The night was crisp, with snow lightly melting on our noses. The mob of people surged forward, and we just went with the flow. Finally, we reached the main doors, and gave the clerk our tickets. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people around us; I tried not to get lost. My parents’ friends, Laura and Claire followed behind as we passed through into the main hall. The smell of cinnamon doughnuts and and popcorn reached my nose. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach; We had just eaten at MaJiano’s, an Italian restaurant in downtown. Finally, we made our way to the steps and arrived at section 102 a few minutes later. A voice reached our ears, seemingly familiar. We passed through the door to the arena, and on the monstrous stage stood two people: Denise from radio channel Kosi 101.1, and a man from Children’s Hospital. Denise was donating $17,000 to Children’s Hospital! We all walked down the stairs to our seats, and filed down our row. Shaking hands, Denise and the man smiled at a camera. As they walked off the stage, a large black man entered with a microphone in hand. He raised it to his lips, and whispered in a very deep voice, “I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.” And with that the concert begun.

He began to tell stories of Christmas’s past. My favorite was of a little boy roaming the streets of New York, and being given a few coins by a stranger to buy a gift. Between stories, a woman off to the side would step in. She would lead with a guitar solo, followed by drums, violins, and keyboard. I suppose that each song represented a story, but I only cared about the music! Suddenly, lasers flew out of boxes mounted on-stage! Gas hissed from bleachers, and soon, the arena was smoky and lasers cut through the smoke. The crowd went wild! It was a madhouse in there! It sounded as if dozens of honking trains were rolling through. I wondered if this was the grand finale? My question was answered when flames leaped from a pillar in the middle of the stadium. As soon as it started, everyone was on their feet. One final chord played, sounding the end of the song, Christmas Eve Sarajevo. Everyone around me started clapping, and i joined in. We stood clapping for what seemed like ten minutes! While we were walking up the stairs, I thought, ‘This was one of the best concerts I have ever been to!’ Then again, I haven’t been to many concerts. Hopefully, I can see more Trans-Siberian Orchestra concerts in the future!