... well, not exactly WITH him. The piano man was in concert at the Phillies ballpark tonight, so the neighboring sports bar (Xfinity Live!) had our dueling piano show to handle the overflow after the concert. Add to that, 2 Philly favorite college teams were playing (Temple and Villanova) and you have CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY. We could hear the crowd from the stadium as clear as if they were on stage with us - it was absolute bedlam. This Xifinity place has about 8-9 separate bars and restaurants under one roof, with tons of patios, and nooks to hide in.... a DJ, and HUGE TVs everywhere. Not my cup if tea. The management loved us, and want's us back, but I hated almost every second of it. WAY too loud - too many drunk millennials, too many TVs ... I've SO outgrown that scene. The only part I enjoyed was listening to BJ from the patio on breaks. Pay was good. Food was good. It was close to home ... that's three good things, anyway!

My friend was in the audience caught Billy's set list after the show in Philly last night!

I was on break, on the patio for the last 2 songs of the encore ... Sounded awesome even that far away.

No. 21 - 25 are the encore songs ... Same encore as when we saw him at Madison Square Garden in March ...Just when the ' unknowing' people in the crowd think he's not coming back on stage, he comes out and rocks through those 5 songs like he is just starting the show ...

Dave.....you mentioned in another post about doing "dueling pianos." I forgot to comment then so I'll throw it on here.

I have to give you credit if THAT'S what you're doing. I had ONE dueling pianos gig and even that was too much for me. I've seen a few of the acts. Good, but they had pre-programmed their presentation. You guys who just go out there and throw yourselves on the front lines should be awarded Medals of Honor.

Any tips on how you make it work? I have about as much chance of being a "duelist" as I have of being a surgeon, but I'm curious how you guys do it?

Mark

Thanks Mark,
I must admit ... I'm not my most comfortable when doing the dueling routine, but it pays very well, and the energy of the room can be infectious. If there's any secret to it, it's not much different than any other performance ... "give 'em what they want." Simple, upbeat, fun songs with a hook they can sing along with. It's a 180 degree switch from Karaoke ... the idea is to unite the room as one choir, and not put a spotlight on any one singer ... including the piano players. There are certain "staples" that seem to always work (mostly all the songs Capt Russ hates), but the simple truth is: if you sell it, you can do most anything, as long as you pace the energy to suit the room.
There's lots of material on line if you do the research, but it comes down to humility, and heart. The audience is the orchestra ... I'm just one of the conductors.

chas