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\nThe holidays are rapidly approaching. That means 2 things… My coal stockpile is about to be refilled, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra is rolling into Albany. I recently got to chat with Jeff Plate (On the phone too!!!!) Drummer and original member of TSO and
\nThey are coming to town Thursday December 17th to the MVP Arena. Tickets go on sale Friday September 18th. <\/p>\n\n
Check out what Jeff had to say about how he decided to become a rock star, how TSO got started and what it means to play in front of families year after year. <\/p>\n\n
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Joe Boots:<\/b> Hi, this is Joey Boots with 93.9 WABY. I have Jeff Plate on the phone with me, drummer and original member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. How you doing, Jeff?<\/p>\n\n
Jeff Plate<\/b>: Thanks for having me.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots<\/b>: Well, thanks for taking the time, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is coming to the MVP Arena Thursday, December 17th. Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 18th. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year in 2026. And Jeff, you've been there since the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n
Before we get into the history, the tour, and everything happening this season, I like to start all my interviews with one simple question. Who is the best band or artist you've seen live?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate<\/b>: Man, I've seen a lot of them. I mean the most recent one would be Ghost. I think that that band is great. The show is fantastic. God, prior to that, man. I mean I've seen Rush before. I saw Van Halen back in the day, 1978 when they first came out,that was incredible.<\/p>\n\n
Although the crowd was so loud, I don't actually even remember hearing the band. man, you know what? It's like there's so many shows that I've been to, and in touring Europe and doing festivals and stuff like that, you are in the company of so many other different bands that sometimes you don't normally get to see. And every once in a while, you come across this one artist that's like, my God, that was fantastic. But I'll be honest with you, that one of the more memorable shows that I ever saw and it's not really a hard rock or classic rock genre was Chicago with Earth Wind and Fire. And that was, I mean talk about hit after hit after hit after hit. It was just amazing. But hey you know we go the gamut from all the metal stuff to that. <\/p>\n\n
That's one of the best that's one of the best things about music is you can have all these different tastes and you can run in any different direction. But there's a lot of fantastic groups out there. I can't really put my finger on the one, but those are a couple for you.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots:<\/b> Yeah I'm jealous of Van Halen and Rush. I never got to see those two bands. Thoroughly enjoyed them. I did read online that you were watching KISS perform on The Midnight Special and that's what started you taking drum lessons. Is that true? <\/p>\n\n
Jeff Plate: <\/b>This is true. Back when I was a young pup, 1975, you know, I saw this commercial and I was like, What the heck was that? And I talked my parents into letting me stay up late. And of course, when you're that young, you know, they're like, Okay, you've got to take a nap after supper if you're gonna stay up till one o'clock in the morning. It's like, yeah. So anyhow, I was able to I was able to see KISS perform<\/p>\n\n
And it was like I was watching somebody just landed from another planet. It completely blew me away and it really altered my way of thinking as far as my future is no longer ba<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots:<\/b> That's a good thing that that happened. TSO reaches audiences who might not normally listen to heavy music. Does it ever cross your mind that you could be the first exposure to metal for a lot of people?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: <\/b>For sure. I mean, the variety in people in our audience, I should say the variety in age of people in our audience. You know, we've got children seven, eight years old, that are out there that are seeing us for the first time. And, you know, the whole band is up there bigger than life. The show is huge. The show is big and brilliant. And you got these young, very impressionable people out there watching you, you know? <\/p>\n\n
These girls watch our female singers and you could just see this fire in their eyes. They're idolizing them. So, I know for a fact there's a number of these kids that have seen us years ago who they come back through the line several years later and they're like, you know what? I'm playing drums now, I'm doing this, and it's awesome to see you guys play. And yeah, it really makes you feel good because that happened to me. And it's pretty cool to be able to turn on a young person to music and a particular instrument.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots<\/b>: Trans-Siberian Orchestra was founded in 1996 by Paul O'Neill. you were in Savatage and a lot of the members from that are also in Trans-Siberian Orchestra. How did that whole vision come together and what did those early conversations look like?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate<\/b>: So, the idea for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was in the mind of Paul O'Neill during the 80s, you know, years before I ever met Paul. He was thinking of and dreaming up this band. He wanted to cover all musical genres. He wanted to have different vocalists, different characters. He wanted it to be big and spectacular, you know, add a big show behind it. Multiple instrumentalists, you know he didn't want a four-piece band he wanted a big band a big sound but something that was going to be able to do just about anything so when I met Paul O'Neill was in 1994 when I joined the band Savatage, that you just mentioned. My first venture in the studio with the band was recording a record called Dead Winter Dead.<\/p>\n\n
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And Paul O'Neill was the producer and lyricist for the band. And he came up with a story, a concept that was about the war that was going on in Bosnia at the time. And Paul is a very, very well-read man. He was up on all world affairs, very compassionate man. And this war, this conflict really bothered him. He talked about it many times, but he put it down on paper and the album Dead Winter Dead is based around this war. In the middle of this album, he had this idea of inserting this instrumental Christmas song because it's based around a real-lifesituation, a real person who used to carry his cello into the rubble of Sarajevo and play his cello at the end of the day, you know, as the city's in ruin, there's people have lost their lives, everything is just, you know, tragic, a tragic mess. This man would sit there and play his cello and try to bring some sense and to the whole situation. And Paul was fascinated by this whole idea, this whole you know, situation that these people were living through and what this man was doing. So that song, Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12\/24, first appeared on this Savatagerecord in 1995. As the story goes, and I mean, I was there in the studio, there was a lot of conversation about whether that song should be on a Savatage record or not. But Paul was very convincing and you know it made it down to the record. But when it was released, the song itself just took off in a completely different direction. All of us, all of a sudden it became this contemporary hit. We were on Christmas stations; we were onChristian stations. We were on adult contemporary radio stations. You know, you name it. And next thing you know, Paul realized that this song was a hit here in the States. This was his opportunity to use the song to create the Trans-SiberianOrchestra, which was his dream. So, he put the band together. Well, I should say first he recorded the album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories, was recorded in 1996. And this is when TSO officially became like a real entity, a real group and we released that first record. The record is beautiful. There's a lot of great songs on there, a lot of great lyrics, a lot of great music, and a really, really great touching story. And all of that combined just helped that record become a multi-million seller. And Paul had a hit on his hands. <\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots<\/b>: Yeah, and you mentioned that he wanted to create a big, huge band that can do anything, and he succeeded with that.<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: He succeeded in a number of things. I mean, there was a lot of things that Paul talked about doing that I was scratching my head going, man, I don't know if you're going to be able to pull that off. But the man certainly did. And I tell you, the main thing that he wanted to do was create good art, good music that was going to be accessible to the masses so everybody could enjoy it and everybody could, you know, not be overwhelmed by it.<\/p>\n\n
But he also wanted to create something that was going to be passed on from generation to generation. And I see that before my eyes every tour. You know, the people that are in the seats, the people that come through the autograph line. There werechildren in the early 2000s that are now grown up bringing their children to the shows. So, it was a really it was a really tricky thing a couple of years ago to get our heads wrapped around the idea that TSO is tradition.<\/p>\n\n
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You know, it is a holiday tradition for millions of people in America. And just to be a part of all this, you know, as we started out very humbly in 1999 when we did our first tour, up until now, where these tours are just massive and brings in thousands and thousands of people. It's just great to be a part of this and be able to carry on Paul's legacy.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots:<\/b> I know you sent you started touring in 1999, but this is the 30th year of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which is a massive milestone. Congratulations on that.<\/p>\n\n
The show is this year is “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve; The Best of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and more”. What does hitting this thirty year anniversary mean to you personally? Like you said, it's something that people come to every year because it's like parents can bring their kids and you leave the show and you're just like, that was awesome.<\/p>\n\n
Jeff Plate<\/b>: Well, I mean, going back to seeing KISS on television, you know, just having the dream of being aprofessional musician being on stage, doing records, doing tours and when I finally got the gig in 1994, I came into Savatage, the band had gone through they lost some members. It was a real tragic time for the group and I came in at a very strange time, but I happened to be there at the right time at the same time. And I was so fortunate to be able to finally work in a group like this. And then lo and behold, two years later I'm in a studio recording this Christmas record, and we've got this this gold record, this this song that's a massive hit in America. And I mean a lot of things happened really quick. I was not the youngest when this all happened, but once I got into the group and got working with Paul and John Oliva and his other team of people around him, things just happened really, really kind of quick. <\/p>\n\n
But I remember at the time there was there was more questions than there were answers when it came to TSO. Yeah, Paul had this vision. We just come out of this rock band into this whole Christmas scenario. And you know, people were wondering what are we doing? Well, the records spoke to that for themselves. The music spoke for everything that we were up to, everything that Paul was writing and creating. And it just connected with millions of people. <\/p>\n\n
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Joe Boots: With all the musicians, the vocalists, the massive lighting and the video setup, like how early do you start rehearsing for these shows? And how do you coordinate all the moving parts?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: Well, I've been here from the very beginning. So, I can say that for several of us. You know, the Savatage guys have all been on board since this thing started. A lot of the group members have been with us for at least 12 years, some 15 years. So, everybody knows the drill, so to speak. Yeah, we we've played these songs many times. Preparing the music for these tours.<\/p>\n\n
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I mean, it takes a while. You gotta get back into the room and, you know, brush the dust off and get things tight again. Bring up some new songs that you haven't done in a while and get them up to speed. But that part of the rehearsal is actually pretty smooth. It's the production part of the rehearsals that's the most intense. And if you've seen our show, you could probably understand why, but really rehearsals are like a little over two weeks.<\/p>\n\n
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And when we get there, we hit the ground running. I mean, we start running the show, we start running through music, we do everything twice a day. And once we get out there on tour, you know, that first show is we're not out there doing a warm-up show. We are slick, we are rehearsed, we're ready to go, and that first show is just as important as the last.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: You said there's two shows on some days. how taxing is that, on ya, and how do you keep your energy up for that?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: Well, I don't really know any different because that's just what we've been doing all these years. You know, I have a very physical job playing drums. The shows are usually two hours and fifteen minutes, two hours and twenty minutes long. There are a number of breaks in there for me. You know, we'vegot the first half of the show is the story segment, which includes narration. So, while the narrator is telling the story in between the songs, there's obviously a break there. We've got some ballads. We have band introductions. We have a couple acoustic songs here and there. So, there's several moments throughout the show where I really get to, you know, just back it right down and catch my breath. The two show day, like I said, is something that we're all so used to. When we do a one show day, we're kind of bored. So, it's great though. I mean, when you play in front of an audience, when you play in front of a building that's full of people and the audience just loves what you're doing, I mean that's all the energy you need right there. So, for sure, we all love doing what we're doing.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: Excellent, you've been to Albany many times. you grew up in the southern tier in that area, is that correct? <\/p>\n\n
Jeff Plate: Yeah, I'm like three hours west of you. <\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: Are there any places here in Albany that stand out that you try to visit when you come here or you're just so busy, do your show, hit the road?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: God, you know, I haven't really had a chance to really explore Albany all that much, to be honest. We normally have days off in Schenectady. There's a place there that we use for the days off. But Albany itself, I mean, you know, I'm a few hours away, but it's close to home. Yeah. It's kind of special for me because I've always got friends that make the road trip and come out and see the show. And you know, it's a busy time of year. It's not just that easy to come out and see us because we are touring during the holiday season, there's a lot of stuff going on. So, when people get a chance to make the road trip out to see us, that's that feels great for me. And I love sharing what we're doing because a lot of people they know they know the band, they know the music, but as I tell everybody, you gotta just come see the show.<\/p>\n\n
I mean, you won't believe how good this show is. It's gonna be one of the best shows you've ever seen. And to date, I'm not wrong. Everybody that's come to see us is just like, man, I had no idea. And gives me a sense of pride too, knowing that, you know, all this work and all these years that some of my friends and peers can come and see it and appreciate it. <\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: You spend your holiday season touring. Do you have any personal traditions that you make time for?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: Honestly, one of them is I watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. We usually have Christmas Eve off, Christmas Day off. You know, I can I can find that on television somewhere or actually see it online. But that's you know, that just brings me back to when I was a kid. Yeah. And upstate New York, the winter season was different back then. We used to have piles of snow from Thanksgiving to the end of February.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: Yeah, now you get it late December and then it's cold.<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: Yeah, yeah. And then it might just be miserable for a while. It's like the winters aren't what they used to be. But that that show in particular just brings me back to, you know, sitting in my living room with my family and the tree is up and the snow is piled up outside and that's just like that storybook Christmas setting. You know what I mean? But that's really the one thing that I really try to do every year. And hey, you know, that we're all we're all kids at heart when we get into a business like this and that that show just kind of brings me that to that time.<\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: So, after thirty years, what do you hope that the next decade or more of Trans-Siberian Orchestra looks like?<\/p>\n\n
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Jeff Plate: Well, a lot of the same. You know, we have a lot of albums. We have three Christmas albums full length. We have a Christmas EP. we have three full length non-Christmas albums. So, there's plenty of music that we've been able to insert in the shows, you know, the stories. We kind of rotate the stories as the years go by. And we're gonna do our best every year just to make the show better. That was one of Paul's mantras when we first started.<\/p>\n\n
No year will be the same as the last and every year's gonna be better. And we've even though we lost Paul back in 2017, the group of people that he that he employed to manage this and run this have done a fantastic job keeping that spirit alive and keeping, you know, what I just said running true. So, we don't plan on changing anything in the future. It's really worked great so far and we're just thrilled that the audiences keep coming back every year. It keeps growing. And we just hope to continue that. <\/p>\n\n
Joe Boots: And the show is truly mind blowing. When you leave it, you're just like, wow, that was awesome.<\/p>\n\n
And the show is “The Ghost of Christmas Eve, the best of TSO and more.” That's coming to the MVP arena Thursday, December 17th. And tickets go on sale this Friday, September 18th. you can get your tickets at www.tsotickets.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n And Jeff, is there anything else you'd like to say to the WABY listeners before we head out?<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n Jeff Plate: Hey, just thank you for the support. You know, it's it sounds cliche, but we could not do this without the fans. And for the people that come to see our show and then bring somebody new the next year, that just snowballs into these tours being a success every year. And you know, we can't thank the fans enough for supporting us and coming back every year to see us. <\/p>\n\n Joe Boots: Thank you very much, Jeff. here at 939, we like to keep our holidays hard, heavy, and loud.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n <\/p>","image":"https:\/\/mmo.aiircdn.com\/186\/6aaa8935aa26c42f916.jpeg","author":{"name":"Joey Boots"},"_mobile_inapp_url":"https:\/\/www.939waby.com\/_app_pages\/stations\/5262\/blogs\/posts\/86432"}]}