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When Trans-Siberian Orchestra started thinking about its 20th anniversary Winter Tour, members of the progressive rock band thought they would do something new to honor the milestone.

But in typical TSO fashion, the bandleader listened to the will of the listeners and the group instead will perform its classic "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve," with two shows set in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

"The amount of fan mail basically of people that loved it then asked if we were going to be doing it again," Paul O'Neill, TSO creator, lyricist and composer, said about the change in plans. "We exist for the fans. Two years in a row it really isn't a lot when you consider we did 'Christmas Eve' now for 13 years in a row."

"The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" came together by happenstance in 1999. The Fox network called O'Neill to say it had a last-minute cancellation in programing in December, and the executive asked if O'Neill could put together a one-hour show. O'Neill said he'd write up a movie script instead and have it to them the next day.

The story tells of a runaway from the Midwest who makes it to New York City and breaks into an old vaudeville theater on Christmas Eve. The theater's caretaker finds the runaway, and with the help of ghosts and spirits, gives life lessons in the form of rock music. Instead of playing it just once, Fox showed the special several times, and it eventually became a long-running fundraiser on PBS.

"After we'd done all three of the rock operas from the trilogy, a number of fans asked if we were ever going to do the television special," O'Neill said.

He hadn't really considered doing the television special live, but it allowed him to do the two things TSO loves to do the most: blur the line between the band and the audience and reach across generations to draw all ages into the show.

"There's something magical about a father and a teenage kid listening to and enjoying the same music," O'Neill said.

That generational crossover isn't present only in the audience. The band has worked to make sure it includes the younger generation. O'Neill turned 60 this year, and some of the longtime players in the band are in the same age range. But they have reached out to find instrumentalists and singers ranging from teenagers to those in their 40s. The youngest singer they've had was Kayla Reeves, a 17-year-old girl they found in the foster care system in Texas who had a voice O'Neill couldn't leave behind.

"When you put them all together, everybody's game gets higher and everybody brings something to the table, even the newest ones, the new teenagers," O'Neill said. "They bring this unbridled enthusiasm that, again, doesn't allow any of them to become jaded. It just reminds us why we all got into this business in the first place."

Another piece that keeps the show fresh for the longtime performers is the constant evolution of technology to give the TSO show its signature over-the-top elements.

When TSO started touring, for example, the production required two tractor-trailers filled with generators because most arenas couldn't handle the band's lighting electrical load. Now, with LEDs, TSO ditched the generators, and it's made way for more pyrotechnics, O'Neill said.

"The show that we're doing this year we couldn't do five years ago. The show we were doing five years ago we couldn't do five years before that," O'Neill said. "Technology has been moving in such leaps and bounds."

While the show has gotten more technologically advanced, the spirit of it remains the same. TSO continues to donate a couple of dollars from each ticket to charity — totaling more than $13 million to date — and O'Neill hopes the show instills the Christmas spirit in showgoers.

He talks about family members who haven't talked for years, but if they call each other on Christmas Eve, something makes them pick up, despite the name that pops up on the caller ID.

"It basically allows you the opportunity to undo mistakes you've made in your life that you didn't think you could undo. I was always fascinated by that," O'Neill said. "It just seemed like something cool to write a story about." —

TSO will perform its classic rock opera "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" for its 2016 Winter Tour marking the 20th anniversary of the progressive rock group.

When • Tuesday, Nov. 22, 4 and 8 p.m.

Where • Vivint Smart Home Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $42.50-$72.50; every ticket includes a free digital download of the album "Welcome to Trans-Siberian Orchestra"; available at smithstix.com or at any Smith's Tix outlet