TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Director PAUL O'NEILL -

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Director PAUL O'NEILL - "Fog It, Light It, Blow It Up — Just Keep The Show Interesting!"








TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA director Paul O'Neill recently spoke with TheNewsStar.com about the latest TSO tour. Following is an excerpt from the story.

The 2008 tour features the splashiest light show and array of effects yet. The band spends a cool $1 million a month on pyrotechnics.

"Fog it, light it, blow it up — just keep the show interesting!" O'Neill joked. "That's our motto."

And then there's the music, composed with care and a canny ear for blending big metal chops, orchestral grandeur and savvy songwriting.

"When we write a TSO album, we try to write the lyrics so that they stand up as poetry and write a melody so infectious that it doesn't need lyrics," O'Neill said. "All human beings love a good story and all human beings love a rocking motion (or rhythm). Poetry captures both and the rhyming meter rocks the words into the soul."

O'Neill hopes that those who come to the show leave infused with holiday cheer and a seasonal spirit of giving.

"There's something magical about Christmas," he said. "Human beings need moments of joy. If we (with TSO) really do our job right, it echoes for weeks after you see the show."

Go to this location for the complete story.

(Photo by Lewis Lee)