Al Pitrelli wants fans to walk out of a Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance not only saying "Wow!," but noticing the details the group painstakingly adds every holiday season.
"It was bigger, it was more fun. It was better, it was musically deeper. It was just on a different level of exciting. And the story made me feel something that I hadn't before the show,” Pitrelli tells USA TODAY exclusively about how he hopes audiences will react to the 2026 holiday tour.
For its 30th anniversary, TSO will bring its theatrical rock production of electrifying guitar and whizzing lights and lasers surrounding a tender tale to a reimagined staging of “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” – based on the group’s 1999 holiday TV film – followed by a second set of TSO classics
including the seasonal juggernauts "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," "Wizards in Winter" and "Christmas Canon."
Trans-Siberian Orchestra lowered 2026 tour ticket prices. Here's why.
The milestone tour will play 96 shows across 56 markets in North America – as usual, with a pair of touring units and some dual-show days – from Nov. 19 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, through Dec. 30 in Buffalo, New York and St. Louis.
A fan club presale begins Sept. 10-11 with the general presale Sept. 17. The public on sale starts Sept. 18 via trans-siberian.com.
As Pitrelli, the live musical director and guitarist for TSO, has witnessed through his 30 years with the celebrated outfit, families are a core portion of the audience.
TSO wants to maintain that generational sharing of the holiday concert tradition and is instituting “fan-friendly” ticket pricing with expanded lower-priced ticket inventory in every city on the tour.
“Our mission is to give you (a memorable show) and make sure it doesn't cost a mortgage payment to come see us,” Pitrelli says.
TSO wants fans to 'get caught up in the show'
Another TSO tradition, the charitable aspect, will also return. At least $1 from every ticket sold benefits select local charities. In 2024, TSO reached the benchmark of 20 million tickets sold, equating to $20 million given to charities across North America.
The philanthropic element of TSO was a mandate of Paul O’Neill, the band’s visionary founder who died in 2017.
Pitrelli says the guidance of O’Neill always stays with him.
“Paul used to tell us, we know that many of our fans are saving up all year to bring their families to the show, and for some this is the only concert they go to all year. Some of them are in the front rows and some in the last couple of rows. And anywhere that you are in that arena, you deserve the same experience of 'OMG that was crazy'."
The goal of a TSO show has always been to not only entertain, but provide a respite in the often-harried holiday season. Pitrelli intends to maintain that ethos.
“The world is crazy right now. I mean, the economy, stress, life itself, you know?,” he says. “Let's make that go away for a couple hours. This is the magic of a live rock ‘n’ roll show. I want people to get caught up in the show, in the moment, just have fun. Hands in the air!”
Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2026 tour dates
*All dates have matinee and evening performances unless noted.
- Nov. 19: Green Bay, Wisconsin - Resch Center
- Nov. 19: Council Bluffs, Iowa - Mid-America Center (*evening only)
- Nov. 21: Cincinnati - Heritage Bank Center
- Nov. 21: Denver - Ball Arena
- Nov. 22: Youngstown, Ohio - Covelli Centre
- Nov. 22: Colorado Springs, Colorado - Broadmoor World Arena
- Nov. 24: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza (*evening only)
- Nov. 24: Salt Lake City - Delta Center
- Nov. 27: Manchester, New Hampshire - SNHU Arena
- Nov. 27: Boise, Idaho - ExtraMile Arena
- Nov. 28: Worcester, Massachusetts - DCU Center
- Nov. 28: Portland, Oregon - Moda Center
- Nov. 29: Uncasville, Connecticut - Mohegan Sun Arena
- Nov. 29: Seattle - Climate Pledge Arena
- Dec. 2: Nashville - Bridgestone Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 2: Sacramento, California - Golden 1 Center
- Dec. 3: Charleston, West Virginia - Charleston Coliseum (*evening only)
- Dec. 3: Fresno, California - Save Mart Center (*evening only)
- Dec. 4: Toledo, Ohio - Huntington Center
- Dec. 4: Las Vegas - Michelob Ultra Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 5: Columbus, Ohio - Nationwide Arena
- Dec. 5: Ontario, California - Toyota Arena
- Dec. 6: Grand Rapids, Michigan - Van Andel Arena
- Dec. 6: Phoenix - Mortgage Matchup Center
- Dec. 9: Allentown, Pennsylvania - PPL Center (*evening only)
- Dec. 9: Austin - Moody Center (*evening only)
- Dec. 10: Raleigh, North Carolina - Lenovo Center (*evening only)
- Dec. 10: Bossier City, Louisiana - Brookshire Grocery Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 11: Greenville, South Carolina - Bon Secours Wellness Arena
- Dec. 11: Houston - Toyota Center
- Dec. 12: Charlotte - Spectrum Center
- Dec. 12: San Antonio - Frost Bank Center
- Dec. 13: Atlanta - Gas South Arena
- Dec. 13: Dallas - American Airlines Center
- Dec. 16: Charlottesville, Virginia - John Paul Jones Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 16: Birmingham, Alabama - Legacy Arena at the BJCC (*evening only)
- Dec. 17: Albany, New York - MVP Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 17: Jacksonville, Florida - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 18: Hershey, Pennsylvania - Giant Center
- Dec. 18: Sunrise, Florida - Amerant Bank Arena (*evening only)
- Dec. 19: Pittsburgh - PPG Paints Arena
- Dec. 19: Orlando, Florida - Kia Center
- Dec. 20: Philadelphia - Xfinity Mobile Arena
- Dec. 20: Tampa, Florida - Benchmark International Arena
- Dec. 22: Cleveland - Rocket Arena
- Dec. 22: Indianapolis - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
- Dec. 23: Detroit - Little Caesars Arena
- Dec. 23: Chicago - Allstate Arena
- Dec. 26: Newark, New Jersey - Prudential Center
- Dec. 26: Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Fiserv Forum
- Dec. 27: Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
- Dec. 27: Minneapolis - Target Center
- Dec. 29: Toronto - Scotiabank Arena
- Dec. 29: Kansas City, Missouri - T-Mobile Center
- Dec. 30: Buffalo, New York - KeyBank Center
- Dec. 30: St. Louis - Enterprise Center
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trans-Siberian Orchestra unveils 30th anniversary tour dates and budget friendly tickets
