Mannheim Steamroller

We opted for the Mannheim Steamroller concert this year rather than Transiberian Orchestra - we've seen TSO three times now and MH hasn't been to Oklahoma City for, what a couple of years? The girls would have chosen TSO again but they like the MH Christmas CDs we have well enough and we're lucky that the idea of live music appeals to them so it sounded like a nice change-up to our Christmas tradition.

Chip Davis didn't perform - he appeared in a pre-show video explaining why. Some kind of neck surgery; there's nothing on their website about the nature of the surgery but in the video he walks a little stiffly into the room. Could be on-camera nervousness. Regardless, he wasn't at the concert but, instead, the main musicians he uses were and they put on a pretty good show. They played the hits, which is what you want from a band, and some other unfamiliar songs - unfamiliar to us, since we don't have all of the Christmas CDs - which is probably more of what the band would like to play. They sounded like note-for-note performances of the recordings with enough of a difference to let you know that what you were listening to was live. My favorites were in the second part of the show - I like the renaissance styled numbers and then the modern version of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. Silent Night was one of the encore numbers and it was sublimely beautiful.

The girls would have liked TSO better, they said. Not enough hard rock versions of Christmas music for them. Not enough hot chicks playing electric violins for me but then you can't have everything. Still, it was a great show and we enjoyed ourselves. We were glad we went.

Like all live venues, we're not supposed to record the performance. I can dig it. Instead, I took a few shots during intermission.

Emily seems a little more worried than she needs to be. Those are her fashion glasses, not the ones she wears when she's not wearing contacts. Rachel's hand is blurred as she's scarfing down the contraband Tostitos she has stashed in her purse:

Ah, whatever was concerning Emily seems to have passed:

We're in the upper tier section. We got tickets late and that's all that was left. If you have to have seats at the back of the auditorium, go up a level or two. Being on the floor and in the back is sheer misery. Up here, well, things aren't so bad:

Emily's ready to get the show started again; Rachel's blissed out on a post-Tostito high. Though it looks like she's got her hand stuck in her purse for another munch before the show resumes.

Afterwards, we stuck around a little bit to get an autographs but the line was moving slow and we were ready to move on. The night was cold but the streets were alive with theatre goers on their way home. The ice skating rink had a good crowd skating along with the Christmas music. A good night to be out with family.