Their tour kicks off on November 6, and with one dollar from every ticket sold going to local charities and a projected attendance of over 650,000 people, TSO will be donating more than half a million dollars to charity.

Established in 1996 by producer/composer/lyricist Paul O’Neill, who immediately brought on longtime writing partners Robert Kinkel and Jon Oliva (Savatage), Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings a rock-opera aesthetic to its Christmas-themed show.

The massive production is quite a spectacle, mixing conventional stringed instruments with electric guitars, singers, and a narrator. At any time, there are more than 20 musicians on stage.

“I come from the world of epic rock ‘n’ roll where it’s, ‘Give me a big stage show with as many lights as I can stick on the ceiling, and let me blow people away.’ And we definitely want to take people for a roller coaster ride,” O’Neill told Pollstar during a cover story interview.

The tour seems to expand every year. In order to meet the demand from around the country, TSO will once again morph into multiple touring companies that will play arena-size concerts through the end of the year.