Summary: Trans-Siberian Orchestra knows where its bread is buttered. Its press shots are not of individual members but of its live show, which has become legendary for its spectacle with lights, lasers, pyro and countless moving parts including cherry pickers that carry members out over the crowd. Alex Rawls talked to TSO guitarist/musical director Al Pitrelli about what a Christmas prog-metal band does for Christmas, and how he as a guitarist in the metal band Savatage responded when he was brought a Christmas song to play--"Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24." Pitrelli also talked about TSO founder and songwriter Paul O'Neill, who died in 2017. During the conversation, we also hear "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," "Christmas Canon Rock," and "Wizards in Winter"--the song that launched a thousand light shows on suburban houses and lawns during the holiday season. For more background, see Alex's interview with Pitrelli on TSO's early years for The New Orleans Advocate in 2015.
