Playing at Woody’s On Friday, August 2nd
By Emily Patrick
When was Yellow Brick Road formed and what was the inspiration behind it?
“It was around 2001. The inspiration? Well, I’ve been playing music ever since I was 14 years old. Started out with Rich Daigle, as a matter of fact. I, as keyboard player, had always been the secondary player, never the front man or singer. Years later, I had spent a small stint of time in an Ozzy Osbourne Tribute band and was quite blown away by the response from the crowd and how they treated him like the real thing, after playing in bands forever. [I] Decided I wanted to start my own specialty act. [I’ve] always been a fan of Elton John. He has lots of music in his catalogue, costumes, and appeals to a wide age range. It was a no-brainer. I went for it and gave it my all.”
What’s the best part of being in an Elton John Tribute Band?
“The camaraderie with my band mates. These guys, I’ve been playing with for years. Even if we didn’t have a band, we’d still be hanging out. Every show is as amazing, if not more, than the previous one. To have the opportunity to play in front of thousands of people who came to see you… Getting to meet them is absolutely amazing… I’m grateful for every second we get to do that [together].”
What can someone expect when they come to one of your shows?
“What we’re trying to emulate is an actual live Elton John Concert as he and his band would perform it. We’re not playing the album, or CD version of the songs. We’re playing the versions of the songs in the style and arrangements they were performed live in concert. You will see a recreation of live Elton John concert with all the antics, costumes and crowd interaction you’d expect from a live show.”
How many times have you played in Greenville and why do you keep coming back?
“Let me answer the second part first. The reason we keep going back to Greenville is because my earliest experiences of playing music with other people in a band was in Greenville. I went to school in Greenville for a while and used to jam with Rich [Daigle] and Alex Vincent, Tim Gravelle, all those guys. It was a rotating cast of characters for sure. We did that for years. For me, playing in Greenville is like going home. For Rich, it literally is. After playing Mohegan Sun Arena… and going to play at Woody’s, it’s satisfying in a totally different way.”
Yellow Brick Road: A Tribute to Elton John is playing at Woody’s in Greenville on 8/2/24. For more information, visit their website: TributetoEltonJohn.com. You can also keep up to speed on Facebook. The link is on the front page of their website.