Jason Scheff & Tommy DeCarlo At Batavia Downs
Jason Scheff and Tommy DeCarlo may have traveled decidedly different roads, but their musical paths are leading the duo to Batavia Downs.
DeCarlo and Scheff are heading the Aug. 16 summer concert finale at Batavia Downs, along with August Zadra from the Dennis DeYoung Band.
DeCarlo was the former lead singer with Boston, replacing the late Brad Delp, and Scheff spent 31 years singing and playing bass with Chicago.
“And, we are good friends,” Scheff said.
For DeCarlo, the show is a bit of a homecoming.
Born in Rome and raised in Utica and a self-described Buffalo Bills fan, DeCarlo went from working at a Home Depot in Charlotte, N.C., to singing with Boston almost on a lark.
“I have lots of good memories about upstate New York,” DeCarlo said.
A self-proclaimed Boston fan, especially of the band’s 1976 debut album, DeCarlo began singing along to the band’s tunes as a teenager. Later, as an adult and at the urging of his daughter, DeCarlo created a social media page where he posted his versions of Boston’s best-known songs as well as a tribute to Delp.
“Brad Delp’s voice just put me over the top,” DeCarlo said. “Singing his songs are a challenge, but it is a fun challenge.”
When Boston founder Tom Scholz announced a Brad Delp tribute show, DeCarlo sent a copy of his tapes to the band’s leader.
To DeCarlo’s surprise, Scholz not only responded, he invited him to sing with Boston not only on the 2008 tour but subsequent ones in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. DeCarlo is also heard on four songs on Boston’s sixth studio album, “Ice, Love & Hope.”
“It’s safe to say that music has kept me busy,” DeCarlo said.
DeCarlo and his five-member band focus on songs from Boston’s first three albums.
“We don’t really venture much past that.” DeCarlo said,
Like DeCarlo, Scheff laces his setlist with many of Chicago’s greatest hits, including the ones he sang with the band during his 31-year tenure. That includes Scheff-penned hits like “Will You Still Love Me” and What Kind of Man Would I Be.” Yes, he also plays some earlier Chicago hits like “25 or 6 to 4.”
“It never fails to work up the crowd,” Scheff said. “It is a no-brainer.” And, like DeCarlo, Scheff had to replace a legald—in this case, Chicago co-founder and original bass player/singer Peter Cetera, who left the band in 1985. “In a way, it felt kind of eerie because the songs and the band was just so comfortable to work with,” Scheff said.