LIVE: Lindsey Stirling’s Snow Waltz Tour at del Lago Casino and Resort

Last Saturday in Waterloo was not only another chilly evening but it was another fantastic evening of holiday cheer and frivolities at the Vine Showroom at the del Lago Casino and Resort. The Lindsay Stirling Snow Waltz Tour was in the showroom to make the evening merry and bright. Stirling is currently on her holiday tour in support of her newest Christmas Album Snow Waltz.

The stage slowly began to illuminate to reveal a very holiday-themed backdrop, a woodland scene, and ribbons trimmed is only just the stage setting for this amazing performance. As more light begins to come up keyboardist Ryan Riveros and drummer Drew Steen appeared signaling time for the show.

The music began and out came Stirling violin in hand and backup dancers leading the night with the very upbeat and festive “Sleigh Ride.” What an amazing combination of choreography, music, and visuals. Stirling created The Lindsay Stirling Christmas Program, years ago, this being her fourth.

Some of the aspects of her performance I really enjoyed were how she masterfully put her creative touch to the novelty of the classic nostalgic Christmas compositions and songs. She is a very talented violinist and dancer and also a wonderful and endearing storyteller. The story that really spoke to the fans was one telling why she still believes in angels. Which was a nice lead-in for her moving version of “Angels We Have Heard on High.” 

What’s a Christmas show without presents, right? Stirling brought drummer Steen and keyboardist Riveros to give them their presents early.  The pair both received kid versions of their instruments with confused looks, and we all had a laugh. However, what came next definitely caught the audience by surprise. All three of them went into a very interesting medley with these kids’ instruments playing, “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “It’s Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas,” the Harry Potter Theme, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” It all sounded really good despite Steen tossing his drum set to the side of the stage, “Were gonna talk about that later,” Stirling quipped to the drummer.

Even with their antics, they managed to bait Stirling into challenging her to see if she could play the classic Charlie Daniels Band song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which she played masterfully.

Aside from the band interactions, various crew members made some very well-crafted appearances to inject comedy and variety into the show. One of the bits was her tour manager Erich who was dressed as a Christmas tree and begrudgingly held her violin, holding cue cards for a sing-along to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” which had a “Help Me” card mixed in to exaggerate his grouchiness. It was a delight to see these interactions mixed in and Erich was a good sport. One surprising interaction was during her performance of “Snow Waltz,” Stirling and the dancers made their way through the audience and the fans loved it.

Some musical highlights from the evening were her interpretation of the classic “Feliz Navidad.” She did a Flamenco version with her “Dancing With the Stars” partner, Felix. Other highlights were, “Carol of the Bells, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and Stirling’s new single “Ice Storm.”

With all the music, dancing, and interactions, Stirling masterfully blended it all with a humble reality that embodied the pure essence of the Christmas spirit. Overall a wonderful evening at the del Lago Casino and Resort.