The other band members were already in motion—playing their instruments—when he walked towards the microphone wearing his dark blue blazer. He had a smile big enough to see from the back of the theater.
Tim Gill & The Tim Gill All-Stars Band entertained the crowd in the Marsee Auditorium on Sunday, March 10.
A majority of the band’s performance came from the Great American Songbook in which Gill defined as the golden era of American popular music from the 1910s to the early 1960s during an interview before the show.
Before the next song began, Gill introduced Aydron de León who he called their “special guest vocalist” during an interview.
The on-stage lights switched from blue to red as de León took center stage as she was greeted with an applause.
After the song concluded, Gill praised de León in an old-timey movie accent and said she had “quality” and “star presence.”
There was a playful comedic energy amongst the band throughout the entire performance.
“I like to give people a little bit of the inside picture of this music [Great American Songbook] and where it came from,” Gill said during an interview. “But also deliver it with a little bit of humor.”
Gill said that he believes most musicians who perform similar material forget about connecting with their audience and making it fun.
The band’s humor made the crowd in the auditorium laugh.
“All the antics of the band were very funny along with Tim,” Gary Larsen, an audience member from Hermosa Beach said after the concert.
Gill explained to the audience that everyone in their band gets a moment in the spotlight.
“There is no I in Tim,” Gill said, jokingly.
Then Gill called Ben Devitt, the trombone player to the front of the stage while the rest of the band played the tune from “The Price Is Right.”
De León said during an interview that besides singing with the band, she loves watching the antics they perform. She particularly stated that “The Price Is Right” bit was her favorite.
“It’s just like a throwback, like Dean Martin, you know,” de León said. “That kind of like old school comedy vibe and they perfected it and I love watching that.”
A duet between Gill on the trumpet and Devitt on the trombone took place during the band’s performance of “Just Squeeze Me” by Duke Ellington.
Every member of the band either had a solo or took center stage with Gill at some point during their performance.
Towards the end of the show, the band took a break from the Great American Song book and played a rendition of Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.”
“Here is a song written by Katy Perry and 65 other people,” Gill said.
The crowd gave a big applause when the last song concluded and “Bravo” was yelled by an audience member.
Owen Kirschner, the band’s booking agent complimented EC during an interview after the concert.
Kirschner said that the Sunday, afternoon audience that consisted of students and senior citizens was a good fit for the band.
“And who doesn’t like to smile for two hours?” Kirschner said.
