A Tale of Two Concerts: Part Two, Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Connecticut

Two weeks to the day after I had gone up to Massachusetts to attend the Hot Rize bluegrass concert that I wrote about in yesterday's post, I had the chance to go another concert - this one a lot closer as it was being held at the Mohegan Sun Casino Arena.  My Mom had picked up tickets for Jamie and I to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra - a group that I had been wanting to take Jamie to go see for years!

Believe it or not, I'm not going to get into the history of the band (gasp!) as you can read all of that in my post from November 13th, 2007 when I took Amanda to go see the same group at the same venue. Prior to that we had seen them once before when TSO performed in Worcester, Massachusetts in December of 2006.   Both times that Amanda and I attended a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, the only thing missing was Jamie as the timing had never been right so it was always my hope to take her to see them at some point in time.  I was quite happy to see that they were returning to do a performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena (they'd skipped it the past few years) and it was even on one of my nights off, too!

I guess it was fate so I asked my Mom if she'd pick up tickets for me her next trip down to the casino.  I don't get there too often as they fail to send me enticing offers in the mail but my mom gets "free slot play" quite frequently so I figured she'd get there long before I would.  She was and she got the best available tickets that were left (the show definitely sells out) which were kinda-sorta in the upper reaches of the arena.  Considering my mom refused to take any money for the tickets I sure the heck wasn't going to complain and I figured that TSO puts on one heck of a show and if you don't see it even from the nosebleed section, you've got your eyes closed!

With the concert set to start at 8:00, Jamie and I got to the Sun early enough to have a nice dinner at Big Bubba's where they serve up a very tasty BBQ pulled pork sandwich amongst other tasty delights.  I had originally wanted to go to Bobby Flay's Burger Palace and have a Crunchburger (a to-die-for cheeseburger with potato chips!) but Jamie had her heart set on BBQ and the line at Bobby Flay's convinced me that the kid had a point and maybe BBQ wouldn't be bad after all!   It looked like not only was the vast majority of southeastern Connecticut going to the concert but they were eating out first!

While we were at dinner, I sent a text to my friend Frank who works as a Fire Inspector for the Mohegan Tribal Fire Department to let him know we were there.  Frank was working the concert and had said that he would see what he could do about getting me better seats as the stairs are quite steep in the section we were in and he figured my back would much prefer something a little lower.  I tend to forget that I have a bad back until I'm in the middle of doing something that perhaps I shouldn't be doing and it was nice of Frank to think of that. This getting old and feeble stuff is for the birds, I tell ya!

After we finished dinner, we made our way to the arena and barely got 20 steps into the place when Jamie spied the merch stand. I've taken Amanda to enough concerts to know what that means - "Mom, can I get something??" - so I handed Jamie some cash and told her to pick something out while I waited for Frank to arrive.  He showed up a few moments later and traded my tickets in the upper level of the arena for tickets that not only were in the lower arena but darned close to the floor of the arena!

Jamie, who was busy buying herself a knit cap with an official TSO logo on it, didn't know any of this so as we walked with Frank in the direction of our seats, she mentioned that we had passed the section we were sitting in.  I told her that no, we were being upgraded to better seats and she looked over at Frank and said, "I know I just met you but I love you!" She loved him even more when we finally got to our seats:

Okay, so there are definitely some perks to being old and feeble after all! While we were waiting for the show to start, Jamie called her grandmother to say thank you again for the tickets and to tell her how close to the stage we were. My Mom asked how that had happened and Jamie replied, "Mom knows people ... and she has a bad back!"  Sigh ...

Turns out that there were a couple of other people from work at the show with one of them being one of the paramedics that I work with who had bought front row seats for his wife for her birthday.  Very impressive!  I think some of the stage fog probably rolled down on him a time or two and no doubt his wife loved her present!

My friend Andrew, another paramedic, had seen the show a couple of weeks ago when they performed in Hartford and he told me that the band had changed the show up a little bit but that it was still really good so I sat back and waited to be entertained.  There was a "no photography or video taping" warning so I didn't bring my Nikon with me but Jamie had brought her small point-and-shoot camera - as had lots of people around us - and she managed to get a few halfway decent shots:

Jamie even managed to get a tiny snippet of video before she was told by the female security officer near us to not do that.  It gives you a little idea of the light show that the band employs; I'm pretty sure that people who are subject to seizure disorders should not go to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert!


As you can see, there was a lot of long hair that was flying all over the place but that's one of the things that makes the Trans-Siberian Orchestra unique - they perform classical music with a rock-band twist and they do it really, really well! If you aren't bobbing your head or clapping your hands or tapping your feet during one of their shows, there's truly something wrong with you in my own humble opinion. And you need not be young to enjoy TSO as the vast majority of people there were probably my age or older. Just probably most of them don't suffer from bad backs. Sigh.

At one point TSO performed a number where two rather long catwalks were lowered down over the audience and the band members took turns going out on it to perform - something that I wasn't too surprised about as I had thought that part of the stage that stretched out over the audience looked suspiciously like something one could perform on.

As it turned out, one of the platforms was almost directly over our heads and I managed to grab a quick shot of electric violinst Roddy Chong as he leaned over the railing above. This was taken with my iPhone so is not the best quality but that security officer was standing quite close by and I didn't want to risk pulling Jamie's camera out again for fear she might just take it away this time.  Not that everyone and their brother weren't taking pictures but I try to adhere to the rules as much as I can.

After about three hours of just about non-stop high-energy, head-banging, laser-shooting, fireworks-popping, mind-blowing performing, the band finally wrapped up the show with everyone in the arena on their feet and cheering loudly.

As is their norm following a performance, the band was going to be available for autographs following the show but it looked like the entire crowd in the arena was going to go out and stand in line so we had to pass as it was already after 11:00 and I needed to be back at work at 7:00 in the morning. As Jamie vowed that next time we'd stay for autographs, I was reminded of her sister and that same vow that she had made back in 2006 when we saw TSO for the first time and which came true in 2007. So ... guess where I may be next year??

All in all, Jamie and I had a wonderful evening out and she really enjoyed the concert just like I always thought she would.  Oh, and may I just state that I think that Jeff Plate is unequivocally one of the best drummers in the business - he deserved a standing ovation all his own for the performance he put on!  If you haven't seen Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert I highly, highly recommend you do next time they're in your area - you won't be sorry!

The TSO Concert Wrap-Up

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Trans Siberian Orchestra - Requiem The Fifth



The above is something to listen to while you read ...

As I mentioned in several earlier posts, Amanda and I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert Sunday night at The Mohegan Sun Casino which is about five minutes down the road from me. This wasn't the first time we have seen them as we went last year with Andrew and Bethany when they played in Worcester, Massachusetts. After last year's show we had both enthusiastically agreed that we most definitely wanted to see them when they came around again this year so when tickets went on sale at The Sun I got down there the first day to get decent seats.

This is the first show that I've seen at The Mohegan Sun Arena (despite the fact that I live so close as well as having worked there as a blackjack dealer for awhile) and I must say that I was impressed. Everything was very orderly and our seats were perfect midway from the stage on the first level. My only complaint is that after 2-1/2 hours, the seats were getting a little uncomfortable but I'm sure the heck not going to complain about a 2-1/2 hour concert!

For those not familiar with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, they were formed in 1996 by Paul O'Neil, a composer, lyricist, and producer who, in the 1980's, was one of the biggest rock promoters in Japan as he promoted every tour of Madonna and Sting done in that decade, along with some of the biggest rock festivals of the 80's with such acts as Foreigner, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake. Along with O'Neil two of his long time friends and collaborators, Robert Kinkel and Jon Oliva, joined together to form the core writing team for TSO.

So - to answer the anonymous comment left on my previous post titled "Head-Banging Classical Music" which said, "This is very similar to the Metallica S&M album where they performed with an orchestra. Which one came first?" the answer is TSO came first by several years. Their first album "Christmas Eve & Other Stories" was released on October 15th, 1996 while Metallica's S&M wasn't recorded with the San Francisco Symphony until April 21 & 22, 1999.

As I stated previously, TSO's music is a combination of rock, progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy metal with influences from classical music. It's heavy metal long-haired rockers meet classical music long-haired composers (as evidenced by the video above which is from their album "Beethoven's Last Night" which was released on April 11th, 2000). I'm not sure how to describe it any better than that! The group is absolutely fantastic and pour their all into every performance. If you don't walk out of a TSO performance saying "WOW!" then you are both deaf and blind and have no clue what true musicianship is. Sorry - that's just the way it is!

Sunday night's concert was absolutely phenomenal and Amanda and I both enjoyed it thoroughly even though we seemed to be sitting amongst a group of people who seemed to have trouble even tapping their toes, never mind clapping along when prompted. Ah yes, reserved New Englanders ...

At every concert they perform, Trans-Siberian Orchestra routinely donates $1 of every ticket sale to the Red Cross and for those of you who are Rachel Lutzker fans (the traffic reporter for Channel 3 WFSB News in Hartford) who flock to my blog looking for mention of her (seriously, you should see my searches!); you'll be happy to know that she was there and, along with several band members, helped to present a check for $10,176.00 to a representative of the National Red Cross. Rachel also works at The River 105.9 FM in Hartford so she was there in her DJ capacity and not as a traffic reporter before she took her seat in the audience. For those who want to know, she was wearing jeans and a very nice blouse, okay??

Amanda was probably the only person there with turquoise-green hair and even though she routinely listens to the likes of My Chemical Romance, Mindless Self Indulgence, HIM, and The Used, she is also quite the TSO fan as you can see by this picture and the look on her face.

The only drawback to her being a fan is that she insisted we stay afterwards for the autograph session that TSO has after every concert. We didn't get the chance to stay when we saw them last year and she really wanted to get autographs. Incredible pushover that I am, I acquiesed and after standing in line for a little over half an hour and chatting with a very nice couple from Rocky Hill (the male half was sporting a Mohawk haircut so he and Amanda got along quite well) she got autographs from every band member on the drumsticks she'd gotten from the merch stand. One of the sticks has all the band members' autographs while the other stick only has Jeff Plate, the drummer's autograph. He is - after all - the drummer and what an incredible drummer he is!

Chris Caffery, guitarist and the guy who does all the introductions and speaking for the band when they're performing, asked Amanda if her hair was a natural green and she had a good giggle about that. Alex Skolnick, another of the guitarists who is incredibly talented, was also extremely nice and even gave Amanda an autographed guitar pick to add to her collection of goodies. All in all, she had a fantastic night and has been playing TSO music since. A nice break from the other stuff she normally plays I must say!

My main thought during the show, other than how much I was enjoying it, was that I really, really wished that Jamie could have been there with us. She's never been to a concert while her sister has been to three this year and I am more than positive that she would absolutely love TSO as she is a child of the 80's when it comes to the music she likes - AC/DC, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and other bands of that genre are her favorites and to go to a concert with long-haired, head-banging rockers would probably be the ultimate thrill for her. I'm really hoping that when they come around again next year, as they do every year, that she'll be here to go with us.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from this year's show. Surprisingly, The Sun has no stipulations against taking pictures during performances so Amanda was able to take quite a few. (Oops! After looking at our tickets I saw where it said "No cameras or recording devices" so technically The Sun does have stipulations against taking pictures! Sorry!) This is where a nicer digital camera would have come in handy but all things considered, they came out pretty good. Of course, you really have to be there live to appreciate the laser show and the pyrotechnics as well as the energy of the band. Trust me on that one, I wouldn't lie to you!

Head-Banging Classical Music

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In my post on Sunday I mentioned that Amanda and I were going to be attending a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at The Mohegan Sun Arena and I said that it would "be a nice evening out with good head-banging classical music and pyrotechnics". Apparently there are those who are not familiar with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and had no idea what "head-banging classical music" could possibly be so for Mimi and Patti, I am posting the following video clip that Amanda took at Sunday night's concert.

This is just a small segment of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" and even though that's not a classical music piece, it's still pretty cool and definitely head-banging! TSO's music is often described in different terms but basically they incorporate rock, progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy metal with influences from classical music and have a sound that is out of this world. One of their album's is entitled "Beethoven's Last Night" and there's some definite hand-banging classical music on it!

If you have not had the chance to see this band perform, trust me - you do not know what you're missing! I'll be writing more about Sunday's night concert complete with pictures later today after I get back from a doctor's appointment and visit to my Mom's but in the meantime, enjoy this small segment ...

Shipoopi, Stew, & Stuff

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After a rather busy day yesterday, it's been nice to have a Sunday to just relax a bit and sit on the couch. I think I could rather get used to having Sundays off though I guess I'd best not, I only have this afternoon off as I've got plans for later on.

I spent most of yesterday cleaning the house and cooking as we had invited Jason, Amy, & Cate over dinner. That would be the Jason, Amy, & Cate who are related to the phenomenal Lyn-Z of Mindless Self Indulgence fame who is married to the one and only Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance fame. Normally I wouldn't even mention that but I figure with Google dropping my Page Rank faster than the stocks crashed on Wall Street in 1929, I could go for some shameless self-promotion and drop names!

Truth be told Jason, Amy, & Cate don't need to be related to any one at all for me to want to invite them over for dinner as they are three fantastic people and I truly enjoy their company. It's good for Amanda to have Jason come over and pick on her unmercifully and then break out into a pretty decent rendition of "Shipoopi", originally made famous in Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man" but maybe more widely known in this video -


It was actually quite entertaining to have dinner and a show of sorts! Since the first time I met Jason at American Ambulance he's been making me laugh and last night was no exception! Poor Amy and Cate were getting quite the work-out with the eye-rolling but I could see they were holding back the snickers themselves! Cate is one lucky girl to have a father who has such a good sense of humor.

For dinner I made homemade beef stew in a bread-bowl that turned out to be quite tasty, in my own humble opinion, followed by apple crisp using a slightly different recipe than the last batch I made. In this one I added some chopped pecans to the topping and drizzled it with butter prior to baking it. Yum! Considering that it was a cold November day yesterday, it was the perfect meal - again in my own humble opinion! And one of the best parts is that there's plenty of leftover stew because I always make way too much and there isn't much better than reheated beef stew - yet again in my own humble opinion!

Unfortunately Amy wasn't feeling too well as she's battling the nasty cold that seems to be going around and around and around out here so they didn't stay for too long after dinner - just long enough to watch the latest episode of "House" that we had on DVR and then VH1's "Best Week Ever", though if you ask me if that was the best they could come up with for this week then NO ONE had a best week! Normally the show is pretty funny but this week - not so funny.

Later this evening Amanda and I will head over to the Mohegan Sun Casino for a concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra - which thankfully wasn't canceled for any reason! We went to see them last year for the first time after Christmas at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts and they were excellent (you can read about it in my post here if you'd like) so I'm expecting no less of a spectacular show this evening. Add on the fact that it's less than 5 minutes down the road and what more could you possibly want? Well, I would like Jamie to be there with us as I'm sure she would absolutely love the show, too, but alas she won't be here until next month. Maybe next year if we're lucky?

Anyhow, I'm sure it will be a nice evening out with good head-banging classical music and pyrotechnics and maybe even a stop at Ben & Jerry's for some ice cream! Sure beats the heck out of being at work! Oh, and speaking of work, if you'd like a small glimpse into what I do (or is that say?) for a living, click on this link to WTIC-Fox 61 News and then scroll down to "EMS Shortage" on 11/8. That voice you hear as the ambulance rolls out of the bay is mine (cringe!). Ah, fleeting fame!