Trans-Siberian Orchestra Plans Tampa Stop for Winter 2016 Tour

TAMPA, FL – It’s not often a band is remembered for a particular time of year. However, for the past 20 years, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has done just that.

The multi-platinum progressive rock group has turned the Christmas season into a full-on rock theater spectacular. And for its 20th anniversary season, TSO’s leader, Paul O’Neill, is bringing back their classic stage show: “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.”

Amalie Arena will play host to Trans-Siberian Orchestra for two shows on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Tampa shows are a part of TSO’s 61-city North American tour that kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 17.

Pre-sale tickets are available to Trans-Siberian Orchestra fan club members on Wednesday, Sept. 7 through Friday, Sept. 9. Tickets will then become available to the general public on Friday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m.

Each ticket sold online at www.trans-siberian.com will include a digital audio copy of “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.” This is the first time these songs have been released in an audio package. The album features the bonus track “Music Box Blues (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004).”

“The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” is based on TSO’s multi-platinum DVD and long-running PBS fundraiser. The story follows the journey of a runaway who breaks into an abandoned Vaudeville theater on Dec. 24. While seeking shelter from the cold, the teen is discovered by the theater’s cartaker, who uses the ghosts and spirits from the building’s past to turn her life around.

The rock opera features fan favorites such as “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Good King Joy,” “Christmas Canon,” “Music Box Blues,” “Promises To Keep,” and “This Christmas Day.” The 2016 version of the tour will feature an all-new second set containing some of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s greatest hits and fan favorites.

“This show was an experiment, to take something that was conceived for TV and try to express that story live on stage,” O’Neill said. “Integrating segments of the TV show, with a live narrator, and full rock band was something TSO had never done. It brought back so many memories to see Ossie Davis and everyone else who helped make that TV special into the annual tradition that it has become. The overwhelming response from the fans during the 2015 Winter Tour drove the band’s decision to take it back out on the road this year. As always, we have new artists, new special effects and lots of surprises in store. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on the road.”

Tickets for the event are $32, $42, $49.75, $59.50 and $71.25 and can be purchased at the McDonald’s Ticket Office at Amalie Arena or at ticketmaster.com. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (800) 745-3000. The prices do not include facility fees or service charges.

As in all previous years, $1 to $2 of every ticket sold will benefit select local charities. To date, more than $13 million has been distributed to charities across the country.

For more information, visit www.trans-siberian.com.

Image courtesy of Trans-Siberian Orchestra