ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A progressive rock band that once held the record for the fastest sellout at Allentown’s PPL Center will return to the venue, it has been announced.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra will return with its The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO & More show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, it was announced.
It will mark the group's return after not performing there in 2024. That was the only time since 2015 that the group didn't perform at the venue, except during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Tickets, the prices of which were not announced, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 12 at the PPL Center website or at the box office.PPL Center website
Tickets, the prices of which were not announced, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 12 at the PPL Center website or at the box office at 701 Hamilton St., Allentown.
The show follows a story by Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s late founder/composer/lyricist Paul O’Neill, who died in 2017 at age 61.
The story is set on Christmas Eve, when a young angel is sent to Earth to bring back what is the best representative of humanity.
The show features fan-favorites “Ornament” and “Old City Bar,” and classics such as “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” “O’ Come All Ye Faithful,” “Good King Joy,” “Promises To Keep,” and “This Christmas Day.”
It also will include a special second set of hits and fan-favorites that includes a 25th anniversary salute to the TSO disc "Beethoven's Last Night."
Disc re-release, signing line returns
TSO Music Director Al Pitrelli, who also is its lead guitarist, said in a release that, “When I go back and listen to our songs, I am always amazed at how quickly the time has gone by."
"It's been 25 years since we recorded Beethoven's Last Night and it seems just like yesterday. We are excited to play pieces from the album and pay respects to the art and legacies of both the great composer and Paul O’Neill.
"I'm looking forward to watching the expressions on everyone's face, with all the surprises we have in store. We can't wait to get on the road."
The band has been among the Top 10 ticket-selling bands in the world.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Beethoven's Last Night" will be re-released Sept. 12 in an exclusive lenticular cover and a red vinyl pressing.
The two-album set tells the dramatic tale of Ludwig van Beethoven's final hours by blending his iconic melodies with hard rock and theatrical storytelling.
In addition, TSO has announced the return of the TSO Signing Line, where for the first time since 2019 everyone at the show will have the opportunity to get one item signed by members of the group free.
In 2016, for its first performance in the Lehigh Valley, 10,000 tickets sold out in less than an hour — the fastest sellout ever for PPL Center.
That beat a record set by Elton John, who sold out PPL Center in less than three hours. John reclaimed the record in 2018, when tickets for the first show in his farewell tour sold out in 28 minutes.
There are two touring versions of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, known as TSO East and TSO West.
