Movin' Out
As Darren's contract with Riverdance came to an end, with hardly time to draw breath, he successfully auditioned as the lead vocalist/pianist in the Tony Award-winning hit Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp musical Movin’ Out. This saw him once again performing on Broadway, before embarking on another extensive 3 year tour of the US, Canada and Tokyo. The tour was a major success, breaking all previous box office records in many cities in the first year. Darren was ever present as lead ‘Pianoman’ on the original US tour, from Jan 2004, until the production closed in Birmingham Alabama in Jan 2007. This gained him a huge fan base for both his interpretation of the Billy Joel back catalogue, and his own music. He also became a regular face on American Prime Time TV, clocking up more than 500 appearances on CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC. His natural ability in front of the camera charmed both presenters and the millions of viewers, as he shared his amusing experiences and treated them to his amazing rendition's of the Billy Joel classics.
Movin' Out Tokyo
Darren performed 1300 shows as Pianoman in Movin' Out, for the most part in the USA and Canada. But one of the highlights was taking the tour to Japan for a 6 week run from 27 July to 2 September 2006. They performed to great reviews and enthusiastic audiences at the Tokyo Koseinenkin Kaikan throughout.
Darren's solo album 'Roadworks' was released while he was in Japan and received an amazing reaction from the Japanese fans, selling over 20,000 copies.
Here he is with a group of fans happy to have met Darren and got their copies signed!
"Darren Holden truly holds Movin' Out together and pumps out song after song with great passion. He's not imitating Joel, he's a star in his own right. He's sexy, breathy and really rocks."
-Amy Matsuoka, The Daily Yomiuri , Tokyo August 2, 2006
Darren, along with other members of the Movin' Out cast, were interviewed for a Japanese television station.
These are two videos of unseen footage of Darren's two interviews. These videos were filmed in Boston.
The first video shows Darren at the theatre with an opportunity to see him back stage and climbing his 30ft ladder to his piano up on the platform above the stage! The second interview is a rare opportunity to see Darren relaxing with his wife Michelle and their young son Josh, who were with them throughout the tour.