October 11, 2024 • 17 mins
Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Jeff Plate talks about the upcoming show coming to Mohegan Sun.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for listening to Community Access. My guest this
morning is Jeff Play of the Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good morning, Good morning, Alison.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm so happy you're here. They have their twentieth anniversary
the Lost Christmas Eve Winter Tour twenty twenty four here
in Connecticut Sunday, December first, at the Mohegan Sun Arena
at three and eight pm. Tell me what is the
show going to be like?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, you just mentioned it. This year we are performing
The Lost Christmas Eve, which is the third installment in
Paul O'Neill's Christmas Trilogy. They recorded with the Transerverine Orchestra,
and this is also the twentieth anniversary of this album.
So this is a pretty cool, pretty cool timing, and
pretty cool event we're going to present. But the story
(00:47):
itself we have not performed in over twelve years, and
this was something that the fans have been asking about
for a long time. Paul had wanted to redo this
show and bring it back to the stage for some years.
For those that don't know, Paul O'Neil is the founder
of the creator of the Transsevery Orchestra, and we lost
Paul back in twenty seventeen, but as I mentioned, he
(01:11):
was a big fan of this story. He wanted to
bring it back to the stage and this year his
family in management decided it was a great time to
do it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm so sorry for your loss and the story of
redemption and forgiveness. It is absolutely beautiful. I know you
don't want to give it all away, but could you
give people a little bit of background about the story?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Well, you kind of just touched on it. I mean,
Paul has written a story around every one of the
albums that he has done with the Transibine Orchestra, and
this one, you know, has all the usual elements. It's
about a man who suffers a tragic loss with his family.
He makes a very tough decision in carrying on his life,
(01:54):
which in later years he kind of regrets and kind
of pulls things all back together and reconnects with family
and his own soul, so to speak. So you know,
there's a lot of emotion to this story. It is
it is very powerful, but at the end of the day,
it always ends up in the right place. And this
was something that Paul had a real knack of doing
(02:15):
with the way he told his stories.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Absolutely, you guys tell a story better than anyone I've
ever seen, and just to touch a little bit, there
is a bit of a spiritual element with angels, perfect
for the Christmas spirit.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Absolutely, this is always part of always thought of Paul's
storytelling was the was the religious, their spiritual you know
aspect of things, and you know, and especially around this
time of year, this is when a lot of a
lot of this, a lot of this emotion, a lot
of this, you know, it really connects all the dots
(02:52):
for the holiday season. So, like I said, at the
end of the day, the story ends up in a
good place. Everybody's happy in the end, and that is
really what Paul wanted. He wanted to wanted to entertain people,
give them something interesting to think about. But also he
had a way of giving giving these stories to the
people in a way that they all realized that he
(03:14):
was actually talking to them or somebody that they knew.
And this is how this all really connected and just
just snowballed into where we are today.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I love that when you feel like the message is
for me, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, I think in the in the very beginning, you know,
when TSO first started performing our music was obviously successful.
We had two records out that were there were holiday
classics already, but dating the show live, I think there
was more of a curiosity in the band in the music.
(03:47):
But once people were in the room and actually heard
the story and how how all of this connected, not
only you know, to what was going on on stage,
but to the people in the audience. This is where
word of mouth helped this thing grow to be to
be one of this today. And it didn't take long,
but the PSO audience is still growing to this day.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So the first part of the show, as I understand,
will be about the Lost Christmas Eve, and then the
second part of the show is your greatest hits and
fan favorites.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yes, we have a number of songs that we I mean,
obviously we have to play Christmas Eve story Able twelve
twenty four. There's a number of other songs that we
that we try to incorporate into the set every year,
whether it's in the first half of the show or
in the back half. But there's always something different too,
you know, we always we always bring to bring to
(04:34):
the stage something that we haven't done in a number
of years, or possibly even something new. So there's always
something different when we come to town. And for people
that have seen TSO, you know what we're all about.
You know, the show is one of the most unique
things you're ever going to see. But we do make
it different every year. And this is also something that
Paul insisted on from the word go. You know, regardless
(04:57):
of what story we are performing, the show is going
to look different. We're going to have different production elements,
different video elements and lighting schemes, et cetera. But every
year he wanted to make sure we had a new
show and a better show for the audience and the.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Young and the old. Love you it transcends along all ages.
Why do you think that is.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Well, it's the holiday spirit. It's the holiday theme to
what we do. If you've never if by chance you've
never heard a lick of TSO music before, you will
recognize a number of the traditional holiday music themes that
Paul waked in and out of his original song. So
there's a familiarity to what we do, even though you
(05:40):
may not know us at all. But the reality is
when you come to see us, when you are sitting
in the arena and watching this show unfold, it really
is unique, but also just spectacular. The production builds up
the arena from one end to the other. You know,
I say, I have the best seat in the house.
(06:01):
I can look at the audience and pretty much tell
who's never seen this before, because you can tell they're
looking around, they have no idea where to look, they're
not even sure what they're looking at. They look kind
of dumbfounded. But twenty thirty minutes into the show, the
smile on their face, they're applauding, they're having a great time.
And that's what happens every year.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I get goosebumps. I always cry I'm being honest, and
then I leave there feeling so good because there's always
a positive message.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yes, and here again the holiday, the holiday spirit. That's
what it's all about, reconnecting, you know, maybe with family
that you haven't seen a long time, or friends, but
just that just that spirit of giving and being happy
and respectful to one another. Paul had a saying, you
(06:54):
do the right thing because it's the right thing to do,
and I think throughout his lyrics and throughout his story,
he really always brings that across. And at the end
of the day, you know, we're all in this together.
We should all be good to each other and throwing
some lasers, throwing some four throwing some you know, awesome
musicians on stage, and you've got a TSO.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Show, so as I understand, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary,
Rhino will be releasing special vinyl pressings like two LPs
and a twenty page book an insert.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yes, I literally just got this in the mail the
other day and it looks amazing. You've got a choice
of three different three different vinyl colorings, cobalt, I think
we have a oh there's black, there's cobalt, there's crystal clear,
twenty page booklet as you mentioned, you know, it really is,
(07:48):
it really is awesome because the artwork of Greg Hildebrand
that he has worked with TSO for years. But the
artwork is really spectacular. And when you have this on
an LP, I mean, it looks great on a CD
and whatever, looks great on your computer. But when you
have that vinyl package, when you have that album sleeve
and all that in your hands and you're able to
(08:09):
look at the detail, it really is something else. But
the album sounds fantastic. You know, all this new vinyl
that's coming out. They've done a really good job of
kind of recreating the warmth of vinyl that we're all
used to, you know, years ago and growing up listening
to the records all the time. That's all we had.
But the vinyl thing is pretty cool. I'll come back around.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I mean, you guys are super talented, but you're also philanthropic.
As I understand, you donate a dollar from every ticket.
You're up to twenty million dollars now that you've donated
from tickets and donations.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yeah, this was this was something that Paul instituted from
the first ticket we are sold in nineteen ninety nine,
and you know, he felt it was a way for
us to say thank you to the cities and talents
that were letting us come in and do what we do,
but also just to help some people out, you know,
in a tough time of year. You know, it's very
(09:03):
festive for some people and not so much Brothers, but
this was a way for the audience to be directly
involved in helping people in their community, you know, maybe
even somebody that they know. And I'll tell you I
do these interviews every year and we talk about charity,
but this year, when you look at that twenty million
dollar figure. It's like, Wow, we have really done a
(09:25):
lot to help a lot of people all across the country,
and there's something we're all very very proud of.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And you've traveled all over the world and you've been
doing this for years and you know you've made it.
You know you're great. But how do you feel about
having your music and commercials and movies.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I think it's awesome, Yeah, you know, I mean, I
mean to be honest. I began working for Paul O'Neil
back in nineteen ninety four and I had joined a
band called Sabotage that was going through some and it
had just gone through some real tragedy. Was there was
a lot of things in question at the time, but
(10:03):
I came aboard a year later. We recorded this song
on Christmas Eve, Serrie Abra twelve, twenty four, and Paul
knew that he had a hit with this song. The
rest of us in the band were like, well, this
sounds great, but you know, we're a hard rock band
recording a Christmas song. This is you know what's going on.
(10:24):
Paul knew we had something magical, and for myself, in
a couple of couple others that have been here from
the beginning of this and just seeing how this song
in Paul's vision has has become tradition. It really is amazing.
It just blows my mind to think of how this
thing started and so many questions and so few answers,
(10:47):
and Paul just stuck to his guns and made this
thing the success that it is. But to your question,
when you are watching television or you're watching a football
game and you hear you hear the music blasting in
the stadium, or it isn't a commercial leading up, you
know that really is something pretty cool because I mean,
(11:08):
as a kid, I always dream of doing what I'm doing.
But to the extent that you are a cultural, like
I said, a tradition. The holidays, we are everywhere, it's TV, radio,
you name it, and it's really really awesome.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
It's not Christmas without you. Honestly, it's not the holiday
season without you. One last question for you, what do
you hope people take away from this show it's coming up?
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I think you know a sense of purpose. You know,
we all love what we do. You know when you
see Tso perform, the musicians on stage, the vocalist on stage,
we love what we're doing. We love the music, we
love the story, we love the meeting, and we just
hope this really connects with people. You know, Paul awful
thing was. He wanted somebody to come into the arena
(11:58):
and be able to escape for two and a half hours,
just sit back and let the show overwhelm you and
have fun with it. We see a standing ovation every night.
Everybody is smiling, everybody's happy, and there's nothing better, you know,
And especially in the world we live in now, there's
(12:19):
a lot of confusion, a lot of angst, and I
think we all just feel very good knowing that the
people have come to see us and they're walking out
of the room having seen something that really makes them
feel good, you know, uplifting. So this is why we
do this. This is why this thing is as good
as it is. Every year it seems to get better.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Well, you've blessed us, and I hope the blessing returns
to you. I'm speaking with Jeff Plate of Trans Siberian Orchestra.
The twentieth anniversary the Lost Christmas Eve Winter Tour twenty
twenty four is Sunday, December first at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Two shows, three and eight PM check them out on
their website. Trans dash Siberian dot com. Tell me what
(12:58):
songs should I play now for our listeners? You choose, oh.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Man, how about a mad Russians Christmas?
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Fabulous?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Thank you so much. Take care.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Here's the Trans Sibrian Orchestra with Mad Russians Christmas.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
The Place, pass, Place, Place, pass, Place the past, Place, place, plas, place, place, place,
plass pass, please place, place, plas place place, Place, Place
please pas place plas, place place, pace, place, please place
(14:49):
place plas please place today m M. The cospons cost
(16:55):
response to pass status
Thank you for listening to Community Access. My guest this
morning is Jeff Play of the Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good morning, Good morning, Alison.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm so happy you're here. They have their twentieth anniversary
the Lost Christmas Eve Winter Tour twenty twenty four here
in Connecticut Sunday, December first, at the Mohegan Sun Arena
at three and eight pm. Tell me what is the
show going to be like?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, you just mentioned it. This year we are performing
The Lost Christmas Eve, which is the third installment in
Paul O'Neill's Christmas Trilogy. They recorded with the Transerverine Orchestra,
and this is also the twentieth anniversary of this album.
So this is a pretty cool, pretty cool timing, and
pretty cool event we're going to present. But the story
(00:47):
itself we have not performed in over twelve years, and
this was something that the fans have been asking about
for a long time. Paul had wanted to redo this
show and bring it back to the stage for some years.
For those that don't know, Paul O'Neil is the founder
of the creator of the Transsevery Orchestra, and we lost
Paul back in twenty seventeen, but as I mentioned, he
(01:11):
was a big fan of this story. He wanted to
bring it back to the stage and this year his
family in management decided it was a great time to
do it.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm so sorry for your loss and the story of
redemption and forgiveness. It is absolutely beautiful. I know you
don't want to give it all away, but could you
give people a little bit of background about the story?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Well, you kind of just touched on it. I mean,
Paul has written a story around every one of the
albums that he has done with the Transibine Orchestra, and
this one, you know, has all the usual elements. It's
about a man who suffers a tragic loss with his family.
He makes a very tough decision in carrying on his life,
(01:54):
which in later years he kind of regrets and kind
of pulls things all back together and reconnects with family
and his own soul, so to speak. So you know,
there's a lot of emotion to this story. It is
it is very powerful, but at the end of the day,
it always ends up in the right place. And this
was something that Paul had a real knack of doing
(02:15):
with the way he told his stories.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Absolutely, you guys tell a story better than anyone I've
ever seen, and just to touch a little bit, there
is a bit of a spiritual element with angels, perfect
for the Christmas spirit.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Absolutely, this is always part of always thought of Paul's
storytelling was the was the religious, their spiritual you know
aspect of things, and you know, and especially around this
time of year, this is when a lot of a
lot of this, a lot of this emotion, a lot
of this, you know, it really connects all the dots
(02:52):
for the holiday season. So, like I said, at the
end of the day, the story ends up in a
good place. Everybody's happy in the end, and that is
really what Paul wanted. He wanted to wanted to entertain people,
give them something interesting to think about. But also he
had a way of giving giving these stories to the
people in a way that they all realized that he
(03:14):
was actually talking to them or somebody that they knew.
And this is how this all really connected and just
just snowballed into where we are today.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I love that when you feel like the message is
for me, you know.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, I think in the in the very beginning, you know,
when TSO first started performing our music was obviously successful.
We had two records out that were there were holiday
classics already, but dating the show live, I think there
was more of a curiosity in the band in the music.
(03:47):
But once people were in the room and actually heard
the story and how how all of this connected, not
only you know, to what was going on on stage,
but to the people in the audience. This is where
word of mouth helped this thing grow to be to
be one of this today. And it didn't take long,
but the PSO audience is still growing to this day.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So the first part of the show, as I understand,
will be about the Lost Christmas Eve, and then the
second part of the show is your greatest hits and
fan favorites.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yes, we have a number of songs that we I mean,
obviously we have to play Christmas Eve story Able twelve
twenty four. There's a number of other songs that we
that we try to incorporate into the set every year,
whether it's in the first half of the show or
in the back half. But there's always something different too,
you know, we always we always bring to bring to
(04:34):
the stage something that we haven't done in a number
of years, or possibly even something new. So there's always
something different when we come to town. And for people
that have seen TSO, you know what we're all about.
You know, the show is one of the most unique
things you're ever going to see. But we do make
it different every year. And this is also something that
Paul insisted on from the word go. You know, regardless
(04:57):
of what story we are performing, the show is going
to look different. We're going to have different production elements,
different video elements and lighting schemes, et cetera. But every
year he wanted to make sure we had a new
show and a better show for the audience and the.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Young and the old. Love you it transcends along all ages.
Why do you think that is.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Well, it's the holiday spirit. It's the holiday theme to
what we do. If you've never if by chance you've
never heard a lick of TSO music before, you will
recognize a number of the traditional holiday music themes that
Paul waked in and out of his original song. So
there's a familiarity to what we do, even though you
(05:40):
may not know us at all. But the reality is
when you come to see us, when you are sitting
in the arena and watching this show unfold, it really
is unique, but also just spectacular. The production builds up
the arena from one end to the other. You know,
I say, I have the best seat in the house.
(06:01):
I can look at the audience and pretty much tell
who's never seen this before, because you can tell they're
looking around, they have no idea where to look, they're
not even sure what they're looking at. They look kind
of dumbfounded. But twenty thirty minutes into the show, the
smile on their face, they're applauding, they're having a great time.
And that's what happens every year.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I get goosebumps. I always cry I'm being honest, and
then I leave there feeling so good because there's always
a positive message.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yes, and here again the holiday, the holiday spirit. That's
what it's all about, reconnecting, you know, maybe with family
that you haven't seen a long time, or friends, but
just that just that spirit of giving and being happy
and respectful to one another. Paul had a saying, you
(06:54):
do the right thing because it's the right thing to do,
and I think throughout his lyrics and throughout his story,
he really always brings that across. And at the end
of the day, you know, we're all in this together.
We should all be good to each other and throwing
some lasers, throwing some four throwing some you know, awesome
musicians on stage, and you've got a TSO.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Show, so as I understand, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary,
Rhino will be releasing special vinyl pressings like two LPs
and a twenty page book an insert.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yes, I literally just got this in the mail the
other day and it looks amazing. You've got a choice
of three different three different vinyl colorings, cobalt, I think
we have a oh there's black, there's cobalt, there's crystal clear,
twenty page booklet as you mentioned, you know, it really is,
(07:48):
it really is awesome because the artwork of Greg Hildebrand
that he has worked with TSO for years. But the
artwork is really spectacular. And when you have this on
an LP, I mean, it looks great on a CD
and whatever, looks great on your computer. But when you
have that vinyl package, when you have that album sleeve
and all that in your hands and you're able to
(08:09):
look at the detail, it really is something else. But
the album sounds fantastic. You know, all this new vinyl
that's coming out. They've done a really good job of
kind of recreating the warmth of vinyl that we're all
used to, you know, years ago and growing up listening
to the records all the time. That's all we had.
But the vinyl thing is pretty cool. I'll come back around.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I mean, you guys are super talented, but you're also philanthropic.
As I understand, you donate a dollar from every ticket.
You're up to twenty million dollars now that you've donated
from tickets and donations.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Yeah, this was this was something that Paul instituted from
the first ticket we are sold in nineteen ninety nine,
and you know, he felt it was a way for
us to say thank you to the cities and talents
that were letting us come in and do what we do,
but also just to help some people out, you know,
in a tough time of year. You know, it's very
(09:03):
festive for some people and not so much Brothers, but
this was a way for the audience to be directly
involved in helping people in their community, you know, maybe
even somebody that they know. And I'll tell you I
do these interviews every year and we talk about charity,
but this year, when you look at that twenty million
dollar figure. It's like, Wow, we have really done a
(09:25):
lot to help a lot of people all across the country,
and there's something we're all very very proud of.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And you've traveled all over the world and you've been
doing this for years and you know you've made it.
You know you're great. But how do you feel about
having your music and commercials and movies.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I think it's awesome, Yeah, you know, I mean, I
mean to be honest. I began working for Paul O'Neil
back in nineteen ninety four and I had joined a
band called Sabotage that was going through some and it
had just gone through some real tragedy. Was there was
a lot of things in question at the time, but
(10:03):
I came aboard a year later. We recorded this song
on Christmas Eve, Serrie Abra twelve, twenty four, and Paul
knew that he had a hit with this song. The
rest of us in the band were like, well, this
sounds great, but you know, we're a hard rock band
recording a Christmas song. This is you know what's going on.
(10:24):
Paul knew we had something magical, and for myself, in
a couple of couple others that have been here from
the beginning of this and just seeing how this song
in Paul's vision has has become tradition. It really is amazing.
It just blows my mind to think of how this
thing started and so many questions and so few answers,
(10:47):
and Paul just stuck to his guns and made this
thing the success that it is. But to your question,
when you are watching television or you're watching a football
game and you hear you hear the music blasting in
the stadium, or it isn't a commercial leading up, you
know that really is something pretty cool because I mean,
(11:08):
as a kid, I always dream of doing what I'm doing.
But to the extent that you are a cultural, like
I said, a tradition. The holidays, we are everywhere, it's TV, radio,
you name it, and it's really really awesome.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
It's not Christmas without you. Honestly, it's not the holiday
season without you. One last question for you, what do
you hope people take away from this show it's coming up?
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I think you know a sense of purpose. You know,
we all love what we do. You know when you
see Tso perform, the musicians on stage, the vocalist on stage,
we love what we're doing. We love the music, we
love the story, we love the meeting, and we just
hope this really connects with people. You know, Paul awful
thing was. He wanted somebody to come into the arena
(11:58):
and be able to escape for two and a half hours,
just sit back and let the show overwhelm you and
have fun with it. We see a standing ovation every night.
Everybody is smiling, everybody's happy, and there's nothing better, you know,
And especially in the world we live in now, there's
(12:19):
a lot of confusion, a lot of angst, and I
think we all just feel very good knowing that the
people have come to see us and they're walking out
of the room having seen something that really makes them
feel good, you know, uplifting. So this is why we
do this. This is why this thing is as good
as it is. Every year it seems to get better.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Well, you've blessed us, and I hope the blessing returns
to you. I'm speaking with Jeff Plate of Trans Siberian Orchestra.
The twentieth anniversary the Lost Christmas Eve Winter Tour twenty
twenty four is Sunday, December first at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Two shows, three and eight PM check them out on
their website. Trans dash Siberian dot com. Tell me what
(12:58):
songs should I play now for our listeners? You choose, oh.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Man, how about a mad Russians Christmas?
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Fabulous?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Thank you so much. Take care.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Here's the Trans Sibrian Orchestra with Mad Russians Christmas.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
The Place, pass, Place, Place, pass, Place the past, Place, place, plas, place, place, place,
plass pass, please place, place, plas place place, Place, Place
please pas place plas, place place, pace, place, please place
(14:49):
place plas please place today m M. The cospons cost
(16:55):
response to pass status
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