Bubble No. 53: Trans-Siberian Orchestra

     …bliss.

     Pure, unadulterated bliss to sit in that auditorium and listen to that kind of sheer music. I was in heaven, and so was my brother. I had told him the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was worth paying nearly any amount to see, and after THAT show, he agreed with me completely. ^_^

     Thanksgiving was pleasant enough, with a lot of joking and chowing down. (Chicken-broccoli cornbread stuffing is fabulous. *purrrr* I’m so glad there was a lot left over!!) We played two rousing games of Trivial Pursuit with my sister-in-law’s dad and stepmother, which ended up being hilarious. (Turns out, the air above my head and to the right is the perfect place for pulling answers out of. I mean…"the ancient Greek word for a large city"…I took a wild guess that it was ‘metropolis’ and woot! Not to mention "Polaris," "Fox Mulder," "margarine," and the ever popular "…umm…pork?" It was astoundingly funny…but I’m a bad English major. ^_^ I didn’t know what Daphne du Mariner had written. *smacks hand* Bad English grad! Must read more literature!)

     Friday…*shudder* At least we didn’t go to any of the popular stores, and by the time we left the house, the crowds had died down. The candle shop smelled, from what little I could scent (as my nose is utterly useless), like a lot of candy and coffee. Hobby Lobby was a treasure trove of shiny things…I ran around like the deranged pooka I am. (I admit, it was a good feeling to go into a clothing store with my sister-in-law and her stepmother and be too small to properly wear anything in there. (Considering everything was a 14 and up, and I’m a 12 now. *dances* Woot!) I didn’t get to buy the jump drive I wanted, but meh…my old one is holding up quite nicely for now, and as I just found two insanely rare Changeling books for less than $50 total…*purr* Happy early Birthday to ME!

     Back home we went, and I had a few hours to mellow out, kick back, nap a bit and watch SpongeBob. (Now that I’ve had a few months break from constant Nickelodian, I find I enjoy a little SpongeBob now and then.) We took off from the house an hour and a half early to allow for plenty of time, even if we did have designated seats. You know, the best thing about living up here is the chance my brother and I have had to talk. We really haven’t spent this much time together…ever, actually…and turns out, a lot of the basic ideas I’ve held to about the world, he shares. ^_^ (I love my brother, I really do. He’s such an incredibly awesome man.)

     Kay, digression aside…we get there early, I buy him a t-shirt (very cool: a white tiger clawing the TSO vintage guitar) and my Wuffie a little something she’ll like. He picks up drumsticks (as he’s the drummer for his best friend’s band) and a t-shirt for my sister-in-law. Hop to our seats and relax, chat a bit, and talk on the phone to my boss, Dorothy, who was there with her husband. (She is also an incredible woman. ^_^) The lights went down, the magic began.

     Anyone who hasn’t seen the Trans-Siberian Orchestra needs to. Seriously. It’s not just the mix of rock and classical, nor is it the singing. Not just the awesome light/laser show, or the insanely cool musicians. The -story- is just plain good. I appreciate well-rounded people, and the fact that they write out stories that they tell through music…oh purr, baby. It was amazing to watch the audience. It wasn’t rowdy (until later) like you’d expect for what is essentially a rock concert. No…after every piece of music, every song…there was a moment of sheer silence before the applause began. I vividly remember sitting on the little stage in high school, gazing up at my red-haired theatre teacher Branwen and listening to her talk about an audience’s reactions. She told us "When you get that moment of silence, don’t freak. That’s the greatest compliment you can get. It means the audience forgot they were watching a show. They’re THERE, -with- you in it. They forgot they were just watching, and they began to participate." The TSO group got that silence every time. And they deserved it. (And while I think the God in their story is just picking on that youngest angel, it makes for neat tales. ^_~)

     And then the rock part began, and THEN the audience went nuts. They did Beethoven, Mozart (a piece from the Magic Flute, and the woman who sang the Winter Queen’s solo was amazing. She was…I still get chills remembering her standing up there, singing those crystal-clear notes.), and a few jazz pieces that were really fantastic. The piano "duel" was one of the greatest parts. Their male pianist had gotten a master’s at Julliard (Can you say "Oh my GODS!") and had played in such prestigious places as Carnegie Hall. *purr* The female pianist, wife of the creator of TSO, had one semester of community college and had played in bars. Lots of ’em. They were both awe-inspiring. The male pianist played the organ piece from ‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ and my brother and I both got chills. He played Mozart, a piece I believe was Chopin, and Bach. She played some jazz numbers that had her hands flying across the keys. Watching their hands was like watching sound…it was insanely cool.

     …and there was fire. ^!_!^ FIRE! (My brother was thrilled. Hiraka!)

     The light show was fantastic, and I loved the ‘blanket of stars’ that was the stage

backdrop throughout the Christmas story. Needless to say, after watching that show, my brother looked at his watch and said "They play in El Paso tomorrow night, right? We can make it. And Albequerque in two weeks? We can make that too." *grin* He bought their DVD and three CDs…and we’re looking for the Beethoven’s Last Night album. So…yeah. If you get ANY chance…listen to anything you can get of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. (Their "Christmas Eve in Sarajevo" is the one everyone commonly thinks of as ‘Carol of the Bells,’ but that’s not the piece’s name. However, it’s what almost everyone knows. And their Nutcracker pieces? Rockin’.)

     This has been the BEST month for concerts, ever!!!