The ultimate progressive rock Christmas show, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, will perform 3 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, and the same times on Dec. 26 at Prudential Center, Newark. PHOTO BY BOB CAREY
When the late Paul O'Neill first conceived the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the 1990s, his goal was as straightforward as it was incredibly ambitious. The whole idea was to create a progressive rock band that would push the boundaries of holiday music further than any group before.
Paul conceived the name Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) during a 1980s trip to Russia, where he was profoundly affected by the majestic Trans-Siberian Railway and Siberia's stark yet beautiful landscape. A unique and deeply philosophical approach to music resonated profoundly with audiences. With multiple platinum-selling albums, TSO has inspired generations of fans to rediscover the multi-dimensional art form of the rock opera. On the road, they have become one of the world's top acts, with Billboard magazine and Pollstar consistently recognizing TSO among the leading touring artists, delivering a multi-million-dollar production that has captivated more than 20 million fans across 80-plus cities, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales and presenting more than $20 million to charity since inception. Their iconic hit, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” recently surpassed 100 million streams across digital platforms, further cementing its status as a timeless holiday classic.
A New York City native, O'Neill grew up with a wide-ranging world of rock musical influences. He also drew inspiration from sources like Broadway musicals, Motown, and singer-songwriters, such as Jim Croce and Harry Chapin, while authors such as Oscar Wilde and Robert Graves fueled his literary tastes. He began his career playing guitar for touring productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Hair,” then went to work in the late ’70s for Leber-Krebs, the Manhattan management company whose clients included Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Def Leppard, the Scorpions, the New York Dolls, and scores of others. In the ’80s, O'Neill also became a major concert promoter in Japan.
O'Neill produced Aerosmith's “Classics Live I” and “Classics Live II” albums before beginning a fortuitous relationship with the band Savatage. This led to conceptual pieces, such as “Hall of The Mountain King,” “Gutter Ballet,” “Streets: A Rock Opera,” and “Dead Winter Dead.” Producing introduced O'Neill to Savatage’s Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli, producer-songwriter Bob Kinkel, as well as reconnecting him with legendary studio engineer Dave Wittman. All became key collaborators in O'Neill's grand vision of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
He took the idea for TSO to Atlantic Records, which, to his surprise, went for it. The first installment of a Christmas trilogy, “Christmas Eve and Other Stories,” became TSO's debut album in 1996. Fueled by the ubiquitous seasonal anthem “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” the album quickly achieved double-platinum status and now is at four million sold. More platinum certifications followed with 1998’s “The Christmas Attic,” and the final installment of the Christmas trilogy, “The Lost Christmas Eve,” in 2004. In the midst of completing the trilogy, TSO released their first non-holiday rock opera, the gold-certified “Beethoven's Last Night” in 2000, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.
“Night Castle” followed in October 2009, debuted at No. 5 and was certified gold by year’s end. A sweeping two-disc collection of genre-bending epics, “Night Castle” is an affecting story that takes the listener around the world, through time, and to points beyond.
TSO's next studio album, “Letters from the Labyrinth,” arrived in 2015. The record is a conceptual successor to “Night Castle,” weaving together a collection of songs and narratives inspired by the stories of its predecessor’s protagonist. “Letters from the Labyrinth” performed well on the charts, climbing to No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and claiming the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart. Two tracks from the album, “Time and Distance (The Dash)” and “Madness of Men,” have since become enduring staples of the TSO live experience.
TSO truly cemented its legacy in concert. The group first hit the road in 1999, beginning an annual November-December extravaganza that O'Neill took immense pride in being over the top with two stages, pyro, light and lasers on both sides of the arena, as well as in the crowd, as well as great sound.
Paul O'Neill passed away on April 5, 2017, but his profound vision and artistic principles continue to guide Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Under the stewardship of his long-time collaborators, his family, and management, TSO continues to evolve, delivering unparalleled live performances and upholding its legacy as one of rock's most generous bands, again, having donated more than $20 million to charity since its inception.
On Dec. 26, TSO’s current “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO and More” Tour will come to Newark’s Prudential Center for two shows at 3 and 7:30 p.m. They’ll also perform at the same times on Dec. 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
I spoke with longtime TSO drummer Jeff Plate, who first knew Paul as a member of Savatage, along with that band’s founding vocalist-keyboardist Jon Oliva, lead guitarist Al Pitrelli, guitarist Christ Caffery, vocalist Zak Stevens, and bassist John Lee Middleton. We chatted about the strong connection between Savatage and TSO and the bright futures for both bands.
You joined Savatage in 1994, about 15 years after the band was formed by the Oliva Brothers in Tarpon Springs, near Tampa, and about seven years after Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder Paul O’Neill began working with Savatage as a producer and songwriter. Were you an original member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra when Paul founded the band in 1996? If not, when did you join Trans-Siberian Orchestra?
Yes, I was. I came in ’94. The next year, I recorded my first studio record with the band, ‘Dead Winter Dead.’ This where ‘Christmas Eve/Sarajevo’ first appeared. Paul included the song when TSO made their first record in 1996 as the band became an official entity. But in Paul’s mind, it was years before the first note.
What made you want to join the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and why?
It was all the same group of people. Paul had been writing with Jon Oliva, one of the founders of Savatage, since 1986. I don’t want to say he was taking the band in this direction, but Paul incorporated a bunch of orchestral concepts and story points into Savatage music, and something built and became TSO. When ‘Christmas Eve/Sarajevo’ became hit, we looked to keep all the guys on the record on the album under the name Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It was good chemistry. He kept us all involved in the project.
Paul was a very loyal man. When I came into Savatage in 1994, the band was in such turmoil. Jon’s brother, Criss, had died. Jon no longer was the lead singer, and the band had a new drummer, as well as a new vocalist and a new guitarist. We made it through that point to ‘Dead Winter Dead’ and brought in Chris Caffrey and Al Pitrelli. We did the record and toured Europe, which was fantastic. But it was a natural progression with us all in the same room to say, ‘Let’s move onto this other project and see what develops.’ Jon and Paul had worked on Savatage since ’86 and came close to breaking up the band when Paul saw this song as an opportunity to break nationally.
What do you think made Paul O’Neill realize there was a need for Trans-Siberian Orchestra?
Opportunity. ‘Christmas Eve/Sarajevo’ was a song Paul had in mind for years. As I understand it, he tried to get this particular instrumental recorded with another band, but it never happened. Paul knew all along he had hit song with this arrangement. Add to that, his love of Broadway theater, all the storytelling and lyrics and multiple characters. He was really interested in creating something big.
In the late ’80s, that song became a vehicle for Paul to put this all together. No doubt, when ‘Christmas Eve/Sarajevo’ was released in the fall of 1995 on the ‘Dead Winter Dead’ album, the song took off in a different direction. We were getting airplay across the board. It was a legitimate hit song. Once we got into the middle of the holidays, you couldn’t escape that song. We knew then we had something special. But it has all been in the works in Paul’s mind for years. He finally had the opportunity to put it all together and make it a reality.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra includes from left to right guitarist Chris Caffery, vocalist Caleb Johnson and guitarist Joel Hoekstra. PHOTO BY MARK WEISS
Since Paul’s passing in 2017, has guitarist Al Pitrelli and/or Jon Oliva assumed the mantle of TSO leadership or someone else?
Yes, but it’s been a collective effort. All of Savatage was there from the beginning and is still there. We have the same management Paul had been working with in the beginning, so really, it was this team of people who understood how Paul works, understood where Paul was going with this amount of work and detail-oriented energy to make this work. When Paul left, it was obviously a huge blow to everything, but one thing Paul was really good at was surrounding himself with good people, great management and production as far as the people managing and booking the tours. It’s a great team of people in all areas.
When we lost Paul, we knew how to keep this thing going. In respect to him, we just picked up where he left off. To this day, we talk about ‘how would Paul do this, what Paul think of this?’ Now his family has kind of taken over the project. A lot of the decisions go through family. But it’s not just a couple of people. A number of us dig down deep out of respect to Paul and the opportunity he gave us to continue his legacy. That’s as important as anything.
Given that you, Jon, Al, Chris, Zak, and John Lee Middleton all perform together in TSO, are Savatage still together?
It’s been an interesting journey to stay the least. After ‘Dead Winter Dead’ in 1995, we relaunched Savatage in Europe at the same time. When we created this other entity in the U.S., TSO became a huge hit. We had the best of both worlds.
Once TSO really kick into gear with our first tour, things really started happening. We formed two different touring groups, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. There was obvious demand. The first two records by TSO were huge hits with platinum and gold records. So Savatage took a backseat to what was happening with TSO. We completely understood.
Fast forward: After the last proper tour Savatage had in 2002, from there on, Paul and Jon mainly focused on TSO and rightly so. But fast forward another 23 years, and Savatage’s fanbase really keeps beating the drum so to speak, and they got our attention. We talked with promoters about what was going on, and one thing led to another. There were still fans for Savatage, and we’d always done well overseas. We had a great fanbase overseas and in South America. We got show offers and were like, ‘Are we going to do this again?’ The answer across the board was, ‘Yes, absolutely, let’s go play this music that we love.’
At this time, Jon Oliva, who, as I had mentioned, was the founder of Savatage, his health would not allow him to go on tour and do these shows. With Jon’s blessing, the five of us recruited another keyboard player and singer, we took this lineup and developed a great show around that. Even though Jon was not able to go on road, he was still involved 100 percent. We’ve done some tours in 2025 and also this year, and they’ve been extremely successful. Hats off to our fanbase for sticking with us!
Here we are again. Savatage is in Europe and South America. Eventually, we’ll do an American tour because people are anxious for us to play here. We’ll figure that out. The TSO tour is such a huge success year after year, so Savatage reuniting so to speak and getting back out there has been a bit of surprise.
Is Paul’s other songwriting collaborator, Robert Kinkel, still involved in TSO?
No, not directly. Bob is still part of the family so to speak. As far as management and music, he has not been involved for quite a few years. He has his own project going on. He’s always doing things. We see Bob on tour. He comes to a couple of shows. I speak to him a couple times of year just to catch up. He's a wonderful guy.
Bob also was working with Paul and Jon on Savatage so he was connected for years before TSO. He’s a great musician and a nice guy.
TSO hasn’t released an album since 2015. Any plans to make a new one?
As far as plans, no. But there’s always conversations. When Paul left, it left quite a void in the creative process. This kind of decision is really up to his family whether they want to create something new or just make what we have better. Paul had a number of different projects so it’s always in the conversation. We’re leaving that up to family to make that decision. I would love it. But there’s such a great catalog music to choose from so there’s no shortage of that.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra has donated more than $20 million to charity since 1999. PHOTO BY BOB CAREY
TSO’s current holiday tour is ‘The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.’ What part of that story do you like most and why?
Paul had a way of writing that always hits you, like this emotional roller coaster. In the end, it always comes out in a good place. This story is no different. My fondest memory of this particular story is when we recorded a television show of it in 1999 before we had ever toured with it. The band had done a couple of performances but nothing we could say that had firmed up the show up to that point. I believe Hallmark was filming the show in a theater. This was where we were able to see where Paul really wanted TSO to be not just recording act but something that visually connected with people every year on multiple channels as a holiday tradition. For a lot of people, TSO is now a tradition in North America and around the world also. That particular show we were filming was really cool. Jewel was involved and Michael Crawford, Ozzie Davis. Big stars. Paul got big people. It was great to work with them. I was just getting a feeling of how big TSO was becoming and how big Paul wanted it to be.
Comment on how TSO embodies the Spirit of Christmas, not only by playing Christmas music but also by donating more than $20 million to charity?
The holiday season is the time of giving, a time of joy and togetherness, love for your brother, that kind of thing. It’s very true for many, many people that it’s a different time of year. Paul stated that from the first ticket sold at Tower Theater in Philadelphia in 1999. He saw a way to say thank you to the town and community to let us do what we do. He also involved the audience to help somebody in the community, maybe even somebody that they know. Paul was very generous and very considerate. He knew that a lot of people struggle this time year, so it was some small way to put something forward, helping those people by putting a smile on their face, getting people back on their feet. The Spirit of Christmas was what Paul was all about. He had a saying, ‘Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.’ It was a simple gesture that started with $1 and now over $21 million. We hit that mark this year.
How is TSO similar to, yet different from Mannheim Steamroller?
Mannheim Steamroller is very well done but very low key. It’s very pleasant. TSO has moments like that, but it’s more powerful, more of a rock band. That’s where Paul came from. He loved rock ‘n’ roll music. He was in awe of bands like Queen and Pink Floyd. Paul wanted to put things over the top, visually and audibly. He used to say it was an assault on the senses. He wanted something bigger than life. Whereas Mannheim Steamroller is not big and bombastic. It’s great and very popular, but it’s really apples and oranges.
In between shows in Newark, do you ever get to try any of the great restaurants in the Ironbound section?
We very seldom have days off in Newark. This year, it’s Saturday shows coming from somewhere else the day before. And we’re doing two shows. We roll out 11 a.m. and off onto the stage.
Is there anything I didn’t ask on which you would like to comment?
No, actually. I think you did great job. I love talking about the history, when TSO started.
Most people are not familiar with TSO, but then you hum ‘Carol of the Bells,’ and they’re like, ‘Oh, I know those guys.’ But you have to come see us to get what this thing is. Musically, it’s all great stuff playing throughout the holiday season but make an effort to see the show because it’s amazing! There’s so much going on. Since 1999, whenever we’ve toured, it’s been a success, and there’s no end in sight.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and Instagram and contact Bob at [email protected].
