Interview: Al Pitrelli Says He Wants Trans-Siberian Orchestra to ‘Live Forever’

Each year when Trans-Siberian Orchestra announce their winter tour, they bill it as “bigger and better” than the previous year.

And every tour, they manage to deliver on that promise.

“Paul O’Neill, the gentleman who created this whole thing, he was the mastermind behind all of it,” TSO guitarist and musical director Al Pitrelli told Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights (Sept. 18).

“I spent literally half my life with the man in the recording studio and on the road and he had no boundaries as far as production and as far as musicality [goes].”

As Pitrelli described it, O’Neill never concerned himself with restrictions or expectations and instead wanted to always bring to life whatever visions he had in his head.

“In the beginning of this, he would drive us all absolutely crazy because, like, dude, you can’t do that,” Pitrelli recalled. “And [O’Neill] was like, ‘Yeah, we can, just try it.’ He was really good at pushing individuals to be better than they already were.”

O’Neill passed away in 2017 and Pitrelli has made it his mission to continue that legacy of creating unforgettable live experiences for fans who come to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

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In fact, the goal he has for TSO is one that O’Neill no doubt held himself.

“For me, personally, I want it to live forever,” Pitrelli said about the band he’s committed his life to.

“That’s the goal. I want to know that when I physically can’t perform any longer or can’t do my job at the top of the game any longer, I know that there’s a generation that I helped train and teach that will carry on this vision.”

What Else Did Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Al Pitrelli Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What it means to him to see the same people and families come to shows each year
• How modern technology managed to elevate O’Neill’s visions for Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• How a YouTube video helped create some of the most memorable moments in TSO’s live show

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Al Pitrelli joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, Sept. 18; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.