Mark Knows It All

Do you ever feel like everybody is out of step but you, but then think they all can’t be wrong, so it must be you? For your consideration, I give to you the Trans-Siberian Orchestra which opened its Christmas Tour right here in Youngstown, Ohio, at the Chevy Center. For four performances, the TSO packed them in, selling out all performances. Given a capacity of 6100 seats, that means 24,400 people saw the TSO this past weekend, including yours truly. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was formed in 1996 by some extremely talented musicians whose roots were in heavy metal rock and roll. Their goal was to broaden the appeal of heavy metal rock music to a larger audience by adding elements of classical, R&B, and pop music. They expanded the core of the band by including several keyboard guys, numerous guitarists and bass players, and vocalists, including a large contingent of back up singers. In addition, at each venue, they supplement the gro...