Review & Photos – Rebecca Wolf
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It was a stormy evening on August 13th. Heavy rain continued to pour as doors were set to open for Andy Frasco and The U.N.’s performance at Concerts Under the Stars in King of Prussia, PA. The Weather Channel changed their predictions every 5 minutes as to whether the rain was going to pass. So, the opening of doors was pushed back for a second time in the hopes that the skies would clear and the show could go on as planned. Sitting in cars in the parking lot (a field) and watching pools of water accumulate in the grass, some discouraged fans opted to throw in the towel and drove away. However, diehard Andy Frasco fans remained hopeful, awaiting to see if the storm would pass. Their patience paid off. Defying the weather app, the rain stopped and doors opened a mere 30 minutes late.
I often do not look at the name or gather information ahead of time about an opening act. In this instance, if I had, I wouldn’t have been as surprised upon seeing a towering Sasquatch carrying a saxophone being escorted to the stage. What I learned was this wasn’t just any local saxophonist, adorned in a Big Foot costume, making an appearance at Concerts Under the Stars. This was Saxsquatch. Saxsquatch is the stage name for saxophonist Dean Mitchell, a multi-instrumentalist, electronic music artist and music producer, hailing from North Carolina. Known for showcasing his saxophone skills over original music and remixes, Mitchell now has an online following of more than 3 million followers. In 2019, Mitchell began uploading his Saxsquatch performances to YouTube, leading to his cover of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” going viral. A year later, with his videos garnering several million views a day, Saxsquatch was one of the top solo artists on Pollstar’s livestream charts.
Saxsquatch bridged the gap from social media artist to live performer in 2024 with his “Bigfoot Rave” tour, followed by his “Footprints” tour, the latter of which sold out 27 shows across the U.S. This year’s “Sax in the City” tour continues to bring Saxsquatch to cities throughout the country, including a Big Footed step across the border to Canada. With this level of popularity, it’s no surprise that when doors opened fans eagerly congregated in front of the stage awaiting Saxsquatch’s arrival.
From the moment this 7 ft. fur-covered Big Foot arrived onstage, switched on his soundboard, and began to play his saxophone, electricity spread across the steamy, soggy park grounds. Fans were no longer consumed by the smoldering, sticky heat and were completely enthralled by the magical spirit of Saxsquatch and the phenomenal saxophone skills of Mitchell. During Saxsquatch’s 40-minute set, audience members enthusiastically sang and danced along to numbers from his broad catalog that includes, “Get Lucky,” “Cantina Band,” “September,” “Hotel Room Service,” “Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Got A Good Feeling” and “Careless Whisper.” When Saxsquatch descended the stage to play amongst the audience members (making sure to remind everyone not to touch him) fans danced around him and basked in the energy and the lore of this imposing, fur-covered creature.
While the crowd was enthusiastic about Saxsquatch, their passion increased ten-fold once Andy Frasco & The U.N. hit the stage. This was in no doubt due to the boundless energy and dynamic spirit that comes part and parcel with Andy Frasco. Frasco is a human spark plug and his unique effervescence and dramatic character heightens the energy and lightens the mood of everyone around him. However, that doesn’t mean Frasco is a light, airy, unburdened individual on the inside. I’d venture to say just the opposite. The fact that his current tour is titled “Try Not to Die” is a good indication there are likely some facets of Frasco that are not as upbeat as what this party boy portrays on the outside.
Many musicians expose feelings in their lyrics as a cathartic way to express what’s in their hearts. However, most don’t share more intricacies of their emotions. But, most are not Andy Frasco. From the beginning to the end, Andy Frasco & The U.N.’s performance is an all out party, a wild spectacle that includes a barefooted Frasco running and jumping around the stage, climbing atop his piano, drinking from a bottle of Jameson and exiting the stage to lead the audience in a massive Hora (a Jewish celebratory dance.) However, there are also moments in all of the frenzy when Frasco slips in tidbits about needing to connect to others, to have friends to talk to, and offering to be that friend to those in need; moments when Frasco mentions a recurrence of his mother’s cancer and the song he’s written for her that he’s going to continue to play at every performance; and moments when he mentions (more than once) the 15 long years it took before the band was signed by a record label (finally.)
There’s a vulnerability to Frasco beneath that feel-good, life-of-the-party persona. I believe it’s this depth of character that Frasco’s fans relate to and why they have such a bond with him. These performances are congregations of like-minded individuals, a place where fans feel the freedom to lose themselves in the passion Frasco exudes, both his exhilaration and his “every man” realness. The electricity of the crowd reflected Frasco’s exuberance back at him, as fans sang, danced, cheered and had the time of their lives from the show’s first note to the very last. On an evening that started out with a downpour, I worried whether there’d be a crowd or would Frasco be performing to a half-empty park. I needn’t have worried….not with Frasco’s fans.
The band this evening was missing a key player, guitarist Shawn Eckels, who’s about as crazy as Frasco, and was unexpectedly out due to knee surgery. For those who’ve seen Eckels perform, there’s surely a missing link without his presence. However, saxophonist Sam Kelly picked up some of the craziness slack, as he passionately played his sax atop Frasco’s piano and The U.N.’s longtime drummer/vocalist Andee “Beats” Avila showcased his always powerful, dynamic percussion skills. Bass player Richie (who Frasco affectionately called “his son”) filled in for bassist Floyd Kellogg ( as he frequently does) and two additional guitarists joined the mix. Even with several changes in the band, the music and energy flowed like an Andy Frasco and The U.N. performance always does. The hour and a half long set included, “How to Cure a Heartbreak,” “Ugly on You,” “Try Not to Die,” “Crazy Things” and “Growing Pains” from the recently released album Growing Pains. Additional songs in the set included, “Birthday Song” from 2023’s L’Optimist, “Dancing Around My Grave” from 2022’s Wash, Rinse, Repeat, “None of Those Things” and “Keep On Keepin’ On” from 2020’s Keep On Keepin’ On and “Love, Come Down,” “The Walk” and “Somedays” from 2019’s Change of Pace.
Through the highs and lows and “growing pains” of the 15 years it’s taken for Andy Frasco & The U.N. to sign their record deal, Frasco has continued to “keep on keepin’ on.” While “somedays” have surely been challenging, Frasco’s never stopped making music and building his incredibly loyal fanbase. These fans are ready to join Frasco in the mission to “try not to die” and look forward to the “crazy things” Frasco has in store at each and every performance.
