Ok....my homegirl's boyfriend is the Sales Manager for a radio station here...and he got tickets to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Gave me and wife a pair for Saturday night...we all went.

Now...the radio clip of this...sounds great....sounds like a contemporary orchestra of some sort with some new spin.

I love orchestra...always have......

Me and the wife and my homie and her boyfriend all dolled up and ready...

We get there.......and the colluseum is filled with fog smoke....

Sit down...show starts....huge intro...the exact instrumental radio...

Massive light show...looks good....lasers and stuff...nice....

then..............................i see the omen.

I see a guitar to the left stage....something like this but white....and the guy has long hair......
http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/9/1/8/273918.jpg

and right after the kickin intro.....this douche steps up and starts screaming all high on the neck of the guitar some crotch metal ....high pitched 1980s glam rock garbage.......
Then some jerkoff with long hair comes out and starts "singing" ......
And jumpin around playing the "rockstar" routine.......
............................................

............................................And to top it OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's all christmas music ................  with narrators..................yes....trying to tell some gank story that you couldn't understand about some drunk in the snow.....in between songs......

So...........
Has nothing to do with Siberia noting and giving you the suggestion that its Russian.......
And only has like 8 peice pit orchestra playing some viola and chel...
.......
It was a Crotch-Metal band in disguise
Not an orchestra
Not Russian

Fought traffice for 45 minutes to get there......
Show sucked....
Left....after about 4 or 5 of their .......performances.....

Gay..........don't go unless you like hair bands.

after a quick review of http://www.trans-siberian.com/
i must say, they do seem kind of douche-y
least yall had fun right?

Why do you play so fast....to be cool?
If you think you can last...you're just fools
You try to be something....that you're not
And all you do is fill our ears....with rot
You claim to be hardcore
Well that's a bunch of shit
You're just a bunch of snot nosed kids
A real group of tits
You make your bed you lay in
I bet it's made of shit
You think you're all so macho
I bet you all have clits

You're just a douche crew
You're just a douche crew
You're just a douche crew
You're just a douche crew

We offered you our hands
You just turned your backs
You're just a bunch of poser douchebag
faggot, dickless hacks
Wearing all their douchy clothes
They like to watch each other pose
They're all the same, so fuckin' lame
We'll shove their spikes right up their holes!

I could never get into that bubble gum hair spray flamboyance metal.....

Viola > *

As far as instruments go.

TransSiberian Orchestra is hit or miss in my opinion.

For a classical spin on contemporary music, "The String Quartet Tribute to" series is always enjoyable; of course, you have to like string quartets in the first place...