Lasers, hundreds of them, criss-crossed into an elaborate net over the heads of the audience inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, as flames shot out of the stage. Guitarists ripped their hard-rock solos. Projection mapping transformed a blank castle-shaped back wall into fast-changing scenes.
This wasn’t a Kiss concert, but it wasn’t far off from one. At two Friday shows (afternoon and evening), Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought its gratuitous hair metal performance to Cleveland: a fun, over-the-top Christmas staple for much of the past 25 years in the city.
During the electrifying rock-opera, the group roared through chart-topping instrumental holiday hits like “Nutrocker,” “Christmas Canon” and “Wizards in Rock” — along with songs with actual lyrics, like “What Is Christmas?,” “The Lost Christmas Eve” and “Christmas Nights in Blue.” More than once, keyboardist Mee Eun Kim played two sets of keys at the same time, and storyteller Bryan Hicks expressively shared one of TSO's holiday stories, "The Lost Christmas Eve," in between songs.
That story — which follows a father grieving the loss of his wife and reconnecting with his son — took a few different formats, between the onstage musical lyrics and screen depictions. In an odd turn, videos that were seemingly generated by artificial intelligence (you could tell from the funky hands) accompanied the 20-year-old tale written by TSO founder Paul O'Neill.
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Some magical moments: On two occasions, sudsy bubbles poured out of a ceiling bubble gun contraption: a brief imitation of falling snow. Violinist Roddy Chong lifted high up into the air on a back platform to perform his intense part during the band’s iconic song “Christmas Eve,” and sparks rained down from the rafters just before the group launched its final encore song — none other than a cover of “Cleveland Rocks."
For the mostly long-haired group, which formed in Tampa in 1996, Cleveland was the latest in a jam-packed national tour. And Northeast Ohio's two local events marked, with a bang, some of the final festive celebrations of the year.
See photos from the performance below:
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