The Big Shot line-up included Mike DelGuidice on lead vocals and piano, Ken Cino on guitar, Malcolm Gold on bass (in lieu of Nick Dimichino), John Scarpulla on saxophone, Carmine Giglio on keyboards, and Sal DeVitto on drums (in lieu of Mike Sorrentino/Chuck Burgi).
They opened their set with the obscure “Get it Right The First Time,” which was an album cut from The Stranger album, and it was followed by “Movin’ Out.” “Mulcahy’s. How are you?” DelGuidice asked. “Cheers. God bless Billy Joel for writing great songs.”
He immediately broke into another rarity “Ain’t No Crime,” an album cut from his Piano Man album, before singing the fan-favorite “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.” Equally compelling was the follow-up powerhouse song “New York State of Mind,” with Scarpulla’s lengthy yet exceptional saxophone solo outro.
Another well-crafted, piano-driven ballad was “Vienna,” and they picked up the pace with the mid-tempo “My Life.” DelGuidice had a fun time entertaining the crowd to “Keeping the Faith.” He went on to display his trademark pipes and piercing notes on “Dream On” by Aerosmith.
“None of you morons clapped for my birthday,” Carmine Giglio said, jokingly. They also tried singing “The Night Is Still Young,” for the first time, which was a song that was featured on Billy Joels’ Greatest Hits collection in 1985. “Wow. Give it up,” Ken Cino said, following the warm reception for the song.
In the solo portion of the show, DelGuidice serenaded his fans to “She’s Always a Woman,” and he threw Tom Petty in the mix with “Free Fallin’.” “What a beautiful choir,” he told the audience, for singing along to “Free Fallin’.” He also sang “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John as purple lights dimmed from the stage.
After “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me,” they lit the fire in the venue with “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” “Piano Man,” featuring Steven Fileti on harmonica, was the quintessential singalong tune.
The Verdict
Overall, Big Shot delivers every time they perform on Long Island, or the surrounding New York area. This concert marks this journalist’s 50th career Mike DelGuidice/Big Shot show (they have been reviewed more than any other band that he has ever covered), and the band nails it every time. The music of Billy Joel and classic rock tunes never sounded better. Well done gentlemen.
To learn more about Big Shot and their touring dates, check out their official homepage.
