My ears are still ringing and I am completely speechless from this amazing show. I just got back to the office, it's almost midnight Sunday night but I had to get these pictures up and tell you all about how totally unblievable Trans-Siberian Orchestra is!

So I got to the Rose Quarter at 2pm today. I had to leave tickets at will call, pick up my backstage pass and make sure Mike Turner and our rep from the Children's Transitional School got their tickets and passes as well. TSO donated one dollar of each ticket sold to both of the shows today to the Community Transitional School as well as an additional five thousand dollars! Not only are these the most generous guys on the planet, they are all gorgeous and talented.

If you have no clue about who or what TSO is, please check out their website immediately, www.trans-siberian.com.  Started by legendary Paul O'neill in 1996, they are a huge arena rock orchestra extravaganza with an emphasis on original and classic Christmas songs. They tour from November through the beginning of January and have been coming to Portland since 2001, where they did their first ever arena show at the Rose Garden Theater of the Clouds for 3000 people. Today, they did two shows for more than 15,000 so that gives you an idea of how their audience has grown and how popular they have become. Honestly, more people in the last month asked me for TSO tickets than Van Halen.

Turner and I had to be backstage just before the show so we could do the check presentation on-stage. (see above pic snapped backstage) This is where I had the pleasure of meeting Al Pitrelli, guitar God and music director for the band. (see top picture) Musical genious, humble, sweet, and stunningly handsome with great teeth are only a few of the words I could think of to describe him. He took care of Turner and I backstage and made sure that I could come back down again between the shows and have dinner with the band. He showed me his tattoos and pulled my pants down showed him my goddess tattoo just above my ass. We were instant friends.

As I stepped off the stage, (thank goodness I didn't fall off the stage) the band manager, Kenny--very, very cool guy, let me stay for the opening song, which of course I knew because I listen to my TSO Christmas CD every year. TSO, The Judds, Jewel, Ray Conniff Singers and John Denver Christmas are all I listen to in December. My children have good reason to disown me.

I settled into my seat and spent the next three hours, yes THREE HOURS, getting my mind blown by this innovative and creative ensemble, complete with a laser light show that left me practically visually impaired. I sat there, stunned into silence (tough for me--silence that is) and basked in the glory that is TSO. They have a narrator and their songs tell a story about an angel and his travels on Christmas Eve. They have two other guitar players besides Pitrelli, two keyboard players, including Pitrelli's wife, (whom I aspire to be one day) four female singers and four male singers, all of whom share lead vocals on different songs. They also have an acrobatic lead violin player who runs and jumps and throws her hair and body around the entire stage, the entire arena for that matter, all the while pounding away on her instrument. How this woman does it, I know not. 

They switched half way through the show to traditonal classical songs including Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and other such classic stuff of which I do not know the name. They had dueling guitars, Al and Angus each crankin' out a little Hendrix and Zepplin and dueling pianos--one of the keyboardists "graduated from Julliard with a Master's in music while one dropped out of Berkley School of Music after one semester," quipped Al. The laser light show and the pyrotechnics, even after three full hours, knowing I had another show to sit through later on that evening, still left me wanting more. They were that good.

After the first show was over, I really wanted to go back down there and hang out with the cool kids in the band and be a true insider, but the Garden is so big and I couldn't remember how to get back down there. So I sat at the Pyramid bar and spent $7.50 on a cup of coffee. My phone rang. It was Kenny, the band manager, calling me to see where I was, was I still coming down for dinner! "Why yes, Kenny, I'm on my way right now." I threw my seven dollar cup of coffee in the trash and raced to the nearest elevator. I had to call Amy C. from the Rose Garden staff to escort me down (thanks, Ame) but there I was, cavorting with the band, trying not to stare, peeing my pants a little in all the excitement! I ate a little Spaghetti Pesto with squash, a little Caesar salad and some bacon-wrapped scallops with a foie-gras glaze, no joke. These cats know how to eat. I skipped dessert even though Kenny told me it was to-die-for. Al stopped by for a little kiss on the cheek while I hoped I didn't breath any nasty garlic breath on him.

Back upstairs for the same exact thing at 7pm. The lovely and talented Iris Harrison joined me on-stage for another check presentation with Al. I stood there both times and said nothing; I was really just there to take pictures. My daughter said to me later, "Geez mom, you didn't even say anything at all, you just stood there. Next time just stand behind the curtain." Thanks, honey. This is my lame-ass attempt at taking a picture of Iris onstage during the check presentation. It looks like she's whistling but she's just talking in front of 8000 people.

I sat through the entire show again, all three hours. I didn't dream of leaving. My lame words could not possibly do this band any justice. I love love love them and will buy tickets to see them every December for the rest of my life. Not only did they give the Transitional School more than twenty thousand dollars, but they plan on supporting the charity of our choice as long as they continue touring! Thanks to Turner, the real insider, for all his hard work on this. 

Backstage after the second show we got to mee the most incredible people. Andrew and Scout we both singers and sweet as can be. Iris and I wanted to run our fingers through Andrew's hair but neither of us wanted to appear that creepy. He was YUMMY!



Group photo of all of us with a few winners! Iris and Al!