Tickets for TSO holiday shows in Pittsburgh going on sale

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s popular annual holiday tour, “Christmas Eve and Other Stories,” includes two Dec. 22 shows at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Times for the Pittsburgh concerts will be 3:30 and 8 p.m.

Reserved tickets, starting at $47.25, go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 13 at livenation.com, ticketmaster.com and the PPG Paints Arena box office.

“Christmas Eve and Other Stories” is based on the triple-platinum album of the same name, based on a story by TSO’s late founder/composer/lyricist Paul O’Neill.

“The story is set on Christmas Eve when a young angel is sent to Earth to bring back what is best representative of humanity,” according to a release. “Following favorite TSO themes of ‘strangers helping strangers’ and ‘the kindness of others,’ ‘Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ takes listeners all over the world to help reunite a young girl with her distraught father.”

This year’s tour will feature fan favorites like “Ornament” and “Old City Bar,” which have not been performed live in recent years. It also features TSO classics such as “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” along with a new second set featuring TSO hits like “Christmas Canon,” “Wizards In Winter” and others.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s rock opera-style performances, designed to appeal to audiences of all ages, blend rock, classical, pop, blues, soul and other music genres with vocals and visuals including lights, lasers, pyrotechnics and video screens.

Since it was formed in 1996, the TSO has sold more than 10 million albums, played to more than 100 million people, selling more than $280 million worth of tickets and presenting $11 million to charity, according to its website.

There are two touring versions of the band. This year’s holiday tour begins Nov. 13 in Green Bay, Wisc., and wraps up Dec. 30 in Chicago.