Darkness filled the Greensboro Coliseum. Suddenly, blue neon lights appeared over the stage as the sound of drums broke the silence. The lights rose over the stage as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra begins its first song.To promote its new CD, as well as to perform its annual Christmas production, TSO performed at the Coliseum on Nov. 25.

TSO released its latest album, a two-disc set called “Night Castle,” on Oct. 27. The CD is full of ballads, most of which are bland and lacking in energy and excitement. It’s difficult sitting through the first disc of the two-disc album, let alone making it to the second.

When playing live, however, TSO transforms even the dullest tracks on the album into showstoppers, using the advantage of staged effects to heighten the performance.

The first half of the concert took the form of a Christmas narration (voiced by Brian Hicks), with intermittent songs illustrating the story.

TSO devoted the second half of the concert solely to music from “Night Castle.” Some songs had vocalists, while others, like “Carol of the Bells,” were instrumental pieces.

The set was incredible, complete with lasers, strobe lights, moving neon lights, video and fire, which were used to display spectacular visuals.

When the orchestra played “Toccata – Carpimus Noctem,” fire danced up and down the stage in time with the music. Lightning lit the screens behind the band, and green lasers spun over the audience, lighting up the far wall.

Unfortunately, the album version of “Toccata – Carpimus Noctem,” lacked the energy and excitement that made the song so successful at the concert. It’s a shame that TSO didn’t manage to bring their exciting and energetic stage presence to life on the two-disc album.

The highlight of the concert was the finale, in contrast to the album, which has no standout track. The eight-minute-long song was a medley of some of TSO’s most famous pieces, including “The Mountain” and “Carol of the Bells.”

Blue fire erupted from both the sides and back of the stage as the orchestra played, and evenly spaced puffs of flame raced across the stage, up then down, from left to right. As the song reached a crescendo, fire rained like a sparkling curtain behind the band, before another curtain of fire shot up in front of the raining flames.

“The curtain of fire added an intense moment on stage as the music played along with the fire,” said junior Cristen Kennedy, who attended the performance. “It made the crowd want to get up and start dancing.”

If you haven’t seen the Trans-Siberian Orchestra live yet, you definitely should. It’s well worth every penny for the tickets. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the album.