August 26,2005
Penns Landing, Philadelphia PA

Imagine a balmy clear summer night on the riverfront, with a cool breeze blowing and a steady procession of boats sailing behind a beautifully-lighted stage. This was the backdrop for the Friday August 26th performance of Nick Colionne at The Great Plaza at Penns Landing in Philadelphia.

After filming a BET Concert special that morning and playing two shows the previous night at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base in Reading, he arrived at Penns Landing. Early arrivals were treated to a series of sound check songs from Nick and his band. The promoters commented that the crowd, estimated at 10-12,000 was the largest they had this summer for any event and as they came in this preview had them on their feet with excitement before the show even started!

Nick hit the stage with "Soulful Strut," a favorite that got people on their feet and dancing, especially when he and bassist "Hollywood" Dave Hiltebrand went shoulder-to-shoulder playing guitar and bass lines. Wearing one of his signature hats and colorful outfits, he got standing ovations for every song. The audience went wild when he left the stage during "Hurry Up This Way Again" and came out to play directly to them. The first notes from the hit, "High Flyin'" brought a buzz of recognition and got the crowd on their feet again, and keyboardist John Blasucci's high-funk solo added extra spice. Nick then surprised the concert goers by singing "Rainy Night in Georgia." A lot of people had not heard him sing before, and they loved his deep baritone voice as well as the lush octaves coming from his guitar. "Drumbalaya" featured a blazing Latin-flavored solo from keyboardist Brian Danzy and drummer Chris Miskel's solo with its African-based overtones received a roar of appreciation. Nick delighted the crowd by launching into a parody of Prince leading into a version of"Purple Rain" that had them laughing and singing to the chorus. He broke up the classic "On Broadway" with the hilarious "Laundromat Blues" which segued back into "On Broadway." During "It's Been Too Long" he left the stage again and worked the crowd into a dancing frenzy, wrapping it up to a deafening roar of applause. "Twinkle," the encore, showcased the band who all took virtuoso solos.

After the show several hundred fans got to meet Nick as he graciously signed autographs and posed for photos. Everyone agreed that he was one of the most exceptional guitarists they have seen.

- Christine Stevens