Concert Review
Tommy DeCarlo
Jason Scheff
August Zadra
Friday August 16, 2024
Batavia Downs
Batavia, NY
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
The 2024 summer concert series at Batavia Downs came to a close Friday night. The music of Styx, Chicago and Boston were front and center stage as August Zadra, Jason Scheff and Tommy DeCarlo did their best to play excellent renditions of each bands biggest hits.
Zadra got the night started as he had the exact backing band as Decarlo would later in the evening. The show reunited Zadra with guitarist Jimmy Leahey with whom he played with in Dennis DeYoung’s solo band. The two gelled like excpoectned and played a glorious set that featured such classics as “Miss America”, “Too Much Time On My Hands” and “Renegade”.
Up next was bassist Jason Scheff who had a lengthy stay as a member of Chicago that started in 1985. Not only did he feature songs from the time he was in the band but he took us back into the 1970’s as well. It was good to hear so many songs that Chicago themselves do not perform anymore such as the smash “Baby, What A Big Surprise”.
Closing out the evening was Boston singer Tommy DeCarlo who last played the Downs in 2022. It was uncanny how amazingly he can still deliver the Boston catalog without missing a beat. Born in Utica, NY, DeCarlo was decked out in a Josh Allen jersey for the evening. Highlights included “Let Me Take You Home Tonight”, “Cool The Engines” and “More Than A Feeling”.
Hopefully the Downs can pull off a similar type of show next year. Kudos to Zadra who did a great job performing with all three artists and never missed a beat. He is so vastly underrated and mainly unknown to many. No doubt he gained several new fans tonight after his effort.
Tommy DeCarlo
Jason Scheff
August Zadra
