Trans-Siberian Orchestra

So, this past weekend, I had the privilege of taking my mom to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra for her birthday. It was better than I could have imagined. Enjoy!

To start off, it was my mom's birthday last Saturday the 13th. Seeing this particular show, live, has been on her bucket list for a long time. We watched them perform at the Kia Center in downtown Orlando. This was a little hectic, as is with any concert, game, etc. We arrived about 40 minutes before the actual concert began, but that was not early enough. The Geico garage was already sold out. Bear in mind, this was our first time at the Kia Center, so we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! Luckily, there was third party parking lots not even a minute down the road and close to the entrance of the Kia Center. We paid $30 (they charged more for a card, so make sure you have some cash on you) and made our merry way to the arena.

Some things to note if you've never been to the Kia Center: you're not allowed to bring big purses inside, think more of a clutch or handbag situation. There are escalators that take you up to your section of the arena, we were in the nosebleeds (section 213, row 13, seats 9 and 10, lucky 13 almost all the way) so West Promenade area but of course you have to climb stairs to your seats. If you buy a bottled beverage, they will ask you to remove the lid as they have had people throw their caps at the stage/performers and others around them. (Really people?) Last but not least, the seats are very comfortable for an arena setting.

While waiting for the show to start, we snacked on an amazing Bavarian pretzel and some very salty popcorn. Then came the concert of a lifetime. Nothing quite prepares you for this spectacle. The lights, pyro technics, vocals, instruments, visuals, volume, everything. Truly a breath taking, goosebump raising, head bobbing, system shock. They don't warn you of this, but if you have any conditions affected by flashing lights, loud noises, and the like, you may need to seat this one out. Our seats were perfect because we saw everything. This is a surround sound kind of show, so there is so much happening everywhere.

We were taken through a story of a girl trying to find her way back home with the help of her guide. Our guides were drums, guitars, iconic songs, and long hair! Every one of these talented individuals gave their all. Nothing off key or out of tune. Just WOW! You can tell they care about what they do, the audience, and each other. Case in point, after the Christmas portion of the show had come to an end (around 2 hours) they continued playing for another hour. The director I assume, introduced the cast, gave a little speech, then asked, "Since we're all here and dressed, you want to blow some stuff up?" Hell yeah! My mom and I sat there slack jawed, as they kept going, you definitely get your money's worth.

Now, breaking down the cost, who I bought from, and such. I ordered my tickets through Ticketmaster, you download the app, pick your seats, how many people are attending, and order them. Mine cost around $55 each with a total of around 114. I did pay for the ticket insurance, which was an extra $25.50 through Allyz. This insured that if I were to cancel, for a myriad of reasons, I would receive 80% of my money back. There's an option to reserve parking, but I wanted to see the parking situation first. I would say reserve the parking if you don't plan on getting to the arena super early. I believe this was an extra charge of about $40. Concessions cost $30 for two bottles of water, a box of popcorn, and a pretzel. And I think that's about it.

This is a present I had been dreaming of for months! I'm so happy I was able to make it happen for my mom. Happy Birthday to the best mom on the planet. You deserve the world! Until next time. Bye!

Lesson Learned: New annual tradition unlocked!