Yesterday, the Holiday Juggernaut that is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra delivered a pair of shows at Newark’s own Prudential Center and I was in attendance for the matinee of these two shows. The tour for this year is called the “All-New Christmas Eve and Other Stories” Tour and finds the ensemble returning to their famous debut album after a few years of mixing it up. They’ve been at this for 21 years and I’ve been on board with the live shows for 20 of them. During one of the few breaks in the program, guitarist and de-facto emcee Chris Caffery reminded us that none of this would have ever been possible without the tireless efforts of the late, great Paul O’Neill who came up with the whole idea in the first place. Though we lost Paul in 2017, he is the bands Guardian Angel up above and it was here that Chris shared how during some rehearsals that they found some never before heard music of Paul playing an acoustic guitar and singing a deeply touching number called “Can You Hear Me Now”. The song is about 35 years old according to Chris who maintained it was like having Paul speaking to them once again. The TSO would premiere this song during this tour and while Chris said it was the first time being heard, he had to mean by this particular audience as its been done on the entire run so far this year. He choked up as he looked to the sky saying “We Hear You Loud and Clear Boss”.
It was here that Chris introduced singer Kayla Reeves who is no stranger to those who’ve been following the bands tours over the last few years and she would belt out this number as if her very soul depended on it. She would be accompanied by guitarist Joel Hoekstra who played an acoustic guitar. The Metal and Hard Rockers know Joel from stuff like the “Rock Of Ages” musical, the band Night Ranger and currently from Whitesnake. I’ve embedded some fan-filmed video from our friend Brad Parmeter who’s seen more shows from the group than I can even summarize in this announcement. This is the first new music to be done by the TSO, and how fitting it be an unearthed gem from their very founder. I know you are going to love this one and you might even want to keep a box of Kleenex near you just in case.
One has to hope that during the next break in touring that the TSO record this single and make it available as a digital single for all to enjoy. There are still three remaining dates on the tour so check your listings to see if they are coming around your way. It’s a spectacular performance that I feel will win you over straight away. As I close this brief narrative I wanted to share another point that Paul O’Neill would emphasize in his company of players. According to Chris, Paul felt that of all the things around us that time was the most precious commodity. I find we always tend to forget that stuff and let’s pay a little more mind to it especially during this holiday season. Wishing you an early Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you and yours. Stay tuned for the full concert report that is coming soon.
Official Website: http://www.trans-siberian.com