tour without a mainstream hit or a built-in reason to go (such as Christmas) is a real challenge. The 2014 European tour is pretty much what you described though.
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#4
(01-09-2020, 07:02 AM)danfromnj Wrote:
(01-09-2020, 02:02 AM)fraroc Wrote: ...if they really want to make Savatage fans happy, and be taken a little bit more seriously by metalheads...

That is where you are tripped up.  Making Savatage fans happy and being taken seriously by metalheads are not part of the core discussion when planning out TSO's future.  Maintaining and growing the TSO brand is.  Also, I think their idea of making Savatage fans happy would differ from yours.


I just wish that TSO was taken a bit more seriously by metalheads instead of simply being viewed as a Christmas novelty. 

When you get down to the meat of things, Trans Siberian Orchestra is heavy metal in it's purest form. If you watch any documentary about Metal music, I guarantee there will be someone who mentions that classical music was the "heavy metal" of the eighteenth century. People have compared EVH to Mozart, John Petrucci to Paganini and so on and so forth. So in the sense that TSO mostly does heavy metal renditions of classical music, it should be very appealing to metalheads.
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#5
(01-09-2020, 02:02 AM)fraroc Wrote: As a big fan of both bands, I can see both sides of this argument.

On the Savatage=TSO side, if you look at the musicians that play on the TSO albums as well as the very first iteration of TSO to perform live, it consists of pretty much all the former members of Savatage. Chris Caffery, Al Pitrelli, and Paul O'Neill on guitars, Johnny Lee Middleton on Bass, Jon Olivia and Robert Kinkle on Keyboards, and Jeff Plate on drums. In that, one could make the argument that they're the same band, albeit with a different name and a different goal in mind. Of course, on the other side of the argument, because the musical goals of TSO are just so different as opposed to Savatage...TSO being a Christmas orientated neo-classical prog rock band and Savatage being what is essentially a progressive thrash band with some classical influences, diehard fans of Savatage either outright dislike TSO or would rather keep the two bands separate.

However from what I've gathered from Damond Jiniya's facebook rant, it does appear that Night Castle Management essentially considers both bands to be one in the same and basically wants to force everybody to be okay with it, which is why the proposed Savatage reunion and 2018 summer tour was effectively cancelled before it was even announced. 

If that's really the case, then I think NC Management really should consider doing more than just the winter tours. Sure, the winter tours are the "main event" and something that Americans look forward to every holiday season, however if they really want to make Savatage fans happy, and be taken a little bit more seriously by metalheads, maybe consider doing some more summer tours for Beethoven's Last Night or Night Castle, or maybe do a show that doesn't have a narration, but consists of nothing but TSO and Savatage hits.....
I am glad to see this thread albeit just now 12/21. What started out as the Trans >>Siberian<< Orchestra has become the Trans >>Savatage<< Orchestra in 2021 and the TSO logo will still work. lol  With 'Welcome' opening the show to inserting 'A Little Too Far' in the set list and Zack Stevens singing the circle is complete. Chris Caffery even plays a guitar with the Savatage logo during 'Welcome.' This is so wrong. This is all Jon  Oliva's work. He has always been jealous of Paul and the success Tr Sib Orc has that SAV didn't(ok SAV had success but as a niche band to a specific demographic group) especially with CES12/24. Now with Paul gone wel.....
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#6
(12-18-2021, 01:08 AM)TSOd Wrote:
(01-09-2020, 02:02 AM)fraroc Wrote: As a big fan of both bands, I can see both sides of this argument.

On the Savatage=TSO side, if you look at the musicians that play on the TSO albums as well as the very first iteration of TSO to perform live, it consists of pretty much all the former members of Savatage. Chris Caffery, Al Pitrelli, and Paul O'Neill on guitars, Johnny Lee Middleton on Bass, Jon Olivia and Robert Kinkle on Keyboards, and Jeff Plate on drums. In that, one could make the argument that they're the same band, albeit with a different name and a different goal in mind. Of course, on the other side of the argument, because the musical goals of TSO are just so different as opposed to Savatage...TSO being a Christmas orientated neo-classical prog rock band and Savatage being what is essentially a progressive thrash band with some classical influences, diehard fans of Savatage either outright dislike TSO or would rather keep the two bands separate.

However from what I've gathered from Damond Jiniya's facebook rant, it does appear that Night Castle Management essentially considers both bands to be one in the same and basically wants to force everybody to be okay with it, which is why the proposed Savatage reunion and 2018 summer tour was effectively cancelled before it was even announced. 

If that's really the case, then I think NC Management really should consider doing more than just the winter tours. Sure, the winter tours are the "main event" and something that Americans look forward to every holiday season, however if they really want to make Savatage fans happy, and be taken a little bit more seriously by metalheads, maybe consider doing some more summer tours for Beethoven's Last Night or Night Castle, or maybe do a show that doesn't have a narration, but consists of nothing but TSO and Savatage hits.....
I am glad to see this thread albeit just now 12/21. What started out as the Trans >>Siberian<< Orchestra has become the Trans >>Savatage<< Orchestra in 2021 and the TSO logo will still work. lol  With 'Welcome' opening the show to inserting 'A Little Too Far' in the set list and Zack Stevens singing the circle is complete. Chris Caffery even plays a guitar with the Savatage logo during 'Welcome.' This is so wrong. This is all Jon  Oliva's work. He has always been jealous of Paul and the success Tr Sib Orc has that SAV didn't(ok SAV had success but as a niche band to a specific demographic group) especially with CES12/24. Now with Paul gone wel.....
What's wrong with that? TSO has always referred to Savatage and as it has been mentiond, considers the current band as natural progress the original band had after Criss Oliva died. They've done Savatage songs live, rerecorded Savatage songs on records. It's only natural.

The 2014 Europe tour was great but it doesn't seem to be interesting for them. They're used to fill huge arenas and anything smaller doesn't make enough money to put their work into it. I guess they know the Christmas shows will always sell and that's the original albums that sell. So no reason to work on anything new. Unfortunately. I'd love to see some of the unfinished projects come to the light of the day.
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