Mike DelGuidice spent sixteen years working bar gigs, weddings, and funerals on Long Island, running a Billy Joel tribute band precise enough that it eventually drew in actual members of Joel’s touring ensemble. The full arc — tribute act built on uncommon precision, then a rehearsal at the Paramount Theater in Huntington in 2013 where Joel watched him play and offered him a place in the actual band — has since been documented in Rolling Stone, CNN, and the New York Times. DelGuidice has toured globally with Joel since, including monthly shows at Madison Square Garden. The Riviera Theatre show on October 3 closes out his 2026 headlining run. That path, from sixteen years of wedding receptions and bar calendars to the Garden’s monthly roster, tends to show up in the way he runs a room.
About the Show
DelGuidice brings Big Shot to the Riviera stage: an ensemble featuring veterans of Billy Joel’s touring band, original cast members from the Tony Award-winning Broadway production Movin’ Out, and the horn section that performed at Joel’s Last Play at Shea stadium concerts. The band includes saxophonists Bryan Steele and Mark Fineberg, guitarist Tom Jordan, and bassist Nick Dimichino. As a multi-instrumentalist who plays bass guitar, guitar, piano, and drums, DelGuidice brings more than a front man’s range to the material. The live catalog runs from Billy Joel and Elton John at the core, out to Paul McCartney, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and John Denver, with original compositions from his three studio albums (My Street, Miller Place, and Mask Production) worked into the set. His composition “Ordinary Guy” became the theme for the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait; over his career he has shared bills with Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, and John Mayer. The October 3 date follows a Friday night stop at Turning Stone Resort Casino Showroom in Verona, closing two back-to-back New York performances before DelGuidice returns to Joel’s touring schedule.
Venue & Logistics
The Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda holds 1,100 and anchors the western New York concert calendar as one of the region’s more consistent mid-size rooms. For a performer who handles arenas most of the year, a room this size shifts the terms: closer quarters, the horns right on top of you. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $25–$39. Buy tickets