The world-renowned Trans-Siberian Orchestra (commonly referred to as TSO) was founded in 1996 by Paul O'Neill and has earned a reputation for stunning live performances. The band's musical style incorporates progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy metal with influences from classical music. TSO has recorded and performed renditions of traditional Christmas songs, which have been among its most popular works.

However, it is also known for its elaborate concerts, complete with a light show and dozens of pyrotechnics that are synchronized with the performance. "Beethoven's Last Night," which TSO will perform March 22 at the Show Me Center, is an O'Neill concoction unlike any other. But, as SE Live found out while talking with O'Neill, the band is setting out to be just that -- different.

SE LIVE: TSO has become an extremely famous live musical act and has played some of the largest venues in the world. What keeps bringing you guys back to Cape Girardeau and the Show Me Center?

O'NEILL: That's a good question and a fair one. But ever since this whole thing got started, I have always instilled in the band, the crew and everyone else involved with our tours that we don't own the band. The fans own the band. We have so many great fans in so many different parts of the world. The least we can do for people is make an effort to play fairly close to them.

One other thing I always think about is ticket pricing. You can be the biggest New York Knick fan on earth, but if you don't have $3,000, you won't get a seat up close. We want to keep ticket prices at a reasonable level so that you can come and bring the family, but so can the guy that rakes your leaves or the woman that works at the restaurant down the street.

Paul O’Neill

SE LIVE: You'll be performing "Beethoven's Last Night" coming up. What gave you the inspiration for the project?

O'NEILL: This is really something that came out of my love for all kinds of music. Classical is an interesting style to me, and for some reason I have always gravitated toward Beethoven. Here's a guy who had massive lead poisoning, was manic-depressive, and never heard some of his most famous and beautiful works because he went deaf. His is a fascinating story, and I think we captured that with our show.

We're basically going into a fictional tale of Beethoven on the last night of his life, and Mephistopheles wants to collect his soul. But, as you'll see, Beethoven tricks the devil and gets to keep the soul he had thought lost. This is what I call a true rock opera.

SE LIVE: TSO is known for its fantastic holiday performances, but what could one reasonably expect from a nonholiday TSO show like this?

O'NEILL: Expect music like you've never heard it. Lights like you've never seen them. A story presented to you in a manner you've never heard. The holiday thing has its fun, but that's not all we do.

As I told Atlantic Records when they approached me in 1993, I just wanted to build on everything that I worshipped. The marriage of classical and rock, ELP and Queen. The light show -- blatantly Pink Floyd. When I was a child, writing, I would try to write the lyrics that I thought were so good that they could stand as poetry and the melody that was so infectious it wouldn't need lyrics and would stand up as music. But when you combined the parts the sum would be greater than the whole, and then I was always looking for a way to make it cut more deeply emotionally. For me, the band that blatantly cracked that story code was The Who. In this show's case especially, it's the storytelling that sets us apart from many other outfits. You need only attend a show and hear the voice of Bryan Hicks leading you through a story to figure that out.

SE LIVE: I have read that the visual effects are stunning in earlier shows on this tour. What should we expect to see at the Show Me Center?

O'NEILL: We have always been a band that has spared no expense to create and present a show how it's intended to be seen. This is no different. We want the lights and everything to help set up the music and the environment. For anyone that is attending, be prepared for a unique audiovisual experience.

SE LIVE: I'm sure fans are wondering, so I'll ask -- what's in the works for TSO?

O'NEILL: Anything me and my creative band members can dream up. Our newest release, "Nightcastle," is something I think fans will get into. It's the story of a beautiful princess at her grandfather's castle on the beach. So much takes place. It's like a book on tape, but musical.

photo by Mark Weiss (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will present "Beethoven's Last Night" at 7:30 p.m. at the Show Me Center March 22. Tickets are available at the Show Me Center box office, by phone at 651-5000 or online at www.showmecenter.biz.

jsamons@semissourian.com

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