Mannheim Steamroller bringing Christmas concert to Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids

Tom Sharpe remembers the first time he heard Mannheim Steamroller’s “Christmas” album

“I was a young kid at that point. I was in my growing-up house and put that on that LP and was blown away,” Sharpe said. “I hadn't heard anything like that. I immediately listened to it twice in a row. I just couldn't believe how great it was.”

And the young Sharpe also instantly realized Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis had created a new genre, merging rock and symphonic elements into Christmas music.

“When you think about it, what did Christmas music really sound like before that Mannheim Steamroller album,” Sharpe asked. “Before Mannheim Steamroller, it was Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley and those types of things.

“Then all of a sudden, those first notes of ‘Deck the Halls’ hit you on that ‘Christmas’ album and you know you’re in for a ride,” he said, referring to the ensemble’s 1984 first holiday release.

For the past 16 years, Sharpe has been taking thousands along on the ride as the Steamroller drummer, playing a key role in performing the music that Davis composed.

That would be drummer Chip Davis, who originated the percussion parts on the recordings and, for decades, played on Mannheim Steamroller tours. The current tour stops Dec. 20 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids.

“I’m following the mastermind genius of the whole thing. It’s big shoes to fill,” Sharpe said. “Honestly, I’m proud to do it and I’m honored that Chip trusts me to do it. It’s something where if people haven’t followed us real closely, they probably expect it will be Chip playing drums. So there’s nothing except me, bringing my whole heart.”

Sharpe says he’s never (felt) pressure from Davis, who supports the ensemble from its two or three days of rehearsal — nearly all the core group members return every year and only need to work on communication before a tour begins — through its final shows.

But he said he feels a responsibility to the music and to longtime Mannheim Steamroller listeners in his performances.

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“First and foremost, I want to make sure to keep his signature drum patterns and drum fills,” he said. “I want to make sure that I'm keeping those things in that people that have known Mannheim Steamroller ... are expecting to hear.”

He’s not alone in that.

All of the musicians recognize they are performing music from the dozen-or-so Mannheim Steamroller Christmas releases (plus numerous compilations) that have sold more than 25 million copies to faithful listeners who know exactly what they should be hearing.

“It's just something that I and everybody in the group approaches with great care,” Sharpe said. “We know that we are continuing the legacy. And we know how important this music is to so many people that have grown up with it, have introduced their children to it, and their children have introduced their children

“We know that we're not just playing Christmas songs here,” he said. “This is part of peoples’ long-standing Christmas tradition.”

Sharpe, who has a masters of music degree from DePaul University, is a composer and arranger, and for years played drums with Dennis DeYoung, formerly of Styx. He calls his Steamroller gig “the dream job for a percussionist.”

“This concert really is like the perfect blend of classical sophistication and raw rock energy, and I'm able to utilize my formal training just as much as playing the rocking drum set pieces,” Sharpe said. “I'm sitting, playing a drum set and then standing doing orchestral percussion, up and down quite a bit. It's a very active show for all of us.”

During the show, he plays the large drum set, orchestral bells, chimes, gongs, hammered dulcimer, castanets and sometimes, even the recorder.

“We have a solo recorder player who is fantastic,” he said. “In the right hands, it’s a beautiful instrument. Sometimes others of us are called to play the recorder: ‘Oh by the way, you’re going to play recorder on this piece.’ So it’s time to freshen up on what you learned in fourth grade when they handed you the recorder.”

The Mannheim Steamroller Christmas show doesn’t vary much from year to year. Playing all the must-hear favorites means that only a few songs change in the set list.

But even after hundreds of performances, Sharpe said, playing the shows is never repetitious. More importantly, he said, 100 percent of the time, the performances engage the audience with the band and the group with the music.

“We feel like our job as the performers is to lift up the audience,” Sharpe said. “It’s not just to play some Christmas songs and send you on your way. It's to play an inspired show and leave the audience inspired, as well.”