If you can’t get tickets to see that mega-band known for playing arenas every Christmas season, you can see the next best thing.
For one month of the year, the band Infinity becomes Christmas Wizards, a tribute to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Their final performance is at 8 p.m. Dec. 23 at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.
It’s singer Bob Biagi’s favorite month of performing. Biagi formed Infinity in 1985 and nearly four decades later, the band still pays tribute to classic rocks acts like Journey, Boston and Styx.
About 12 years ago, they began performing December shows as Trans-Infinity Orchestra, complete with all the songs matched note for note, an orchestra and choir, lights, lasers and even fake snow.
For legal reasons, they had to drop the name and the logo.
“TSO, we don’t mess with because they’ve been really nice to us,” Biago said. “They say jump, we say how high.”
They had about two days to get rid of the Trans-Infinity Orchestra name and come up with a new moniker. Since it’s Christmas time and Trans-Siberian Orchestra has a song called “Wizards in Winter,” they went with that, he said.
“Infinity is the base (of the group), then we add more players and a choir,” he said. They have 12 people onstage including another keyboard player, another guitar player and four female singers.
“We needed good players to be able to play it. Everyone in the band loves TSO and since we do tribute stuff, we (thought) ‘why don’t we try to do TSO,'” he said. “It was kind of like a joke and then we pulled it off. And it was verbatim.”
Trans-Siberian Orchestra formed in 1996 and is known for “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo,” “Christmas Canon,” “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” and “Nutrocker.”
Christmas Wizards play all the Trans-Siberian Orchestra songs you hear on the radio, he said.
“It’s all the TSO that everyone knows and everyone has their Christmas lights on their houses synced to,” he said. “And then we play Christmas classics … and we’re Infinity, so we could play 16 hours of classic rock.”
He recalls seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 1996 when they were first starting out, when they would play the 4,500-seat Cadillac Palace Theatre and sign autographs in the back.
“‘Christmas Eve/Sarajevo,’ ‘Christmas Canon,’ ‘A Last Illusion,’ ‘Sleigh Ride’ — those are songs you hear 35 times a day on The Lite (93.9 FM),” he said. “So us playing those songs is just like us playing ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’ Every TSO song we play everyone will know.
“We could some stuff they play in concert, but a lot of people wouldn’t know it. But now, knock on wood, we have so many TSO fans that come that when we play a couple B-side songs, they know them word for word. Everything you hear in that show, whether it be the TSO, the Christmas stuff or the classic rock, you’ll be able to sing along to everything.”
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They don’t just stand onstage like statues. He likes to walk into the crowd, he said.
“I tell everybody — ‘if you don’t like the show, come tell me why you don’t like the show’ — and not because I’m fat or I’m ugly because I’ll agree with you there — give me a (reason) and I will give you your money back,” he said. “I’ve never had to do it.”
The Christmas show has become a tradition for families, he said. This year they had 14 shows. But he would play it all year if he could.
“I love that show. If there was any way we just play that show, I would park all three other bands,” he said. “It’s just a great show. From start to finish, it’s hand-clapping, singing, dancing — and don’t let me catch you on your phone because I’ll stand right over you and grab your phone.
“We cover you with the TSO, we cover with the classic rock, we cover you with the Christmas music. You’re going to sing, you’re going to dance, you’re going to stomp your feet, you’re going to clap, whether you like it or not.”
Christmas Wizards
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 23
Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $25-$45
Information: 630-962-7000; arcadalive.com
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.