Trans-Siberian Orchestra is gearing up for a landmark season, celebrating 30 years of the band and the 25th anniversary of Beethoven’s Last Night. Longtime keyboardist Mee Eun Kim describes the buildup as “thrilling,” with the massive production still taking shape. This year, TSO is not just going bigger, but reimagining the show itself — pairing new visuals and a special Beethoven tribute with fan favorites and their signature fusion of symphonic rock, storytelling, and holiday magic.
Welcome to Mee Eun from Trans-Siberian Orchestra
So first of all, Mee Eun want to thank you. And secondly, I want to ask you, how are you? And how this busy period is leading you with the promotion and the upcoming lives and everything.
The tour has been really exciting. As you know, our production rehearsals in Omaha are really exciting. All the artists and the production team come with real anticipation of what the surprise is going to be for ourselves. I was already being interviewed during the first week before the whole production stage was even built. So what can we expect from the tour this year? And I’m thinking, “I think that’s a good question because I also don’t know myself”. I’m still waiting for them to build something.
And you see in the arena, the whole metal things hanging, the lasers, and stages being built with the carpenter. It’s like a thrilling moment for us as well. And as soon as it’s done, it’s like you never thought it could be topped from last year’s show. And then you always have these little things here and big things there. It’s just really overwhelming.
And the show begins again…
But I personally feel like something is really in the air, like the whole management and the team want to really move forward — not just making it bigger and upgrading, but trying some new things. They’re astounding.
So they’re willing to try something completely different and change, as far as visuals and other adjustments, for a long time. Beethoven’s Last Night album — 25th anniversary and also 30th anniversary of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. So we also have a lot of people who repeat, who come back to see us.
Nobody knows our music like our fans do. So we’re trying to give them a different experience each time, even though they listen to the same music.
And for me, even though I play the same thing, it’s always different every year. And every show. So, you know, we try to deliver something more exciting each time.
Recalling the memories of Trans-Siberian Orchestra
You know, I never, unfortunately, experienced a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show in person.
Really?
Yes, but I’ve been following since I can remember. The only thing I think I have left besides the bigger names is your show. I know, that you guys have been in the UK, I think ten years ago. Back at the time, I was too young.
You’re still very young. I think we were in Europe with the Beethoven’s Last Night tour.
Yes, exactly. It was something special because I remember I read about it in Classic Rock. So, the European “Bible” of prog rock.
Oh really?
I remember they had a big feature with Al. I also remember a concert review with all the photos printed. Well, I thought, “Oh my god, it’s amazing”. I wish next time I could experience that.
Exactly.
The experience of Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Yeah, every time I watch YouTube, I think that’s not a show, it’s an experience.
Yes. I mean, I can tell you, I watch YouTube sometimes — you can cannot justify it. You really have to be in the audience to experience it. Like my parents, in the beginning when I first joined the band, asked me, so what is this band?
They were based in Korea. So I said, “It’s a little confusing”. I tried: we have guitar players, orchestra, drums, two keyboards, and many singers — some from heavy metal, some from Broadway, some blues singers, some classical musicians. Yes. We have lasers, pyro, and moving lights.
People imagine it’s Christmas music mixed with classical and rock. My mom looked at me like, “What? I cannot imagine what that story is about”. I said, “You just have to come and see.”
Celebrating Beethoven’s Last Night
Yeah, absolutely. And you know, this year, as you said, it’s even more special because for the first time you are playing again to celebrate Beethoven’s Last Night. It’s special, you know. That album, it’s a true opus for me.
It is. Nobody has done it the way Trans-Siberian Orchestra did it — Paul O’Neill with co-writers Bob Kinkel, John Oliva, and Al Pitrelli. In the way they arranged it, they managed to not lose completely the heavy metal power while still bringing the elegance of classical orchestration. To fulfill both worlds.
It’s tricky to pull off. And Paul O’Neill’s story remains everlasting. You listen now and it still feels current. On top of that, with the second half of our Ghosts of Christmas Eve tour this year, we’ll have many surprises from the Beethoven’s Last Night album and songs that we haven’t played on winter tours before. We’re bringing strong emotional and visual effects — it’s like the perfect combination of worlds: classic and metal. It’s so fantastic. I wish you could come see it, Miriam.
The challenge
I hope. Furthermore, I wanted to ask you — your name has been attached to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra universe since 2014. Now, this tour is going to be extra special for the reasons we just mentioned. What is the challenge? Because it seems easier when you bring 40 + people on tour, but I imagine it isn’t. After so many years, where lies the challenge for you?
For me personally, people think that because I’ve been doing it so long, it must be easy. But every year is a new challenge. Not because of practice, but at a personal level. Everyone has projects outside TSO, and when we come back, we have to gel musically again.
Each year, even playing the same songs, we have a different challenge. Because we are trying to bring a new arrangement. It’s also challenging as far as like gelling with different musicians with different backgrounds.
The challenge #2
And I learn from that because each individual is such an amazing talent. But there’s so many of us, and to bring such harmonias in a perfect musicianship without clashing, we need to have a certain respect and learn to give space for each other’s talent and expression.
It’s like a puzzle — knowing when to shine and when to let others take the spotlight. Everything is perfectly well-watched, orchestrated, arranged and rehearsed. It’s not like we having a jam — it’s a different type of challenge. Also, I learn to live with my “road family”. I don’t even spend this much time with my actual family. In order to find peace and harmony with everyone, it’s an another challenge at a human level, you know? I learn from everybody. I just try also to not get in everyone’s way and try to have a good time. In America, they consider Thanksgiving and Christmas one of the biggest holidays. And these are the times that we spend intensevely together.
The challenge #3
Normally, speaking those time, everybody sit at home celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. In a positive way, you’re sacrificing all this…
For not just one year in a row, but many years. Being part of TSO, we are literally family in terms of how much time we spend, we talk about, how many meals together we eat together. I don’t even eat three meals a month with my family. You know what I mean? [laughs] But here, I eat breakfast, lunch and after show food on the bus with the same group of people.
So, it’s a lot of time together and we try to make it sure that we have a good time and have each other’s back. Not only on holiday season but everyday. These are challenging schedules, as you know. We have two shows almost every day. The crew works so hard, setting up early, doing teardown at night, then traveling immediately to the next city for a 3 PM show and 8 PM show. They’re incredible.
Europe VS USA
For example, In Europe, that would be hard to imagine. Given the geographical distances compared to US, logistics are so different. And such schedule is in the US feasible while doing two shows in the same city in a day, I don’t see it economically viable.
Yes, but we sell out both shows! Especially in the bigger states, some people even come twice to the same day’s performances because there’s so much going on in the show that feel they want to catch details they missed or something. We also brought back signing lines this year — after the pandemic, it’s so special to meet fans again. Let’s we were in Ohio, they will say to me “I’ll see you next week in Philly!” which means they keep coming back during the tour for at least 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 shows
“It’s generations after generations”
That’s incredible. Every time I see TSO’s success I’m positively petrified — the sold-out shows, the legacy — and it amazes me. It’s something that goed beyond my understanding. And it still goes on…
Yes, and I hope we continue. It’s generations after generations of families coming together. I saw grandparents, parents, children, all together. I love seeing kids with their earmuffs and wide eyes and completely in awe from what they are seeing. It’s the cutest thing. I love seeing different generation coming together and hoping that it’ll continue the tradtion to bring their children and their friend because there is something always for everyone. That’s what we want — to keep the tradition alive across generations.
If you are in for the classical crossover part, obviosly for the heavy metal part of the show, or just because you’re in for the show. For example, kids who loves the pyros. Or some people cry because the stories remind them of loved ones they miss during Christmas. Beside the production and the show per se, the show has an emotional side which is the story, the singers voice’, the lyrics and the melody. The people go at home with such a touching, loving and hopeful feeling. Then, we are happy.
“It’s what makes us unique. The whole combination” #1
At the end of the day, that’s the goal…
The production helps enormously the story but it helps a lot also having such great musicians [laughs].
“It’s what makes us unique. The whole combination” #2
Abosulutely. You mentioned — besides the fantastic Jeff Scott Soto, still performing in both the US and Europe — there’s Rosa Laricchiuta from Canada, Sir Russell Allen from Symphony X and Robin Borneman from the Netherlands, and Mariah Formica from Plush. And all this, confims that TSO is generational too!
Yes! She’s so young — 24, I think. I joined when I was 22.
And don’t forget about…
It’s great to see a new generation coming in. Even Rosa brings her own rock flair.
It’s what makes us unique. The whole combination. We have Alex Skolnick from Testament, Chris Caffery from Savatage — by the way, I saw Savatage this summer in Munich! It was amazing. Yes! That’s how it all started — Oliva, the roots. They’ve been touring every year with TSO, staying sharp musically and physically.
The re-release of Beethoven’s Last Night
And by the way, TSO re-released Beethoven’s Last Night on double vinyl through Rhino in the US. That call also for a celebration during this tour. I didn’t buy the vinyl yet because of shipping, but I still have my CD after all these years. The album hasn’t aged at all.
That’s the beauty of it. Especially these two musical genres, the classical and the heavy metal never run out of style. You can listen to it even 20 years from now, and it’ll still sound current like you have described. I wish that one you’ll see it on top of that live with the orchestra and the whole production behind.
The bucket list
It’s on my bucket list, truly [laughs].
Hopefully, we’ll plan something big in Europe soon so more fans can experience it.
It would be wise because you have a lot of fans here in Europe and the fans have been asking for years for TSO to return to Europe.
We played Wacken ten years ago. I know, I know, I hope so.
The planning of Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour
It’s logistically complex to come visit a TSO show. Planning starts as early as June for November-December tours.
After our final show, within days, planning already begins for next year. It’s so much to plan. Not only the production but due the geographical distances, they need to plan the routing, looking at the avalaibilities of the arenas and venues. It’s a lot, it’s a big production with many many visits. We do around 54 shows in 48 days – and that’s just for one coast! Indeed, we have East and West coast. Over a hundred shows total. It’s a lot of planning and they start immediately. That’s a massive planning, but we have the best team.
Closing words
Thank you so much for your time, Mee Eun. I really appreciate you talking with me after so many years.
My pleasure!
Thank you so much and a wonderful winter.