New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Trans-Siberian Orchestra have been a staple of the end of the year holiday touring season for years, but the traveling collective will not be on the road in 2020. An announcement has been made that the group, adhering to public health and safety concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic, will not stage their annual run this year.
Manager, producer and musician Paul O'Neill founded the group in 1996 with Savatage's Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and co-producer Robert Krinkel. They've often given orchestral holiday music a rock and metal spin, releasing albums since 1996 and touring every year since 1999. With immense popularity, TSO eventually created shows with two casts of musicians in order to play both the eastern and western U.S. within the holiday months.
As for the decision not to tour in November and December this year, the band's statement can be read below:
Dear TSO Fans,
We waited as long as we could, hoping for months, that we would not have to make this sad announcement. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to tour this holiday season. While all of us in TSO wanted to be able to hit the road this November, in the interest of public health and safety, we regrettably cannot move forward. The well-being of our fans, our crew, and of venue staff is of the utmost importance to us and, with that in mind, we must forgo touring during this pandemic.
In a normal autumn, gearing up for tour, loading up the trucks, and making our way to rehearsal is the highlight of our year. It means that shortly thereafter, we are going to be in your city and doing what we love most, playing live for you.
When we can all safely be together, we look forward to seeing you all again on tour. We hope you are all taking the necessary precautions to keep healthy.
We thank you for your ongoing support of TSO.
Be good and love one another.
Over the last decade, TSO's $20 million-plus production has played to over 100 million people in 80+ cities, selling more than $280 million worth of tickets and presenting $11 million to charity.
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