Performers ring in holidays too early

I had high hopes for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance Monday night.

I imagined a vast visual spectacular. However, I walked away with mixed feelings — and a bit of disappointment.

The show attempted to fuse too many genres — trying to be not only a rock concert, but a light show, poetry reading, orchestra concert and a Broadway performance all in one.

The show opened with a promising light performance accompanied by a dramatic fog as the heart-piercing bass and the guitar player’s notes coincided with the change in lighting.

Following the song, a narrator’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker, effectively lowering the mood and voicing incomprehensible poetry that I walked away never understanding. Next, he broke into a slow ballad with a Broadway-esque theme.

I cast my head around to see if other audience members had the same thought flashing through their minds “What is going on?”

Just as I began to wonder if this was a concert I would want to sit through, the beat began to pick up and the guitarist came back on stage accompanied, once more, by the light show.

The stage presence of the musicians was as eye-catching as the lights, with a female violinist from London being the most entertaining of all. She was running across the stage, flipping her hair, playing on her back and challenging the guitar players and played with such an intensity that she very well could have had her own show.

The infamous “Carol of the Bells” was accompanied by flashing strobes, with tiny white lights illuminating the back drop and lasers of green and red flashing throughout the audience.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that I knew my Halloween costume was still lying on my floor, yet to be put away, or maybe because the first drop of snow hasn’t yet hit the ground, but I found it hard to enjoy the foray into the upcoming holiday season.

It simply was too early. It’s a feeling you would get if a trick-or-treater showed up at your doorstep in the middle of July — you’d slam the door in their face.

If I was in the boisterous mood of Christmas — mittens in my pockets, green on my sweater — I think I would have found warmth in the slow melody that followed, with the only light coming from small sparkling stars. I might have even teared up at the loud “Merry Christmas!”

After an hour, the show turned eerie and Halloween-type music filled Breslin Center. Lightning crashed and lit up the numerous monitors onstage, and my friends and I were plunged back into the world we were celebrating two days ago.

TSO played a series of songs that were different than their usual holiday jams, off their new album “Night Castle,” and again I was intrigued by the
flashing red lights and the colorful lasers shining on the audience.

During this part of the show, there even was fire. It flashed to the riff of a guitar, which was the main highlight of the show. I could even feel the heat.

After the show ended I left with a bizarre feeling, not quite knowing how I felt about it. I felt like I just got off a rollercoaster. The musical and visual spectacles were indeed spectacular and enjoyable.

The highs were high, and the lows were low. I was bored and uninterested during the ballads of poetry and slow Broadway-like songs (which is saying a lot from a girl who is interested in theater and Broadway).

Honestly, TSO would have had a greater audience appreciation if its visit had occurred in the month of twinkle lights, snow flurries and hot chocolate. Now I simply am left with the anticipation for Christmas almost two months too soon.