When Chris Verdon was researching possible tribute bands to be a part of his idea for a series of tribute concerts at The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater, Billy Joel was one of the acts he was hoping to find a tribute band for. More than just a cover band, tribute bands tend to go for an exact look or sound. Verdon found a sound-alike with Big Shot.
There is a clip where Billy Joel thought that a Big Shot performance was actually a recording of him. That was enough to impress Verdon, who made the decision to bring the band in.
“I’m a big fan of Billy Joel and I think he is popular with a lot of different age groups,” Verdon said, hoping that a lot of people come out Saturday night to hear Big Shot play the hits of Billy Joel.
Big Shot is fronted by vocalist and pianist Michael Delguidice and the band is a talented collection of musicians that have performed with bands like Nine Days, Tower of Power and have also performed on Broadway with the musical, “Movin’ Out.”
Verdon launched his idea last year with a performance from Bon Jovi tribute band, Slippery When Wet. The show exceeded his expectations and feedback from the audience, which was larger than he was expecting for his first time staging a concert, was tremendous.
“I think people weren’t sure what to expect, but these are talented artists and quality musicians, not garage bands,” Verdon said.
There are still tickets available for Saturday’s show starting at $20 and Verdon believes good word of mouth from last year’s show will help sell tickets to this show and the rest of the series.
“It’s an affordable night out and the audience gets to hear a great sounding band,” Verdon explained, adding that every song Big Shot performs will be familiar and a hit.
For more information on the Tribute Series and to purchase tickets, visit tributeseries.net, www.amphitheater.org or ticketalternative.com
