Saturday was a red-letter night for The Piano Guys, the classical crossover sensation comprised of four Utah dads who got their big break when their YouTube music videos went viral several years ago.
Now, 4.9 million subscribers and more than 50 videos later, the “guys” are spending their summer on tour, including Saturday's USANA Amphitheater stop in West Valley, where Sony Music reps walked on stage unannounced for a big surprise: presenting The Piano Guys with their first U.S. gold record.
“I’m speechless,” said cellist Steven Sharp Nelson when he, pianist Jon Schmidt, videographer Paul Anderson and music producer Al van der Beek accepted the shining, encased gold disks before a hometown audience.
The Recording Industry Association of America grants a gold record in recognition of 500,000 or more albums sold.
The Guys’ classical/pop mashup videos feature Schmidt and Nelson playing duets in nature’s wonders — on top of a mountain peak, floating down a river, in front of a waterfall or surrounded by a crumbling Scottish castle. The musicians, along with music producer/songwriter van der Beek, mix music by artists such as Coldplay and Vivaldi, Bach and the Jackson 5, and Mozart and Adele, while Anderson works his magic to create eye-popping videos.
Schmidt and Nelson may get more airtime, but music producer van der Beek and videographer Anderson — the other two “guys” in the quartet — are essential to the band's creative success.
The concert mainly featured Schmidt and Nelson playing duets or solos. A giant screen behind the performers displayed the corresponding music video, flashing between the prerecorded footage and live feed.
While the videos provided an entertaining layer, it was sometimes a strange sensation to view footage of them playing while simultaneously watching them on the stage performing live — especially when close-up prerecorded footage of their hands was used.
Usually the footage was silent, so as not to compete with the live music, but not always. One disappointing moment occurred when a Scottish pipe and drum band filed out during a stirring mash-up of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” and popular hymn “Amazing Grace.” Yet the powerful band merely pretended to bang their drums so as not to outdo the prerecorded track. One couldn’t help but suspect the bagpipers may not actually have blown a note either, though it couldn't be known for certain.
Audiences enjoyed the comedic, often corny antics and goofy, if rehearsed, rapport between Schmidt and Nelson. Schmidt employed his old party tricks — playing upside down or with his toes — and Nelson had more than a few silly gags of his own, such as pretending to fall asleep while playing Pachelbel’s Canon or using a disco-era talk box to invoke a ’70s vibe for one song.
The guys seemed to be channeling a variety-show format; a relative of the band proposed to his girlfriend before one number, and van der Beek stepped onto the stage to sing lead vocals for two pop songs he’d written — a departure from the band’s more recognized format. He invited the audience to help debut one song by participating in a live filming. The band asked audience members to sing some repeating lyrics and wave their glowing phones, while cameras glided around to document the event. Some people seemed less interested in hearing the whole song again when the band asked for a repeat, but others seemed thrilled at the prospect of being part of an upcoming video.
It was evident, as always, what makes The Piano Guys successful — against “all odds” Schmidt and Nelson like to joke, referring often to themselves as “dorky dads” who seem slightly uncomfortable by the spotlight but thrilled to be able to do what they love for a living.
Dorky or not, it's their exuberant, infectious joy while making music that has ultimately set them apart and made them a success.
They seem to exude a gracious delight with each note they play, like they’re afraid they’ll awake from a happy pipe dream — the dream in which thousands of folks pour into an arena or amphitheater to listen to them play their instrument.
The Piano Guys are evidence that dreams really do come true.