TSO to pay tribute to O’Neill on tour
Christmas won’t be the same without Paul O’Neill.
When Trans-Siberian Orchestra hits the road for its annual winter tour later this year, it’ll be without the guidance of its beloved founder, who died in April of an accidental overdose of prescription medication used to treat his numerous chronic illnesses. He was 61.
But guitarist Al Pitrelli assures that TSO will still deliver a merry metal holiday spectacle when it embarks on its Winter Tour 2017, which kicks off Nov. 16 in Erie, Pa. USA TODAY is exclusively announcing the dates of the 60-city trek at life.usatoday.com. The show is based on the progressive rock band’s 1999 TV movie The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, which features fan-favorite tunes including Christmas Eve (Sarajevo
12/24), O’ Come All Ye Faithful and Good King Joy.
The tour boasts a revamped stage setup and presentation of the film, which tells the story of a runaway girl who takes refuge in an abandoned theater on Christmas Eve. In its own way, the show will also honor O’Neill.
“Every note and every lyric is something that Paul had written;
99% of (the production) is Paul’s design,” says Pitrelli, 54. “Everything that you see on that stage is a tribute to the man’s genius.”
Pitrelli, who joined TSO in
1995, last spoke to O’Neill a few days before his death during one of their weekly Sunday night phone conversations, when they’d chat about their families and plans for new music. His manager called him April 5 regarding his bandmate’s passing.
“I lost my best friend, my producer, my big brother, the patriarch of this (group),” Pitrelli says. “I remember just hanging up the phone and looking around my house, and the thirty or so gold and platinum records that are hanging on my wall directly correspond (to) my involvement with Paul. You say, ‘Well, his physical presence is no longer here, but everything in my home, my children and my life is because of him.’ As life goes on, it’s just an unfillable void right now.”
The band faced another blow in July, when its touring bassist David Zablidowsky (aka David Z) died in a crash. But TSO never considered canceling its upcoming jaunt, as a tribute to both O’Neill and Zablidowsky.
“To cancel the tour — that’s like me canceling myself breathing. I wouldn’t know what to do without it,” Pitrelli says. “I hear time and time again, ‘It’s not the holidays until I see you guys live,’ or ‘From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we’re playing your music in our home.’ So the thought of ending that? No. (It) would never happen.”
As for what he’ll miss most about O’Neill, he says it’s his stories, generosity and constant motivation.
“He always wanted people to strive to be better than they were,” Pitrelli says. “Paul taught me something a long time ago. That his version of hell is when you die, you meet the person you could’ve become.”
Tickets to TSO’s Winter Tour 2017 go on sale to the general public Sept. 15.