TAMPA – The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will celebrate its 30th anniversary at Benchmark International Arena with two events Dec. 20, featuring a reimagined staging of “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve,” followed by a second set.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra pairs an audio/visual experience that includes lasers, pyrotechnics and special effects with fan-friendly ticket pricing.
“Thirty years in, we never take a single person in that audience for granted,” said Al Pitrelli, music director and guitarist. “With the economy the way that it is right now, it shouldn’t be a mortgage payment for a family to come out to see us.”
Since its formation in 1996, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has grown into a multiplatinum progressive rock group, generating more than $1 billion in gross ticket sales and establishing its annual rock theater tour as a tradition.
“The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” follows the journey of a runaway who breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater on Dec. 24 to escape the cold. The teen is discovered by the theater’s caretaker, who uses the ghosts and spirits from the building’s past to turn her life around.
The rock opera features beloved songs originally created by the late Paul O’Neill and the group’s composers, including Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s signature hit, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.” The RIAA-certified triple-platinum track has amassed more than 300 million global streams.
Other fan favorites include “Christmas Canon,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Mad Russian Christmas,” “Wizards in Winter,” “Requiem (the Fifth)” and “This Christmas Day.”
At least $1 from every ticket sold benefits select local charities. Trans-Siberian Orchestra has distributed more than $20 million to charities all across North America.
