Thomas Nicholas, best known for his acting roles in some of our favorite films like American Pie and Rookie Of The Year brings TNB to Pittsburgh for a unique night of entertainment.\

Article by: Sean Mickel

Photographs by: Rose Mickel

On Saturday night, December 7th, the City Winery near the strip district in Pittsburgh hosted an American Pie Emo Night. It was a highly entertaining evening featuring a screening of the first American Pie movie, a meet and greet with a quick Q&A afterwards, followed up by an exceptional performance by Thomas and his band.

We arrived at The City Winery, a quant wine bar that was the ideal setting for this intimate evening, about thirty minutes before the festivities were to start. Drinks and appetizers were served as we prepared for the show. At 7pm, the 1999 hit comedy American Pie commences on three big screens surrounding the stage, ensuring that every seat had a direct view of the screen. It had been quite some time since I’ve seen the movie in its entirety, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the screening. There was plenty of laughter and a feeling of nostalgia in the room, as the screening took everyone back to that first time they saw the movie. Controversial by today’s standards for sure, but it set the bar for R rated teen comedies without a doubt.

Once the credits roll, Thomas, who portrays Kevin in the movie, appears on stage to the approval and applause of the audience. He gives us a few insights into the filming of the movie and shares a few anecdotes about some of the key moments in the film, before announcing there would be a short break before the music started, and in the meantime, to feel free to come up and introduce yourself and ask him any questions you may have. The man is so incredibly personable and genuine as he takes the time to interact and engage with every single person that wanted to meet him, and he made everyone feel welcome and appreciated. In fact he was so friendly that the thirty minute intermission turned into an hour. But no one was complaining.

After everyone made their way through the line, it was time for the live music part of the show to begin. The three piece band takes the stage, ready to pump out plenty of emo covers, and a slew of TNB originals. Thomas is joined onstage by two extremely talented musicians from Pennsylvania’s neighboring state of Ohio. Scott Paris on bass and Tim Benner on drums provided the groove and the rhythm for the evening, and it was apparent they have played together before as they played tight and synchronously.

They open up with their version of the Fountains Of Waynes' 2003 hit Stacy’s Mom, which of course is aptly named Stiffler’s Mom. Obviously, this is a homage to the film we just watched, and, since Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills was in attendance, he commented on INK’s iteration, Jason’s Mom, and threw in a chorus from that version as well. Kim and I were the only fans in attendance who had any inkling of what he was talking about.

From that point, the set continues with a mixture of TNB originals and covers of some of the most popular emo songs from the early 2000’s. Thomas’ band has an extensive catalog, as he has had seven albums released dating back to 2008. . . not including his first album - Chinook Winds - released in 1999 that has been destroyed and never to be heard again! We get to hear original songs like the title track from 2015’s Security, My Generation from the American Reunion soundtrack, Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt, and a song that resonated with me, Same Kids. Like a fine wine and cheese pairing, the originals were served along with some great covers. Early on it was All The Same Things by Blink 182, and an amazing rendition of Lit’s - My Own Worst Enemy. The band was loosening up and having a good time and poking fun at each other, and the infectious energy had the crowd laughing and singing along and enjoying every song. Thomas and the boys felt the love and kept the vibe moving forward with a couple more TNB originals, Never Enough and Lost It All.

A cover of a cover is up next, as they crank out Alien Ant Farm’s version of Smooth Criminal, a song originally recorded by Michael Jackson. A couple more originals, Back For More and Wrong Side follow before they pull out Sum 41’s In Too Deep, which judging from the sing-a-long, was a crowd favorite. Time is winding down, and we are treated to one more TNB original, We’re Gonna Be Okay, before they get ready to wrap it up with two songs. The first of those two would be 1999, another American Pie inspired song, to the tune of Bowling For Soup’s hit, 1985. Thomas blended lyrics from both songs seamlessly for a highly entertaining rendition. They finished the evening’s set with Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 top 40 hit The Middle, giving a dynamic performance to close out the show and send the crowd home with a smile on their faces. Everyone in attendance seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening and all it had to offer.

After the show, Thomas stuck around to once again taking the time to converse with every single person that wished to talk to him. He and his band put on a stellar performance, and he is an amazing musician. Better yet, he is a unique, relatable human being. He loves music, he loves his fans, and he loves life.

He’s got one more date left on the American Pie Emo Night tour in Anaheim, Ca. on December 19th. If you get a chance and want an entertaining evening of nostalgia and music, don’t miss this show, or any of his shows in the future. He has dates in Hawaii, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom in 2025, as well as being scheduled on The Summer Of ‘99 Creed Cruise in April 2025.