LI Lawyer wins Billy Joel role in 'Movin' Out'

Matthew Friedman was ready to give up. He was a 30-something attorney from Dix Hills and he was reaching that point - the one dreamers know all too well, the one where it becomes clear that it is time to let it ...

[Come on People]

This guy is Okay but he is No Henry Haid......

His mother must know the Judge

[singergirl]

I saw Movin' Out..great show-musicians and vocal were great.

This is a terrific story ! Follow your passion-that's what it's all about.

[Okay]

"And if that's what you have in mind then that's what you're all about."

The best to him.

[Suzzy Q]

Ture He is no Henry Haid...thank goodness! It must have been Henry that made the comment below!

[NancyK]

U go counselor!

[here and there]

singergirl wrote:

I saw Movin' Out..great show-musicians and vocal were great.
This is a terrific story ! Follow your passion-that's what it's all about.

Thats what I tell all the illegal immigrants - follow your passion and come here

[Sheila Funk]

Way to go, Matt! I'm so thrilled that your talent and tenacity paid off. You really are 'the piano man'! It was a terific experience for me to share the excitement of your myriad auditions for Movin' Out when we worked together at the office and drove to work together after 9/11 digging Charlie Parker on the radio. I can say I was serenaded by the 'Piano Man' before you were the 'Piano Man'. If your mom would allow, we used to call me "#1 fan". Attending your original material performances with the Friedman Brothers Band (FBB) also showed the extensive range and depth of your talent. Break a leg!

[singer girl]

here and there wrote:

<quoted text>
Thats what I tell all the illegal immigrants - follow your passion and come here

Is that right? Another moron heard from.

[morrison]

Sonic_Madness_209 wrote:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Henry Haid sounds like Ethel Merman with a migraine! I paid good money to see him once. I'd have done better to flush it down the toilet. Matt Friedman is the real deal, and so is the lead singer of Big Shot. You want a real Billy Joel experience? Stick with them.

It's obvious you really haven't heard Henry Haid sing...because being a professional singer myself, I thought he was amazing both on the piano and the vocals! Long Island is lucky to have him.

[Come on People]

You must have a bagel in your ear and be Matt Feldman fan... The guy is very good .... Enough with the Billy impersonators... I bet thery can do Elvis too....

Sonic_Madness_209 wrote:

I've had the misfortune of hearing Henry Haid sing MORE THAN ONCE. I saw him in Patchogue, LI with his band Glass Houses, and in Akron, Ohio, where I went to school, when the touring company of MOVIN' OUT played there in 2006- he was booed by half the audience at the end of the show, and the best vocalizing that night came from a fire alarm that went off during the performance. I've got a Masters in Music Performance from the University of Akron and I'm a professional musician as well, btw, so do yourself a favor and come off your high horse. All I can say to the readers is this- the proof is in the pudding. Just go to Henry Haid's website to hear that shrill cackle I'm talking about. Just the Way You Are is actually painful. And that's after he's had the opportunity to record the song in a studio and do as many takes as possible to get it right. Problem is, he couldn't. Then go to Big Shot's website and Matt Friedman's website. Mike DelGuidice is a dead ringer for Billy Joel, and Matt Friedman rocks just as much.

[Fischer_85]

Come on People wrote:

You must have a bagel in your ear and be Matt Feldman fan... The guy is very good .... Enough with the Billy impersonators... I bet thery can do Elvis too....
<quoted text>

Hmm. Changes Friedman to Feldman, adds the "bagel in your ear" dig... Wow. I can't believe it only took 12 comments for the anti-Semites to slither into the sunlight. Do us all a favor, "Come On People"... crawl back into your hole.

[piano man]

Hello, my name is Henry Haid. Yes, Henry Haid.
This forum was brought to my attention by the lovely people at Google. Well, lets just say I am surprised that a topic that should have been a testament to the success of Matthew Friedman was somehow used as a sounding board to bully me and discredit my name. This was done under the guise of opinion, obviously by a rude and childish person with some sort of motive or a grudge against Henry Haid.
I know Matthew. He a very talented man.
Matthew, I wish you all the best. Good luck with all your future endeavors.
Yours truly,
Henry Haid.

[Matthew Friedman]

Henry- Matthew Friedman here. "Mattybonz" to you. I don't know who these idiots are, either. But I do wish they'd refrain from dumping their garbage on the NEWSDAY site, and spoiling what was to me a really incredible and meaningful article. I still remember early on in my audition process, when you and I hung out backstage at the Richard Rodgers Theater. You gave me some really helpful pointers, and I most definitely appreciated it. People who aren't a part of the MOVIN' OUT world will never understand that there was never any real competition between the "Piano Men". And quite honestly, there are enough Billy Joel fans out there to support a hundred tribute bands. You're a class act, Henry. Good luck and keep on rockin'!
Peace...
Matthew