Neil Zaza's 'One Silent Night' comes to the Goodyear Theater in December

The Northeast Ohio guitarist's long-running holiday show plays Akron's East End on Saturday, Dec. 19; tickets run $38.90–$51.

For a lot of Northeast Ohio families, the holiday season has a soundtrack that involves an electric guitar. This year, that tradition makes a stop in Akron.

Neil Zaza plays the Goodyear Theater at East End in Akron on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The show is billed on its Ticketmaster page as Neil Zaza's One Silent Night, with tickets from $38.90 to $51. The date was announced Oct. 26. The Goodyear Theater holds about 1,458.

*One Silent Night* has a long history. Zaza launched it in 2002 at the Palace Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, according to a Vindicator listing from that December, and it has since grown into an annual event, as Cleveland Scene has noted over the years. It was originally meant to be a one-off.

The format is what keeps people coming back. The show mixes rocked-up versions of holiday favorites with traditional carols, often with guest performers joining in, per Cleveland Rock and Roll. The musicians, repertoire and staging have changed from year to year, so even regulars don't get quite the same show twice. Zaza has also released the concept on record, across *One Silent Night* Volumes 1 and 2.

A guitarist playing "Silent Night" loud enough to rattle the balcony is its own kind of holiday tradition.

Bringing it to Akron is the news here. Past editions have played Cleveland's Playhouse Square and other Northeast Ohio stages; a Saturday night at the Goodyear Theater puts it within easy reach of Summit County audiences, a week before Christmas.

The Goodyear Theater at East End is a good fit for the show's scale. At just under 1,500 seats, it's large enough for a full production with lights and guests, and still personal enough that you can see the fretwork. A theater setting also suits the crowd *One Silent Night* draws, which tends to include parents bringing kids and longtime fans bringing parents.

The practical bits: it's a Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. start, a week out from Christmas, which is prime time for holiday outings. The price range gives you options from the cheaper seats to the better views. Shows like this tend to be a gift as much as a night out, so consider buying an extra pair.

What to expect: guitar-led arrangements of the songs everyone knows, some carols played straight, and the kind of surprise guest spots that have become part of the show's identity.

Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Grab them before the December rush, and plan on a holiday night in Akron that's a little louder than the usual concert.

Sources: Tonight — The Vindicator archives (Dec. 18, 2002) (vindyarchives.com); Silent Night My Ass — Cleveland Scene (clevescene.com); Neil Zaza's One Silent Night coming to the Hard Rock Rocksino Dec 12th — Cleveland Rock and Roll (clevelandrockandroll.com); One Silent Night... Volumes 1 & 2 — Spirit of Metal (spirit-of-metal.com); Tickets — Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.evyy.net); JamBase listing (jambase.com)