Trans-Siberian Orchestra returns to Spokane Arena

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is back for their “Ghosts of Christmas Eve” performance at the Spokane Arena.

Since 1995, the band has been combining Christmas themes with prog-metal and hard rock, bringing their holiday rock opera across the country with an immense light show and pyrotechnics for a one-of-a-kind show.

And the group often tours in Spokane around Thanksgiving time. Lead guitarist Al Pitrelli makes it a tradition each year to dine at a corner table at Spencer’s for steaks and chops. There he raises a glass of 25-year-old Macallan to his father and his musical mentor Paul O’Neill, who formed Trans-Siberian Orchestra 28 years ago.

“I celebrate my time with my dad and Paul and have a conversation with them at Spencer’s every year,” Pitrelli told The Spokesman-Review in 2023. “That’s part of what I do when I come back for my annual visit to Spokane.”

O’Neill died suddenly in 2017 at 61.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra has sold over 10 million tickets as well as 10 million albums of records like “The Ghost of Christmas Eve,” “The Christmas Attic” and “Christmas Eve and Other Stories.”

A few of their most popular songs include “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” “Christmas Canon,” “Wizards in Winter” and more.

Since the band began touring, they have donated a portion of the proceeds from every show to local charities in the cities they perform, including Spokane.

Tickets for the Friday show start at $55 and can be purchased through TicketsWest.