There's a big difference. Let me try to explain it to you.

I saw TSO in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on December 2. It was a sold out show and I was sitting second row center.

Words can't even begin to describe the emotions I experienced that night. I was awed. I was captivated. I was stirred. I was in tears. I was transported to another world, a magical world of beauty, joy, passion -- did I say magic? The word that best describes what I experienced is "magic."

A TSO CD is mesmerizing all on its own. But a TSO performance is an unbelievable experience.

This DVD -- The Ghost of Christmas Eve -- falls somewhere in between. It's all the music with none of the magic.

Maybe that's too harsh. Maybe it's all of the music with SOME of the magic.

This DVD is part on-stage performance (lip sync'd) and part movie. It's the story of a young woman looking to get home on Christmas, helped by a kindly caretaker (Ossie Davis). The caretaker shows the girl a Christmas performance that captivates her heart and mind (naturally, it's TSO that appears on stage in what was an empty auditorium).

Paul O'Neill, the director of this and producer of TSO and Savatage albums, is brilliant. He has the ability to capture the feeling of Christmas magic and set it to music.

But this effort is far too tame, too flat, to do justice to what TSO has to offer.

Don't get me wrong. This is really fun to watch. But if Paul really wants to stir his audience he'd simply film the band live -- the entire show from start to finish -- and let the performance speak for itself. I would pay hundreds of dollars to see a DVD of the performance I attended. And I'm sure there are many others like me out there.

So until an actual, real, magical TSO performance is filmed, this DVD will have to do. But it's a pale imitation of the real thing.


Better than Manheim Steamroller   December 13, 2002
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

I know a lot of people like Manheim Steamroller, but in my opinion, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a lot better. I went to
see them in Dayton on November 24th and they know how to put on a
show. This video brings back memories of that concert. From the
beautiful Jewel singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" to the Broadway legend Michael Crawford singing "O Holy Night", the only
flaw in this video is that it's too short. It's over before you want it to be. Ossie Davis did a great job as the caretaker and the lovely Allie Sheridan did a good job as the runaway girl. All the smiles she had on her face as she watched TSO remind me of the smiles I had watching them perform in concert. This video
is a must have for anyone who loves rock and roll and Christmas music. The video also features the breakthrough music video of
Christas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24. I was almost in tears during the song "This Christmas Day". I highly recommend this video.


Buy the DVD for great Christmas music   December 8, 2005
zboat (Oregon, USA)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

This is a great DVD. I love it. It is better than their live performance. How can this be when other reviewers say they don't compare? Well that's just it, they don't. Let me explain.

I attended TSO's live concert in Portland Oregon. First, know that there are TWO TSO orchestras! According to a TSO spokesperson, their concerts were so popular they split the band in two and created two orchestras so they could give more concerts. This is not necessarily bad, just interesting.

Above all else, TSO is a hard rock band with a heavy metal bent. They perform what is called symphonic rock. But for their traveling band they have only one lead violinist and pick up extra strings locally, and they have no children's choir. In the Portland show the total symphonic component was only about seven or eight strings, mostly violins, which were mostly drowned out by the guitars and keyboards. Their DVD contains a much larger symphonic orchestra with brass and other instruments besides strings.

Their live show is a rock concert. Period. That means very, very, ear-damagingly loud sound popular at rock concerts. Still, their show is very good. The laser light show is excellent and you don't get this on the DVD. Live shows have an energy, enthusiasm, and atmosphere you just can't get on a DVD. So why is the DVD better?

Better sound mixing. The symphonic element plays a greater role and you can actually hear it distinct from the guitars and keyboards.
Better sound quality, if you have a good quality 5.1 sound system. You can play it at your choice of volume level and hear the various components, including the vocals, more clearly and distinctly than at the live show. This DVD begs to be played loudly.
Better (or at least more) talent in the form of Michael Crawford (O Holy Night), Jewel Kilcher (Hark the Herald Angels Sing,) Tony Gaynor (Good King Joy,) and Daryl Pediford (Music Box Blues.)
You have a front row seat.
You can watch it anytime and as many times as you want.

The DVD is a music video. If you're looking for a "Christmas movie" you're better off with "A Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story." This DVD does have a story line but it is weak, undeveloped, and not believable, but who cares? It provides a nice thread to tie the songs together and also manages to elicit a tear or two at the end. Ossie Davis does a wonderful job as the "caretaker" narrating the story.

In the live concert the female singers especially do what I call "shout-singing." This effect has its place but you always give up musical quality when you shout instead of sing. The DVD has pure and beautiful singing, no shouting.

Michael Crawford's "O Holy Night" (not performed in the live show) with the children's choir is the most powerful and moving rendition of this song I have ever heard anywhere, bar none. Play it loud and try not to be moved! It's more powerful than Josh Groban's version, and I like Josh. It is worth having this DVD just for this performance alone. But wait, there's more.

The DVD also contains TSO's wonderful signature masterpiece piece, "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24.)" This is a high energy, powerful variation of "Carol of the Bells." They perform this in their live show of course, but the stronger symphony presence makes the DVD version far superior. It's wonderful and worth having this DVD just for this performance alone. But wait, there's still more. (I sound like Ron Popiel pitching his Showtime rotisserie oven!)

You also get TSO's other signature piece, the incredibly beautiful "Christmas Canon" based on Pachabel's "Canon in D." They don't do this version in their live show either. They perform a rock version that is barely recognizable. It's worth having this DVD just for this performance alone, also.

So bottom line? Go to a live performance of TSO for a good and fun rock concert. Buy the DVD for great Christmas music and show the whole family will enjoy for years.


W - O - W ! ! ! ! !   December 19, 2002
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is the very first DVD I ever bought, and I put it in my brand new DVD player this morning. Oh My Lord, was I blown away! I'd only heard bits and pieces of TSR music over the past year and only caught a glimpse of them on TV, but while out shopping, something told me "buy it". Five stars is not enough. This performance is just AWESOME. Jewel performs, and the childrens choir is breathtaking. Michael Crawford sings "O Holy Night " and it is so beautiful it sends chills down the old spine. I have watched this DVD ten times, and I shed tears of joy. TSR is just AWESOME!