WOW: Movie Star Performs Live Music at Sioux Falls Bar
Thomas Ian Nicholas may not look super familiar right away. But look closer.
Don't let that long curly hair fool you! He was Henry Rowengartner in Rookie of the Year, he was Calvin Fuller in A Kid in King Arthur's Court, and Kevin Myers in the American Pie movies!
He now goes by just Thomas Nicholas (he'll always be a 3-namer to me) and is still in show business. He still acts, but is also a musician!
He was in Sioux Falls this past weekend to host Q&A and do a meet and greet during the showing of American Pie and Rookie of the Year at The State Theatre.
He also performed a set at The Thirsty Duck! I decided to check that out! He went on a little after 11 p.m. and performed solo for at least an hour before he invited local band Somebody or Someone back on stage to close the show with him.
I had never heard any of his music before and I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes when you hear about some child actor trying to do music, it's not great. However, he was the real deal. Very entertaining. A mix of originals, covers, and a lot of fun stories about his life in the biz!
He does a fun cover of "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne, but changes it to Stiffler's Mom. Clever. I see what you did there.
After the set, Thomas Ian Nicholas said he would be selling merch and would be willing to take photos and chat at the back section of the bar. I really wanted a photo, but I was growing impatient. He was packing up his stuff on stage and some guy kept asking Thomas Ian Nicholas questions about his sound equipment and guitar and pedals and such. I finally cut in and said something to the effect of, "I don't want to be rude and interrupt, but a few of us have been waiting for a photo and this conversation has been going on a while."
He kind of laughed and told the guy he'd talk to him at the back of the bar. I'm not totally proud of my behavior, but I was up past my bedtime. Back at the merch table, I was first in line for the photo and I even asked him a very burning question. I wanted to know what phrase gets recited to him the most 1. Pitchers got a big butt or 2. Funky butt loving? Both are solid quotes from Rookie of the Year. He said neither. How disappointing.
Anyway, I got my picture with him and he even carries around his own lighting. I held up my phone/camera and he held up the good lighting! I like a guy that comes prepared!
Ya know, if someone told 10-year-old me, watching Rookie of the Year, that I would someday meet Henry Rowengartner in real life, she probably would have blushed a lot and not believed them. But, I did meet him and he was very polite, even when I was pushy. He really was such a nice guy!
You can check out what he's up to with his music or acting on his website or Instagram.
Thomas Ian Nicholas