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Christmas isn't here yet. But it will roll up fast, and while for many the holiday will ignite happy emotions, for others the season will be accompanied by a touch of melancholy.

That's only natural, says Al Pitrelli, 61, a core member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a band whose infectious mash-up of hard rock and Christmas tunes has been going strong for nearly three decades.

"Christmas is an interesting emotional time, which is something Paul set out to explore from the outset," says Pitrelli, referring to TSO founder Paul O'Neill, who died in 2017. "When you miss someone, that feeling is magnified around the holidays. But as Paul would say, it's better to miss something than to never had have it at all."

TSO fans will have plenty to celebrate as the band kicks off dual touring shows Nov. 13 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The production winds through cities including Phoenix, Denver, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Nashville, Indianapolis and Detroit. The tour wraps Dec. 30 with concerts in Oklahoma City and Toronto.

Presales for TSO fan club members begin Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. local time, with additional presales starting Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. local time. Sales to the public start Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. local time.

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This year's show revives a 20-year-old double album, "The Lost Christmas Eve," which, in music, song and spectacle, tells the story of a hard-hearted business executive who rediscovers the love of a son he had long ago cast aside.

"Paul's message here was simple," says Pitrelli, often speaking of his friend as if he were in the room. "And that is, it's never too late."

TSO launched in the mid-'90s by veteran hard rock musicians and producers (O'Neill helped produce some of Aerosmith's albums, and Pitrelli's resume includes stints with Megadeath and Alice Cooper) as an ode to the rock operas launched by bands such as The Who and Pink Floyd, with a decidedly Christmas-sounding vibe.

Why are they called the Trans-Siberian Orchestra?

As for the name, Pitrelli says, O'Neill just thought the notion of Russia's famous Trans-Siberian train "sounded cool." He adds that in the band's early days an interviewer, assuming the band was foreign, told O'Neill, the rocker from Queens, New York, "You know, your English is so good."

After the group's first album, 1996's "Christmas Eve and Other Stories," took off, a movie followed in 1999, "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve." But a tour was still an afterthought. "We were basically like the Steely Dan of Christmas music," jokes Pitrelli, a nod to the legendary rock band that almost never toured.

But when legions turned out for a set of live dates, a phenomenon was born. This year marks TSO selling about 20 million tickets resulting in $20 million donated to charity. The group consistently ranks among the top touring acts, according to Pollstar and other industry trackers.

As just who are TSO's fans? Pitrelli chuckles. "The first show we did, back in 1999 in Philadelphia, I looked in the front row when we got out there, and I saw two grandparents in crocheted reindeer-themed sweaters, sitting right next to a big young guy in a Slayer hoodie, so that tells you everything."

As for Pitrelli, heading back out on tour is not only a way to connect with TSO fans but also to salute a man whose memory looms large.

"Paul was my best friend, my boss, my producer, my big brother. Paul loved my kids as if they were his own," he says. "I don't want to miss him, but I'm also so glad I had him in my life. And when we go out there and perform, we celebrate Paul."

Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour dates in 2024

Wed., Nov. 13	Council Bluffs, IA	Mid America Center	evening
Wed., Nov. 13	Green Bay, WI	Resch Center	matinee & evening
Thurs., Nov. 14	Des Moines, IA	Wells Fargo Arena	evening
Fri., Nov. 15	Fort Wayne, IN	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum	evening
Sat., Nov. 16	Denver	Ball Arena	matinee & evening
Sat., Nov. 16	Toledo, OH	Huntington Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Nov. 17	Colorado Springs, CO	Broadmoor World Arena	matinee & evening
Sun., Nov. 17	Erie, PA	Erie Insurance Arena	matinee & evening
Wed., Nov. 20	Albany, NY	MVP Arena	evening
Wed., Nov. 20	Salt Lake City	Delta Center	matinee & evening
Thurs., Nov. 21	Boise, ID	ExtraMile Arena	evening
Thurs., Nov. 21	State College, PA	Bryce Jordan Center	evening
Fri., Nov. 22	Spokane, WA	Spokane Arena	evening
Fri., Nov. 22	Youngstown, OH	Covelli Centre	matinee & evening
Sat., Nov. 23	Hershey, PA	Giant Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Nov. 23	Seattle	Climate Pledge Arena	matinee & evening
Sun., Nov. 24	Portland	Moda Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Nov. 24	Wilkes Barre, PA	Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza	matinee & evening
Wed., Nov. 27	Ottawa, ON	Canadian Tire Center	evening
Wed., Nov. 27	Sacramento, CA	Golden 1 Center	matinee & evening
Fri., Nov. 29	Las Vegas	Orleans Arena	matinee & evening
Fri., Nov. 29	Manchester, NH	SNHU Arena	matinee & evening
Sat., Nov. 30	Anaheim, CA	Honda Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Nov. 30	Worcester, MA	DCU Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 1	Phoenix	Footprint Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 1	Uncasville, CT	Mohegan Sun Arena	matinee & evening
Wed., Dec. 4	Austin, TX	Moody Center	evening
Wed., Dec. 4	Buffalo, NY	KeyBank Center	evening
Thurs., Dec. 5	Bossier City, LA	Brookshire Grocery Arena	evening
Thurs., Dec. 5	Charleston, WV	Charleston Coliseum	evening
Fri., Dec. 6	Cincinnati	Heritage Bank Center	matinee & evening
Fri., Dec. 6	Tulsa, OK	BOK Center	evening
Sat., Dec. 7	Dayton, OH	Nutter Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Dec. 7	Kansas City, MO	T-Mobile Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 8	Grand Rapids, MI	Van Andel Arena	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 8	Little Rock, AR	Simmons Bank Arena	matinee & evening
Wed., Dec. 11	Birmingham, AL	Legacy Arena at the BJCC	evening
Wed., Dec. 11	Nashville, TN	Bridgestone Area	evening
Thurs., Dec. 12	Columbia, SC	Colonial Life Arena	evening
Thurs., Dec. 12	Jacksonville, FL	VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena	evening
Fri., Dec. 13	Greenville, SC	Bon Secours Wellness Arena	matinee & evening
Fri., Dec. 13	Sunrise, FL	Amerant Bank Arena	evening
Sat., Dec. 14	Charlotte, NC	Spectrum Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Dec. 14	Orlando, FL	Kia Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 15	Atlanta	Gas South Arena	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 15	Tampa, FL	Amalie Arena	matinee & evening
Wed., Dec. 18	Raleigh, NC	PNC Arena	evening
Wed., Dec. 18	St Louis, MO	Enterprise Center	evening
Thurs., Dec. 19	Charlottesville, VA	John Paul Jones Arena	evening
Thurs., Dec. 19	Indianapolis	Gainbridge Fieldhouse	evening
Fri., Dec. 20	Moline, IL	Vibrant Arena at The MARK	matinee & evening
Fri., Dec. 20	Newark, NK	Prudential Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Dec. 21	Pittsburgh	PPG Paints Arena	matinee & evening
Sat., Dec. 21	St. Paul, MN	Xcel Energy Center	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 22	Milwaukee	Fiserv Forum	matinee & evening
Sun., Dec. 22	Philadelphia	Wells Fargo Arena	matinee & evening
Monday, Dec. 23	Chicago	Allstate Arena	matinee & evening
Monday, Dec. 23	Washington, D.C.	Capital One Arena	matinee & evening
Thurs., Dec. 26	Columbus, OH	Nationwide Arena	matinee & evening
Thurs., Dec. 26	Houston	Toyota Center	matinee & evening
Fri., Dec. 27	Cleveland	Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse	matinee & evening
Fri., Dec. 27	San Antonio	Frost Bank Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Dec. 28	Dallas	American Airlines Center	matinee & evening
Sat., Dec. 28	Detroit	Little Caesars Arena	matinee & evening
Monday, Dec. 30	Oklahoma City	Paycom Center	matinee & evening
Monday, Dec. 30	Toronto, ON	Scotiabank Arena	matinee & evening