But some of the places you guys played were incredible.

Yeah, we actually played the amphitheater of Pompeii.

With a full orchestra.

That's amazing.

This has been recorded.

This has been recorded.

It's been filmed.

I was just sitting there thinking, yeah, how many people have performed there, you know, thousands of years ago before the volcanoes? And that's amazing.

There's money going to local charities through that, correct?

Here again, this is something that Paul instituted from the very first ticket that we sold, and it's accumulated.

It's built over $20 million across North America and all different types.

I mean, the children's hospitals, you name it, this and that, museums, zoos.

It's really pretty amazing.

Food banks.

It's just amazing how many people and how many different types of people and organizations that we've helped along the way.

Was that song sort of a seed that said we could do more with this, Jeff, that began this ride?

How are you doing this morning? And happy Christmas, if nobody else has said it to you yet.

Thanks, Joe.

You are the first.

That's for sure.

Everything is good on my end, man.

I mean, you just mentioned the 30 years, and it's gone by in a flash, for sure.

But it's also... takes me back to when we were in the studio initially recording these these songs and and the first album christmas eve and other stories where a lot of us were scratching our heads we didn't really know what was going on but uh paul o'neill our manager producer

How do you guys do it?

That doesn't capture what you guys do.

Well, at the core of it, it is a rock band.

You know, myself, Paul O'Neill, his writing partners, John Oliva and Chris Oliva, rest your soul, Chris, and Paul, too.

We lost Paul back in 2017.

But the show itself, you know, I tell people it's easier if you just come see the show rather than me try to describe it to you.

There is so many different elements that are happening there.

within this two hours and 15 minutes, two hours and 20 minutes show that we put on, the holiday themes are there.

How physically demanding is that? And sometimes, like in Detroit, you have two shows in one day.

That doesn't capture what you guys do.

Well, at the core of it, it is a rock band.

You know, myself, Paul O'Neill, his writing partners, John Oliva and Chris Oliva, rest your soul, Chris, and Paul, too.

We lost Paul back in 2017.

But the show itself, you know, I tell people it's easier if you just come see the show rather than me try to describe it to you.

There is so many different elements that are happening there.

Within this two hours and 15 minutes, two hours and 20 minutes show that we put on, the holiday themes are there.

How physically demanding is that? And sometimes, like in Detroit, you have two shows in one day.

Did you think he was a genius or out of his mind 30 years ago?

Well, a lot of us were honestly kind of scratching our heads at the time because this was basically born out of the band Savatage, a progressive metal band that was out of Florida.

Paul was also managing and producing and songwriting for that band.

And the first hit song, Christmas Eve, Sarajevo 1224, was actually initially recorded on a Savatage record, but it took off in such a completely different direction that that Paul and his management team decided, well, Paul, you've had this idea for this supergroup.

You know, all these different instrumentalists, different vocals, different characters, you know, so on and so forth.

Let's use this song as the vehicle to create the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

And let's take advantage of this.

Personally, Jeff, how do you keep from getting completely exhausted when you're touring through, especially November and December, without a real holiday break? How do you stop from just being like, I can't do it tonight, guys, I can't?

Yeah.

These people didn't pay good money to see me up there being miserable.

I'm gonna go out there and have a great time.

And I mean, for myself, I dreamed of doing stuff like this when I was a little kid.

And here I am, this has become my career.

But for sabotage in general, The band started in the mid-80s, went through a number of challenges, a number of member changes.

The Hall of the Mountain King band really kind of set the standard for the future, honestly.

one question too is, what was that first feeling, thought in your head going way back when you were invited to be in Sabotage.