Youngstown seems to have been rocked with the season, as we have had two outstanding groups come here to perform. Trans-Siberian Orchestra came to town a couple of weeks ago, gracing the Covelli Centre in all of their excellence. Tonight, Mannheim Steamroller performed to a near sellout crowd at the DeYor Center and rocked hard.
Over the last few years, TSO has gained an international fame, and as time has gone on, has gradually taken the lead over the original “Christmas rock” group Mannheim Steamroller. Granted Chip Davis and Steamroller have other works aside from their Christmas music, but predominantly they are known for the Christmas fare.
The question has been raised about which group is better, and of course every person is going to have their opinion on this. A lot of people are not going to know who either group is, simply because they might not be into Christmas music. A lot of the older generation (talking thirties +) are going to have a preference towards Mannheim Steamroller, as that was the group they grew up with and know. For the under 30 crowd, you will see a preference towards TSO for the same reasons. TSO rocks a lot harder than Steamroller, and anything less than TSO is going to be considered too soft.
The Mang’s perspective: these two groups simply cannot be compared, and I will tell you why. The kind of shows they put on are significantly different, and the kind of music they play is also different. Both rock very hard (and I say that having seen what they are capable of live), but it simply is not the same playing field.
Granted, I will highlight the strengths of each group at the end of this.
The shows are completely different. TSO has a hell of a light show to accompany what is best considered an “arena rock” performance. I have never seen anything quite like it, and it was a memorable performance when I saw them when they first came to Youngstown a few years ago. It was Christmas metal at its finest.
Mannheim Steamroller basically goes on stage and rocks out. There are no pyrotechnics, the light show is not nearly as involved as what TSO presents, and there is not really a story that ties the entire show together. They just have a number of talented musicians that really enjoy playing, and do a phenomenal job doing so.
Musically, Mannheim Steamroller is not of the same genre as TSO. Yes, there is some crossover and similarities, but some of the songs are very different. For instance, Mannheim Steamroller’s second half of the show emphasized Renaissance rooted Christmas music. It was awesome. Was it as hard rocking as TSO? No, but that does not mean it was worse or better. It just means it was different.
I am not sure how you can compare a song like “Still, Still, Still” by Mannheim Steamroller to any song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It is a beautiful arrangement but it is not hard rocking. Better, or different? Same thing goes for “Veni Veni” by Steamroller. These songs are not specifically arena rock or metal.
Where are the similarities? You can compare songs to see which group rocks harder. “Carol of the Bells” by Steamroller to “Christmas in Sarajevo” by TSO. Both are outstanding arrangements, and I am even hesitant to pick which one is better. Again, this is really a matter of personal taste, because even these two arrangements I would not consider to be of the same genre.
Some songs cannot be compared, because there are some songs one group has done that the other has not. I would love to see a Trans-Siberian Orchestra version of “Los Peces en el Rio”. The Mannheim Steamroller version is awesome, but TSO could have an awesome metal spin on this if they get around to it.
Strengths of TSO: phenomenal show, unique metal arrangements for Christmas songs, and very hard rocking. If you had to choose the show to see if both were performing on the same night, it would have to be TSO hands down. They have outstanding musical talent and a great show to accompany it.
Strengths of Mannheim Steamroller: outstanding musical arrangements that cover a wide variety of musical genres and eras, and the musicians are versatile and can play a number of different instruments extremely well. They can rock hard if they want to, and their drummer, Tom Sharpe, is unbelievable in his talent. They can also take it down and play beautiful compositions, as arranged by Chip Davis.
Both are outstanding, but this writer is not going to make a choice on which is better. Both are equally talented in their abilities.
The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown
Over the last few years, TSO has gained an international fame, and as time has gone on, has gradually taken the lead over the original “Christmas rock” group Mannheim Steamroller. Granted Chip Davis and Steamroller have other works aside from their Christmas music, but predominantly they are known for the Christmas fare.
The question has been raised about which group is better, and of course every person is going to have their opinion on this. A lot of people are not going to know who either group is, simply because they might not be into Christmas music. A lot of the older generation (talking thirties +) are going to have a preference towards Mannheim Steamroller, as that was the group they grew up with and know. For the under 30 crowd, you will see a preference towards TSO for the same reasons. TSO rocks a lot harder than Steamroller, and anything less than TSO is going to be considered too soft.
The Mang’s perspective: these two groups simply cannot be compared, and I will tell you why. The kind of shows they put on are significantly different, and the kind of music they play is also different. Both rock very hard (and I say that having seen what they are capable of live), but it simply is not the same playing field.
Granted, I will highlight the strengths of each group at the end of this.
The shows are completely different. TSO has a hell of a light show to accompany what is best considered an “arena rock” performance. I have never seen anything quite like it, and it was a memorable performance when I saw them when they first came to Youngstown a few years ago. It was Christmas metal at its finest.
Mannheim Steamroller basically goes on stage and rocks out. There are no pyrotechnics, the light show is not nearly as involved as what TSO presents, and there is not really a story that ties the entire show together. They just have a number of talented musicians that really enjoy playing, and do a phenomenal job doing so.
Musically, Mannheim Steamroller is not of the same genre as TSO. Yes, there is some crossover and similarities, but some of the songs are very different. For instance, Mannheim Steamroller’s second half of the show emphasized Renaissance rooted Christmas music. It was awesome. Was it as hard rocking as TSO? No, but that does not mean it was worse or better. It just means it was different.
I am not sure how you can compare a song like “Still, Still, Still” by Mannheim Steamroller to any song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It is a beautiful arrangement but it is not hard rocking. Better, or different? Same thing goes for “Veni Veni” by Steamroller. These songs are not specifically arena rock or metal.
Where are the similarities? You can compare songs to see which group rocks harder. “Carol of the Bells” by Steamroller to “Christmas in Sarajevo” by TSO. Both are outstanding arrangements, and I am even hesitant to pick which one is better. Again, this is really a matter of personal taste, because even these two arrangements I would not consider to be of the same genre.
Some songs cannot be compared, because there are some songs one group has done that the other has not. I would love to see a Trans-Siberian Orchestra version of “Los Peces en el Rio”. The Mannheim Steamroller version is awesome, but TSO could have an awesome metal spin on this if they get around to it.
Strengths of TSO: phenomenal show, unique metal arrangements for Christmas songs, and very hard rocking. If you had to choose the show to see if both were performing on the same night, it would have to be TSO hands down. They have outstanding musical talent and a great show to accompany it.
Strengths of Mannheim Steamroller: outstanding musical arrangements that cover a wide variety of musical genres and eras, and the musicians are versatile and can play a number of different instruments extremely well. They can rock hard if they want to, and their drummer, Tom Sharpe, is unbelievable in his talent. They can also take it down and play beautiful compositions, as arranged by Chip Davis.
Both are outstanding, but this writer is not going to make a choice on which is better. Both are equally talented in their abilities.
The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown
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