12-22-2025, 08:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-25-2025, 09:40 AM by TheBigTBone.)
Hello TSO Fans, hope your Christmas season has been a great one. I was able to attend the concert in Raleigh, NC on the 11th of this month and I can honestly tell you not much has changed. The drones in the back of the stadium were a great add on, but if you are sitting in front of the rear platform looking at the stage...well, it's tough on the neck and your neighbor sitting next to you. You have to turn almost all the way backwards to see the action. With all their technical expertise, I would figure a way to have that put on the main two screens on the stage...no brainer if you ask me. They were able to have two giant screens match Georgia singing Promises to Keep, so why could they not have the back arena action up there as well?
A very awesome change was having Caleb sing Music Box Blues...finally! I have been saying for years they needed to turn this over to a man again and they finally did and Caleb knocked it out of the park. DDP would have been proud because Caleb sounded just like the original recording. I never liked it being taken over by the girls and I finally got to see it performed in its original form my last time attending a TSO Christmas show. The yearly shows have gotten stale and to me even some of the musicians and singers looked bored...especially Roddy. Tony (the bass player) tries way too much to be like Dave Z...he's not and he should just do his own thing instead of over exaggerating all his movements. There was a very light drum solo as well.
The meet and greet was the same as prior years. Hand your one thing over to be signed and rush through the line. I went to the very back of the line and when my program was signed (the very last item) they got up and left...like they were in a hurry to get out of there. I was able to talk a little with Jeff Plate and he did say that Savatage is working on doing some US touring...we'll see. The guy in the line in front of me is a Jeff Plate almost look alike, BUT Plate is going bald and the doppelgänger said "WTF!" when he saw Plates hair, or what's left of it. Same with Chris and Al. When you are loosing the hair you need to shave it or start wearing hats like John C. O Riley has done...it is not a good look guys and you don't need long hair to be a rocker...see Joe Satirani. The girls were very nice, especially Gabriela (and she is absolutely gorgeous as well) and the new girl from the west...Formica is her last name.
My last TSO concert was ok, but my decision is written in stone and I will not do another one for a very long time if ever...UNLESS they bring out something totally new. Merry Christmas and have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year. TBONE out.
A very awesome change was having Caleb sing Music Box Blues...finally! I have been saying for years they needed to turn this over to a man again and they finally did and Caleb knocked it out of the park. DDP would have been proud because Caleb sounded just like the original recording. I never liked it being taken over by the girls and I finally got to see it performed in its original form my last time attending a TSO Christmas show. The yearly shows have gotten stale and to me even some of the musicians and singers looked bored...especially Roddy. Tony (the bass player) tries way too much to be like Dave Z...he's not and he should just do his own thing instead of over exaggerating all his movements. There was a very light drum solo as well.
The meet and greet was the same as prior years. Hand your one thing over to be signed and rush through the line. I went to the very back of the line and when my program was signed (the very last item) they got up and left...like they were in a hurry to get out of there. I was able to talk a little with Jeff Plate and he did say that Savatage is working on doing some US touring...we'll see. The guy in the line in front of me is a Jeff Plate almost look alike, BUT Plate is going bald and the doppelgänger said "WTF!" when he saw Plates hair, or what's left of it. Same with Chris and Al. When you are loosing the hair you need to shave it or start wearing hats like John C. O Riley has done...it is not a good look guys and you don't need long hair to be a rocker...see Joe Satirani. The girls were very nice, especially Gabriela (and she is absolutely gorgeous as well) and the new girl from the west...Formica is her last name.
My last TSO concert was ok, but my decision is written in stone and I will not do another one for a very long time if ever...UNLESS they bring out something totally new. Merry Christmas and have a Blessed and Prosperous New Year. TBONE out.
