Filed under: Musical
My father-in-law (Rick) called me up on Friday and asked me if I wanted to go see the Trans Siberian Orchestra in Rupp Arena. I had never heard of any such group, and was kind of thrown by the name, but I decided to go with him anyway. I thought it would be some New Age type concert (I like New Age music, but I can’t imagine going to a New Age concert) so I wasn’t expecting much.
I was extremely surpised by their sound. It was like listening to Metal mixed in with some neo-classical sounds. The two guitarists, Chris Caffery, and Alex Skolnick, were freakin’ awesome! I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had heard these two play before in their other bands (Chris with Savatage, and Alex with Testament). These guys can shred!
Chris played a Jackson RR1 USA Randy Rhoads Guitar quite a bit, but he and Alex both played Les Pauls. I’ve been wanting a Les Paul for a year or so now, but I have never wanted one as badly as when I left that concert. Man, those guitars have some heavy rhythm tones, and an unbelievable lead tone. I had a Les Paul Studio model back when I first started playing guitar, but I got rid of it and bought the Ibanez RG550. Some people would think I’m crazy for doing that, but I’m not sorry that I did it. I still say the Ibanez is the best guitar I’ve ever played, and I feel honored to own it. Anyway, that Les Paul tone just captivated me.
I ran upon an old cassette that a friend of mine had made back in the 4-track days, and he played his Les Paul Standard on every song. It sounds soooo heavy on there. Then you have me and my Ibanez playing a solo on top of it, and it came together rather well. The bottom line is…I want a Les Paul again. I don’t know how I’ll ever manage to get one, but somehow I MUST HAVE A LES PAUL!
Now that I’ve rambled on about the Paul for a while, I’ll get back to my original subject, the Trans Siberian Orchestra. If you ever get a chance to see them play, definitely go see them. It was absolutely awesome. I’m definitely going to see them again next year. It got me so fired up that I had to come home and do some shredding of my own. But those Les Pauls…..*sigh*