TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Will Return To The Stage This Fall In Honor Of PAUL O'NEILL
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Despite the tragic death of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA co-founder and creative force, Paul O’Neill, who passed away on April 5th at age 61 from a combination of prescription drugs, the band has vowed to return to the stage in his honor.
A statement reads as follows:
"While all of us, the members of the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA family, are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our friend and leader Paul O'Neill, we are determined to carry on the rock theater project to which he dedicated his life.
Paul always talked about how he saw TSO as both an idea and ideal that would continue long after he stepped off the "flight deck" (his name for the stage). We hope to continue his work of providing a timeless, multi-generational tradition like those created by his idol Charles Dickens.
In that spirit, we are proud to announce that TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA will return with their 2017 Winter Tour featuring the cherished tale The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve!"
Drummer Jeff Plate adds:
"We are all so thrilled and relieved to make this announcement. Paul O'Neill has been my boss, my teacher, my confidant and my friend. I would not have the carreer and life that I have without him. I am so proud to have been with him and TSO from the first note, and more so to carry on his legacy. I know this is what he wanted. Thank you to the fans for the support and loyalty to do this. And a HUGE thank you and show of respect to Paul's wife and daughter... without their strength we would not be able to carry on. We will not let them down. See you all soon."
O'Neill broke into the scene in the ‘80s when he was hired at Leber-Krebs Inc., the management company that launched the careers of AEROSMITH, AC/DC, DEF LEPPARD, SCORPIONS and Ted Nugent among many others. But it was his collaboration with Floridian metallers SAVATAGE that would set him up for for greatness, particularly albums like "Hall Of The Mountain King", "Gutter Ballet", "Streets: A Rock Opera" and "Dead Winter Dead".
O'Neill had grandiose visions of a bigger rock opera in line with PINK FLOYD, QEEN and EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, but with a Christmas slant!
The oddly-named TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA launched their Christmas trilogy in 1996 with "Christmas Eve and Other Stories", a daring vision led by the single ”Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”. 1998’s "The Christmas Attic" and "The Lost Christmas Eve" in 2004 followed. TSO released three non-holiday rock operas called "Beethoven's Last Night" (2000), "Night Castle" (2009) and 2015’s "Letters From The Labyrinth".
And its become a massive success, as 2016 was another record-breaking year for the entity. TSO’s Winter Tour 2016 sold the most tickets per show in the group’s history, with a total in excess of million one million! The tour also set a record gross for TSO with a total of more than $56.9 million.
20 years since the band’s first album, and since its historic touring debut, TSO has played in excess of 1,800 shows for more than 14 million fans, with tour grosses of over $625 million, and sold in excess of 12 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at #25 on its Top Touring Artists Of The Decade.
(Source: www.bravewords.com)
