The cover group’s line-up consisted of Mike DelGuidice on lead vocals and piano, Ken Cino on guitar, Nick Dimichino on bass, Mike Sorrentino on drums, Carmine Giglio on keyboards and John Scarpulla on saxophone; moreover, they had a horn section that joined them on some musical numbers.
Most impressive is that Big Shot premiered a neat LED video wall screen, thus showcasing the latest state-of-the-art technology.
They kicked off their set with “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” where DelGuidice paraphrased the closing lyrics to “Sicilian Restaurant.” “Salud, everybody. Cheers,” he said. “God Bless,” he added, and immediately broke into “New York State of Mind” with Scarpulla’s killer saxophone solos.
It was followed by “Movin’ Out,” where they brought the Wantagh audience back to 1977. “Thank you,” DelGuidice said, following the warm reception, and he went on to praise the “unbelievable” screen in the background, where he was in awe of the new technology.
Big Shot tipped their hat to Paul McCartney and Wings with “Live and Let Die,” where they were joined with the horn section, and Scarpulla on flute. Of course, no Big Shot concert involving the horn section is complete without playing Billy Joel’s “Easy Money,” and that was sheer bliss (especially with Scarpulla on tenor sax).
DelGuidice introduced Carmine Giglio prior to belting out the piano-driven ballad “Vienna.” He displayed his trademark pipes on the classic rock hit “Dream On” by Aerosmith, where a psychedelic background displayed on the LED video wall. “Give it up for Mike DelGuidice,” Ken Cino said, praising the front-man for his dynamic vocals.
They picked up the pace with such tunes as “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Keeping the Faith” and the unapologetic “My Life.”
In the solo portion of the show, he serenaded the audience to “She’s Always a Woman.” Equally fun was “Piano Man,” with Steven Fileti on harmonica. They closed with the perennial Beatles classic “Hey Jude.”
The Verdict
What better way than to spend Thanksgiving weekend with Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot at Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall on Long Island. They prove that they are the hardest-working tribute band in the contemporary Long Island music scene. Their live set at Mulcahy’s garnered an A rating, and the LED video wall was an added bonus.
To learn more about Big Shot and their tour dates, check out their official homepage.
