SHENECA SHARPE
Staff Writer
A magical night happened on Sept. 23 when “Piano Men” Broadway stars Craig A. Meyer and Donnie Kehr took the stage to recreate hits from the dynamic duo of Elton John and Billy Joel. From the outfits to the simple characteristics of John and Joel, Kehr and Meyer completely nailed it to give a wonderful performance on the King Concert Hall stage. It was a packed house, filled with community members, faculty and students who completely enjoyed the concert.
Meyer performed in true Elton John fashion by changing costumes, engaging the audience and cracking jokes to help the audience feel more comfortable. Kehr stayed in the Billy Joel character, dressed in a normal black blazer, black top and regular jeans. Instead of the concert being something “cheesy” (something some students expected), that expectation completely changed once the concert was over.
“Well, when I heard about the event, I thought they would just be impersonators of the artists, but they were great artists in their own right with great voices, and it wasn’t as cheesy as I thought it would be,” said freshman musical theatre major Leander Andrews.
Some of the songs that were played at the event included John’s “Bennie and the Jets” and Joel’s “Piano Man.” It seemed like some of the older audience members went back a couple decades to when they were teenagers at their first concert, but instead of waving a lighter they were using their smartphones. For the younger audience members, it was a step back in the past that they’ve only heard from apps and articles, and which they finally get to experience first-hand, even if it was a recreation.
“It was really intriguing because I’ve always been a big fan of Elton John, and everyone has their Billy Joel phase, so it was great to see that. It was like seeing the real guys,” said freshman dance major Julianna Millen.
Kehr and Meyer’s attention to detail definitely showed and everyone saw that in their performances. They were aided by “The Rocket Band,” which had obvious chemistry with Kehr and Meyer.
During the performance of Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” almost everybody had their phones out to use as a flashlight and started to wave them in the air. It was a moment that showed what music can do to a room of strangers, who may have never met before that night and who are from different backgrounds. It’s the power music has over people that caused moments like this to happen.
“My expectations were definitely met. Actually, they were exceeded. I just had an amazing time, and it was lots of fun,” said freshman music therapy major Beth Filberg.
It seemed that everyone had a great time with the event’s theatrics. It created an atmosphere of an actual Billy Joel and Elton John concert. If their goal was to do that, then they accomplished that amazingly. It was an event that no one should’ve missed. It helped bring the people of the Fredonia community and the students all together for just one night of innocent fun that they likely will never forget.