Review: Big Shot sells out The Paramount, Kevin James surprises crowd (Includes first-hand account)

Long Island group Nine Days served as their opening act. As an audio recording of Mike DelGuidice singing “Nessun Dorma” played in the background, the band took the stage, and they officially opened their set with “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).” Most impressive about tonight is that the band had their horns section, as well as Tommy Byrnes on lead guitar, John Scarpulla on saxophone, Nick Dimichino on bass, Chuck Burgi on drums and Carmine Giglio on keys, among other talented musicians.

It was followed by the drum-driven “Pressure,” where they showed some attitude, and Scarpulla displayed his prowess on sax on “My Life” and “New York State of Mind,” which they dedicated to all the true New Yorkers.

It was great to hear DelGuidice sing “Easy Money,” with Byrnes on harmonies, a tune that Billy Joel wrote for the Rodney Dangerfield film of the same name. “Paramount. Thanks for having us. This is a great night. We sold out,” he said, graciously.

“Make some noise for my band,” DelGuidice said, prior to bringing out a surprise guest, who was none other than comedian Kevin James, who shared that DelGuidice sang the theme song for Kevin Can Wait entitled “Ordinary Guy,” which garnered an enormous amount of applause, as Kevin James received a standing ovation from The Paramount crowd.

Mike DelGuidice and Kevin James

Marianne P. Stone

DelGuidice showed his classic rock side and high notes on Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” and equally noteworthy were “Piano Man,” “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” and “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” as well as his solo performances, where he accompanies himself on piano.

The Verdict

Big Shot is one of those bands that you can’t help but smile every time you see them live. The tone of Mike DelGuidice’s voice is versatile and captivating. If there was one band this journalist could listen to and review all year long it would be them. Each time they cover songs by Billy Joel or any other iconic artists, it feels like one is hearing them for the first time. All the members of Big Shot earned five out of five stars for their superb live performance at The Paramount.