Mannheim Steamroller

Mannheim Steamroller is comin' to town, which doesn't automatically mean Santa Claus is along for the ride. Like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Steamroller is best known for concert spectacles in which classical music and standards are rockified for the holiday season. Originally concocted as an alias for record producer/composer Chip Davis...

By Eric W. Saeger

February 28, 2008

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Mannheim Steamroller is comin' to town, which doesn't automatically mean Santa Claus is along for the ride. Like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Steamroller is best known for concert spectacles in which classical music and standards are rockified for the holiday season. Originally concocted as an alias for record producer/composer Chip Davis — who's about as German as a Fourth of July barbecue — the band is now a 15-member group supplemented by a full live orchestra.

Their spring tour focuses not on holiday themes, but on various pieces from their Fresh Aire album series, the first installment of which was released in 1975. The spring program is a two-part affair with an intermission, and will open with the soaring "Come Home to the Sea," easily the most popular track from Fresh Aire IV and regarded by many fans as the band's best song, period. Other featured highlights include "Wolfgang Amadeus Penguin" and the entire "Colored Door" suite from Fresh Aire II.

The Fillmore show is only the third stop on the tour, set to close out in May.

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