continued from page 20
Dream Theater ( Marty doing those shows ) was good for Megadeth fans .”
Although there have been many rumors circulating over the past decade about Savatage reuniting again and recording a new album , it hasn ’ t come to fruition yet . However , in 2015 , Savatage reunited at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany by playing on one stage , while TSO simultaneously played on an adjoining stage . Then , both played together on both stages , separated by a catwalk . The Wacken show set a world record as it was the first time in history that two bands played simultaneously on two separate stages . It was an amazing performance that presented Savatage in a way that deserves to be presented
TSO ’ s last studio album was 2015 ’ s Letters from The Labyrinth , which was also O ’ Neill ’ s last album he was involved in . Thankfully , O ’ Neill left a large body of unfinished material consisting of various melodies , lyrics , and harmonies that the current band is slowly gathering ideas for to record a new full-length TSO album . “ We all are still not over losing him six years ago , and just maintaining the winter tour has obviously been a priority ,” Pitrelli proclaims . “ Over the last few years , I ' ve been going back to the studio with Oliva , kicking the tires on some of the things that he and Paul worked on or just what Paul left us on cassette tapes . There will be new music … we had a new song (“ Carousels of Christmas ”)
22 illinoisentertainer . com december 2023 and also introduced TSO to many people in Germany .
Fast forward to 2023 , TSO will perform 104 shows in 45 cities in 50-plus days , including its annual stop at Allstate Arena on Thursday , Dec . 28 , for two shows . “ Once a year , I get to have Chicago deep-dish pizza after the show ,” Pitrelli gleefully exclaims . “ The community has really embraced us as part of their holiday tradition . That ' s a huge compliment and a massive responsibility to know that . People come up to me and say , ’ It ’ s not the holidays unless you guys run through our town or we play your music from Thanksgiving to New Year ’ s .’ I didn ' t see this on the radar , Kelley . I just knew we were making great music , and Paul had a great art form . But to become to so many families where the Charlie Brown Christmas special was to me when I was a kid or Miracle on 34th Street it ’ s really special , and I ' m so proud of what this is and what it has become .” that we did in the set last year that was something that Paul and Jon had worked on ( before Paul ’ s death ). Completing a record without Paul is extremely difficult , but we ' re going to try our best to do so .”
Twenty-eight years later , with 10 million records sold from six full-length albums , more than 100 members passing through both lineups since its inception , and a massive crew of over 300 , TSO ’ s legacy continues to expand . “ I ’ d like another 28 years ,” Pitrelli optimistically says . “ I ’ d like another generation or two of people to fall in love with it the way I fell in love with it so many decades ago . I ’ d like to know that Paul ’ s work will always move forward because that was his biggest wish , is that (“ Christmas Eve ( Sarajevo 12 / 24 )”) lives long past all of us .”
Appearing 12 / 28 at Allstate Arena , Rosemont .