They opened their set with “My Life,” “Mulcahy’s. Good evening. How are you doing?” Mike DelGuidice asked. “Good to see everybody. You look nice! Here’s a little song about stress. Anybody know a little about stress?” he asked, and immediately broke into “Pressure.”
He introduced Carmine Giglio on keyboards. “Say hello, everybody,” he said, and they continued with “Vienna,” prior to putting their audience in a “New York State of Mind,” with Andy Snitzer’s killer sax accompaniment. “C’mon, Andy, keep going, babe,” he said. “That’s Andy Snitzer, guys. C’mon, make some noise!” It was followed by another powerhouse tune, that featured yet another sax solo, the lengthy “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.”
After a sip of water, they sang “Movin’ Out” and the melodically beautiful “Don’t Ask Me Why.” They also introduced acclaimed drummer Chuck Burgi, who has been with Billy Joel’s live band since 2005.
They continued with “Keeping The Faith,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” and the equally stunning “Summer, Highland Falls.” “Here’s a little rare cut for you guys. You love those,” he said, about “Summer, Highland Falls,” and rightfully so. They introduced Ken Cino on lead guitar and Nick Dimichinio on the bass guitar prior to singing “Sometimes a Fantasy,” and taking their listeners on a trip to “Allentown.”
After “Captain Jack,” he delivered a solo performance of “She’s Always a Woman” on piano, and it was an added treat to hear DelGuidice sing Marc Cohen’s soft rock, adult contemporary classic, “Walking in Memphis.” He even threw in a cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” and his moving version of “Goodnight Saigon” really tugged at the heartstrings, due to its poignant nature.
Big Shot followed it up with “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Only The Good Die Young,” their namesake song “Big Shot,” and Steven Fileti joined them onstage to play harmonica during “Piano Man.” “It’s a really good looking crowd for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile, he knows it’s Chuckie, they’ve been coming to see,” he said, paraphrasing the lyrics of “Piano Man” to honor his drummer tonight.
“God Bless Mulcahy’s. Thank you,” he said. “Give it up for the guy, Steven Fileti!” He closed with “You May Be Right,” as well as “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles.
