Trans-Siberian Orchestra to play two Oklahoma holiday shows: What you need to know

Brandy McDonnell, The Oklahoman
·3 min read
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Although the weather outside is still frightfully steamy, a beloved holiday rock band is getting fans into the Christmas spirit with a big tour announcement.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra announced Monday plans for its 2023 winter tour, titled "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve – the Best of TSO & More. This year's tour includes two Oklahoma arena shows.

The tour launches on Nov. 15 with performances in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The winter trek will take TSO to 62 cities for 104 matinee and evening performances before concluding Dec. 30 in Columbus, Ohio, and St. Paul, Minnesota. 

The multiplatinum-selling progressive rock group will make two Sooner State stops this holiday season: 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at BOK Center in Tulsa.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra has announced the plans for its 2023 winter tour, titled "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve – the Best of TSO & More," which includes two Oklahoma arena shows.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra has announced the plans for its 2023 winter tour, titled "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve – the Best of TSO & More," which includes two Oklahoma arena shows.

What can people expect from Trans-Siberian Orchestra's 2023 winter tour?

The band's distinctive melding of arena rock, rock opera, pyrotechnics, laser light shows and holiday cheer — what TSO's late founder Paul O'Neill dubbed “Rock Theater” — has propelled TSO into a national powerhouse.

Since making its touring debut in 1999, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has played more than 2,000 winter tour shows to in excess of 18 million fans.

This year's winter tour promises a new and larger presentation of TSO's 1999 "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" album and television film. The story follows a runaway who breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater on Christmas Eve to take shelter from the cold. The teenager is discovered by the theater’s caretaker, who uses the ghosts and spirits from the building’s past to help her turn her life around.

Following the performance of the rock opera, the winter tour shows will include a laser-lit second set featuring more of TSO’s greatest hits and fan favorites, according to a news release.

Fans at home can look for a digitally restored “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” on their local PBS stations this season.

Plus, TSO will release music in several formats this fall, including a 25th anniversary edition of "The Christmas Attic" on vinyl, in deluxe and standard packaging, on Sept. 29; a clear vinyl pressing of "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" on Nov. 3; and a digital release of "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" in Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio and hi-fidelity stereo mixes, including both the songs and narration, titled "The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve – The Complete Narrated Version," on Nov. 10.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra performs "The Ghost Of Christmas Eve" at Frank Erwin Center at The University of Texas on December 20, 2018, in Austin, Texas
Trans-Siberian Orchestra performs "The Ghost Of Christmas Eve" at Frank Erwin Center at The University of Texas on December 20, 2018, in Austin, Texas

When and where can fans buy TSO winter tour tickets?

Tickets for TSO's 2023 holiday tour go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. local time on Sept. 15.

Beginning with the public on-sale, special $39 tickets will be available for one week or while supplies last, according to a news release.

A dollar from each ticket sold will be donated to charity.

To buy OKC tickets, go to https://www.paycomcenter.com.

To buy Tulsa tickets, go to https://www.bokcenter.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Trans-Siberian Orchestra to play two shows in Oklahoma this winter